Unexpected news

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The emotion of joy gently collided within his chest, causing the corners of his mouth to curve upwards uncontrollably. Unable to suppress it any longer, he clenched his fist tightly and swung it twice, finally releasing his excitement.

It wasn't until he had left the Amsterdam street that the feeling of reality struck him—he had truly secured the role of Paul Conroy.

From the moment Ryan had entered the scene, Renly knew he was in an unfavorable position. From any angle, Rodrigo had no reason to reject Ryan. Therefore, Renly had to go all out to create a reason for Rodrigo.

He realized that his only advantage lay in acting, and more specifically, his understanding of the character. This was his sole bargaining chip. As he stood by the doorway, he contemplated how to earn a second chance to showcase his talent before Ryan gave his approval. Simultaneously, he pondered over the character of Paul—how he should interpret it and how he should perform it.

When Scarlett appeared, Renly sensed his chance.

So, he decided to go with the flow, engaging in interaction with Scarlett to explore the complete character image of Paul and present this performance. Renly wasn't sure if Paul would be able to see it, but this was his sole opportunity. Unfortunately, Scarlett was too astute; she quickly saw through his intentions, causing all his attempts to come to an abrupt halt.

The window of opportunity left for Renly was exceptionally small. He had almost thought he would miss out on "Buried", and he hadn't even had a chance to exert all his energy.

But he had clinched it! He had secured his first appearance on the big screen with "Buried"!

After spending almost seven months following the completion of "The Pacific", he had finally obtained a new opportunity to challenge his acting skills, and this time it would be on the silver screen. Taking another solid step on the challenging path of an actor.

It's worth mentioning that this time, he had won the role through direct competition with the actor who played the role in the original version of the previous life. This made his victory even more commendable! Not only did it prove his prowess, but it also demonstrated that history could be changed. Although he had achieved this once during "The Pacific", this time it was more direct and evident.

The trajectory of history was slowly turning corners, and under the guise of "Renly Hall," he was altering the future of the film industry. Perhaps, in the not-too-distant future, even Renly himself couldn't predict what would happen. The excitement of the intertwining of the known and unknown slowly released adrenaline.

Of course, more important than the work itself was the opportunity to challenge himself and his acting skills. This could potentially become a turning point on his path to fulfilling his dreams.

He had once imagined what roles he would play and what challenges he would face. But he hadn't anticipated that his first film role would present such a rare opportunity with "Buried". Not only was the role incredibly challenging, but it was also an independent production, and unbelievably, a one-man show! This also meant he could fully immerse himself in exploring his performance, using all his skills to see how far he could push himself.

Perhaps, just as his parents had said, he lacked any innate talent. The world wasn't lacking in geniuses, but not all geniuses could reach the pinnacle, and he wasn't even a genius. Perhaps, he did possess the spiritual essence of performance, just as David Nutt had said. He could carve out his own domain on the stage of actors.

However, no matter the outcome, he wouldn't regret it, nor did he want to.

In this moment, Renly held the performance contract for "Buried". That thin piece of paper felt as heavy as a thousand pounds, signifying that the weighty role of Paul Conroy was now resting on Renly's shoulders. The success or failure of the entire movie hinged on Renly's performance. Despite the heaviness, it ignited a fiery passion within him.

"Buried" was an entirely independent film. Upon inquiring, he learned that the investors were a Spanish independent company that had previously only invested in a movie costing less than five hundred thousand. This time, they had verbally allocated three million for "Buried", but this included future promotional expenses. The promotion for independent films mostly revolved around film festivals. However, whether it was the Sundance Film Festival or the Toronto International Film Festival, exhibiting required fees. Not to mention the collective promotional costs for attending these festivals afterward.

So, strictly speaking, the estimated production cost of "Buried" was probably below two million.

For such an independent film, there was naturally no official process like HBO. One could tell just by looking at today's auditions. The American Actors' Guild hadn't even sent public agents to supervise. Thus, the signing process didn't follow the usual route. Rodrigo directly handed the contract to Renly. Renly could have a lawyer or agent review it before signing, ensuring everything was accurate.

After it was put down in black and white, Renly could officially join the "Buried" cast.

Looking at the contract in his hand, Renly thought carefully and dialed Roy Lockley's phone number. The phone rang for quite a while without anyone picking up. One could imagine Roy must be busy to the point where he didn't even have time to catch his breath. Just as Renly was about to give up, the call was finally answered. "This is Roy Lockley." His reply was as brisk and prompt as always.

