Chapter 270: Keeping the peace
Andy asked with concern, "Jesus Christ, you're not hurt, are you?"
The Andy before him seemed a bit unfamiliar, the usual smile absent from his face. Worry colored his expression, sweat dampening his forehead due to anxiety, and he even panted slightly. This brought a touch of warmth to Renly's heart. Compared to his agent, Andy felt more like a friend.
And standing nearby was Nathan, his usually fair complexion now even paler, devoid of any color. His anxious and uneasy appearance made Renly chuckle involuntarily. "Aren't you supposed to be worried about Vin Diesel? I just had a major falling out with the director."
This remark made Andy roll his eyes, seeing that Renly still had the mood to joke. He knew Renly was actually fine. His voice emerged from between clenched teeth, "What's Vin Diesel? It's no big deal. Worst-case scenario, I'll tear up the contract and we just quit "Fast 5"."
Renly raised an eyebrow, not holding back his critique, "Are you speaking seriously or just being polite?"
"Of course, I'm being polite," Andy replied without hesitation. Renly's smile grew even brighter, but Andy kept hinting, "I know you're fine, but right now, I need you to pretend to be hurt. Pretend to be in excruciating pain, like biting your teeth together and breaking into a sweat on your forehead. Then, give it your all to pretend that you're fine."
It was about pretending to be hurt and then pretending to be fine again. The words twisted and turned, but a fleeting glint in Renly's eyes revealed that he had caught on.
On the set of "Fast & Furious", Vin was undoubtedly the absolute core figure. In relative terms, Renly could only be considered a supporting character, even though he was the third main lead. However, he could be replaced at a moment's notice. Before Renly and Vin, the producer undoubtedly favored the latter. From their friendship to their connections, from the weight of their roles to their involvement in the movie, Vin held an absolute advantage.
In other words, Renly had just provoked the hornet's nest.
Even if Vin's behavior today was inappropriate, the responsibility rested on him. But the real world had never been a place of reason, had it?
Now, Andy asked Renly to feign injury, at least to let Neal know that Renly wasn't completely unscathed. In the face of Vin's unreasonable tantrums, Renly had also been hurt. However, Renly would "magnanimously" not hold it against him. He wouldn't mind Vin's antics today, wouldn't mind Vin's intentional provocative gestures. He wouldn't just ignore it; he would put on an act of conciliation, saving Vin's face and Neal's face.
Superficially, it seemed that Renly was losing out. Clearly, he was hurt and at a disadvantage, yet he was voluntarily making peace. But in reality, this was a cooperative performance. Neal needed unity within the crew, and Renly's cooperation would make him look at him with new eyes. Not to mention future collaborations, at the very least, in the upcoming publicity for "Fast 5", as compensation, Neal would provide Renly with more resources.
In this way, Renly was completely playing coy after reaping unexpected benefits. All he had done was arrive at the set three and a half hours early, yet he gained greater advantages. Moreover, in the confrontation with Vin, he hadn't been at a disadvantage; he had subtly held the upper hand.
As for Vin, if he refused to cooperate and continued to be unyielding, Renly's compromise would become all the more precious. Neal's judgment scale would be unbalanced. Neal certainly wouldn't mind giving Vin a good lesson. While he couldn't replace Vin, he had countless ways to make Vin's life miserable.
If Vin cooperated with this act, chose to shake hands and make peace, then he was destined to be rendered speechless and stifled. What's more frustrating, in the subsequent filming on set, he would at least not be able to openly oppose Renly.
Renly's smile immediately faded, his brows furrowing, creating a semblance of internal distress. "I think I need to sit down and rest for a bit."
Nathan, standing beside him, was utterly perplexed, tears welling up in his eyes. His vision blurred, he asked in a shaky voice, "Renly, are you okay? Are you really okay? Should I call 911 and get an ambulance?"
Seeing Nathan on the brink of a breakdown, Renly exchanged a glance with Andy. Suppressing his laughter was truly a challenge for Renly. "Nathan, why don't you help me sit down over there? I'm feeling a bit tight in the chest right now!"
Renly wasn't joking. Vin had managed to navigate Hollywood for these past years, and his fighting skills were indeed decent. Perhaps his moves were relatively simple, but his strength and confrontational abilities were absolutely fine. After enduring a direct punch just now, the muscles in Renly's chest were indeed aching slightly.
The eyes of the surrounding supporting actors all turned to Renly, and upon seeing his enduring expression, they all revealed faces of pity.
