Chương 256: Deterrence
Renly's brow furrowed slightly as he gazed at the empty parking lot before him, a look of bewilderment on his face.
By now, it was 8:20 AM, just ten minutes away from the start time for the day's work. According to expectations, the entire parking lot should be full, and there might not even be any parking spaces left. One would have to park in the public lot at the back. But there was not a single car in sight, which was far from normal. It was simply baffling.
Nathan began to panic. The unexpected situation caught him off guard. He struggled to calm himself down, a difficult task indeed. Instinctively, he turned his head to look at Renly and noted the confusion in his expression. Fortunately, there was no anger.
"Double-check the filming details for today," Renly said. Having experienced massive productions like "The Pacific", he had relatively more experience. After a brief moment of confusion, he composed himself, opened the car door, and headed towards the direction of the studio.
Prompted by Renly, Nathan also snapped back to attention and quickly retrieved his phone to verify.
Standing at the entrance of the studio, the imposing iron gates made one feel insignificant. To accommodate the passage of utility vehicles, the studio's gate was high and wide, with only a small door in the lower right corner, allowing two people to walk side by side. In comparison, it was like a passage to the realm of adults.
Normally, this small door would be open, facilitating the movement of crew members. After official filming began, it would be closed, and anyone wanting to enter had to knock. The security personnel behind the door would then open a space the size of a mail slot to check the visitor's identity before allowing them in.
Now, this small door was tightly shut. Renly knocked on it vigorously, but there was no response, not even a sound. Everything felt strange. Could they have come to the wrong place?
"Renly, I just checked the text message again. It's indeed 8:30 AM, Studio 23," Nathan said as he parked the car by the roadside temporarily to avoid obstructing traffic. He then hurried over, speaking up, "I also called James Currier and Jully Irie. Neither of them answered. I left messages explaining the situation, but..."
Renly's calm demeanor successfully helped Nathan regain his composure. Once he had sorted out his thoughts, he began handling the situation more systematically. James and Jully were the two production assistants on the crew, responsible for different tasks. As Renly's assistant, Nathan mainly interacted with them, and seeking their confirmation was the most direct and effective approach.
However, neither of them had answered the calls.
Normally, this wasn't unusual at all. Their work kept them busy, so missing a call was common. But today's circumstances were unique, causing people to think deeper.
Renly didn't rush to jump to conclusions. "Did James personally tell you the time before we left yesterday?"
"Yes," Nathan nodded repeatedly. Fearing mistakes, he had even requested a text message from James to confirm everything, from spoken words to written text. He certainly didn't want to be let go again.
Renly patted his pocket, retrieved his phone, and found Paul Walker's number. He dialed the number. It was still before 8:30 AM, and if Paul didn't have any shooting tasks, he might be working out. But...
"Good morning, Renly," Paul answered the call with a clear and cheerful voice. The sunny and fresh tone greeted him warmly, "You're calling at this time. I'm about to have breakfast. Want to join?"
Renly could discern the relaxed tone in Paul's words. Less than ten minutes remained until work began, yet Paul was leisurely enjoying breakfast? This didn't make sense. Nonetheless, Renly didn't rush. Instead, he responded with a smile, "Are you sure you're referring to Los Angeles time and not New York time?"
The pace of life in Los Angeles was always a bit slower, with mealtimes slightly later than in New York. However, Renly had spent too little time here to make such an assertion. Regardless, Renly's jest prompted a laugh from Paul. "I didn't go surfing this morning; otherwise, I'd also be having breakfast at 9:30."
"One can tell right away that this isn't the life of the elite," Renly replied with a faint smile, successfully eliciting bursts of laughter from Paul.
Both Los Angeles and New York shared a common belief: people who could enjoy brunch were either part of the elite or wealthy class. They could leisurely sleep in until around ten or ten-thirty and then casually have brunch with friends.
Hence, brunch spots and coffee houses in Los Angeles were always crowded. Young aspiring actors would often pretend to have brunch, hoping to chance upon a famous director or producer.
Once Paul's laughter settled, Renly naturally transitioned back to the topic. "What time does shooting start today?"
"12 PM," Paul replied without hesitation or doubt. He continued, "Today's major scenes will extend into the evening, and we might need to shoot some outdoor scenes, including night scenes. So, we'll enter the set at noon, have a meeting during lunch to discuss the plans, and start shooting around 2 PM in the afternoon. I reckon it'll be a busy day until night."
