Exclusive interview

After Nicholas turned on the tape recorder, he placed it on the coffee table. Hugo sat directly across from him, while Joseph sat quietly next to Hugo. Nicholas glanced at Joseph and, after making sure there were no special instructions, continued chatting with Hugo. "Besides coffee, what other interests or hobbies do you have?"

"Fitness and reading," Hugo replied with a smile. In fact, these hobbies gradually developed because he didn't have internet or a computer in his life and had to find ways to pass the time.

Fitness was to maintain a healthy body. After enduring the torment of drugs, Hugo's vitality was depleted by more than half. He had to slowly accumulate it again, or else he would be in a terrible state before reaching the age of thirty and unable to run anymore. As for reading, it had always been Yuguo's hobby. Whether physical books or novels, books were the crystallization of different wisdom. Navigating through these piles of words was an interesting thing to do.

"Yes, I can see the effects of your fitness," Nicholas remarked. Hugo had always had a great physique. "Hudson Hawk" was an action comedy where Hugo's agility was clearly visible. However, later, due to drugs, Hugo became thin. During the time before the Razzie Awards, it reached its most severe point. After that, Hugo seemed to be gradually recovering. As a journalist, Nicholas could clearly see the changes in this process. "As for reading, have you come across any interesting books recently?"

"Oh, in that regard, I'm a traditionalist. I've been reading "The Old Man and the Sea" recently," Hugo said with a smile. Before the time travel, Hugo dropped out of school at the age of fifteen. Although many people said that reading was useless because society valued skills like math and language that were hardly used in work, it couldn't be denied that books had a broader purpose of expanding one's horizons and accumulating knowledge. The so-called scholarly air was, in fact, the most direct manifestation of that.

To make up for the regret of dropping out of school early, Yuguo had been persistently self-studying. This was the reason why his current demeanor was different from others. Without years of accumulation, he wouldn't have been able to demonstrate such behavior after time travel. True handsomeness was never just about appearances because that was just a physical shell. Without the support of vitality and spirit, the beauty of the shell would be hard to gain everyone's recognition. Hugo possessed more than just a physical shell.

"Ernest Hemingway, a wise choice," Nicholas praised and nodded slightly. "When it comes to hobbies, I originally thought you would give me a different answer, but I didn't expect an unexpected surprise."

"A different answer?" Hugo raised an eyebrow and didn't immediately react. Fitness and reading were indeed what he almost did every day now. Hugo's first thought was "The Firm". This work was adapted from a novel, and he mentioned reading, so did Nicholas overhear something and want to inquire about it?

But Hugo was surprised when Nicholas gave him a different answer. "Guitar or... any other musical instrument."

"Ah..." Hugo chuckled. He hadn't expected it to be that. "Music!" Hugo sighed. "To be precise, I prefer to consider music as a part of my life, not just a hobby."

"Wow, tell me more about the meaning behind that statement. I seem to sense some insider information," Nicholas's excitement between his brows became evident. It seemed that this would be the focal point of his first interview today.

Hugo glanced at Joseph and carefully considered his words. Without knowing the situation of his previous self, he had to be cautious with his words. "I've always been interested in music since I was young, you know, The Beatles, Michael Jackson..." Hugo almost mentioned the Oasis band, but then he realized that Oasis was formed in 1991 and still wasn't hugely famous. If he mentioned them now, it would contradict the statement of "since I was young". So, Hugo quickly corrected himself, "And The Rolling Stones."

"As to when I truly "encountered" music," Hugo deliberately emphasized his tone, emphasizing that this was the beginning of his entry into the music field, "it was because of Kurt Cobain. You know, he is a legend." This was somewhat different from Hugo's own situation, but the fact that Nirvana was a band he really liked before the time travel, and their strong rise in 1987 coincided with Hugo's current situation, so Hugo found this as a starting point for himself.

Sure enough, Nicholas and Joseph suddenly realized it, and Joseph had never known when the bridge between Hugo and music was built. Now he finally got the answer. Nicholas picked up the topic and said, "Nirvana, "Smells Like Teen Spirit", a classic!"

Nicholas unexpectedly discovered that he had so much in common with Hugo. He had this feeling when he interviewed them on the set of "Scent of a Woman". But it wasn't until today that it became clear. "No wonder I felt amazed when I heard you sing "Next Time You See Me". It turns out you're not a novice."

