Hollywood: The Greatest Showman

Chapter 287: No room for Error

Action films are indeed a very special genre. During filming, the body operates at high speed, muscles tense to the extreme, and the brain has almost no time or space to think. You have to rely entirely on instinct to respond, and even the slightest mistake can lead to injury—an injury that could even directly threaten your life.

So, when filming an action movie, it's hard for actors to think; they usually just perform naturally, bringing their true selves into the character. This is why action actors' performances often appear limited, even rigid.

However, Renly cannot perform naturally, because Hobbs is a completely different character.

After joining the "Fast & Furious 5" crew, Renly deeply realized his lack of experience. Even with his stage experience in London's West End and having completed three films, his knowledge base still lacked enough reference points to inject more into his performance, especially in extreme situations of fast-paced combat.

In 1980, Robert De Niro starred in "Raging Bull," which, although not an action movie, was a boxing film. During filming, he became completely absorbed in the role, truly merging with the character, to the point where he overexerted himself in a fight scene, breaking co-star Joe Pesci's ribs.

It was this kind of intense, immersive performance that not only brought out De Niro's own ferocity and brutality but also clearly defined the character's personality and nuances. De Niro delivered a flawless performance, earning his first Oscar for Best Actor.

Of course, by then, De Niro had already established a solid foundation with a series of works like "Taxi Driver," "The Godfather Part II," and "The Deer Hunter." You could say he had honed his acting skills to perfection, which led to the success of "Raging Bull."

But Renly is still too young and inexperienced. It's difficult for him to think on his feet and vividly portray a character's nuances and edges in extreme situations.

The only thing he can do is clear his mind of all thoughts, ideas, and frameworks, and try to simplify the character as much as possible. Then, he can channel Hobbs' fierce, combative, and unyielding spirit, never backing down, and use a hard-hitting approach to showcase Hobbs' decisiveness, ruthlessness, and directness.

This isn't difficult, especially since his scene partner is Vin Diesel, who seems eager to tear him apart.

There's no room for retreat; even a slight mistake could give Vin the upper hand, and then...? There would be no "then," because Vin definitely wouldn't hold back.

In this sense, Renly has to thank Vin. At least in this scene, it's Vin's help that allows him to fully immerse himself in the role, blending Hobbs' ferocity into his performance, delivering punches that land and moves that aim to kill. If he were facing Paul, their fighting styles would probably be much softer.

When Renly first agreed to join "Fast & Furious 5," his goal was simple: to test the waters of commercial cinema, and he liked the adrenaline-pumping vibe of the series. Now, Renly feels he made a wise choice. This is an important milestone on his path to exploring acting. In the future, he might want to broaden his horizons and challenge more diverse film genres.

Moreover, the whole filming process has been enjoyable—if you ignore the thorny presence of Vin Diesel. At least, he's still in the mood to joke around, and he genuinely means it.

"Renly, are you sure you're okay?" After laughing, Paul still expressed his concern again.

Renly looked up, thinking Paul was asking about the injury on his face, but Paul's expression didn't seem to match. Not only Paul, but even Gal and Jordana standing nearby also looked the same.

"In the next fight, you have to lose," Paul repeated. "If Vin really goes all out..."

In the script, Hobbs loses the fight to Dominic; not only that, but Dominic nearly loses control and almost kills Hobbs. If not for Mia—his sister and Brian's wife—screaming in anguish, snapping Dominic out of it, Hobbs would have died.

In other words, if Vin really lost his mind and attacked Renly with full force, no one on set could save Renly. Even if Neil H. Moritz were here, there would be nothing he could do.

A warm feeling surged in Renly's heart. No matter if their initial friendship was influenced by Vin, the solid camaraderie built over the past two months of tough shooting was genuine. This reminded Renly of the group of buddies from "The Pacific."

"Paul, you've known Vin for ten years. Is he that kind of person?" Renly didn't answer directly but instead asked a rhetorical question with a hint of teasing.

This question caught Paul off guard. He was never one to speak ill of others behind their backs. Besides, before this conflict, Paul and Vin's relationship had always been good—not close, but they were still friends.

