"By the way, A Few Good Men has set its release date," Joseph said. He had gotten the news last night, but had been so busy all day that he forgot to tell Hugo. "The premiere is on December 9th, and the official release is on December 11th. It'll be screened in 1,900 theaters."
"Wow, big move." Hugo raised an eyebrow in surprise. Though he was impressed by the massive 1,900-theater release, he couldn't help but feel a little nervous. This wasn't on the same level as the Scent of a Woman premiere. Still, after the events of the past few weeks, he'd gotten used to such grand occasions his nerves weren't so sensitive anymore. "But isn't it too close to the Scent of a Woman premiere? Will that be okay?"
Joseph shook his head. "There's a two-month gap between the two. No need to worry at all. Though the reporters are probably going to have a field day." A touch of pride crept into Joseph's voice.
Just a month ago, Hugo had still been a nobody a Golden Raspberry Award winner no one believed in. No one had faith in his future film projects, let alone his acting career. But now, with two films releasing back-to-back, it was a feat not just anyone could pull off. Even Hugo himself had only experienced this once before, back in 1990, when he had two films come out at the same time.
For any actor, this wasn't a sign of being washed-up it was a clear indication of a career in full bloom. Especially now, with Scent of a Woman seeing great success and A Few Good Men ready to go, the press's reaction was definitely something to look forward to.
"Maybe you could try interviewing the reporters during the premiere." Charlize weighed the tomato in her hand, a playful smile on her face.
Joseph raised his eyebrows slightly. "I believe Hugo has the skills for it." Hugo wasn't the aggressive type, but his eloquence was certainly worth anticipating. Seeing the embarrassed and helpless smile on Hugo's face, both Joseph and Charlize burst into laughter. "Oh right, Rob said if you could bring a female companion to the red carpet, that would be ideal."
"Female companion?" Hugo hadn't thought about that, and he asked instinctively. His first reaction was to glance over at Charlize. Charlize felt his gaze and reflexively looked back resulting in their eyes meeting. She instantly felt a bit awkward and casually turned away.
Joseph noticed the small detail but didn't read too much into it. "Because Demi refused to walk the red carpet with you."
"Uh…" That got Hugo's attention, and his gaze shifted away from Charlize. "Not surprising, right?"
Demi had always been cold toward Hugo on set. Even as the crew's attitude warmed up and many people started to get along well with Hugo, Demi remained distant. Thankfully, A Few Good Men wasn't a romance film otherwise, the complete lack of chemistry between Hugo and Demi would have been a disaster.
Joseph nodded in agreement. "At least she hasn't badmouthed you to the media." That, at least, was a small mercy. "Demi said she'd be walking the red carpet with Bruce. As for Jack you know he never lacks female companions." Jack's personal life was just as colorful as his acting career. Not long ago, he'd had another child, and the mother still hadn't been exposed by the media.
Joseph didn't need to say any more Hugo already understood. The other two leads had partners. If Hugo went to the premiere alone, the media would definitely make a big deal out of it. A Few Good Men was a serious legal drama, and any tabloid gossip or negative headlines would only hurt its promotion.
As Hugo tried to recall who his past self had taken to the Hudson Hawk premiere, he found his mind drifting back to Charlize again. Their eyes met once more, but Charlize quickly looked away. She tossed the tomato in her hand and said, "I should start making dinner. Can one of you help wash the vegetables?" Then she walked into the kitchen.
Honestly, Hugo's first instinct was to invite Charlize why not? Charlize was a stunning beauty, and she was currently looking for her first breakthrough in acting. If Hugo could offer a little help, why wouldn't he? But he quickly let out a quiet sigh, feeling conflicted.
On the one hand, a female companion would automatically be seen as a date unless it was a co-star or direct relative, people would assume it was romantic. Hugo and Charlize clearly weren't dating; they were just friends. If that line got blurred, their comfortable relationship could easily fall apart. Plus, they were still roommates. If the media found out, it would be endless drama.