As the conversation continued, Hugo relaxed completely and let go of his guard before the interview began. When he heard Nicholas's words, Hugo immediately laughed heartily. "Haha, I'm a novice, a complete novice." Hugo honestly said, "Actually, I'm not used to singing personally. I'm more accustomed to creating and expressing myself through playing instruments. If there's a band, I probably wouldn't be the lead singer."

"Are you telling me that you're a singer-songwriter? Is this bragging or... what?" Nicholas smoothly dealt with this kind of situation, but today he seemed more relaxed, and even he didn't notice the fluctuations in his tone.

"If you want to think that way, then I'll admit it." Hugo's words made Nicholas burst into laughter. "Actually, I have created some good songs. Maybe in the future, I'll have the opportunity to pitch them to record companies. Who knows, Michael Jackson might want one of my songs?"

"Dream on..." Nicholas didn't think too much and casually teased, speaking not like a journalist in an interview but more like friends chatting. After saying it, he realized his "unprofessionalism" and quickly restrained his smile, changing the topic. "So, the ending song for "A Few Good Men" it has received so much attention. Did you anticipate this?"

Although "Next Time You See Me" was just a song played in the movie, Hugo had no plans to release it as a single separately. But the intensity of the topic recently was at the top level, and the radio stations' request rates for the original song showed a sudden rise. You should know that the original song by Junior Parker was released in 1956, not one of the popular songs of the early 1990s.

Hugo didn't notice Nicholas's change and continued with a smile, "No, of course not anticipated. Actually, singing the ending song for the movie was an unexpected situation." Hugo briefly described the situation at the time but didn't mention Uma's visit. He only said that his performance during the break caught attention, and now, with the movie's release, he was relieved to see the excellent response.

"No, your performance this time was outstanding. Maybe not long from now, a record company will approach you for an album," Nicholas complimented.

Hugo didn't take it seriously. It wasn't the 21st century where anyone could release an album. With the development of social networks and the easy availability of recording equipment in the Internet age, almost everyone could record their own album. The threshold for record companies' signings had lowered, not to mention the wave of grassroots singing brought about by talent shows. In the early 1990s, the record industry had not yet contracted, and the competition among labels produced constant classics, so the entry barrier was relatively high.

Nicholas didn't expect a response from Hugo, so he continued, "So, do you feel the success of the film now? Can you truly feel the overwhelming popularity?"

"I don't have much of a feeling. Can you specify?" Hugo said, pursing his lips and widening his eyes. Although he was once surrounded when he went to see the movie, to be honest, it was only a little over a hundred people. Hugo didn't really know what true popularity looked like.

For Hugo, the fiery popularity he imagined came from concerts. Standing on a concert stage with a hundred thousand people, watching everyone cheer for him, that would be truly magnificent.

"The film has gained good reviews, achieved good box office results, the audience has started screaming and cheering for you, the number of projects is increasing, awareness and attention are rising..." With each statement, Nicholas looked at Hugo with a skeptical look in his eyes. All of these were phenomena that exploded after the successful premiere of "A Few Good Men" and were more than twice as grand as the bustling scene of "Scent of a Woman". It was also widely regarded by the media as direct evidence that Hugo had risen to the A-list for the first time in his ten-year career.

"If this is what you call popularity, then... yes, I do feel the popularity," Hugo nodded slowly to express his opinion. "But all of this still feels somewhat unreal. You know, not long ago, I was completely ignored, and now suddenly all the spotlights are converging on me. It... feels like a dream."

Looking at Hugo's slightly hesitant expression, Nicholas originally wanted to sarcastically remark, which was his usual style. So he blurted out, "That's because you've never experienced what it means to be truly popular and then come crashing down." He was referring to Hugo's performance after "Dead Poets Society". "Of course, now you're enjoying the cheers, but for Tom Cruise, it's nothing at all, so there's no need to get too excited."

After saying that, Nicholas saw the amused smile on Hugo's face, and he nodded slightly to affirm his own words. As Nicholas was about to say the second half of his sentence, he changed his mind. "Most importantly, today you feel like it's all a dream, but perhaps tomorrow there will be even better dreams coming true. Don't be too surprised. Because that's Hollywood."