Hollywood: The Greatest Showman

Chapter 219: Starting from Scratch

The streets of Los Angeles always seem particularly wide, with no towering skyscrapers around, making the whole world feel open. The dazzling sunlight fills every corner indiscriminately, bathing everything in a warm, creamy yellow hue. Palm trees, skate shoes, vintage cars, and lemon soda — even the hurried pedestrians seem to carry a hint of leisure.

"Sorry, sorry, I'm late." Drake Doremus wiped the sweat from his forehead, his face beaming with a bright smile as he pulled out the chair next to Renly and sat down on his right. "When did you get here? You haven't been waiting long, have you? I'm really sorry. By New York standards, I'm probably already on the blacklist, right?"

Drake's speech was always unhurried, and his tone remained steady even when he was out of breath. Yet his words carried a lively and playful quality, sometimes even a bit of teasing. Combined with his curly hair and chubby frame, this contrast made his character very vivid in just a few sentences.

"No worries, by Los Angeles standards, you're right on time. By Barcelona standards, you're actually early." Renly's response made Drake chuckle, his laughter echoing in his chest.

Today was the official meet-and-greet for the entire "Like Crazy" crew, a chance not only to introduce and get to know each other but also to set the tone and style of the work and its characters.

After signing the contract two days ago, Renly received the script and read it thoroughly, settling his thoughts. So, in today's meeting, he and the director could exchange ideas and understandings, setting a direction for the upcoming shoot. This would avoid wasting time in debates once filming started — for an independent crew, every step costs money, and even just the cost of film could be prohibitive.

This small detail revealed that compared to Rodrigo Cortés, Drake had much more experience directing feature films.

Renly had arrived twenty-five minutes early and had only been sitting for about ten minutes when Drake appeared — he wasn't late at all.

It was already late September, but Los Angeles was still in the heat of summer. Drake, sweating profusely, quickly called for a waiter and ordered an iced cola. When he turned back, he saw Renly's observing gaze. He looked around and widened his eyes, "What? Is there something wrong with my appearance?"

Renly smiled and shook his head. He had actually been observing Drake. Because the script of "Like Crazy" was based on Drake's personal experiences, though the character Jacob was not his alter ego, there were bound to be some shadows of him. Renly was trying to confirm his understanding of Jacob through Drake.

"No, I was just reading the script and got curious about something." Renly smoothly switched the topic.

Drake didn't suspect anything, his eyes falling on the script in Renly's hand, his expression becoming enthusiastic, "What do you think? Do you have any questions?"

"I'm curious about what made you fall in love with her in the first place — I mean, your ex-wife." Renly moved his iced tea aside and placed the script on the table, ready for a serious discussion. "Was it because of that poem? Or was it just that someone confessed to you and your heart started racing?"

Renly's casual way of speaking made Drake laugh heartily.

In the "Like Crazy" script, the details of how the two characters fell in love weren't given much weight. Anna developed feelings for Jacob, wrote him a poem, and left it on his car's windshield. After reading it, Jacob asked Anna out. They exchanged some light-hearted jokes, and then Anna showed Jacob her other poems. They spent a beautiful day together and just fell in love.

The script only showed two scenes: one where they tentatively communicated in a café and one in the evening at Anna's home, exchanging poems in a notebook.

As Renly mentioned, the script covered a long timespan, so the director couldn't detail the slow mental connection and sparks between the two like in "Before Sunrise" or "Before Sunset." Instead, they could only capture some life snippets, relying on the actors' performances to convey the story.

In the previous iteration of "Like Crazy," the performances by Anton Yelchin and Felicity Jones didn't quite capture these nuances, relying instead on the typical Hollywood trope of love at first sight.

However, this lack of detail meant the audience lost their sense of connection, failing to understand the burning passion between Jacob and Anna, and even less so their later estrangement. This kept the story superficial: two young people who fell in love passionately but grew apart due to distance, impacting the film's deeper exploration of love's essence.

Now, Renly was trying to understand the backstory, those unseen details that actors knew and conveyed through their performances. These unseen details formed the foundation for both the actors' performances and the story's depth. He needed to start from scratch, erasing the previous film's impressions and reconstructing the character anew.

"I guess it's a bit of both." Drake said hesitantly, rubbing his face hard and letting out a frustrated groan. "It's been too long; everything has been too long, and the memories are fuzzy now." He dropped his hands and looked at Renly. "Do you need to know all of this?"

Renly pursed his lips, taking a leisurely sip of his coffee. He didn't speak, but his intent was clear.

Drake's shoulders slumped, his head drooping as he seriously thought for a moment, then took a deep breath and looked back at Renly. "You know, I used to be a bit of a recluse — well, I still am. I majored in something very obscure, not something girls would be interested in. Plus, I wasn't good at talking, didn't know how to make girls laugh. So, when a girl suddenly confessed to me, I have to admit, I was ecstatic."

Drake fell into a reverie, silent for a while, a smile spreading across his face, even the space between his eyebrows showing signs of happiness. Renly couldn't help but think that even though Drake was divorced, they must still love each other deep down. The passage of time hadn't dimmed the glow and warmth of those memories.

"I was a bit nervous and excited. But a key point is, I liked her writing." Drake leaned forward, meeting Renly's gaze, his eyes shining with excitement, as if reliving the moment he first received the love letter. "She... she was a really talented girl. Her poetry had a delicate touch, which I really liked. Oh, and she had beautiful handwriting."

As Drake reminisced, his smile became more wistful.

Renly couldn't help but wonder how heartbroken Drake must have been when he followed his ex-wife to London, and how conflicted his feelings were when he met someone new after returning to Los Angeles. They still loved each other, yet life had driven them apart. That sense of helplessness was poignant.

"Do you remember why you broke up?" Renly suddenly thought of this question and brought it up.

As expected, a look of confusion flickered in Drake's eyes, and he remained silent for a long time. This is life — complex and silent, with its invisible pressures leading loving couples to part and hostile ones to stay together. Looking back, even the tiny details become unrecognizable. Even Drake didn't know how they ended up parting.

This is also the profound truth of "Like Crazy," capturing life's essence.

"After all these years, what do you remember most about her?" Renly, following Drake's expression, asked another question.

Drake's eyes flickered gently, as if lost in memories, and then his lips curled into a tender smile. "Her eyes. You know, she had beautiful eyes, like they were filled with starlight." A simple sentence, yet the most beautiful love confession in the world. But thinking of their unfortunate ending added a touch of melancholy.

"Hey, I'm not late, right?" A breathless voice suddenly broke in, the erratic breaths tinged with a hint of panic. Her messy hair was blown to her lips by the wind, and she hurriedly brushed it away, revealing her bright eyes, the flicker in her glance outlining a resilient strength.

With just one glimpse, Renly understood why Drake chose her to play Anna.

"Sorry, I went to the second floor. If the waiter hadn't asked what I wanted to order for lunch, I wouldn't have realized. I was just wondering if I had the wrong time." The girl in front of him blushed with a shy smile, lightly biting her lower lip to hide her nervousness and shyness. She turned to Renly, extending her hand. "Felicity Jones!"

Beneath her resolute eyes was a touch of endearing clumsiness, making her appear both sturdy and a bit scatterbrained. "Renly Hall!" Renly took Felicity's hand and introduced himself warmly.

"Here? Is it here?" A cheerful and clear voice followed, and then a tall, lanky blonde guy strode over. He stopped beside Felicity, nodding politely to Drake. "Director, long time no see."

Then, between the two of them, another head popped up on tiptoe, looking around before exclaiming in surprise, "Why are you here?"