Standing in the midst of the crowd, Gavin Hunter looked at Cornell McGregor, whose eyes were shining with a bright light, in disbelief. "Renly, may I ask if you plan to go to the cinema next week to watch "Thor"?"
Over the past few months, Entertainment Weekly had published several articles about Renly, written by Cornell, which had a sharp and somewhat negative tone. Gavin was aware of all this. He felt a bit uncomfortable about it because he greatly admired Renly. In Hollywood, dedicated and professional actors like Renly were becoming increasingly rare, especially among the new generation who often pursued stardom without undergoing the necessary trials.
However, Gavin also understood Cornell's situation. Probably due to the "stunt double scandal," there was no breakthrough in Nathalie's case, so he had to create trouble for Renly. Besides, wasn't this how Hollywood entertainment news worked? It didn't affect Gavin's opinion of Cornell.
The two were close friends who had known each other since college, both becoming entertainment journalists. One worked for Entertainment Weekly, the other for American Weekly. They were rivals, but more importantly, they were friends. Their friendship had only grown stronger over the years as they chased news stories together, revolutionizing the industry. This incident wouldn't affect their friendship.
However, this was a bit too much. At the premiere of "Fast 5", and with the news already settling down, Cornell's question was blatantly provocative. Gavin nudged Cornell with his shoulder and gave him a questioning look. "Are you out of your mind?"
Cornell remained unfazed, his eyes still fixed on Renly, as if he wouldn't relent without an answer.
The atmosphere at the scene instantly froze. The previous buzz and commotion seemed to vanish into thin air. The cheers, shouts, and roars all disappeared. The journalists and the fans in attendance redirected their gaze toward Renly.
The audience across the street couldn't understand what was happening. The festive atmosphere was still in full swing, but the temperature at the theater entrance plummeted sharply. The stark contrast was disorienting, leaving everyone bewildered. They stood there with gaping mouths, looking at each other, seeking the truth of the situation.
Paul and Justin were both too genuine to hide their bewilderment. Justin awkwardly turned his head, pretending to look elsewhere, with an expression that clearly said he wanted nothing to do with this. Paul, on the other hand, looked at Renly with concern and then shot a sharp glare at the group of journalists, trying to identify the instigator.
Meanwhile, as the central figure of the controversy, Renly couldn't help but chuckle. This caused both Paul and Justin to turn their attention toward him, puzzled expressions on their faces.
Renly waved his hand gently to suppress his laughter, but his bright eyes still held a playful glint. The expressions of everyone present were like facing a formidable enemy. The sudden quiet atmosphere added a touch of dark humor to the situation, taking it to the extreme.
Someone had finally brought up the topic, and that wasn't surprising. However, what was truly strange was that no one had brought it up until now. It was like having an elephant in the room that everyone could see but pretended not to. Suddenly, someone mentioned it, and it startled everyone. It was a moment that couldn't help but make people chuckle.
Moreover, Renly didn't consider this question to be particularly sharp; it was merely an inquiry about a movie.
"Apologies, forgive my rudeness. I didn't mean to target this journalist," Renly smiled and nodded in Cornell's direction, expressing his apology.
Though he was apologizing, Cornell felt his cheeks burning. The taste of mockery, sarcasm, and jest lingered on his tongue, making him feel embarrassed and speechless. He felt as if his words were stuck in his throat and couldn't be spoken.
"As for next week's plans, I'll have to check with my date and see what movie she chooses," Renly calmly replied, treating "Thor" like any other movie for next week. He added, "To be honest, I hope she chooses "Fast 5"."
His subtle humor was woven between the lines, causing the journalists to chuckle. In one fell swoop, he had both answered the question and returned to the main topic. This skillful style effortlessly dissolved the tension in the air. Not only did the journalists find it amusing, but even Paul and Justin couldn't contain their laughter. But were their expressions of relief a bit too obvious?
Gavin didn't receive a response from Cornell. After taking a deep breath to suppress his chaotic thoughts, he seized the opportunity to ask, "Renly, do you have a current date? And why isn't she attending the premiere with you today?" This was a clever and intriguing question, instantly capturing the interest of the journalists. Who was Renly's date?
Renly seemed to have an answer prepared. "Speaking of the devil, here she comes." He turned his head and looked in the direction of the beginning of the red carpet. All the journalists followed his gaze, including Paul and Justin. Their curious eyes gathered, but soon, their expressions turned strange. They struggled to suppress their laughter, making it look like they were working hard to stifle it.
