Hollywood: The Greatest Showman

Chapter 161: Premiere

Here have another Chapter

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Rodrigo wiped the sweat from his palms again, took a deep breath, and tried to relax his stiff face, but it wasn't easy. Originally worried if today's premiere would be too quiet, the reality overwhelmed him, leaving him no room to even catch his breath.

So, all of this is Andy Rogers' arrangement?

Walking into the cinema, guided by the staff, Renly headed towards the direction of the screening hall. His throat dried up due to nervousness. The fervor of the premiere meant that "Buried" would face more scrutiny from both the audience and the media. Although the Toronto International Film Festival was known for its audience-friendliness, what if even Toronto's audience didn't like it?

The surging pressure caused Rodrigo's heart to slowly accelerate, his stomach churned, and he caught a glimpse of Natalie Portman's figure out of the corner of his eye—she was heading towards the back door of the cinema instead of the screening hall. Rodrigo was surprised and quickly followed, calling out, "Miss Portman."

Natalie continued walking, neither slowing down nor stopping, as if she hadn't heard the call at all.

Rodrigo quickened his pace, catching up to Natalie in three steps, and kindly reminded her, "Miss Portman, the screening hall is in that direction, you're going the wrong way."

Natalie looked up, glanced at Rodrigo, and gave a polite smile, "Don't worry about me, you guys go ahead to the screening hall. I have some ladylike matters to attend to." Ladylike matters, that is, the restroom.

Feeling awkward, Rodrigo smiled faintly, "Then, I'll see you in the screening hall later." He then slowed his pace, watching Natalie's departing figure, and then adjusted his direction, heading back towards the screening hall. Looking up, Rodrigo saw the directional sign above: Restroom.

If the restroom was in that direction, where did Natalie just go?

Turning around, the corridor was now empty. Rodrigo tilted his head in confusion, unable to comprehend, but still puzzled, he continued walking towards the screening hall, glancing back every few steps.

Natalie had left, without any hesitation.

She knew she didn't need to stay here any longer. She had no interest in this movie, and after the premiere, it would be difficult to create more gossip hints. Staying would only waste time, and she would have to cooperate with Renly's publicity for his movie. On the contrary, even if she left now, reporters wouldn't notice, at most they would think she sneaked away before the screening ended, creating a smoke screen of deliberately avoiding gossip.

Thinking about Renly's performance at today's premiere, Natalie felt annoyed. In this competition today, she was obviously on the losing side, and it felt terrible; damn Renly Hall, so infuriating. But she didn't have time to settle scores with that self-righteous guy now; she had to focus on dealing with potential dangers.

In the past few days, they had gradually leaked rumors, guiding the gossip between her and Renly, but now it seemed Renly had no intention of cooperating, and even turned the tables; then, the reporters would soon notice her and Benjamin watching the movie together again, and notice her attempts to divert attention. This also meant that after the failed attempts to cover up, the reporters' suspicions would increase exponentially.

If they didn't want the college PR for "Black Swan" to fall into a disadvantageous situation before it even started, they had to act first.

Rodrigo walked briskly into the screening hall and saw Renly, Ramie, and James chatting and laughing. His anxious mood eased slightly. Approaching Renly, Rodrigo whispered, "Renly, I saw Natalie heading to the restroom just now, she might not make it for the beginning."

Renly looked around, indeed not seeing Natalie's figure. However, Renly wasn't surprised. They weren't allies; if he were in Natalie's position, he would choose to leave, which was the wisest decision. "Don't worry about her. Today's protagonist shouldn't be her. Enjoy your moment. We've been waiting for this day, haven't we? This is the Toronto International Film Festival, and 'Buried' is about to meet the audience. You shouldn't be concerned about anyone else now."

Feeling Renly's calmness, Rodrigo gradually calmed down, and a smile appeared on his face. Indeed, he should have enough confidence in Renly. Memories of their work on set flooded his mind again, replacing the nervousness with excitement. He was a bit impatient, looking forward to the audience's reactions, as well as the reactions of journalists and critics.

"This is Toronto," Rodrigo sighed.

Renly smiled broadly, "This is Toronto."

