First interview

Nicholas was 26 years old this year and had been working as a journalist for two years. He started his career at the San Francisco Examiner, which was one of the largest newspapers in San Francisco and a major competitor of the San Francisco Chronicle, the largest newspaper in the city. However, the influence of the San Francisco Examiner was limited compared to the San Francisco Chronicle, which was not only a major newspaper that could be compared to the Los Angeles Times across the United States but also one of the top 15 media companies in terms of sales.

Nevertheless, Nicholas's keen grasp of news made him stand out in the journalism industry and earn recognition from the editor-in-chief of the Los Angeles Times. He started working for this best-selling newspaper on the West Coast in the second half of last year, and it was then that he began reporting on Hugo's news.

Nicholas didn't have any malicious intent towards Hugo, he was simply reporting on him. Looking at Hugo's experience in the entertainment industry, he worked step by step to reach the first milestone, "Dead Poets Society", but he hadn't reached the peak yet, and he had added three consecutive box office flops to his resume, which was not good news for any actor. Therefore, Nicholas's comments were just part of the overall media opinion, and there was nothing particularly special about them.

However, since the 12th Golden Raspberry Awards, Nicholas had found Hugo somewhat interesting. "Hugo, at the recent Golden Raspberry Awards ceremony, you cried so much that you couldn't speak. I want to know, are you really thanking the organizers for their 'recognition', or is this just a show, deliberately staged?"

Nicholas's first question was very sharp, and it was also what he was most curious about. Although there had been many reports about the Golden Raspberry Awards during this period of time, and journalists' speculations had been flying around, Hugo had never responded positively. Now that Nicholas had finally gotten the opportunity, he naturally wouldn't let it go.

Facing this question, Hugo, who was giving his first official interview, was really at a loss as to how to answer because he was completely confused at the time. As a result, he made a mistake and couldn't tell the truth, so he had to find a way to answer, "Are you saying that you all can't tell whether I'm real or fake? If it's a show, then I've won the worst actor award with the best acting, which is quite interesting."

Hugo's answer made Nicholas pause for a moment. He had never thought of this logic before, and this answer was beyond his expectations, which made Nicholas look at Hugo with even more scrutiny.

"Unfortunately, those were my true emotions, not my acting," Hugo shrugged regretfully. "Everyone has always been secretive about the Golden Raspberry Award because no one wants to accept an award for 'worst acting'. But in my opinion, it's just a way for the entertainment industry to entertain the masses. Why avoid it? To be frank, if you have made such a terrible movie, what's the point of avoiding it? Only by honestly facing your own mistakes can you do better in the future, right?"

Hugo's honesty impressed Nicholas. In fact, this view was also a common belief among the general public. Firstly, the Golden Raspberry Award was just an entertainment award ceremony. If you take it seriously, you lose. Only if you treated it as a way to make people laugh would people really laugh it off.

Secondly, as for the award itself, since the actors acted in such a terrible movie, it had already been criticized by both the audience and the critics. So what was the point of covering it up with a fig leaf? It only made them more embarrassed.

However, this is ultimately just the opinion of the audience. Actors, well, they cherish their own image very much. Even if their work has been buried by Rotten Tomatoes, they are still reluctant to face criticism from the audience. Their face and image are very important to them. Perhaps after many years have passed, they might be able to accept it, but definitely not at present. Making a terrible movie is one thing, but standing on stage and accepting the audience's ridicule, mockery, and teasing is another matter altogether.

Therefore, no one had been willing to attend the Golden Raspberry Award for this reason.

"What about the tears?" Nicholas was interested in Hugo's answer. This was the first time he had seen an actor who could face their mistakes so openly. Even though Hugo's embarrassment at the Golden Raspberry Awards had become a laughingstock, he did not shy away from it. Instead, he made fun of himself in an optimistic and cheerful way, which won Nicholas's favor.

"You can understand it as gratitude or regret, but I personally prefer to understand it as motivation. But no matter what, you all enjoyed it, didn't you? I think I have made some contribution to the Golden Raspberry Awards." Since he couldn't escape it, Hugo faced it head-on. After all, everything that happened at the Golden Raspberry Awards was a fact, and he couldn't deny it even if he wanted to.