Ryan Gosling, who had been walking rapidly, couldn't help but slow down as all eyes were fixed on him. The looks ranged from scrutinizing to curious to teasing, and it felt like he was under a spotlight, with the intense gazes almost setting his clothes on fire. He was left bewildered, not understanding the situation at all.
Ryan spread his hands and looked around. "What's going on?" But no one gave him an answer. He had no choice but to direct an inquiring look at Renly, appearing puzzled. "What's happening?"
A burst of laughter erupted, starting with an unknown person, and then everyone joined in. In the blink of an eye, the entire place turned into an ocean of laughter.
Seeing Paul, who was doubled over with laughter, Renly couldn't help but feel helpless.
He had initially tried to be clever. He had seen Gal Gadot's figure just moments ago and intended to use this topic to smoothly introduce her to the scene, passing the promotional duties to her. He could then step aside and take a break. However, for some reason, when he turned around, it wasn't Gal Gadot he saw but Ryan.
As Renly looked past Ryan's shoulder, he spotted Gal, who had stopped in the latter half of the red carpet. She was warmly greeting fans, signing autographs, taking photos, and hugging them, creating a lively atmosphere. The interview area was less than five or six steps away from there. It was just this slight delay that led to this amusing situation.
Renly's lips involuntarily curved upwards, and he walked up to Ryan with a smile, extending his right hand. Ryan, still puzzled, shook Renly's right hand. The two bumped shoulders, and Ryan even put his left arm around Renly's back, giving him a light hug. However, his expression remained filled with confusion. "What's going on? What's happening?"
With a light laugh, Renly replied, "They thought my date had arrived."
Ryan suddenly understood and patted his chest, showing a relieved expression. "Good thing they don't seem unwelcoming of my presence." Wait, was that the main point? Why did it feel like the focus was a bit off?
Then Ryan leaned closer to Renly's ear and asked in a low voice, "Do you have many friends here today? Any extra guest passes? If not, when the premiere ends, I can slip out from behind."
A simple sentence, but it sent a warm feeling through Renly's heart. He knew that Ryan's presence at the premiere was his way of showing support.
Before the premiere, Andy had asked Renly about the invitations; each actor had twenty invitations to invite their friends to attend the event. It could be friends in the industry, fellow actors or directors, journalists, public relations personnel, or even personal friends, even white-collar employees were fine.
Renly hadn't paid much attention to it at the time and had forgotten about it due to the recording issues that had arisen. Seeing Ryan now, amidst his sense of gratitude, he also felt a twinge of guilt. He should have extended the invitation himself.
"If your plan is to sneak away with me for a drink, that's a great idea. Otherwise, you might get stuck here all day. The reporters need you to distract them," Renly said in a serious tone. Then he saw Ryan roll his eyes and quip mercilessly, "Even if you add up all those reporters, they won't be able to stop you. Are you sure you want to push me out as a sacrificial lamb?"
In a light-hearted conversation, Renly and Ryan returned to the interview area. With the corner of his eye, Renly noticed that Gal had also arrived. Quite unceremoniously, he left Ryan standing alone and joined Paul and Justin. Then, Ryan and Gal, two strangers who had just met, stayed behind as a "couple" for interviews.
Laughter filled the scene continuously.
However, Renly's leisurely moment didn't last too long. Soon, Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne appeared hand in hand on the red carpet. Following them were Jessica Chastain, who had specially rushed to the Chinese Theater to support Renly. The arrival of Jennifer Lawrence caused a significant stir in the crowd. Before the premiere, the media had been hyping up the chemistry between Renly and Jennifer, two rising young actors. Unexpectedly, they were indeed friends in real life.
As the host, Renly had to step forward.
But it wasn't over yet. The appearances of Felicity Jones, Rami Malek, James Badge Dale, and others added to the excitement of the premiere. The theater was bustling with activity, and the atmosphere became even more joyous because of these friends who kept arriving.
The journalists had never anticipated that Renly, with such limited experience, could attract so many friends from the industry to come and support him. Looking back, they remembered Chris implying that Renly was being arrogant and refusing to cooperate during the "scriptgate". But now, it seemed like that was an exaggeration. These friends were expressing their support for Renly through their actions. So, did this mean Chris had been lying?
When Vin Diesel arrived at the scene and saw the lively atmosphere, he was completely taken aback.