Honestly, Renly hadn't done anything wrong; it was just that Vin couldn't accept his spotlight being taken away by others. Then he had pressured the director, resorted to using his fists directly—it was truly despicable. They had heard rumors before that Vin liked to act like a big shot, enjoyed the sensation of being pursued, but only after witnessing it today did they realize that the rumors were not baseless.
Seeing Renly's state, Justin approached quickly, expressing his apology in a low voice. "I'm sorry, I didn't anticipate things getting out of control." Justin glanced at Andy, then turned to Renly. "Your performance today was excellent, to be precise, outstanding. This unexpected incident is my responsibility. I'm truly sorry. The medical personnel are on their way, so let them check you out later."
Before this, Justin had no different feelings towards Renly, whether positive or negative; he was just a substitute actor brought in to replace. But after today, he looked at Renly in a new light. His subtle change in perspective had turned things upside down.
Not only Justin, but Paul also joined in, his face filled with concern. "Renly, let the medical staff check you out." Even Jordana, Gal, and the others stepped forward one after another, displaying their concern, as if Renly, who had been "injured" during the confrontation, was the one in need of care.
This truly left Renly speechless. He waved his hand, saying, "Don't worry, I'm fine, really. No need to worry about me."
But this kind of response only stirred up more indignation among the onlookers. As the victim, Renly actually wanted to play peacemaker. Vin had really gone too far!
Just as Renly was surrounded by his caring colleagues, Vin teetered on the brink of explosion.
"What did you say?" Vin looked at his agent, Christian Wagner, his face filled with disbelief. Christian was actually asking him to endure! Asking him to swallow his pride! Asking him to defuse the situation! Asking him not to be picky! Vin seriously wondered if he had misheard!
But Christian's face was serious. "Did you hear what I said?" Looking at Vin's furious expression, Christian felt a headache coming on. "You're irrationally confronting a newcomer actor for no reason? What exactly are you trying to achieve?"
"Kick him off the set!" Vin retorted without reservation. "It's not uncommon, is it? Who should it be, me or him? It's not a difficult choice. Even if Ron Meyer stood in front of me, he would choose me, not that... puppet who knows nothing and is as frail as a piece of paper? I am the soul of the entire movie! I am the core of this movie! Not that stray cat or dog that emerged from the corner!"
In front of his own agent, Vin had no reservations. He was frank and straightforward, but Christian remained unmoved. He coldly remarked, "Tobey Maguire was almost replaced once."
The "Spider-Man" series had propelled Tobey to the pinnacle of his career. However, before filming the third installment, Sony Pictures had decisively replaced him due to his exorbitant salary demands. His agent had to back down and compromise.
Vin was immediately silenced by this, but his expression still conveyed his unwillingness to admit defeat.
Christian shook his head in exasperation, frustrated by the fact that Vin, after more than ten years in Hollywood, hadn't grown at all. "Have you ever wondered why I'm here?" Vin found himself momentarily stunned. "Ron personally called me," Christian continued, "He said that "Fast 5" has already faced numerous challenges. He doesn't want to see any more trouble. The most important thing now is for the movie to be smoothly completed."
Such casual words sent a shiver down Vin's spine.
"Don't think I'm unaware of what happened today. We won't discuss the cleverness of your pranks. But when they were exposed, you got furious. Are you serious? How old are you this year? Renly is just a twenty-year-old kid. Why bother with him? If this movie succeeds, the credit goes to you, not him. We have countless ways to make him disappear during the promotional period and focus all the audience's attention on you!"
"Furthermore, now that your pranks have been uncovered, if you don't shut your mouth and keep making a fuss, are you intentionally trying to turn the entire crew against you? You know those foolish onlookers always sympathize with the underdog. You haven't just entered this industry; I never knew you could be so foolish."
Christian's words were utterly unfiltered, even verging on malicious, a blatant criticism that left Vin nearly defenseless. Despite being forty-three years old this year, Vin's behavior made him seem rash.
In fact, this was the very reason why Vin couldn't swallow his pride. He had been surpassed by an inexperienced youngling!
However, in this moment of calm, Vin suddenly realized: from start to finish, no one had treated Renly as a twenty-year-old kid! Everyone had put Renly on equal footing with Vin and Paul.
Vin involuntarily swallowed a mouthful of saliva. Christian's words continued, "I don't care how you handle it. But the result is, this matter is considered settled. In the future on set, it's best not to trouble him. Even if you do, don't get caught. Be smart, be discreet. You've been in Hollywood for fifteen years; don't you know how to handle a newcomer?"
Vin felt stifled, incredibly so. But under Christian's gaze, he slowly lowered his head, wordless.
Ten minutes passed quickly, and the three lead actors left the studio, entering the car one after another.
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