On the other hand, Charlize was just starting her acting career. She hadn't said it aloud, but Hugo knew she didn't want to be seen as just a pretty face. Her dedication during acting practice showed how serious she was. If she showed up on the red carpet as Hugo's date, the "trophy girlfriend" label would stick for good. Charlize didn't want that.
That was probably why she used the dinner excuse to politely turn him down.
Still, even knowing all this, Hugo couldn't help but feel that Charlize was the best option. But before he could ask her thoughts, Alex came bursting out again, full of energy. "Party! Party! Hugo, Joseph, Charlize let's go to a party together!"
"Halloween! Party! Halloween! Party!" Alex was wearing a tight red Spider-Man costume, making web-slinging gestures with his hands. He actually looked pretty legit. In America, comic book heroes were hugely influential and for Alex, a working-class Spider-Man was clearly his idol.
"What party, Alex!" Hugo called out a couple times, but it didn't break Alex's excitement. Helpless, he looked at Joseph instead. Joseph rolled his eyes and shouted, "Alexander Lorin!"
"What?" Alex finally heard him. Grinning, he stopped and looked at Hugo and Joseph. Without needing to be asked, he launched into an explanation like a dam breaking, "I went to audition for a TV show the other day and met a bunch of people. Their crew is throwing a Halloween party and invited me. Parties are more fun with more people, so I promised I'd bring a crowd. So, what do you say let's go together, all of us!"
Looks like Alex hadn't just gone to change into costume he'd made a few phone calls and gotten good results.
"But we don't have costumes," Joseph said helplessly, clearly not too enthusiastic about the whole thing.
"We can go buy some right now." Alex still had that beaming smile on his face, looking every bit like someone who believed "where there's a will, there's a way." "Let's head out now. Maybe you can still snag a Batman costume. Eighty bucks not cheap, but I can guarantee, if you wait any longer, it'll be gone."
"A production crew party? Isn't it a bit inappropriate for us to go without being invited?" Hugo was actually somewhat interested in the party. He'd been in Los Angeles for almost a year now, and his social circle was still small. If there was an opportunity, he wouldn't mind getting to know some new friends whether they were in the industry or not, the more friends the better.
"The 'Growing Pains' crew. It's a big production. Everyone on the team is inviting their own friends, so there'll be tons of strangers there." Alex rattled on, "Besides, I'm not part of the crew either, but I still got invited. The more people, the livelier it is that's what a party's all about."
The "Growing Pains" crew? That was unexpected for Hugo. Even though the show wasn't at its peak popularity when Hugo was born in his previous life, that didn't affect the fond impression he had of the series.
"Come on, come on, Batman, Batman!" As soon as Alex finished explaining, he impatiently called out, as if completely ignoring the fact that Charlize had already started making dinner. Buying Halloween costumes was clearly the top priority. You could easily see how much he was looking forward to Halloween.
"Batman? I prefer Iron Man." Kal's voice came from the living room. He had been actively trying to find work for Charlize lately, and his relentless efforts were truly admirable. While it could be said that he was working so hard because otherwise he'd starve, he truly was doing everything he could for Charlize as her agent. Even with his funds almost dried up, he still made sure Charlize continued her acting lessons. He was out early and back late every day, all to help her land an opportunity.
Kal's current situation was pretty dire, but he remained positive. Most of the time, he kept his worries to himself, so whenever he came home, his laughter could always be heard.
"You like Halloween parties too? Come on, let's go!" Alex immediately jumped up, and then Kal's surprised voice rang out, "Oh, Jesus Christ, what are you… Spider-Man?" Then they saw Alex excitedly jumping around on the sofa and coffee table. But he didn't look anything like Spider-Man—more like a gorilla.
"Do gorillas have red fur?" Hugo frowned and seriously asked Joseph.
Joseph thought about it carefully and then seriously nodded, "I believe so."
Alex's expression instantly froze. It was as if that massive word "gorilla" was circling over his head and dealt a heavy blow to his self-confidence. His exaggerated expression made the other three guys in the living room struggle to hold back their laughter.
.....
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