Hollywood: The Greatest Showman

Chapter 64: Wonderful Trajectory

The interview was over, and Roy didn't linger any longer than necessary. He quickly packed up his things and left.

Looking at the script of "Thor" in his hands, Renly couldn't help but smile. He could feel Roy's goodwill. For a newcomer without a manager, Roy had given him a lot of guidance, which was very valuable information.

In fact, leaving aside the constraints of Marvel and the choices of commercial films, among the numerous series of Marvel comic heroes, the "Thor" series had the worst box office and word-of-mouth feedback. Not to mention iconic characters like "Iron Man" and "Captain America," even the later "Ant-Man" had surpassed it in terms of reputation, box office, and return on investment.

The 2011 release of "Thor," with an investment of 150 million, only earned 490 million worldwide. It not only failed to make money but also caused Paramount to lose nearly 20 million. Later, in 2013, "Thor: The Dark World" benefited from Marvel's rise, and the box office improved. With a cost of 170 million, it earned 640 million worldwide. However, due to the high promotion costs, Paramount only made a small profit of 30 million.

It could be said that the return on investment of the "Thor" series had always been unsatisfactory, and its global appeal was very limited. If it weren't for the overall Marvel Cinematic Universe strategy of "The Avengers," Paramount would have almost given up.

From this perspective, the attraction of "Thor" wasn't as great as Roy had said.

However, as a newcomer, being so picky wasn't a good thing. Missing the opportunity with "Thor," they would never know when the next opportunity would come. They should seize every opportunity they have. Hollywood wasn't a circle keen on charity.

So, Renly earnestly started reading the script of "Thor." The script and the finished film were two completely different things. The director's task was to transform the script into visuals, while the actor's task was to derive the character's depth from the script. In his previous life, Renly had watched enough movies, but his exposure to scripts was very limited.

Over the next few hours, Renly secluded himself backstage in Pioneer Village and quietly read the script.

As expected, the script for "Thor" was indeed lacking, especially in the portrayal of Thor's character, lacking the vivid characteristics of "Iron Man" and "Captain America." However, Loki was indeed an interesting character. In the previous life, the "Thor" series didn't give Loki enough room to play, otherwise, he had the potential to become the ultimate antagonist of the Marvel series.

But that wasn't something Renly could decide, was it?

Back at the residence, turning on the lights in the living room, looking around, Chris Hemsworth still hadn't returned. Renly's gaze fell back on the "Thor" script in his hand. Renly suddenly felt that fate was truly mysterious—In his previous life, Chris had become famous with the character Thor, launching his peak acting career. If it weren't for Renly intervening, this life's development curve probably wouldn't have changed much.

So, was Chris also invited to audition for "Thor" now? Or had Chris already completed his audition and was waiting for the next round of notifications? If Renly decided to join the competition for Thor, what changes would occur? Would he and Chris become competitors?

This was the first time Renly stood at the current time node, scrutinizing the future trajectory of his previous life so clearly and specifically. He was no longer an observer but a participant, a real participant. So, how much would the development trajectory of history change? How much storm could this little butterfly from China stir up? This was truly something to look forward to.

Thinking of this, Renly chuckled silently, returned to his room, casually placed the backpack on the desk, placed the script on the nearby bookshelf, and walked into the bathroom to wash away the dust of the day. Although he had already gotten used to working until the early hours of the morning, for Renly, sleeping was a very happy thing, being able to stay in bed a little longer—even if it was just ten minutes—was good.

Chris Hemsworth opened the door to his home, and the light in the living room indicated someone was there. He called out, "Renly? Renly?" This was New York, Manhattan, but downtown was still not very safe. Burglars breaking in was not uncommon.

"I'm in the bathroom," Renly shouted back, the sound penetrating through the thin walls.

Chris finally relaxed, leaning against the door, and began to sort through the mail in his hands. Renly was a neglectful guy; every time the mailbox was stuffed, but Renly never remembered to check it, leaving Chris to deal with it.

After sorting out common mail like utility bills, he put them by the TV cabinet. Then he sorted out his own mail and Renly's mail, throwing away the remaining junk mail.

