Emotionally, Elliot wanted to stand up and immediately turn to leave. However, rationally, his brain began to churn once again. "So, you're saying you're really working on a project?" Through layers of mist, Elliot saw a glimmer of hope, and his eyes lit up.
"Yes," Renly's response was succinct, devoid of any ambiguity.
Elliot became genuinely excited. "Why not tell us a bit about this project?"
Renly's gaze paused briefly. Just as Elliot thought Renly was about to mock or retort, he courteously answered the question. "This time, I worked on a film with Seth Rogen and Anna Kendrick. It's about a young person who unexpectedly discovers they're seriously ill, and the events that unfold afterward."
Elliot's heart soared with delight. Exclusive! He had truly landed an exclusive!
In the past half year, beginning with "The Pacific", followed by "Buried", and then "Like Crazy", Renly had delivered astonishing performances in three consecutive works. Each of them had garnered commendable success—at the very least, these three works had been recognized to some extent by authoritative film critics and professional awards ceremonies.
This raised expectations for Renly to unimaginable heights. Not just a simple doubling, but multiplying by five, by ten even. The speed of his rise was truly bewildering.
Now, even "Fast 5" was benefiting from this, leaving many curious: What would Renly, who had made a name for himself with art films, bring to commercial cinema? Not just the audience, but industry professionals as well.
In recent times, the hype surrounding the award season had diverted everyone's attention toward the Oscars, and temporarily, nobody was focused on Renly's latest activities. Even "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo", journalists were struggling to keep up and cover the news in a timely manner. Yet, without a doubt, discussions about Renly's role in the film had arisen within the journalistic circles.
People believed that Renly's choice to join the project was an undoubtedly intelligent decision—it was a choice that wouldn't fail. Because the film's focus was largely on the female lead, and the male lead was more of an embellishment. At the same time, with the film's inherent attention and David Fincher's influence, Renly's fame and recognition were bound to rise to new heights.
It could be predicted that after receiving an Oscar nomination during the award season, with the combined impact of "Fasy 5" and "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo", Renly's trajectory would truly take off in the latter half of the year.
However, now, Elliot had stumbled upon a new revelation! Not "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo", not David Fincher, but Seth Rogen!
The explosiveness of this news was comparable to joining "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" as well. It would undoubtedly incite a frenzy of discussions among major reporters. Not only because Renly had chosen Seth, but also because after the successive successes of "Buried" and "Like Crazy", Renly had once again taken a daring leap in his project selection. "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" had been audacious enough, but Seth Rogen?
"Is this... a comedy?" Elliot inquired cautiously.
Renly nodded, confirming, "Yes. It's a comedy."
"Oh God! Oh God! Oh God!" There was no continuation of his previous artistic route. Renly's latest work had actually turned out to be a comedy! This was absolutely unimaginable!
In the eyes of professionals, comedy works always lacked something, putting aside the cold reception comedy masters like Charlie Chaplin and Jim Carrey had faced. Just looking at the film "The Kids Are All Right", which garnered much attention this awards season, it could be seen that this work wasn't a conventional comedy, it just had a light tone and humorous dialogue. Its essence remained that of a drama film, well-received and approved by film critics, but breaking through the barriers at the Oscars would entail countless difficulties and prejudices. Annette Bening aiming for the top was particularly weighed down by a century-old prejudice against comedy.
Now, Renly's latest work had chosen to be a comedy! And Seth Rogen had joined it! Did that mean this was a typical bromantic comedy?
"Oh God!" Elliot's inner voice was roaring madly. He could already imagine the astonishment and disdain of professionals. Few would likely approve of Renly's choice. This was simply too crazy.
Although his heart was in turmoil, he still had to maintain composure on the surface. "So, you're in the hospital right now because you're filming this movie?"
"Yes. But I don't mind having a chat with a paparazzi during my break," Renly's lips curved into a slight smile as he joked.
Elliot felt a bit awkward but continued his questioning. "Why did you choose this project? I mean, we hadn't heard any news before this. Seth Rogen? Are you sure?"
