Hollywood: The Greatest Showman

Chapter 259: Righteous Indignation

"Does he also like candy? I mean, Ryan."

Alfred's tone relaxed, becoming more like casual chat between friends, without the previous flattery and eagerness. This made Renly's words more casual too. "Yes, he always carries candy with him, even at movie premieres."

As he spoke, a smile crept up at the corner of his mouth as Renly recalled the premiere of "Buried" in Toronto, where Ryan wore a suit but still had a few pieces of candy in his pocket—breaking the usual etiquette where suits are worn with empty pockets to maintain the suit's line. Ryan's unconventional approach was quite amusing.

Alfred could vividly picture that scene and couldn't help but laugh heartily. "Next time we get the chance, we should meet him." Alfred glanced at the still-closed studio doors and the empty street outside, as if chatting casually, he added, "You arrived so early today. Are you worried about the shoot later?"

Renly shrugged without answering, instead asking in return, "And you? Arriving so early, are you on another task?" It was barely past nine, and Alfred's arrival was quite exaggerated.

"No, not really. I just came early to hang around." Alfred waved his hand repeatedly, and when he saw Renly's puzzled look, he explained, "Although we're just extras or background actors, we do have passes that let us in for free. I usually come early and wander around the nearby studios to see what other crews are up to. Sometimes, if something unexpected happens, I can even find some work opportunities."

Renly understood and asked, "So am I interrupting your work now?" He looked around and pointed to the direction they had come from. "We saw the 'Mindhunter' crew preparing for a shoot."

"No, no, it's fine. I've checked them out already; they have enough actors." Alfred replied straightforwardly, causing Renly to chuckle. He paused for a moment and then said, "Yesterday afternoon, when the shoot just started, I saw Diesel and the crew members chatting away, and the atmosphere was quite lively. I wonder if they were discussing going on vacation together."

The seemingly trivial comment sounded harmless, but Renly immediately picked up on the underlying meaning. The hidden depth of the remark was intriguing.

On the surface, Renly kept his composure, smiling as he said, "I guess they were planning which bar to hang out at after work." Alfred smiled back, nodding in agreement, "That's a more plausible guess."

They exchanged smiles.

A low rumbling sound of an engine approached, accompanied by the sound of tires skidding against the ground. The three of them looked up simultaneously. Renly half-jokingly teased, "Early in the morning, and here's another person out and about." To Alfred and Nathan, it sounded like something different entirely. Alfred couldn't help but smile, while Nathan looked bewildered.

The car screeched to a stop in the middle of the road, and even before the engine was turned off, the driver's side door swung open. A figure rushed out and walked briskly toward Renly. "Renly! I knew you'd be here! That damned guy!"

The newcomer was Paul Walker, dressed in a simple white T-shirt and jeans, without even a jacket. He approached Renly angrily, leaving Alfred and Nathan stunned, unsure of what was happening. Did Renly offend Paul?

Renly, however, had an inkling of what was going on. Standing calmly, he saw Paul reach him, and Paul gave Renly a big hug, continuously apologizing, "Sorry, really sorry. I should have checked and informed you earlier. I didn't expect him to be so childish. This kind of petty trick is so outdated, okay?"

Renly genuinely felt Paul's concern and apology, which made him a bit awkward and uneasy.

Although they had met briefly while climbing and Paul had been quite helpful during the filming of "Fast & Furious 5", they had never really talked properly. To Renly, Paul was just someone a bit more familiar than a stranger.

But Paul's sincerity and enthusiasm were undeniable, a pure and untainted approach to making friends, starkly different from Hollywood's cutthroat world. Today, that was even more apparent.

Renly patted Paul on the back and didn't directly respond but introduced Paul to Alfred. "This is Alfred. This is Paul. Today, Alfred will be joining us for the shoot as an extra."

Renly introduced Alfred seriously, not hiding his true identity and adding a touch of British black humor.

Alfred took a small step forward and extended his right hand. "Hello, I'm Background Extra Number Fourteen."

The playful exchange diffused Paul's anger, and he smiled, shaking Alfred's hand warmly before remembering, "Sorry, I was really rude earlier. It's just because... I... Renly..." Paul was flustered and didn't know how to explain, ending up with a helpless smile.

"I understand, I completely understand." Alfred said with a knowing look, "I have some things to attend to. If I'm not mistaken, Studio Fourteen starts at 9:30." He winked at Renly, signaling, "I'll be off to handle that. See you this afternoon for the shoot."

With that, Alfred turned and left gracefully, his nonchalant demeanor almost like a "lord."

Watching Alfred leave, Paul asked in confusion, "Are you sure he's just an extra?"

Renly chuckled and pointed to Paul's car in the middle of the road, "Aren't you going to move it to a parking spot? It's quite impolite to leave it here."

Paul realized and nodded repeatedly, turning toward his car, but then stopped and turned back to Renly, hands on hips, displaying... anger? Resignation? Or just bemusement? Finally, he couldn't hold it in and laughed, exclaiming, "Renly!"

When Paul arrived, Renly knew he must have figured out the situation and, feeling furious and righteous, came straight to Universal Studios. He hadn't even brought his agent or a pass on the dashboard, just rushing over to support him.

Renly admitted feeling touched. On one hand, he was relieved Paul wasn't part of the prank; on the other, he was glad to make a new friend.

However, Renly didn't want Paul to have any unpleasant experiences with the crew over such a minor issue.

"Tell me, how did you find out?" Renly finally asked.

After the interruptions, Paul's anger had mostly dissipated, and he recalled seeing Renly and Alfred chatting amiably, seemingly unaffected.

Paul shook his head and laughed again, "You're just...." The more he thought about it, the funnier it seemed. Paul's smile broadened, and after a deep breath, he simply explained, "When I got your call, it seemed odd. Although you didn't say much, it was still strange."

It was Renly's first time calling him directly, and the conversation was quite unusual. Paul's curiosity led him to make calls to his agent, the crew, and the producer to verify.

"And then I made a few calls and found out the crew's normal working hours start at noon, but they told you eight-thirty." Paul said, still grinding his teeth. "It was a prank... a prank by Vin. They said it's a tradition to give new actors a lesson, like a fraternity. But this kind of joke is just so petty. It's meaningless and just a childish, nasty trick."

"Yeah, that's what I think too." Renly nodded in agreement. Vin Diesel, indeed.

From their first meeting in Telluride, Renly could sense he and Vin wouldn't become good friends. Now that Renly was part of the crew, Vin directly showed him his authority, making it clear that he was the real boss of the crew, even more so than Paul. Vin was the producer of "Fast & Furious 5", while Paul wasn't.

Paul looked at Renly's calm demeanor, "So, you don't care at all, do you?"

"Give me a reason to care." Renly's counter-question left Paul speechless. He thought of several reasons but ultimately dismissed them, as they were unconvincing even to him.

"Hehe." Paul laughed, giving Renly a sideways glance and shaking his head, then laughed again, unable to stop shaking his head.