"When did you come back? The bedroom was still empty last night," Renly walked out of the bathroom, drying his hair, leaning against the bedroom doorway, chatting and inquiring.

Chris raised his head to glance, but didn't stop sorting the mail, "Just this afternoon, came back from Los Angeles." After wrapping up "Cash" with Sean Bean, he stayed in Los Angeles, traveling around for his next project, but unfortunately with little success. "How about you lately? Is everything going smoothly with work?"

Renly shrugged, "No changes. I auditioned for two roles, but didn't get either." There was nothing to hide, so he spoke frankly.

Chris chuckled, "That's why I refuse to do TV dramas." He pointed with the mail in his hand at Renly, confidently saying, "Even if TV dramas are successful, they still can't attract the attention of movie companies. Once you're typecast as a TV drama actor, it's difficult to turn things around."

"I remember you also started with TV dramas," Renly's smile curled up slightly.

"True," Chris nodded, "True!" After repeating it twice, he continued, "But those were Australian matters. After coming to the US, I received many invitations for TV dramas, but I refused them all. Because I know this very well." In fact, these were all things his agent told him, but for Renly, who didn't have an agent, it was time for him to share his experience, "Listen to me, even if you don't have audition invitations, never compromise unless you're ready to settle down in the TV drama industry. You're only twenty; you have countless choices."

Chris was unusually serious, his words carrying weight, "Take 'The Pacific,' for example. I've heard quite a bit of news while I was in Los Angeles recently. It's indeed a focal work, but all the attention is on Hanks and Spielberg. No one would pay attention to the actors. That's the plight of TV dramas."

Renly smiled without retorting or responding, more curious about another detail, "Did you also hear about 'The Pacific' in Los Angeles? How is it?"

"It's mainly positive, believing that Hanks and Spielberg once again accomplished their mission excellently," Chris was very willing to share insider information because these were things Renly couldn't access.

His smile curled up, "I recently heard that HBO is launching a promotion, hoping 'The Pacific' can compete for the Emmy Awards, but the expectations aren't high."

"Technical awards should still be no problem," Renly gave his opinion. After all, with an investment of 230 million, it had solid strength.

"Who knows," Chris said mysteriously, only saying half, pausing for a moment, trying to see curiosity in Renly's eyes, but failed. This made Chris shake his head in frustration, "You're not cooperating at all; how can this magic continue?"

Renly chuckled silently, then suppressed his smile, putting on a serious look, "So what rumors are there in Hollywood?" It was as if he were coaxing a child.

Chris raised his chin slightly, revealing a satisfied smile, "Rumors say that HBO isn't optimistic about the prospects of 'The Pacific' this year. Although they have to promote it because of Spielberg's face, they probably won't put too much effort into it. So, the prospects for the Emmy Awards are bleak."

Renly lightly closed his jaw, showing he understood, but then changed the topic, "Chris, why do I feel like you're gloating?"

Upon hearing this, Chris nearly choked on his saliva, coughing violently, Renly's joke making him laugh again. Chris then tightened his fist, "Renly, this isn't funny! I'm just concerned about you!" Anxious, his Australian accent became almost incomprehensible, "Like I said earlier, you shouldn't choose TV dramas."

Renly just smiled, neither retorting nor responding, turning around to return to his room, "I'm going to do laundry now. Do you need anything washed?" Then he paused, turned back, and said, "I mean outerwear, don't throw socks and underwear at me."

Chris threw an envelope in response, then Renly laughed again.

There was no washing machine in their apartment; each floor had one shared with other residents. So, it was more convenient to go to a self-service laundry shop. Renly had formed the habit of doing laundry in the early hours of the morning.

Renly packed up the dirty clothes from the past few days, picked up the laundry basket, walked to the door, and kicked Chris's leg lightly, "Make way, Hulk."

Chris rolled his eyes, wanting to retort but couldn't find the right words, so he just grudgingly stepped aside, waving his fist as Renly left, then slammed the door hard to vent his frustration.

Turning back to finish sorting out the mail, Chris walked into Renly's room, putting Renly's personal mail on the desk. Just as he was about to leave, his gaze fell on the script on the bookshelf.

The cover was navy blue, with only one word, "Thor," simple and dignified.