Behind-the-scenes

Dwayne Johnson felt as if there was a volcano erupting in his chest, the restless emotion surging continuously like a caged beast crashing against walls, the unvented anger nearly about to explode.

So, he paced back and forth anxiously in his office, a room spacious enough to accommodate thirty people for a meeting, but his tall, strong frame almost filled the entire space, exuding a formidable presence. It seemed as though a mere movement from him would tear the whole room apart. He didn't need words to make others fall silent, naturally commanding fear and attention as they waited anxiously for his orders.

It was like the Hulk.

Everyone was thinking the same question: if he got angry, would he really tear the office apart?

"Dwayne!" Jake Wallace barely managed to call out before Dwayne's laser-like gaze shot towards him. "What? What? What do you want to say?" Dwayne strode to the desk, slamming his hands down hard. Jake flinched, hearing the solid oak desk groan in protest. He leaned back instinctively, but it didn't help—Dwayne's spittle was already hitting his face.

"Calm down? You still want me to calm down? Damn it, is that all you can say?" Dwayne finally found an outlet for his rage. "Aren't you supposed to be the top agent in the industry? Aren't you the one who doesn't even put Creative Artists Agency in your eyes? Aren't you the mastermind with everything under control? Then now is your time to shine! Go tell Universal Pictures I want $3.5 million for the role! No, I want $4 million, damn it! Go and negotiate now! Tell them I'm ready to start filming at any time! Go, go now!"

Dwayne's thunderous wrath left the office dead silent. Aside from Jake, Dwayne's assistant, and his manager, everyone else closed their mouths, their breathing seemingly vanished.

"Calm down? Damn your calm down! If I were to screw your mother right now, would you calm down? Huh? Would you?" Dwayne's fury was still unchecked. "First the New York Times, that damn journalist swore that the kid was definitely going to play the part! That's the New York Times! Then Vanity Fair! Now even the Hollywood Reporter has confirmed it!"

Dwayne's bloodshot eyes bore down on Jake, "Tell me, if even the Hollywood Reporter's news isn't to be believed, what can we trust? Huh? Trust Jake-damn-Wallace? And you're still telling me to wait? Until when? Until the opportunity is snatched away? Did you see Paul Walker's interview? Is he sucking up to that little punk? And Vin Diesel, too! He's definitely that punk's b*tch! He's his b*tch!"

Taking deep breaths, Dwayne forced himself to calm down a bit, his rage reaching its peak. He temporarily lowered his voice. "I heard Steven Spielberg personally approached Ron Meyer. Is that true?"

Ron Meyer is the CEO of Universal Pictures, and Steven Spielberg is close friends with him. When DreamWorks was disbanding, Universal was the first potential buyer. If Steven backed Renly, the game was over before it even began.

"Dwayne." Jake resisted the urge to wipe the spit off his face, speaking calmly. "That's impossible." He struggled to refrain from calling Dwayne an idiot, continuing to explain patiently.

"Think about it, Steven's status and Renly's role? Have you seen Steven publicly comment on Renly over the past few months? They only had a connection for the TV show promotion. Once the show ended, they had no more ties. Renly is just another ordinary actor among thousands. Even if Steven and Renly have a good relationship, why would Steven personally approach Ron for a third-tier role? Is that worth the favor?"

Anyone who thought about it calmly would see how absurd these rumors were. Dwayne was too eager, too earnest, too impulsive. Luckily, Dwayne's manager was a rational guy, constantly advising Dwayne, or the situation would have been worse.

"But what if Steven really did that?" Dwayne persisted, though his tone softened. "Otherwise, why would the New York Times and Hollywood Reporter both say it's like the kid is already set to join the cast?"

"Dwayne, those reports are just speculations. They haven't given any definitive news, just saying that Renly looks promising and the crew is satisfied with him." Seeing Dwayne about to speak, Jake quickly gestured for him to calm down, "I know, Paul and Vin both made positive comments. But that's exactly what Neil wants you to see, what Universal wants you to see."

Dwayne finally started to calm down, but Jake didn't relax, pressing on, "Now is the critical moment. Do you know why the New York Times and Hollywood Reporter are paying attention to this? And focusing on Renly? And Vanity Fair? As you said, he's a nobody. If not for these reports, we wouldn't even have heard his name. So why is every media outlet suddenly paying attention to him?"

As a senior agent at William Morris Endeavor, Jake truly had a knack for this, swiftly making the furious Dwayne contemplate. "All of this proves that Universal is pushing this from behind the scenes. They want you to panic, to fear, and then voluntarily step back. Think about it, if Neil had really decided to replace you with that kid, what would he do? He'd quietly sign the contract and drop the bomb on you, not giving you any reaction time, and the crew would be back to filming."

Dwayne thought seriously, "Five days ago, you said the same thing, and I agreed; but now, you're still saying the same thing, but the situation has changed! Five days ago, there wasn't the Hollywood Reporter!"

If Dwayne wasn't stupid. In fact, he was just too impulsive but not unintelligent. However, if you said he was smart, he had a typical athlete's straightforward thinking, direct and blunt, which was quite a headache.

"Dwayne…" Jake only had time to open his mouth before Dwayne interrupted him roughly again, "Why are you so certain? Why are you sure it's all just a plot and not really happening? In the past five days, there's been no news from Neil at all. Are you sure everything is still under your control?"

Jake took a deep breath, "Because I know, Renly can't take the role."

This was the real bombshell. At the start of today's meeting, Jake had planned to say this, but Dwayne had been like a bull, unreasonable and giving him no chance. Sure enough, after saying this, Dwayne froze, momentarily unable to react.

"I just got the news this morning; Renly has joined another crew." Jake continued, "It's a very small crew, probably with an investment of less than a hundred thousand dollars. It's just a bunch of newbie directors and actors messing around. So the industry hasn't caught any wind of it. I told you before, he's the kind of actor who thrives on his craft, not an action star. He can't compete with you."

Finally, Jake let out a long breath, looking at Dwayne with exasperation. "But that's not important, nor is that project. The point is, this project just started filming three days ago. Do you know what that means? It means Renly won't be available for some time and can't join the Fast & Furious 5 crew!"

The conclusion was clear, but Dwayne was still reluctant, "But…"

"No buts." This time, Jake seized the moment, taking control of the conversation, "Dwayne, do you know how valuable you are right now? Hollywood has no one else like you. Maybe your roles are limited, but in action movies, no one can compete with you. Vin Diesel? He's a Barbie doll compared to you! He's been at odds with you because he can't compete! What do I want to see? In the future, any action movie's first choice is you. All scripts must wait for you to choose before going to anyone else!"

The grand vision Jake painted showed a glimmer of hope in Dwayne's eyes.

"Now, this is our chance! Three and a half million! Believe me, you're worth it! Universal knows it too; they don't lack that $1.5 million. They just want to suppress your momentum! But we can't miss this chance because they're more anxious than we are."

Jake said firmly, "We just need to hold on a little longer, a bit longer, at most half a month. Trust me, you'll secure the Fast & Furious 5 role. Then, when other action movies come knocking, we can demand a million dollars! Truly establishing yourself as a top-tier actor!"

In Hollywood, aside from the benchmark of the $20M club, a new threshold was set at $10M after deducting bonuses. This figure might not seem excessively high, considering there were also $12M and $15M above it. But once within the range of $10M, the status would undergo a transformative shift, truly stepping into the realm of A-list.

Dwayne stared intently at Jake, silent for a long while, finally nodding, "I'll trust you one more time!"