Chereads / Helming Hollywood / Chapter 9 - Trap

Chapter 9 - Trap

When Harry revealed the news of Levi's suicide, he thought it would significantly impact Levi: no matter who it is, it would feel quite painful if the scandal was exposed. He is familiar with this as a reporter who reports other people's scandals. Unfortunately, this time, things seem to be different.

His words merely made Levi blink his eyes, and then he laughed, "Oh, you got it wrong. It wasn't me." Harry opened his mouth slightly and didn't close it for long as if punched. He initially thought that after he said that Levi failed to make a movie and his career fell apart, even if Levi would not become angry, he would at least be ashamed and make excuses in every possible way.

However, Levi directly said, "You made a mistake."

So, all the taunts Harry had prepared could not be sent out.

This is unscientific! You just screwed up the movie and ruined your fortune! Where is your shame? What about your dissatisfaction? What about your unappreciated anger, your loneliness that no one understands? Why did they all disappear all of a sudden? How could you be so calm and lie easily when someone exposed your sore feet? Are you too thick-skinned? And if you have such thick skin and don't take it seriously, how can you attempt suicide? Regular people who have tried suicide would need several months of psychological treatment!

"Suicide? Me? My career has not been so low that I can only be a reporter in those tabloid newspapers. There are still ways to choose, even if one film flopped. This is ridiculous. Bruce, this kind of boring news can also be published in the media. It spread among the workers."

Levi hasn't stopped yet. He is still talking with Bruce beside him, talking with a smile. His words also caused the people around him to discuss in whispers. Suicide is something different from other problems. If you talk about drug abuse, car accidents, etc., it is common to refuse to admit to other things one day after the incident. After a few days, they generally don't care. Still, people who commit suicide usually do something with a very entangled mentality. Levi's attitude is unlike someone who has just undergone a similar event. Is it fake confidence? It's not impossible.

It is generally easier for ordinary people to imitate people who are about to collapse. But it is much more difficult for a person already on the verge of an emotional breakdown to emulate an average person. Many people who have just attempted suicide must receive counseling from a psychiatrist. In such a short time, they can't regain their strength and go into battle-it is impossible for even an actor to perform well when in a bad mood.

The people present are elite in the entertainment industry who are all quite familiar with the acting industry. They were all watching whether Levi was acting or not, and it was obvious that this kind of look without regrets did not look like someone who had just failed.

Either this is an actor with very high-level acting skills, or the news is wrong. Which of the two is more believable? People have their own judgments.

"Maybe it's a mistake..."

"Can a suicidal person be so excited..."

"What is the reputation of "The Detractor"..."

The UK's actors and crew members can be regarded as quite personable. At least they didn't directly stand up and start mocking Harry wantonly. There are more of them, not far away Whispering, discussing Levi's demeanor and Harry's words behind his back—although it wasn't very kind, at least it didn't immediately make Harry stand down. It's just that Levi's words negate his certainty, and Harry is sure that the surrounding voices will not praise him for being intelligent and capable.

From the beginning, Levi discovered that Harry wanted to make him look unappealing. Compared with Harry's gradually turning rosy complexion, Levi's complexion was much happier. He had already thought about it: Now that he has attracted the attention of the people around him, he should not cover up but rather let people turn their attention to a beneficial direction.

He didn't care about Harry's question; more than that, he could find a chance to taunt him back. Therefore, he flatly denied suicide: Mental breakdown? Ashamed? Don't be kidding. He has just traveled here, so what happened in the past has nothing to do with him.

His words can be regarded as the truth. Even if he can't shoot for some reason, he can still consider being a critic. However, these words made Harry's face even uglier. He was still laughing at Levi's career failure just now, but even Levi's career failure had a better development path than his.

It was one thing for him to be ridiculed, but it was another for his magazine's credibility to be questioned. He originally wanted to continue Levi's suicide issue, forcing Levi to lose his composure and make Bruce humiliated here. Who knows? Now the one who is ashamed is himself. This can't work. Looking at Levi's smiling face, Harry tried hard to suppress his dissatisfaction and opened his mouth with a smile again.