Noon. That was the answer.
No wonder the parking lot was empty! No wonder the studio was devoid of people! Clearly, someone was going to teach Renly a lesson, intentionally giving him the wrong start time, making him arrive at the studio three and a half hours early.
Three and a half hours – a rather awkward time frame. If he went back now, the round trip would take forty minutes to an hour. Furthermore, it was rush hour, and there was a chance he could get stuck in traffic. In such a scenario, wasting two hours was entirely possible. But if he chose to stay, he would be left twiddling his thumbs for three and a half hours, and the boredom was suffocating.
This move was truly clever. Harmless yet frustrating. Even if Renly protested through his manager, three and a half hours of waiting was not a big deal. Andy had no way to pressure the production team. But enduring this situation, swallowing one's pride, left one's emotions unsettled. They had been pranked for no reason, and worse still, their self-esteem had been humiliated.
"What's going on? Is there something wrong?" Paul inquired casually, "Did your assistant not receive the notice yesterday?"
Each day's shooting schedule would be different. After the shooting itinerary was released, assistants would visit the production office to understand the situation and ensure their actors were prepared for the next day's work.
"No worries, just double-checking with you," Renly smiled and shook his head, exchanged a few more pleasantries with Paul, then hung up the phone.
Standing by, Nathan had now caught on. Yesterday, it wasn't him who went to the production office to get the shooting schedule. Instead, it was James, one of the production staff members in charge, who personally came to him to give him the details. Nathan had assumed it was because the production team valued Renly, treating him with the courtesy of a third main character. Today was also Renly's first appearance, naturally requiring careful arrangements. Hence, James had personally come to brief Nathan, ensuring that nothing would go wrong.
But now, it seemed like this was a trap; someone deliberately wanted to give Renly a taste of humiliation.
"Sorry, Renly..." Nathan grew flustered once again, overwhelmed by guilt. This was all his fault. If he had been more careful, less presumptuous, and double-checked multiple times, could this unexpected situation have been avoided? As an assistant, it was his responsibility, and he had no room for excuses.
Renly didn't react with anger; instead, he smiled and raised his lips, patting Nathan's arm. "You must understand that if they intend to trick you, you won't be able to see through it."
Renly had already understood the art of being troublesome from his time on the set of "The Pacific". If crew members wanted to make an actor's life difficult, they didn't need significant authority. They could manipulate small details to make the actor's experience unbearable.
For an extreme example, if someone intentionally clogged the toilet in Brad Pitt's trailer and then spread rumors that Brad was constipated, it would be impossible for Brad to defend himself. While such rumors might not cause substantial harm, they would only serve as post-dinner gossip. Yet, they would have a negative impact on Brad's image.
Today was no different.
Nathan was just a minor assistant. He had verbally and through text messages confirmed the time and even double-checked with James and Jully. He had no reason to be suspicious. The fact that James and Jully hadn't answered their phones revealed their intent to teach Renly a lesson. Hence, Renly had no escape.
Renly's comforting words didn't ease Nathan's tension. Instead, he felt even guiltier. He understood the logic, but he couldn't swallow his pride. Why would someone target Renly like this? Renly had never offended anyone!
"Who could it be? Could it be James?" Nathan's mind was filled with question marks; he couldn't comprehend who was opposing Renly. Was this unexpected incident merely a prank, or was it the beginning of a miserable ordeal?
A figure flashed through Renly's mind, and he nodded thoughtfully, saying with a hint of a smile, "Indeed, who could it be?" It was the thing he was most curious about right now.
Renly wasn't a pushover. He had accepted this humiliation for now, but he wouldn't remain silent. He had swallowed a bitter pill today, a humiliation he couldn't voice. He would keep his mouth shut, but that didn't mean he wouldn't fight back.
"What should we do now?" Nathan scratched his head in frustration, pacing back and forth, eagerly looking at Renly. It seemed he was prepared to launch a fierce retaliation.
However, Renly had a different perspective. "Let's wait, just wait here." Investigating, responding, or punishing the mastermind behind this wasn't Renly's immediate concern. Today's shooting task was what mattered most. "Bring me the script; I'll read through it."
"Renly!" Nathan couldn't anticipate such a response from Renly, exasperatedly shouting.
Renly chuckled softly, shaking his head gently, reiterating, "The script!"
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