Hollywood: The Greatest Showman

Chapter 93: Barcelona

When people mention Spain, they always involuntarily associate it with words like passion, sunshine, olive oil, bullfighters, flamenco, and revelry, as if every day is spent enjoying the leisure and beauty of a vacation. And Barcelona, ??located on the Mediterranean coast, is known as the pearl of the Iberian Peninsula, attracting attention from all over the world.

In addition to sunny beaches and eye-catching beauties, this city boasts a globally renowned football club, breathtaking Mediterranean beach scenery, and the most imaginative architect in history, Gaudí, whose "century-old unfinished building," the Sagrada Família, remains one of the world's most famous architectural wonders.

Compared to the bustling La Rambla, Renly has always been fond of the Gothic Quarter. Originally a Roman fortress village, it was named for its many Gothic-style ancient buildings. Walking in this area, each building seems to be telling its story, every street seems to be carved with the traces of history, as if fingertips can touch the beating heart of the city.

Everyone can find their own way to experience Barcelona, ??and then find a reason to stay.

As night falls, the lingering summer heat remains in the air, but the moment for people has just begun. Department stores, clothing shops, and others close one after another, but the crowds on the streets are gradually increasing. Taverns and cafes are bustling, even Catalonia Square is packed full, laughter and cheers fill the streets and alleys, as if after a whole day of slumber, the city has finally awakened.

Someone once joked that in Spain, the day starts at nine in the evening. Renly agrees with this.

"The daytime belongs to tourists, and the night belongs to Spaniards, right?" Renly looked at the lively scene on the street ahead, picked up his glass of sangria, and tasted the alcoholic sweetness.

In a narrow alley where only one car can pass, there are more than a dozen bars, each of which is already full of guests at this time. Even the steps at the entrance are occupied. Some people simply hold a bottle of beer and chat with friends at the door, seeming to not care whether they can find a place to stay.

The stars in the sky are reflected in the brilliant and hazy halo of the street lights, surging.

Rodrigo looked at Renly in front of him, his plate of tapas still untouched, hesitating for a moment, he finally put it back in the dish. "Yeah, Spaniards always love the night, mysterious yet passionate, making people can't help but want to take off their masks and reveal their true selves."

"That's why Spanish beauties are always so charming." A smile slowly spread across Renly's lips, the light alcoholic flush adding a touch of laziness to his cheeks.

Rodrigo opened his mouth, then closed it, then opened it again, but closed it again. After repeating this several times, he couldn't help but ask, "Renly, are you serious?"

"About what?" Renly raised an eyebrow, smiling, "About beautiful women? Of course, I couldn't be more serious."

Rodrigo couldn't change his breath, "I mean, you are going to lie in the coffin all day, are you serious?"

Rodrigo couldn't find his breath for a moment. Renly was discussing the nights in Spain while sitting next to him, having previously discussed how to find a funeral home in Barcelona. He expressed that before the official filming of "Buried," he needed to conduct a field investigation and planned to negotiate with the funeral home to let him lie in a nailed coffin for a night. Rodrigo didn't feel anything at first, but as he listened further, he felt increasingly horrified, feeling as if his jaw was dislocating. But as the person involved, Renly was discussing the nights in Spain! Rodrigo felt like he couldn't catch his breath.

"Of course," Renly replied lightly, "If we were still in New York, I would be willing to lie in a graveyard for a night. You know, bury the coffin underground, just a thin layer of soil above, nobody would want to suffocate, right?" Renly chuckled, "But, now we're in Barcelona, my Spanish is only average, and I don't want any accidents. So, let's forget about the graveyard."

Rodrigo looked at Renly's regretful expression, feeling his brain turning into mush. Renly was an excellent actor, which was why he had turned down Ryan Reynolds, but... he never thought Renly would be so bold, even crazy.

Renly put down his glass of sangria, jokingly asking, "Rodrigo, have you ever experienced that feeling when you enter a confined space and feel like you can't breathe, like in an elevator, or a bathroom? You know it's a safe place, but deep down, you're screaming and struggling to get out?"