Tessa followed Chanel's eyes, revealing a look of incredulity, "You mean, he delivered such a brilliant performance right in the hostel's lobby, to the point that everyone watching couldn't distinguish between reality and acting?"

Chanel nodded, affirming, "That's why I came all the way to Toronto, to see this movie firsthand." Chanel flashed a bright smile, feeling excited, "Believe me, watching it live, the realism and impact are far more shocking than any verbal description!" Chanel looked forward eagerly, "By the way, two weeks ago, he won the Emmy Award for Best Actor in a Miniseries with 'The Pacific.' Obviously, not only I think he's an outstanding actor."

"'The Pacific'?" Tessa repeated, "I've heard of that series, isn't it made by the original team of 'Band of Brothers'?" After receiving Chanel's confirmation, Tessa suddenly realized, "I'm not very interested in war works, haven't watched it before; but now, I'm interested."

Tessa clenched her fists. After all, she wanted to see not the series itself, but Renly. Watching a handsome guy on the big screen was a delightful thing in itself. As for the quality of the series, what did it matter? She had secretly decided to watch "The Pacific" when she got home.

Tessa and Chanel followed the crowd into the screening hall. The surging crowd boiled in the limited space, causing a suffocating heat and restlessness. Tessa immediately saw Renly standing in the empty space in front of the first row, and her mood became excited—Ryan was here too!

Tessa couldn't help but clench her fists, trembling with excitement. She originally just wanted to get a close look at Ryan by the red carpet, but unexpectedly, she had an unexpected surprise! Not only did she find Renly, but she also saw Ryan standing side by side with Renly! Seeing the two handsome guys talking and laughing, Tessa was too excited, shaking uncontrollably.

"Ryan!" Tessa couldn't contain her emotions and shouted uncontrollably. She knew this was a cinema, she knew such behavior was rude, but she couldn't control her excitement, "Renly!"

Amidst the calls, Ryan and Renly both turned their heads, quickly finding the source of the voice. Ryan raised his right hand high and waved, while Renly, standing beside him, broke into a big smile and whispered something to Ryan, causing Ryan to smile too.

"Renly," her voice burst forth from her throat again, her whole body shaking with excitement, feeling that everything was too beautiful, almost unreal, as if the world was enveloped in a thin halo of light, splendid and magnificent. Pushed forward by the crowd behind her, Tessa reluctantly moved forward, but her gaze remained fixed on Renly and Ryan, reluctant to leave.

Gavin Hunter lifted his head to survey the screening hall. Three hundred seats were already filled, with more people continuously streaming in behind them. If things went as expected, the cinema would be packed.

Although it was a small venue, among the fifty-one films at this year's Toronto International Film Festival, "Buried" was the least anticipated. It lacked big-name stars, directors, local advantages, and even publicity. Despite being the global premiere, it was still awkwardly slotted into the 4 PM time slot. Considering this background, the fact that the venue was already filling up was truly remarkable.

Gavin felt a slight anticipation. As Ryan had said, what kind of performance would Renly deliver?

"Hey, buddy," a voice called out from beside him. Gavin turned his head and saw a smile on Daisy Lucas's face. "Daisy Lucas, from 'Vanity Fair.' At the premiere just now, Renly said he's dating Ryan. What's that all about?"

Daisy followed Gavin's footsteps closely. She knew Gavin might be the only one who knew.

Not just the thing she just mentioned, but Gavin might also know about the situation between Natalie and Renly.

Gavin didn't think much of it and simply recounted the encounter he had with Renly and Natalie, followed by the encounter with Renly and Ryan, summarizing briefly.

But Daisy immediately caught on, "Are you saying Renly didn't watch the movie with Natalie but with Ryan? And Natalie watched the movie with Benjamin?" Daisy felt like she had stumbled upon something. It seemed like the situation was more complicated than she had imagined, yet also simpler.

"Yeah," Gavin nodded, then realized that not only Daisy but the surrounding reporters had also perked up, looking thoughtful. Gavin suddenly realized: he seemed to have missed something, and then leaked something. He quickly shut up, thinking hard but coming up with nothing.

"The movie is about to start," Gavin said as he watched the lights dimming, quickly finding an empty seat and sitting down. Regardless of the gossip outside, what he was truly curious about today was "Buried"!