Hollywood: The Greatest Showman

Chapter 66: Intertwined Fate

Chris pressed tightly against the room's door, as if afraid that Renly would break in at any moment. His heart pounded like a drum, his throat felt dry and itchy, and he couldn't help but cough twice. He had to force himself to hold his mouth tightly shut to avoid making any noise.

Finally, when his breathing calmed down, Chris locked the door and quickly walked to the bed. He pulled out the "Thor" script from under the mattress, overwhelmed with excitement. The sensation of touching it made his mind almost blank out, and he almost lost his breath.

Calm down, calm down!

Chris forced himself to calm down and started planning his next steps.

He had to fly back to Los Angeles immediately, study the script thoroughly, truly understand the character of Thor, and maybe even find an acting coach for guidance to ensure he perfectly embodied Kenneth's vision of the ideal candidate. Then, through his agent, he would contact the relevant people at Marvel Studios or Paramount Pictures. All he needed was a peripheral person; if he could meet the director, even better. Once he got the chance, he would present himself and wait for the call from the key decision-makers. That would be enough.

If necessary, he could also contact Bryan Burk, the producer of "Star Trek"—another Paramount production. Bryan had some connections within Paramount. When they were shooting "Star Trek," Bryan had shown a liking for him. Now was the time to utilize that.

Without a script, it was either through connections or through works. The road to getting a top-tier production was too narrow, especially for an actor like Chris, whose acting skills weren't solid. But now, things had changed dramatically. He could prepare in advance, following the official protocol of the movie. As long as he found a crack in the airtight network of relationships, that would be enough.

Thinking of this, Chris couldn't help but get excited!

During his time in Hollywood, he had seen enough of those arrogant and indifferent faces, each one seeming like a noble, but in reality, they were just a bunch of sycophants. They had been discriminating against him, not even willing to look at him straight. In the future, he would pay them back tenfold! And Renly, he was no different!

Renly had been given the opportunity to play Thor, yet he didn't know how to cherish it. He considered himself above others, which was nauseating. But he had to thank Renly, right? Now, the initiative was in his hands, and he wouldn't give up easily. When he stood at the top of the Hollywood pyramid, if he was in a good mood, he could extend a hand to Renly in gratitude.

As for guilt? Why should he feel guilty? This was Hollywood, where anything goes. He wisely seized the opportunity, so he would be the one laughing in the end!

Once, Gwyneth Paltrow and Winona Ryder were famous best friends in Hollywood, a pair of beautiful sisters. Winona rose to fame at a young age, with her acting skills captivating countless directors; Gwyneth came from a prominent family background, her father a producer and her mother an actress, with Steven Spielberg as her godfather.

In 1997, Winona grew tired of the intrigues and spotlight of Hollywood, her mental state plummeting, and her acting career sinking into a quagmire. Yet, she remained a director's darling, receiving constant invitations.

One day, Gwyneth visited Winona's house and found a script under the coffee table while Winona was drowsy from taking too much cold medicine. Out of curiosity, Gwyneth started reading it.

Gwyneth liked the script and daringly took it without informing Winona. Winona, in her miserable state, didn't even notice. Later, Gwyneth, with her research on the script and her connections, found the producer and director, auditioned successfully, landed the role, and won an Oscar for Best Actress with that work.

Yes, that work was "Shakespeare in Love."

Later, Winona learned about it and confronted Gwyneth. Gwyneth admitted it, and the once close friends severed ties completely. While Winona spiraled further into self-destruction, Gwyneth, despite being voted the most hated actress by Americans for several years, saw her career flourish.

That's Hollywood; the one who laughs last is the winner, and nobody cares about the means.

Chris envisioned everyone bowing at his feet, his smile broadening. Overwhelmed with joy, he almost laughed out loud. Burrowing his head into the pillow, he laughed, but it wasn't enough. He stood up and swung his fist, feeling like flying, only to trip over and scream in pain.

"Chris?" Renly's concerned voice came from the living room. "Are you okay?"

"Fine, fine," Chris hurriedly explained, tossing the script under the bed again, fearing Renly might come in. "Just... just bumped into the door frame."

"Haha, Hulk," Renly's teasing words came again. Chris chuckled in response, but behind the facade, he was sweating.

After this small accident, Chris's mood finally calmed down. He took the script and hid in his private bathroom, starting to read it carefully.

Fate was a strange thing. Many people attribute their life's luck and misfortune to "fate," as if it were the answer to all problems, as if an unseen hand of God controlled everything, simplifying life.

But in reality, fate was always in everyone's hands. A crucial choice at a critical moment could lead to entirely different life paths. Yet, looking back at past decisions from a future standpoint, no one knew if they would make the same choices again. Perhaps fate was determined by character, and choices were already predetermined.