Only then did Elliot realize that Seth and James Franco were close buddies. And the media had recently been hyping up a feud between Renly and James. The twists and turns of this situation were truly... mind-blowing. Elliot started to organize his thoughts in his mind. This exclusive scoop would definitely fetch a good price!
"They reached out to me at the last moment..." Renly briefly recounted the story of how he agreed to take on "50/50".
Elliot listened attentively but felt something was off, faintly sensing that something was amiss as he looked at Renly. After scrutinizing for a while, he finally realized.
The Renly today seemed to have shed his entire aura, becoming approachable, friendly even.
It wasn't that the previous Renly had been scary or fierce. Strictly speaking, Renly had never been the kind to flaunt his sharpness or act in an arrogant manner. His gentlemanly demeanor, courteous and graceful, left a deep impression.
But there had always been an innate aura emanating from Renly, setting him apart from others, creating an invisible barrier and distance between him and others. This was also one of the key reasons people often overlooked his age.
But today, that aura was gone. The sunny and clear disposition of a next-door neighbor shone down. Facing the questions, Renly almost answered them all. Even though his words were still sharp, they lacked the imposing air from memory. Not his smile, nor his gaze. His entire demeanor had softened, and the intangible barrier and oppression had vanished.
This... What kind of strategy was this again?
From the first meeting to the second, and now to today's encounter, every time they crossed paths, Renly played by his own rules, making it impossible for Elliot to grasp any foothold, let alone understand what had transpired. This feeling caused his palms to become slightly sweaty, and a cold sweat broke out involuntarily. However, at this moment, Elliot had no time to carefully contemplate. Since Renly was currently so amicable, he should seize this opportunity properly.
"Can I take a few photos?" Elliot further probed. He originally intended to offer an explanation, but unexpectedly, Renly chuckled softly and counter-questioned, "Since when did you start seeking permission from subjects for photographs?"
This sounded more like a jest than a taunt. Elliot's thoughts were confirmed once again. Renly's sharpness seemed to have entirely receded. This was truly a rare opportunity. So he pursued, "Will you be attending the Oscars red carpet with someone next week?"
This topic was definitely one of the recent hot discussions.
Objectively speaking, this wasn't a hot topic. Purely from the perspective of actors, unless it was like when Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie appeared together on the red carpet after they got together, or like the case of Leonardo DiCaprio, who never brought companions to award ceremonies, attending the Oscars for the first time with Gisele Bündchen—only such cases qualified as focal points.
Otherwise, even for actors like Tom Cruise or George Clooney, who they accompanied to award ceremonies was not a topic. Because the Oscars red carpet allowed attendees to bring family members and close friends. In other words, even attending with immediate relatives like mothers or sisters was permissible, and there wasn't any gossip value to it.
So, the reporters' focus wasn't on Renly himself, but on the specific companion.
Seeing Renly's perplexed expression, Elliot continued to elaborate, "Will you be walking the red carpet with Jennifer Lawrence?" That was what they were focusing on.
The two most prominent rising actors, both nominated for Oscars, had even cooperated in a project that received high praise. If they were to attend the red carpet together, their level of attention might even rival that of James Franco and Anne Hathaway—the latter was the host of this year's Oscars.
Moreover, some reporters had even speculated about a romantic connection between Renly and Jennifer. Not because of any evidence, but simply because the sparks that might fly between the two rising stars during their collaboration were intriguing.
"It's a good suggestion. I'll ask Jennifer about it," Renly's response pleasantly surprised Elliot. He enjoyed Renly's demeanor today.
Subsequently, Elliot posed several questions about the Oscars and concluded today's interview. Strictly speaking, it felt more like an exclusive interview rather than a paparazzo's relentless pursuit. The calm atmosphere left a subtle sense of amusement.
Afterward, Elliot inquired about the location of the film set and prepared to pay an unexpected visit to the set of "50/50", hoping to capture more exclusive photos. Meanwhile, Renly remained in place, not in a hurry to dive back into work.
Oscars. Renly suddenly realized that he had almost forgotten about this event during the past period of time. The Oscar nomination for "Buried" felt like something that had happened ages ago. In comparison, the upcoming filming for "50/50" seemed much more interesting than the Oscars.