Hollywood: The Greatest Showman - Chapter 269: One Touch

Chapter 269: One Touch

Renly, having stepped out of character, stood in place, savoring the moment.

As an actor, Renly’s sensitivity to his performance was sharper and more direct than anyone else’s. He knew that his recent performance was a bit over the top. The final gesture of mimicking a gunshot with his hand was overly provocative. Given the situation on set, it could have easily led Hobbs and Dominic to lose control, which was too dramatic and didn’t align with the script’s realistic intentions.

In fact, Renly was currently exploring the rhythm of performing in commercial films.

Art films require restraint, pulling emotions inward as much as possible, and then releasing them at the right moment. The balance between restraint and release is crucial: releasing emotion is easy, but restraint is much more challenging. In contrast, commercial films demand expressiveness, reducing emotional subtlety, amplifying dramatic effects, and intensifying confrontations.

Renly had considered a performance style more fitting for Hobbs, like using his thumb to simulate a throat slash, which was too gruesome and reminiscent of the Joker from “The Dark Knight.” Clasping his hands like handcuffs was too simple and lacked impact, and audiences might not understand it. Harsh words would be too blunt and out of character for Hobbs, giving a weak impression that would lower the overall quality.

Ultimately, Renly had two alternative poses: one was like a sniper aiming, closing his left eye and targeting Dominic’s brow to convey determination; the other was making a finger gun, aiming at his own temple, and pulling the trigger. The former seemed too subtle, with insufficient impact, so Renly chose the latter.

After the performance, Renly felt he might have gone overboard and wasn’t sure how it would look on screen. He considered asking Justin for a playback to make adjustments if needed.

“Get out, Paul!” Vin’s rough voice sharply pierced the air, disrupting Renly’s thoughts. He turned to see Vin and Paul in a heated confrontation. Without hesitation, Renly quickly stepped forward, knowing that Vin’s target was always him. He couldn’t let Paul take the fall for him.

Renly strode forward, his fists clenched tightly, ready like a panther preparing to hunt—graceful yet deadly.

“Vin!” Justin shouted in surprise as the entire crew gasped. Vin swung his fist, aiming it at Paul.

No one expected Vin to actually throw a punch without warning. Even Paul was startled, raising his hands to block. However, Vin’s fist quickly lifted, leveraging against Paul’s arms, and then a quick forearm strike pushed Paul aside—

Vin’s target was never Paul.

Caught off guard, Paul stumbled backward. Realizing the danger, Paul quickly regained his footing, but Vin, like a cannonball, had already launched himself toward Renly.

This time, Renly was fully prepared. Clenching his jaw, he met Vin’s charge with a punch to the chest. Simultaneously, Vin’s fist landed squarely on Renly’s chest. There were no fancy moves, no defensive postures, no evasive maneuvers. It was fist against fist, force against force, both giving their all.

Even in the heat of anger, neither targeted the face, each punch landing powerfully on the other’s chest. With the momentum from their charges, both let out a muffled grunt, stepping back.

The dull “thud” resonated in their chests, making even the bystanders wince in sympathy.

Renly planted his right foot, his left foot sliding back for balance. With his left leg providing force, he charged forward again, his sights set on Vin’s shrinking figure.

Vin raised his fist again, but this time, Renly ducked, avoiding the direct confrontation. He rammed his shoulder into Vin’s chest, turned swiftly, and used his back to fend off Vin’s counterattack. Gathering his strength, Renly pushed back with his back, knocking Vin back two steps. He then lifted his leg and kicked backward, hitting Vin’s shin and disrupting his balance.

Everything happened in a flash. One moment Vin was confronting Paul; the next, he and Renly had exchanged two brutal blows, each one precise and powerful. The confrontation was raw and unyielding, a direct clash without any pretense.

For a moment, everyone held their breath.

More astonishingly, Renly seemed to gain the upper hand.

In the physical confrontation, Renly leveraged his height, gaining a slight edge in the initial exchange. Then, using his leg length, he turned the narrow advantage into a tangible lead.

As Vin staggered back, everyone on set was stunned.

Although it was just two moves and hardly decisive in a fight, although it was a brief skirmish that lasted only seconds, although Renly’s cleverness in the initial exchange might be eroded in a prolonged fight, although it was only a brief encounter that Vin could adapt to—

But Renly was winning, undeniably.

In the performance, he had dominated, and now, in physical combat, he was ahead. Vin was losing ground, struggling to keep up. The onlookers were in disbelief, stunned by Renly’s unexpected advantage.

Vin, consumed by rage, disregarded the setback. His shame had reached its peak. With nothing left to lose, he could only think of one thing: attack! Standing his ground, Vin charged again, fists raised.

“What are you doing?” A commanding voice cut through the air, but Vin didn’t hear it, storming forward.

Renly’s fists were clenched, his palms sweaty, but his focus was razor-sharp. He wasn’t celebrating his brief advantage; instead, he kept his eyes on Vin, ready to counterattack.

Just then, four or five people rushed forward, colliding with Vin. Before Vin and Renly could clash again, they pushed Vin away. “Let go! Let go!” Vin thrashed and shouted like a wounded lion, but his struggle was formidable. His strength almost overwhelmed the four restraining him.

“Vin Diesel! What are you doing?” A stocky, suited figure stepped in, standing between Vin and Renly, breaking their line of sight. This brought Vin some semblance of calm.

The newcomer was Neal H. Moritz.

Neal turned to Renly, seeing Paul and others by his side, blocking him. Renly seemed more composed, standing his ground with a piercing gaze on Vin, maintaining his focus without losing his temper.

“I don’t care what happened!” Neal glared at Renly before turning to Vin. “But control yourselves!” Vin opened his mouth to retort, but Neal sternly shook his head. “I said I don’t care! Quiet! Endure! Whatever the issue, even if it’s as serious as your woman sleeping with someone else, I want you to shut up! Shut up!”

Neal’s authoritative voice echoed in the studio, commanding respect. Finally, Vin calmed down, and the on-set chaos subsided. Neal surveyed the room. “You better keep your mouths shut. If word of this gets out to the media, I’ll make sure you regret it!”

Not a sound was heard; no one dared meet Neal’s gaze.

Neal then looked at Vin and Renly, his voice tight with barely suppressed anger. “You have ten minutes to meet me in the trailer outside. If this affects the shoot, I promise to end your careers in Hollywood.”

The production of “Fast Five” had faced numerous hurdles. If today’s incident leaked, the repercussions would be dire. Neal couldn’t afford the film’s failure or any risks to its success.

Renly, puzzled, wondered what they needed ten minutes for.

Before he could think further, he saw Andy and Nathan approaching. Realization dawned.

Looking around, he spotted Vin’s agent and even Paul’s agent coming over.

Renly smiled at Paul, who had stood by him after stumbling. Renly signaled, “I’m okay.” Paul then joined his agent, while Renly greeted Andy and Nathan.

“Jesus Christ, are you hurt?”