Hollywood: The Greatest Showman

Chapter 39: City of Angels

The all-night revelry of St. Patrick's Day made Renly's head throb faintly. The party went on until around four in the morning, with various alcoholic drinks mixed and consumed. The atmosphere of the party was intoxicating, and Renly didn't feel much at the time, but the morning after was a painful ordeal.

However, Renly didn't have time to sleep in. He got up at nine in the morning to rush to the airport, taking a noon flight to Los Angeles. The day after tomorrow, on March 20th, the grand premiere of "The Pacific" would take place at the China Theater in Los Angeles, where all the cast and crew would gather again.

Once on the plane, Renly dozed off in a daze until the flight attendants woke him up. He gathered his luggage and disembarked, feeling somewhat relieved after the three-hour flight, as his headache had eased slightly.

After retrieving his luggage, he quickly walked out of the terminal and stood by the roadside, looking left and right, feeling somewhat disoriented. Everything in sight—the golden sunlight, azure sky, wide streets, deep blue waves—exuded a casual and spacious atmosphere, completely different from New York. Even the air seemed to be filled with vitality, and Renly's headache seemed to lessen a bit.

Renly was contemplating whether to take a taxi or rent a car.

As expected, despite starring in "The Pacific" and earning the highest salary for newcomers, Renly was still thoroughly broke. After deducting taxes, the first and second installments of his paycheck amounted to roughly fifty-five thousand dollars, which was indeed a significant amount of money—his highest income ever earned in his two lifetimes. But in the entertainment industry, it wasn't much.

After the official premiere of "The Pacific," Renly's life would be under the spotlight, which meant he had to deal with constant attention, even if it was just being proactive. He didn't have an agent or a professional stylist; he managed everything himself. In preparation for the upcoming premiere and related publicity events, he bought several sets of clothing, including formal suits, casual wear, as well as matching shoes, ties, socks, and so on, costing him nearly twenty-five thousand dollars, even without considering jewelry, which men typically didn't need.

Subsequently, he paid two months' rent, visited a high-end salon for a haircut, purchased round-trip tickets to Los Angeles, covered holiday party expenses, and so on, without detailing the expenses during his time in Australia. With income and expenses, calculating became a bit complicated, but in the blink of an eye, that income was reduced to less than twenty thousand dollars.

Renly had planned to buy a new car, but considering potential unexpected expenses during upcoming promotional tours, he had to postpone it. Moreover, after "The Pacific," he had to prepare for a long period of unemployment. This reserve would give him more confidence to continue in New York.

For A-list actors, HBO might send a private car to pick them up, but Renly, a nobody, had to carefully budget for the fifty-dollar taxi fare.

"Renly! Hey, Renly!"

While hesitating, a voice came from not far away, accompanied by the wind. Someone stood up through the sunroof of a car. It was Rami Malek, and driving was none other than James Badge Dale, who was waving excitedly through the driver's window.

"What are you standing there for? Come over!" James shouted.

Renly picked up his suitcase—trying to avoid creasing his suit, he had to carry the luggage with him—and signaled to the traffic on the inner lane before quickly crossing the crosswalk. Rami had already opened the rear door of the car and tossed the suitcase inside. Then Renly got in, closed the door, and they set off seamlessly.

"Man, how did you get here?" Renly's eyes showed surprise. It had been two months since they last met, but their familiarity hadn't diminished. It was as if they were comrades in arms, accumulated through shared hardships.

"Rami said it's your first time in Los Angeles, so this landlord decided to show you around the City of Angels!" James skillfully turned the steering wheel, leaving the bustling pickup area of Los Angeles International Airport. "To be honest, places like New York, cold, damp, remote, and off the beaten track, really aren't suitable for actors to develop long-term."

"Did the mayor of Los Angeles invite you to be the city's spokesperson?" Renly's response made Rami burst into laughter. The teasing and banter between Los Angeles and New York were entertaining. "Why didn't you pick me up from inside the airport? What if I had just taken a taxi and left?"