Seeing Paul's dumbfounded expression, Renly couldn't help but laugh, reassuring him, "Don't worry, I won't just sit and take it. At worst, I can always save my own skin. I just hope this movie doesn't disappoint me—I'm risking my life to make it."

Renly was clearly joking, but no one could laugh. The serious look in their eyes made Renly sigh in resignation as he raised his hands in mock surrender. "Nathan, can I have a cigarette?" Noticing the furrowed brows and hesitant looks from Jordana and Gal out of the corner of his eye, he couldn't help but find it amusing.

There was a rule in the crew: smoking was allowed but only outdoors.

Now Renly suddenly wanted a cigarette, and indoors at that, which was against the rules. But given what he was about to face and especially after his earlier joke about "risking his life to shoot," no one had the heart to stop him, or they'd seem unkind.

Nathan, however, didn't hesitate and handed Renly a cigarette, knowing that Renly wouldn't light it—he didn't even have a lighter on him.

Renly took the cigarette, stuck it in his mouth, and then, with a half-smile, looked at everyone. "If I'm not mistaken, you all need to start getting ready for the next scene. James has been awkwardly standing in the back for a while."

James Correll, one of the crew's main coordinators. The last time, it was James who mistakenly told Renly the wrong work schedule, and he was directly involved in that incident.

After the prank didn't work out, James reportedly had a tough time. On the surface, his title as the main crew coordinator remained unchanged, but his job responsibilities had been significantly reduced. He was quickly marginalized among the coordinators and now mostly handled trivial matters.

Like now, notifying actors for rehearsal and blocking was usually the assistant's job, while the coordinator waited on set to give specific instructions.

Besides that, another coordinator who was involved, Julie Airey, was reportedly reassigned to the logistics department and didn't even come to Rio de Janeiro.

Renly was sure Andy had a hand in all of this.

Hearing Renly's words, James, who hadn't felt awkward before, suddenly did. He thought he had hidden well, but Renly had spotted him, so he had no choice but to step forward. "Jordana, we need to check the camera blocking with you, and Paul too."

After speaking, James nodded to Renly. There aren't many actors in Hollywood who can go head-to-head with Vin without flinching. James didn't want to offend Vin, but he didn't want to offend Renly either.

"Renly." Paul looked at the nonchalant Renly with a mix of exasperation and amusement, but Renly casually waved him off. "You'd better not disturb my rest. I'll need to give it my all in the next scene." With that, Renly leaned back in his chair with the cigarette in his mouth, closing his eyes to rest. His obvious "time to leave" posture made Paul shake his head and say no more as he led the other actors away.

Renly was serious; he did need some time to rest.

As Paul had feared, the upcoming scene was critical, leaving no room for error. Renly had to prepare thoroughly. If Vin really went berserk and unleashed his fury, Renly certainly wouldn't go down without a fight. So, he needed to rest and recharge, ensuring that he wouldn't lose focus during the shoot. His muscles also needed to relax a bit to make sure his reflexes wouldn't be sluggish. Otherwise, the consequences could be disastrous.

Vin stormed back to his own rest area, shoving aside the assistant bringing him a towel and sitting down with an air of anger. The makeup artist, assistants, and others didn't dare approach him.

Glancing at Renly's corner, Vin saw Ludacris sitting nearby with earbuds in, enjoying music, completely relaxed since he didn't have any shooting tasks. Vin nearly choked in frustration, "Ice Cube! What are you all just standing there for?!"

That brief confrontation just now had blown Vin's mind again and again.

He'd heard from Paul that Renly was a rock climbing enthusiast who also surfed in his spare time. Vin hadn't paid much attention since these were sports that relied more on skill than strength. He assumed Renly's fighting style would be similar to Paul's. But he hadn't expected Renly to be so adept at using leverage. On the surface, it seemed like they were going toe-to-toe, but Renly's subtle hand movements and technique redirected most of the force back at him.

Vin still felt his muscles tingling.

That damned guy!

Vin gritted his teeth, his gaze fixed on Renly, who was now leaning back to rest. In the next scene, Vin was determined not to hold back! He would make sure Renly got a real taste of his power!

He clenched his fists tightly, a crisp cracking sound echoing.