Rodrigo felt his mouth dry. Renly's lips, tainted with the red liquid of the sangria, shimmered with a seductive red gloss, like a vampire who had just finished a meal, exuding a dangerous dark aura. This made him swallow hard, his heart pounding rapidly, thumping in his ears. "...," he couldn't find words to answer, only shaking his head in denial.

"Neither have I," Renly's lips curved into an elegant arc, "You see, when discussing things in theory, we can understand this phenomenon, it's called claustrophobia. From a psychological perspective, all reasons seem justified. But when you truly experience this fear, no theory works because the person involved can't control themselves. Paul in 'Buried' is the same way."

As Renly analyzed, Paul's character had two layers. If he only needed to meet Ryan's standards, Renly could start acting now with absolute confidence, knowing he could do better than Ryan. But if he wanted to further enhance the quality of the performance, he had to immerse himself in that despair, that feeling of the grim reaper's hands slowly tightening around his throat, the feeling of being trapped no matter how much he struggled.

This subtle distinction was difficult to express in simple language. Even professional critics and acting teachers might not be able to articulate it, but during the viewing experience, the difference in breaking through the constraints of the big screen brought a completely different experience to the audience, even a world of difference.

Representing the two understandings of acting, the traditional academic view was represented by the Expressionist School. They believed that actors must be able to perform different roles, presenting different characters and connotations through acting methods, techniques, and rhythms. The boundary between reality and drama was clear-cut, and they could enter and exit the performance at any time. Acting and personal life were two independent parts. Acting was a constantly honed skill, and true mastery should be "a thousand faces in one person."

The latter represented the new trend of the new era. They believed that to play a role, one must immerse themselves in it, blur the boundary between reality and drama, even go mad, abandoning all technical constraints, and truly let the power of the soul burst forth in acting. Generally, as long as an actor played a role well, it was considered successful. Once immersed, they might never be able to exit, and there might not be any spectacular performances after one peak. But it didn't matter, because they had given that one character life, even if it was only one.

Renly was currently attempting to combine the two acting styles, slightly deviating from the Expressionist School to add more impact, while also imposing some constraints on the Method School to ensure the accurate portrayal of emotions.

This attempt wasn't unique to Renly; Al Pacino began to try it toward the end of his acting career, but the results were unsatisfactory. The core ideas of the two acting styles were contradictory—one focused on control, the other on losing control; one on sobriety, the other on being lost. Even Al struggled to balance the two, with disappointing results.

Apart from Al, many actors had tried, hoping to break free and become the first to create history. But until Renly's rebirth, it remained a theoretical perfection.

Renly wasn't a genius, and creating history was too far-fetched. He wasn't even sure if his acting talent truly existed; he just wanted to explore his own style on the path of acting.

During the "The Pacific" period, he mostly invested in performances with the Expressionist style, except for one scene in the ninth episode, where he witnessed the cry of a baby and embraced the death of a woman. He truly felt Eugene's struggle, pain, confusion, and sorrow for the first time. It was a collapse of faith. The heart was already collapsing, but the surface was calm as water.

If given the chance, he would love to have a conversation with the real Eugene Sledge. He was more curious about how Eugene managed to come out of it, how he returned to the normal course of life, or perhaps, if Eugene had never truly come out of it.

In that scene, the combination of Expressionist and Method acting was very blurry, as if it were a flash of inspiration, fleeting. The only thing that could be confirmed was that Renly indeed felt the difference in acting, that balance between losing control and control was real. So, this only strengthened his determination to continue trying!

"Buried" was such an opportunity; truly experiencing Paul's emotions about to be buried alive was the first step.

Rodrigo felt his brain struggling to keep up. "Renly, I know you want to deliver a spectacular performance, which is also what I hope for. But... but this is just a movie with a budget of less than three million dollars, and your salary is only one hundred thousand dollars. God, it's not worth you putting in so much."

Renly laughed heartily, "Mate, so, are you implying a raise for me?"