The Legendary Actor - Chapter 39

The St. Patrick’s Day party had left Renly’s head in agony as the last night party went on until about 4:00 p.m., with all kinds of alcohol in the mix – martini with beer and beer with vodka whatnot.

However, Renly didn’t have time to sleep, so he got up at 9:00 a.m. and headed straight to the airport to take an afternoon flight to Los Angeles. The day after tomorrow, March 20, “The Pacific” would have its grand premiere at Chinese theater in Los Angeles, and the entire cast and crew would thus be reunited.

After boarding the plane, Renly fell asleep until the flight attendants woke him up, and then he packed his bags and stepped off the plane, relieving his headache a bit after the three-hour flight. Well, relatively relieved.

After picking up his luggage, he quickly walked out of the lobby entrance and stood by the street, looking left and right, but his gaze was still wandering as he could not find his target at all. The golden sun, the blue sky, the wide streets, and the deep blue waves of … were all flat within the field of vision, revealing a casual and spacious atmosphere that was very different from New York’s, as if even the air was permeated with vitality, and the headache seemed to be getting better.

Renly was pondering whether he should take a taxi or rent a car.

As expected, despite starring in “The Pacific” and earning the highest salary of any newcomer, Renly is still downright poor. The first and second installments of the fee have been successfully paid, and after deducting taxes, it was about $55,000, which is really a lot of money, and even the highest income that Renly has ever earned in his two lifetimes. But in the entertainment industry, it’s a poor actor change.

After the official screening of “The Pacific” his life in the limelight hence officially began, which meant that he had to start dealing with the cameras everywhere.

For the upcoming premiere and publicity, he first purchased several outfits, including formal suits, casual shirts, shoes, ties, socks, and so on. This cost nearly twenty-five thousand dollars, and that’s overlooking the fact that a man of status needs some accessories as well, which Renly didn’t consider buying, for now yet.

Then, after paying two months’ rent, getting a haircut at an upscale beauty salon, buying a round-trip flight ticket to Los Angeles, and spending on the holiday party, … and forget about a detailed calculation of how much Renly spent in Australia over the period of time he was there – it’s a bit tricky to calculate because of the income and expenses, but in the blink of an eye, that income went back to less than $20,000 on his balance.

After “The Pacific”, he had to be prepared for a long slack, and this reserve fund would give him more strength to continue in New York.

For a big name actor, HBO might have sent a car to pick him up at the airport, but Renly, a nobody, had to settle for a fifty-dollar taxi fare.

“Renly! Hey, Renly!”

While hesitating, a voice accompanied by the wind could be heard from a short distance away in the outside lane, and a man stood up through the car hatch, waving his hands vigorously, who could it be other than Rami Malek, but James Badge Dale, who was driving the car, also waved his left hand excitedly through the driver’s window.

“What are you waiting for? Get over here!” James yelled at the top of his lungs.

Renly lifted the suitcase at his side – he had to travel with it to avoid creasing his suit.

Rami had already opened the backseat door, threw the suitcase up first, then Renly quickly got in, closed the door, and set off, all in one go.

“Guys, what are you doing here?” It had been two months since we last saw each other, but the familiarity between them was not affected in the least. It was like a “Band of Brothers”; this kind of friendship is the result of enduring hardships together and fighting side by side.

“Rami said, “This is your first time in Los Angeles, so I, the host, have decided to give you a taste of the City of Angels! James expertly steered away from the busy terminal at LAX, “Honestly, New York is so cold and humid and remote that it’s not really the right place for an actor in the long run.”

“The mayor of Los Angeles has asked you to be the city’s spokesperson?” Renly’s answer made Rami laugh. It was an interesting dynamic between Los Angeles and New York, where the two cities mock and taunt each other, “Why don’t I go inside the airport and pick up a plane? Just like that out of here? Why don’t I just get in a taxi and leave?”

