Hollywood: The Greatest Showman

Chapter 28: Illusory or Reality?

Rami stood behind the monitor, watching Renly's quiet and peaceful figure. The sunlight seemed to slow down, gently falling on his shoulders, softly brushing away the faint sadness and loss between his brows. Quietly, just like that, remaining still in its place, the sound of the hourglass falling echoed in his ears, even the sound of the wind became gentle, afraid of breaking the moment of tranquility.

A wave of uncontrollable sadness surged forth. Caught off guard, tears filled Rami's eyes. He awkwardly lowered his head, wiping away the tears, but they kept flowing incessantly. The faint loneliness hidden in Renly's eyes hit Rami's soft heart deeply, almost leaving him breathless.

It wasn't just Rami; Darin stood among the crowd, his gaze deeply fixed on Renly's figure.

Renly now looked like he had just been pulled out of a quagmire, emitting a foul smell all over. The blood and mud on his cheeks almost obscured his features, leaving only his deep eyes visible. The dim light in his eyes rippled gently, with a sense of confusion, sadness, and numbness, sinking into a silence akin to the night, absorbing the warmth of the sunlight like a black hole. Quietly, it erupted into a tremendous force, violently and directly impacting Darin's soul.

Darin didn't like Renly. He told himself there was no reason, not because on the first day of shooting, he had asserted dominance over Renly and received a slap in return. He just didn't like Renly's strong confidence and calm composure. Shouldn't a rookie like Renly be more submissive?

But Darin couldn't deny that at this moment, in this strange instant, the energy bursting from Renly perfectly interpreted the essence of "The Pacific." The survival won with hands stained with blood, was it luck or torment? What remained in the shattered soul baptized by the flames of war? Faith, hope, perseverance, kindness, or nothing at all? Everything, so cruel, so grand, so real, yet so delicate.

Darin could continue to deny, deceive everyone, but he couldn't deceive himself. Looking around at the crew, everyone held their breath, focused and serious, watching Renly in front of them. Even though the scene had ended, no one made a sound, fearing their breath would break the moment of peace. The delicate emotions danced on fragile hearts, blooming into large red poppies, desolate and sorrowful.

This was no longer just a performance; Renly had pulled the illusion from the lens to beyond, turning it into reality, truly making everyone empathize and contemplate. That powerful force crossed the boundaries of illusion and reality, breaking through dimensional barriers, sparking a storm of thought.

Carl Franklin pursed his dry lips. Despite David's praise for Renly in front of him, despite Tom and Steven's choice of Renly to play Eugene, he still refused to believe in a newcomer's ability. A rookie was a rookie, talented or not, the depth and thickness of their acting skills were still limited. But today, he knew he was wrong.

Taking a deep breath, Carl looked around at the other staff. He knew his action would cruelly break the moment of peace, but he had to. It was his duty as a director. "Cut!" Karl shouted.

Almost simultaneously, everyone looked away, upwards, downwards, or outwards, as if a gust of wind blew past, covering everyone's eyes with dust, rubbing away the sand from their eyelids with their palms.

Karl coughed lightly twice, covering the fleeting sense of loss in his heart. "Alright, that scene is wrapped. Next!"

But Rami took a bold step forward, grabbing Carl's arm. "Director, can we have a ten-minute break?" Karl looked at Rami in confusion, only to find Rami's gaze directed at Renly. "I think we all need a break."

At this moment, Renly had released the extras in his arms, but he remained kneeling on the ground, seemingly lost in thought, as if time had completely stopped at his shoulders.

"Yes, ten minutes. I mean, let's take a break for ten minutes," Carl quickly agreed, feeling his nose tingling almost uncontrollably. He turned around in a panic and fled.

Rami walked quickly towards Renly, unsure of what to do. He approached quietly and crouched down behind Renly. Seeing the slightly stiff back and the lonely profile, he felt a pang of sadness. Unfortunately, James wasn't on the set today. His scenes had temporarily concluded, following the second production team to another area for shooting. Otherwise, he would know how to comfort Renly.