"Other directions? Yes, you can still be a film critic. Nicholas, your father, and your brother are both top film critics. I would also like to know your evaluation of this film." Since Levi is more shameless than expected, use a new method. Harry couldn't believe that a person hospitalized yesterday could be ready to comment on a movie today.

Mainly this movie is a British classical drama. Although Harry is only an editor and reporter for a tabloid, he also knows very well that Britain is one of the few countries in the world keen on classical dramas. Because there is a Shakespeare, compared with other countries, the British prefer to play ancient costumes. They have many years of experience in rehearsing Shakespeare plays. Almost all British actors have experience rehearsing Shakespeare's plays in London's West End. They have unique temperaments. The temperament honed in Shakespeare's plays since childhood, the authentic props and costumes, coupled with the adaptation of the works of famous masters like Jane Austen, and the excellent details of the lines, many things in this movie are close to perfection; at least from the British point of view, their work is perfect.

It is challenging to pick out the flaws in such a movie. The closer to perfection, the more difficult it is to comment. And if you blindly praise it, it will also reduce the credibility of your comments. Harry asked Levi for his opinion. He just wanted to see what Levi should do if he couldn't get the corresponding movie reviews.

The people here are elite figures in the circle, and all have done in-depth research on British classical literature. As long as Levi says a wrong sentence, Levi will be a fool in these people's eyes.

'I don't know what kind of medicine you took for your suicide so that you can be so energetic. However, you can control your emotions but can't acquire knowledge suddenly, can you?'

He wasn't worried that Levi would reject his questions. He is the son of Adam Levi and the younger brother of Bruce Levi. Even his brother and father will be ashamed if he evades the problem.

"If you want to know, come with me. There are some things that I want to talk to Mr. Director about as well. Although you may not understand, you can listen to it." During the speech, Levi strode away from him and walked toward the middle of the hall. His strides were quite large, and the confidence and firmness revealed in that stride made Bruce stunned for a while. Is he going to review this movie? It is not easy to criticize the work of Jane Austen.

'Nick, you underestimate me. I believe you can't say anything. I have read Jane Austen's novel many times. I am familiar with every detail and content of this novel.' Harry laughed: he does have a strong confidence in this novel, and what makes him even happier is that his trap lured Levi to take the bait. In this movie, the 36-year-old Emma Thompson starred as the 19-year-old girl, which can be said to be the biggest problem. Levi can't point out the problem of Thompson being too old, accusing a woman of being too old in public. This woman, an Oscar queen, was recognized as the most talented lady in Britain. Harry is looking forward to Levi making the whole British showbiz hate him.

Of course, he wouldn't pin all his hopes on such a simple trap. There is another big trap here, waiting for Levi: After all, it is a movie promotion meeting. Even if Levi managed to find fault with people at the movie promotion meeting, he would never think that anyone would like him again.

The few people standing before Levi automatically stepped out of the way. They had heard the conversation between Levi and Harry, and they knew that now Levi wanted to chat with Director Ang Lee. Levi walked forward and saw Ang Lee standing in front of him, waiting for his arrival.

"Director Ang Lee, congratulations on making such a good movie. Thank you for making such an excellent movie, and I look forward to seeing your next English movie." Levi walked toward Ang Lee without hesitation. He expressed his congratulations with a loud voice.

His words made Ang Lee happy, and the people around him also turned their attention to Levi. In front of him, Levi did not hesitate. He discovered that Ang Lee and the others had just noticed the quarrel, so he knew it was time to go up and say hello.

How important is it to introduce yourself to a few people? How helpful would it be to introduce yourself to some connections? Genuine respect must be earned by oneself, and actual status must be established. Relying on others, one cannot gain respect from others from the heart. If one wants to be respected, one has to depend on one's talent.

"Harry, I'm talking about movies with Mr. Director. Are you sure you understand?"

*****

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