“Rami was getting ready to call you.” James lifted his chin in a gesture, “It’s too much of a hassle to park here and the traffic in and out of the parking lot is so bad, might as well go around Airport Boulevard, it’s faster.” James looked back at the cars behind him, “You’ll have to thank me for my wisdom, otherwise we’d still be stuck in traffic.”

“Looks like Los Angeles is no different than New York.” The traffic was horrible. Renly’s words rendered James speechless. Renly flashed a smile to James and turned to Rami beside him, “When did you come to Los Angeles?”

“It’s been two weeks,” Rami picked up the conversation, “It’s award season and there are always more opportunities in LA. What about you, how is Australia? The Gold Coast seems to have become your second home?”

They also chatted about what they had been up to lately, and one thing all three of them had in common was that nothing had changed. None of them have had much of a chance since the end of “The Pacific”, and now it’s time to see what opportunities the show will bring when it goes on air.

“With the names of Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg, it’s different after all,” says Rami with anticipation.

HBO hosted a big premiere for “The Pacific” like they did for “Band of Brothers”, a treat that only a movie can enjoy. This alone is exciting enough, even for Renly, who never thought the opportunity to attend the premiere would come so soon.

“What hotel are you staying at?” James glanced at the sign beside him, “This afternoon’s magazine interview is scheduled at the Sunset Tower Hotel, if you’re heading in the same direction, we’ll drop off our bags at the hotel, otherwise, just head over there. We have to meet at three o’clock this afternoon.”

“Isn’t the six o’clock interview?” Renly was stunned, it was only a quarter past two. He thought he had left enough time to rest and avoid any surprises, but why was the assembly at three? Now the time was pressing.

Rami and James looked at Renly unexpectedly. James had a smile on his lips, and Rami met Renly’s puzzled look and explained, “Renly, you do know that we need to groom ourselves before the interview, right?” Looking at Renly’s stunned expression, Rami knew the answer to that question, “Also, the main cast will be photographed and interviewed, and we’ll need to take turns, starting at six o’clock, which is just an estimate.”

Renly must admit that he didn’t expect any of this – as much as he sees it on film, the reality is different after all.

“This proves once again that Renly is indeed a newcomer with no experience whatsoever,” James said gleefully, making even Rami laugh.

After laughing, Renly took out his address and scanned it, “I will be staying in the … uh, Midtown area?”

“Ah, near Koreatown?” James immediately responded, “Rami also lives in that area, the security is not very good at night, better pay attention.” As a local, James is all too familiar with this, “Then we’ll go straight to the Sunset Tower Hotel, the two directions are not the same. It’s good to get there a little early, because the crew should be there already, so we can prepare ahead of time and have a space to get ready for the interview.”

For Renly, except filming, everything is new: premieres, magazine interviews, and other promotional trips that are part of the film industry but not directly related to acting. Although Renly wasn’t that interested, he was still curious for the first time – Hollywood was a castle, standing outside all the time, and now he finally could see inside the walls. He had to check everything out, even if he wasn’t much interested.

When they arrived at the Sunset Tower Hotel, Renly was a bit surprised. The seemingly large entrance could only allow to park two cars. It was all hidden behind a simple and plain flower bed, neither imposing nor gorgeous, even compared to many four-star hotels. So why is Vanity Fair’s Oscar night held here every year?

James parked the car at the door, the waiter in a black suit welcomed him, opened the door, saw the suitcase in the trunk. The waiter then procedurally called back for the luggage boy following him, as Renly habitually walked straight ahead. Only after taking a few steps did it occur to Renly – the previous twenty years of life, in and out of such occasions, he had long got accustomed to leaving all the trivial matters to the concierge, so much so that he had forgotten that, first, he was now poor, and second, he was not here to stay.

When he turned around, Renly saw the luggage boy with his staff and a mysterious smile crept on his face. Since people have already provided the service, let’s let the nature take its course. So, Renly walked into the shabby looking Sunset Tower Hotel for the first time, and walked into the heart of Hollywood.