Hollywood: The Greatest Showman

Chapter 232: Acting Skills

Jennifer Lawrence secretly watched Renly sitting cross-legged alone in the corner. At first, she was a bit shy, sneaking glances cautiously. But soon, she noticed that Renly didn't seem to be aware of her gaze, which made her bolder.

The filming of the crew was progressing faster than expected. They went to Rhode Island yesterday and completed all the vacation scenes of Jacob and Anna in just one day. For the next two days, the crew would focus on shooting Jacob's life in Los Angeles after Anna left. Then they would spend another day or two at Los Angeles International Airport to finish the remaining scenes, before heading to London.

This also meant Jennifer didn't have much time to ease into her role. Today, she would film her first scene and had to get into character immediately.

Before shooting, Jennifer wanted to talk to Renly. Not just for the upcoming scene, but also because Renly's outstanding performance in the past few days had sparked her competitive spirit. She was curious about how Renly did it and eagerly anticipated their scenes together.

She knew Renly's habit: before each scene, he would find a quiet corner to carefully read through the script, sometimes discussing details with the director or other actors. Thirty to forty-five minutes before shooting, Renly would already be fully immersed in his role.

Jennifer hesitated for a moment before walking over, squatting down diagonally in front of Renly. "Renly," she tentatively called out. "Can we go over the script together?"

Renly didn't respond, his eyes still fixed on the script, a cigarette unlit in his mouth, his brows furrowed as if he were repeatedly going over a few short lines. Jennifer was also in this scene, and she knew there were only a few lines between them in the script.

Could these few lines really be that profound?

"Renly?" Jennifer raised her voice slightly, but Renly still didn't react. This made her frown. She didn't like being ignored, and anger started to simmer within her. She suppressed it and called out again, "Renly!" This time, enunciating each syllable through gritted teeth.

Still, there was no response from Renly.

This was incredibly annoying! Not only was it arrogant, but also dismissive. Jennifer felt her anger boiling over. Just as the bit of respect she had for Renly was about to dissipate, she remembered the misunderstanding when they first met. Her anger subsided a bit, and she noticed Renly wasn't wearing earplugs this time.

"Damn!" She was about to curse when she saw Renly reach out, feeling the air as if he were blind. Then she noticed the water cup by her feet. Could it be that Renly was looking for his water cup?

Watching Renly's fumbling movements, Jennifer picked up the cup and handed it to him.

Renly sensed the cup being offered, reacted, and looked up to meet Jennifer's curious gaze. Jennifer smiled, "Hey!"

Renly nodded, took the cup, "Thanks." He removed the cigarette from his mouth with his left hand, took two big gulps of water with his right, then set the cup down and resumed reading his script.

Jennifer was taken aback by his reaction. She wasn't angry this time, but even more curious. She tentatively asked, "What are you thinking about?"

This time, having been interrupted, Renly didn't continue his silence. "I'm thinking about what Jacob is feeling at this moment." He placed the script on his lap. "Look, the script says: Jacob is drawing furniture designs, and behind him, Sam's voice says, 'Need me to iron your jeans?' In the script, the story is fragmented. In the previous scene, Jacob had just returned from London after saying goodbye to Anna, but in the next scene, he's already living with Sam. There's no clue indicating Jacob and Anna have broken up. So, at this moment, what is Jacob feeling? And in the untold story, how did he and Anna decide to break up?"

A single line triggered so many thoughts in Renly, which Jennifer found intriguing. "So, have you found the answer?" Now she understood why Renly always read the script and seemed to ponder a single line repeatedly.

"I don't know." Renly's answer surprised Jennifer, and he continued to explain. "I mean, Jacob himself doesn't know. His thoughts are chaotic. What happened in London left him in a state of confusion. He is indeed lonely, sad, and even a bit angry. Anna is the same. They chose to break up; it was a mutual decision. So when Sam came along, he didn't refuse."

"But deep down, he doesn't know what he wants. He's unsure if breaking up was the right choice, unsure of what he and Sam are, and even unsure if he still loves Anna or if his feelings have changed."

"Hmm." Jennifer pondered deeply and sat down cross-legged. "Actually, Jacob didn't want to break up, but the experiences in London made him and Anna out of sync. Anna moved on, but Jacob remained in place. Facing Sam's advances, Jacob just needed to look ahead and have someone by his side, so he didn't refuse."

"Yes, I think Jacob's nature is insecure. He is always passive. His love with Anna was too perfect, too romantic, almost an embodiment of all his beautiful fantasies about love. He couldn't let go. Even after breaking up, he's still struggling internally."

Renly took the cigarette from his mouth and held it between his fingers, his eyes becoming deep and thoughtful as Jacob's character became clearer. "But under the pressure of reality, he doesn't know what to do, can't find a way out. So he goes with the flow, waiting for time to give him an answer, just like many ordinary people in the world. Everyone knows the truth, but not everyone can live it out."

Even without Sam, Jacob would still be alone in Los Angeles. His relationship with Anna would still be trapped in a maze due to the passage of time and distance. Sam was never the core issue; Jacob and Anna themselves were.

Jennifer fell silent, with Sam's character becoming clearer than ever in her mind. She could capture Jacob's sadness and hesitation between his brows and see the childlike smile he occasionally showed. She tried her best to protect the man in front of her, not letting him get hurt again. But she had never truly entered Jacob's inner world.

It might be cruel, but it was also real.

"If Jacob told Anna about his inner turmoil, what would happen?" Jennifer couldn't help but follow Renly's thoughts further.

Renly also pondered deeply. If everyone in a relationship were open and communicated sincerely, would the results be different? But that's just a hypothesis, because everyone is so complicated. Sometimes, honesty can solve problems, and sometimes it can't.

"I guess we'll never know," Renly said, looking at director Drake who was directing the staff to set up the cameras.

At that moment, Renly was more certain than ever that Drake still loved his ex-wife.

But life is cruel like that. Everyone has their own confusion and pain. Even if they could foresee the future, they might not change their fate because love has no right or wrong. From the moment it begins, it's a game of both parties' negotiation and compromise, a collision and fusion of both sides. More often than not, love cannot solve all problems.

"Renly, how do you always manage to incorporate your thoughts into your performance? How do you always keep the rhythm of your performance under control?" Jennifer finally couldn't help but ask the biggest question in her heart.

Renly was taken aback, then laughed. "I don't know either. Acting, to me, is still a craft that needs continuous learning and refining. I'm just getting started." He paused, showing a surprised expression. "I can control the rhythm of my performance? Wow, that's the best compliment I've heard. Thank you."

Jennifer chuckled, nodded, and reciprocated the compliment without hesitation. However, she thought, it wouldn't be long before she surpassed him.

"If there is any special technique, I guess basic skills would be one." Renly recalled his school days, where there were no shortcuts in honing basic skills. Every student had to discard their ego, starting from the most basic emotions and simple animal simulations, gradually refining their understanding of acting.

"And..." Renly held up the script in his hand, "Also, thoroughly reading the script?"

Jennifer's gaze stayed on Renly's eyebrows. She knew he was serious; it wasn't a joke. Although it sounded like a joke, basic skills and the script were truths every actor knew. They weren't special techniques but were crucial fundamentals. Yet, many actors were too impatient, just like Hollywood, wanting to become acting masters overnight, ignoring such truths.