"...Renly." After much hesitation, Rami began to speak, but all he managed was a call, the weight of the words choking him.

Hearing the sound, Renly suddenly lifted his head, as if the serene mood had been shattered in an instant, shards scattered everywhere. "Oh... hey, big eyes." Renly quickly seemed to regain his composure, a warm smile returning to his face. "How was the shoot just now? Smooth?"

"Smooth. Everything went smoothly." Surprisingly, Rami felt a bit uneasy about Renly's normalcy. After some thought, he carefully asked, "Are you... okay?"

"Hehe." A smile gently curved up from the corners of Renly's mouth. "I'm fine, I'm really fine." Renly nodded, but Rami didn't give up. He stared at Renly intently, his large eyes almost trapping Renly, which made him feel helpless. He also knew his reaction just now was a bit unusual; he didn't even hear the sound of "Cut." "I was just contemplating some questions."

Renly paused, his eyes dimming slightly as he lowered his eyelids. "What is war really for? What does faith really mean? At the end of life, on the other side of death, do we really have nothing? And... among countless lies, how should we find the truth, at least our own truth?"

The gradually lowering words choked Rami, who didn't know how to respond.

Then, Renly lifted his gaze again, seeing Rami's conflicted expression. He couldn't help but smile, patting Rami's shoulder. "These questions don't necessarily have answers, or maybe they're questions that require time to find answers. Some people may never find them in their lifetime. I was just pondering these, so I spaced out a bit. What I'm more curious about is, did Eugene find the answers?"

In real life, Eugene passed away in 2001, so Renly would never get answers from Eugene himself.

Renly stood up, then extended his right hand towards Rami, who was stunned for a moment before lifting his head, searching Renly's expression for clues. What he saw was a bright smile. "We need to prepare for the next scene. I'm ready. How about you?"

It seemed Renly was perfectly fine as if the moment of desolation and loneliness just now had never truly existed. Rami searched carefully for any signs of turmoil in Renly's expression, but he failed. Renly was the same as always as if the past few weeks had never happened.

Rami grabbed Renly's right hand, using it to help himself stand up. Then the two of them left the cabin and returned to the crew, diving back into shooting. Renly's performance in the following scenes was still outstanding, showing no signs of being affected. On the contrary, some other actors seemed to have lost their touch, causing the shooting progress to slow down. Originally scheduled to wrap up at 5:30, they ended up working until nearly 7, concluding a whole day's work.

Renly was fine, truly fine. He wasn't lying.

He hadn't gotten too immersed in the role to pull himself out. Eugene's character was indeed challenging and difficult, but it hadn't reached his limits. However, during the performance, to better portray Eugene's mindset, he had indeed been contemplating those philosophical questions about war, life, faith, loneliness, and existence. These questions not only plagued Eugene but also Renly himself.

The experiences of two lifetimes had given Renly much, experienced much, and gained much. Under the skin of this twenty-year-old body lived a weathered soul of over forty years. Everything he saw now began to look different, and the power of time made him start thinking, start pondering.

Of course, as Renly had told Rami, these questions might not have answers for everyone, and time would prove everything. Renly was lucky enough; he had a second life, a second chance to reexamine himself, to pursue dreams anew, to enjoy life again.

Looking up at the vast sky of the southern hemisphere, filled with countless stars, creating a breathtakingly beautiful scene, Renly temporarily pushed all his thoughts aside, simply enjoying the tranquility. The clear and bright notes of a guitar resonated in his ears, gently strumming the strings of the night, as if the whole world was listening intently to the captivating melody.

Involuntarily, Renly's mind began to conjure up a string of moving musical notes. While acting had always been Renly's dream and his perseverance, it couldn't be denied that music had always been his best companion. Since his rebirth, it had accompanied him through anxious nights and days. The deepest secrets in his heart, only the notes dancing on the staff could understand.

"Rami, can I borrow the guitar?" Renly retrieved his feet, looking at Rami, who was playing the guitar casually.

Without a second thought, Rami handed the guitar to Renly, then curiously asked, "I didn't know you could play the guitar?"