"Rami was about to call you." James raised his chin to indicate. "Parking here is a hassle, and the traffic in and out of the parking lot is terrible. It's faster to go around the airport road." He glanced back at the cars behind them. "You must thank my wisdom; otherwise, we'd still be stuck in traffic."

"It seems that Los Angeles is not much different from New York after all." Renly commented on the dreadful traffic. James was speechless. Ignoring him, Renly turned to Rami beside him. "When did you come to Los Angeles?"

"It's been two weeks." Rami took over the conversation. "It's awards season, and there are always more opportunities in Los Angeles. What about you? How was Australia? It seems like the Gold Coast has become your second home."

Renly began sharing anecdotes from the past few months with his friends. They chatted about their recent experiences, and the common thread among the three was: no change. After wrapping "The Pacific," they hadn't received many opportunities. Now, they were all waiting to see what opportunities the premiere of the TV series would bring.

"With the names like Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg, it's different after all," Rami said with anticipation.

HBO had organized a grand premiere for "The Pacific," similar to "Band of Brothers," a treatment typically reserved for movies. Just for this reason, excitement ran high, even for Renly. He hadn't expected the opportunity to attend the premiere to come so quickly.

"Which hotel are you staying at?" James glanced at the road sign. "The magazine interview this afternoon is scheduled at the Sunset Tower Hotel. If you're heading in the same direction, we can drop off your luggage at the hotel; otherwise, we'll go straight there. We have to gather at three."

"Isn't the interview at six?" Renly was confused. It was only half past two now. He thought he had allowed enough time for rest to avoid any unexpected situations. Why did they have to gather at three? Time suddenly seemed very tight.

James and Rami looked at Renly with surprise. James couldn't help but smirk, and Rami explained, "Renly, you should know that before interviews, we need time for grooming, right?" Seeing Renly's dumbfounded expression, Rami knew the answer. "And the main cast will take turns for photoshoots and interviews. It starts at six, but that's just an estimate. I guess the magazine staff will arrive to prepare by five."

Renly had to admit he hadn't considered these things at all—even though he had seen similar situations in movies, the reality was different.

"It just proves once again that Renly is indeed a newcomer with no experience at all." James said, amused, making Rami laugh along.

After the laughter subsided, Renly took out the address and scanned it. "I'm staying in... uh, Midtown?"

"Oh, near Koreatown?" James immediately caught on. "Rami also lives in that area. The security isn't great at night, so be careful." As a landlord, James was quite familiar. "Let's just go straight to the Sunset Tower Hotel. These two directions don't align. It's better to arrive early; the production team should already be there, and we can prepare in advance, leaving time to get ready for the interview."

For Renly, everything was fresh. Unlike acting, premieres, magazine interviews, and other promotional events were part of the film industry but not directly related to performance. Although Renly wasn't very interested, it was his first experience, and he couldn't help but be curious—it was like being on the outside of a fortress for so long and finally getting a glimpse of what lay inside, even if he wasn't interested, he had to take a good look.

When they arrived at the Sunset Tower Hotel, Renly was somewhat surprised. The entrance, which could only accommodate two cars, seemed somewhat modest, hidden behind a simple flower bed. It lacked the grandeur or luxury of many four-star hotels and seemed a bit inferior. So why did "Vanity Fair" hold its annual Oscar night here?

James parked the car at the entrance, and a waiter in a black suit came to greet them, opening the door. Seeing the luggage in the back, he called out, and a porter followed, smiling. Renly had forgotten that he was now broke and not here to stay at the hotel. Turning around, Renly saw the porter carrying his luggage with a smile. Since they were offering the service, he went along with it. So, Renly walked into the somewhat humble Sunset Tower Hotel, stepping into the heart of Hollywood for the first time.

.....

A/N: 500 power stones -s