Renly looked at Chris's room door, sensing that his behavior tonight was unusual, erratic, as if he had done something wrong. But after careful consideration, Renly couldn't figure out what it was. After all, Chris had just returned from Los Angeles today after spending so much time there, and their interactions had been limited. Could it be?

Could it be that there was a woman hiding in Chris's room? Suddenly, a thought popped into Renly's mind. If that were the case, it would make sense, especially if the woman was a famous actress. They wouldn't want others to know, or worse, leak it to tabloid journalists, so keeping a low profile was only natural.

Thinking this, Renly couldn't help but chuckle, turning off the living room lights and returning to his room, leaving Chris some private space. Look at him, being such an understanding roommate.

The next day, Chris packed his bags again and flew back to Los Angeles without even saying goodbye to Renly, surprising Renly with his decisive departure.

But in Hollywood, this wasn't uncommon. New actors would travel long distances for auditions, hoping desperately for a breakthrough, sometimes even risking everything. Yet, the results often didn't meet expectations. This was why most actors chose to settle in Los Angeles or New York—there were plenty of opportunities, and they didn't need to travel far to audition. Even if they had to go elsewhere, transportation between the two big cities was much more convenient.

Renly didn't pry into Chris's career development too much. After finishing his morning routine, he called Roy, deciding to decline the audition invitation.

Whether it was for Thor or Loki, based on the trajectory of the last life, once he decided to take on the role, he would be tied to Marvel Studios' juggernaut. Even though Tom Hiddleston gained immense popularity through Loki, Marvel still refused to give Loki more room to develop. In the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe, actors had minimal say.

After considering everything, Renly simply and decisively gave up the opportunity, without any hesitation. This left Roy regretful, but Renly didn't care. After packing up, he left the apartment, heading to Brooklyn this morning for a street skateboarding competition in which he was a participant.

As for the script, after deciding to decline, Renly forgot about it completely.

In fact, Renly's skateboarding skills were not outstanding, and even if he participated, he would probably end up at the bottom. After all, he had spent too little time learning, and his efforts were limited. But for Renly, the competition results didn't matter; it was the process that counted. This was one of his major goals after being reborn—to enjoy life to the fullest, learning skateboarding, guitar, surfing, and even planning to find a basic hiking route in the second half of the year to start hiking.

Dreams were important, but so was life. In this life, he would live it with his own colors.

Walking downstairs, Renly threw his skateboard on the ground and swiftly skated away. But he heard someone calling from behind, "Renly! Renly!"

Renly used his left foot to stop and turned around, seeing a chubby figure in a deep gray shirt with a black coat. Even with his round belly, he had a certain charm, reminiscent of a powerful aura of the Italian Mafia. However, he ran over gasping for breath, looking rather disheveled, sweat dripping down his forehead like he had just finished a marathon.

"Pant... pant... Pant... God..." He supported his knees with both hands, panting heavily. Renly looked at the short distance he had traveled to reach the doorstep, less than thirty yards, and then at the sweating figure in front of him, feeling a sense of absurdity. "Give me a minute." The chubby guy adjusted his breath, his face flushed.

Renly politely made a "please" gesture. "On such a beautiful morning, I still have a minute. Mr. Rogers."

Standing before him was Andy Rogers, the talent agent from Innovative Artist Management. Before "The Pacific" aired, he had personally visited Renly in Pioneer Village. Originally, Renly expected him to show up immediately after the series aired, but unexpectedly, the series had finished airing last week, and Andy only appeared today.

"Is it only a minute?" Andy took out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from his forehead. "I wonder if you have half an hour. We can sit down and have a good chat."

He needed to fly back to Los Angeles this afternoon; the casting competition for Thor had reached its climax. The three actors in the hands of Innovative Artist Management were very close to victory, and he had to be present personally and participate in the audition process. But even so, he gave up his plan to fly directly from Chicago back to Los Angeles and took a detour to New York, arriving here this morning. He had arrived at the airport at 6:30 a.m. and rushed over without stopping.

Because he knew that the time to sign Renly had come, and he didn't want to miss this rising star.

"I'm on my way to Brooklyn right now. If you don't mind, we can chat while we walk." Renly wasn't surprised by Andy's invitation. During the airing of "The Pacific," the number of calls from his agents had already surpassed two digits, with at least three coming from the big five agencies. Andy was just one of them.

Andy seemed unsurprised by Renly's response and made a gesture of invitation. "Of course, no problem." It was as if the afternoon flight back to Los Angeles didn't exist. "There's been quite a discussion about you in Hollywood recently. Have you heard any rumors in New York?"

"I hope they're mostly praise." Renly's answer made Andy smile lightly. "Of course, they are. If I'm not mistaken, you should have received some big project invitations. That's the best proof. For example, 'Thor.'"