Nicholas nodded in approval in his heart and was satisfied with Hugo's answer. However, he didn't let go of Hugo's intentions. "So can I understand that you are very dissatisfied with "Hudson Hawk"?"

Hugo laughed at the question and said, "I don't think Martin will be satisfied with your question."

Nicholas was unable to make an effective attack against Hugo's weighty answer. He was not conducting a special interview today, only a routine one, and he had to leave most of his time for interviewing Al after Hugo. With this in mind, Nicholas had to shift the topic to the movie "Scent of a Woman", "Hugo, let's talk about this movie."

The interview about "Scent of a Woman" was obviously more formal since it was a routine interview, and the questions were more rigid. Hugo's answers were also ordinary, without the exciting back-and-forth from before. Although Nicholas was recording Hugo's key points seriously, he couldn't help but remember Hugo's wit from before. This Hugo was really interesting, much more interesting than most actors.

Therefore, when the crew reminded Nicholas to go and interview Al, he couldn't help but ask another question, "Hugo, have people said that you are a diva?" He was really curious about Hugo's answer.

In fact, this rumor had been circulating since "Desperate Hours". The main reason was that after Hugo gained considerable attention after "Dead Poets Society", he immediately took on the lead role in his next three films, all of which were not small investments. Therefore, there had been a rumor in the industry that Hugo was playing a diva, unwilling to accept supporting roles, and had been demanding a salary of three million dollars.

"Yes," Hugo's crisp and neat answer made Nicholas happy, but the following words made Nicholas cry and laugh, "You just said that. Or, are you the first person to say that?"

Nicholas felt like rolling his eyes. "Hugo... What I mean is, besides me, has anyone else said that? Are there rumors in the industry or accusations within the crew?"

"Oh, come on, Nicholas. You're in the field of journalism. Shouldn't you be more informed than me? Is the order of questioning wrong?" Hugo said with a relaxed smile on his face, which left Nicholas unsure of what to say.

Originally, Nicholas just wanted to make a subtle suggestion. After all, Hugo's role in "Scent of a Woman" this time was not only a supporting role but also the salary disclosed by Universal Pictures was only $500,000. This dispelled many doubts from the media about why the crew chose Hugo, so Nicholas could no longer continue to say that Hugo was a diva. He could only ask tentatively.

But unexpectedly, Hugo with a tai chi like maneuver pushed the incoming force back instead, leaving Nicholas at a loss. In the end, he could only smile and say, "Yes, that's right. If I hear any news in this regard in the future, I will tell you first."

"Believe me, if there is any news in this regard, I will know it earlier than you." Hugo made another brilliant remark. Nicholas didn't react at first. He wanted to ask, "Didn't you just say that my news is more informed than yours? Why do you know it earlier than me?" But he quickly changed his mind.

Hugo was indirectly denying Nicholas's previous question: so far, he had not pulled any tricks. This simple sentence conveyed so much information that Nicholas looked deeply at Hugo. The handsome young man in front of him was far more interesting than the supposedly terrible actor he wrote about.

But Nicholas didn't say anything more. He lifted his notebook in his right hand, gestured, and left directly. He had to interview Al Pacino next. The two did not embrace or shake hands. They came and went in a hurry, and the interview, which lasted less than ten minutes, was over.

Watching Nicholas's back as he left, Hugo breathed a long sigh of relief. He had thought the interview with the journalist would be difficult, especially since the journalist was his old enemy Nicholas. But now, it seemed much easier than he had imagined. Although Nicholas's questions were sharp, he seemed to have no problem handling them, which gave Hugo a lot of confidence.

"Is everything okay?" Joseph walked over to Al's side after Nicholas left and asked, "Is there anything I need to pay attention to?" Joseph needed to check the interview content. If there were any problems, he would need to communicate with the Los Angeles Times in advance to avoid any mistakes.

"No, it's okay. The conversation was pleasant," Hugo said, pondering for a moment before nodding. "Well, it was much better than I thought. At least I didn't punch him, which is a good thing." This joke made Joseph's mouth twitch again.