"Renly Hall."

"Renly?" Roy sounded a bit surprised. He spoke to someone beside him, "Yes, this is all the paperwork. Send it via fax." Then he addressed Renly through the phone again, "So, what's up?"

"Yes, I've taken on a new project. I have the actor's contract in hand and need the Guild to review it." Renly didn't beat around the bush, succinctly summarizing.

Roy balanced the phone on his shoulder and jotted down notes on his desktop calendar. "No problem, fax it over. What project?"

"An independent film, backed by a Spanish company." Renly's reply remained concise, with no excessive explanations. However, the confidence in his words was unmistakable, free of any unnecessary emotions due to it being an independent film. No regret, no pride, no remorse, no excitement.

Roy couldn't help but pause and chuckled softly. If it was anyone else, they might not have thought much of it. But Roy was different; he knew that Renly had turned down the audition invitation for "Thor". Yet now he had chosen an obscure independent film. This was genuinely intriguing.

"What's the pay like? Do you need me to negotiate for you?" Generally, actors wouldn't personally discuss "money." It would damage their image and relationship, and thus it was usually left to agents to negotiate. Since Renly didn't have an agent, Roy was willing to extend a helping hand.

Renly chuckled lightly. "No need, it's already settled. One hundred thousand."

"Buried" wasn't a well-funded production, that much was certain. However, as the lead actor carrying the film, this fee was somewhat low. After all, Renly was the only on-screen actor in the entire production, with a few others providing voiceovers. In other words, almost the entire budget was allocated to Renly. Even if it wasn't three hundred thousand, it should be at least two hundred thousand.

However, after Rodrigo and Renly conversed, Renly agreed to the contract with a hundred thousand in pay. The surplus funds could be fully invested in the production, to truly create an outstanding work within the limited budget space.

Renly understood that if he wanted to make money, he shouldn't take on independent films like "Buried". He should choose commercial films like "Thor". Even if the pay was lower, the income would be higher.

Roy chuckled lightly. Renly's earnings this time were even lower than during "The Pacific" period. It didn't seem at all like he had received a movie project. However, Roy didn't say much more, just jesting, "It looks like this must be a truly remarkable work."

"Of course." Renly's response remained unwavering. Roy could feel that his unwavering and steadfast focus clearly indicated that this was the work Renly aspired to, not a second choice made out of desperation. "So, is that why you introduced the "Thor" project to Chris Hemsworth?"

Renly couldn't help but pause, not understanding the meaning behind Roy's words. He blurted out, "What?" He knew that if he followed the trajectory of the previous life, "Thor" would eventually end up in Chris's hands. But why did Roy say that he introduced it to Chris?

Originally meant as a joke, Roy had to explain again, "Internal news came out yesterday. Chris is going to play the role of Thor. They're likely to officially announce it the day after tomorrow at the latest. Wasn't it you who introduced "Thor" to Chris?"

"Why say it like that?" Renly felt a bit strange, but he couldn't find a reason for it.

Roy also detected the doubt in Renly's words. After a moment of thought, he elaborated, "Before this, Charlie Hunnam had already essentially secured the role. Kenneth Branagh was somewhat hesitant between him and Channing Tatum. Out of nowhere, Chris appeared on the scene. His understanding of Thor successfully moved Kenneth, and he managed to seize the role in one go."

Up until this point, though it was a bit odd, Renly couldn't figure out how it was related to him. Chris had a powerful agent, that wasn't a secret.

"But a few days ago, an employee at Paramount called me and dropped some hints. Although he didn't say it outright, he implied that Chris had already read the script in advance, so he was thoroughly prepared. The "Thor" script doesn't have a confidentiality agreement, but the scripts they send out are limited and marked. Not just anyone can get a script. From what he implied, it seems like Chris read the script you have. So, I speculate..."

Roy's words stopped here, the implication clear in the unspoken words.

Renly's brows furrowed slightly. The details from that night rushed back to him, the final piece of the puzzle falling into place. A peculiar sensation reverberated in his mind, finally manifesting as a hint of sarcasm at the corner of his mouth. "No, I placed the script on the bookshelf back then. I didn't recommend it to anyone."

Roy paused for a moment, then said with a meaningful tone, "Ah."