Chapter 154 – Keeps ringing
“Dear passengers, the plane is still taxiing. Please do not turn on your phones or electronic devices yet. Keep your seatbelts fastened and wait until the indicator light goes off…”
The flight attendant’s polite, gentle voice floated through the cabin speakers, but it couldn’t suppress the rising chatter among the passengers. Andy Rogers immediately pulled out his phones—one, two, three of them—and powered them on one by one. As soon as they booted up, messages began pouring in, and there were no fewer than seventeen missed calls.
The three phones served different purposes: one for personal use and two for work. Even the work phones were tiered—one reserved for important clients and connections, the other for more ordinary contacts. When Andy handed out his business cards, the number listed varied: most strangers only received the latter. With practiced ease, he picked up the priority work phone first to check the missed calls and unread messages.
Suddenly, his secondary work phone began to ring. He glanced at the display: an unfamiliar number. He ignored it and kept replying to texts. The ringing went on for quite a while before stopping—only to start again less than fifteen seconds later, the same number flashing on the screen. Andy still paid it no mind.
Only after replying to every message on his priority phone did Andy finally turn to the secondary one. The same number had called four times. He called back. The line connected almost immediately.
“This is Andy Rogers.”
“Andy, this is Gavin Hunt, staff reporter for U.S. Weekly,” the caller introduced himself crisply. “You’re Renly Hall’s agent, right?”
“Yes,” Andy answered smoothly. “What can I do for you?”
“I’d like to arrange an exclusive interview with Renly. Could we set up a time?” Gavin wasted no time getting to the point.
Just then, Andy’s priority phone rang again. A glance told him it was Daisy Lucas from Vanity Fair—an old acquaintance. He didn’t rush to pick it up. Instead, he spoke into the receiver, “Renly is currently attending the Toronto International Film Festival. His schedule is completely full for now. We’ll revisit this after the festival.”
U.S. Weekly and Entertainment Weekly rank among the top five entertainment magazines in America. Their readership, focus, and positioning overlap considerably, catering mainly to celebrity gossip—particularly popular among housewives. They’re undeniably influential, but interview requests have to align with an artist’s positioning. For instance, even if an actor like Sean Penn gave them an exclusive, the market impact would be negligible.
For Renly, who was still at the start of his career, image-building was critical, and at the same time, exposure was urgently needed. Andy handled interview requests cautiously; he wasn’t about to fling the doors wide open all at once. So he didn’t commit, but he didn’t shut the door either.
“I know—actually, I’m in Toronto right now,” Gavin pressed on quickly. “I just ran into Renly. He suggested I call you to arrange something. I sincerely hope to do an in-depth feature, not just about the Emmys, but also about his personal story, and about Buried, which is about to premiere. Ideally, I’d like to write a full cover story that truly introduces this newcomer to the public.”
As a seasoned agent, Andy wasn’t about to be swayed by a few flattering words. But the truth was, this was already the twenty-third request for an exclusive interview in just the past two days—and not ordinary interviews, but exclusives. For a newcomer, that level of attention was anything but normal.
The past few days had been a whirlwind. With Renly tied up at the Toronto festival, and with Buried being an indie film without a structured promotional campaign, Andy hadn’t been micromanaging. Even so, he had a general sense of things: he’d heard the buzz online, he’d been tracking the Billboard singles chart and the real-time downloads on iTunes. Still, the scale of the impact seemed to be surpassing his expectations.
Just moments ago, among the seventeen missed calls, five had been interview requests for Renly. Now, U.S. Weekly made the sixth. Andy couldn’t help but wonder—was that earlier call from Vanity Fair also about Renly?
“Renly has only two works to his name right now. If you want to put together a feature, the content simply isn’t there—you’d be lucky to fill a single page.” Andy had his own way of handling reporters: compromise when necessary, but be firm when required. “We both know that if U.S. Weekly truly wants an exclusive with Renly, the sincerity you show will have to go much further than this.”
Gavin was momentarily at a loss for words.
Andy immediately realised this was probably an inexperienced reporter. Otherwise, how could two simple lines have thrown him off so easily? Seasoned journalists were all veterans—each one craftier than the last.
“I’m serious,” Gavin blurted, his voice tinged with urgency. “I think Renly is an exceptionally promising actor. At the Toronto Film Festival, he attended screenings of The Illusionist, Biutiful, and Incendies—all highly artistic films. He even took part in the documentary showcase. He and Ryan Gosling are close friends; not only have they watched many films together, but just last night they attended the premiere of Blue Valentine. To me, his choice of Buried clearly wasn’t random. I want to know more about the project, but so far I haven’t found a proper channel. That’s why I hope for an exclusive interview with Renly—to gain a deeper understanding.”
He poured out everything he’d gathered over the past three days. What had started as curiosity about Renly’s background had now transformed into genuine fascination with the actor himself.
Andy raised his brows slightly. Last night Renly attended the premiere of Blue Valentine? The damn guy hadn’t even told him—another golden opportunity missed! And since when had he become friends with Ryan Gosling? That was news to Andy.
A tightness built in Andy’s chest. Because Blue Valentine had nothing directly to do with him, he hadn’t bothered to track that event. As for reports from the Toronto Film Festival, without his own hand arranging things, naturally, the coverage wouldn’t highlight a newcomer like Renly. Which meant he had completely overlooked this crucial development. Now, thinking back, this morning’s phone calls suddenly made more sense.
Andy was convinced: Renly needed an assistant. Otherwise, Andy would remain completely in the dark about the young actor’s movements—and that was downright dangerous.
“I’ll need to confirm the schedule first. Here’s what we’ll do: put together a list of your proposed questions and send it to my email. I’ll review it, and if I think it has enough value, we’ll arrange a date.” After a moment’s consideration, Andy gave his carefully measured reply.
In truth, for Renly—who was determined to carve out a place for himself in the world of independent film—an exclusive with U.S. Weekly held limited value. After all, its readership wasn’t exactly passionate about arthouse cinema. Still, Andy thought, perhaps it wouldn’t hurt to give this Gavin fellow a chance; it might even serve as a stepping stone for Renly to break into the commercial market.
After hanging up on Gavin, Andy’s primary work phone rang again. The caller ID flashed an unexpected name: Francis Park, senior agent at Vanguard Elite Management. Francis had been one of the very first to try to sign Renly. He’d even pulled strings to reach out through Tom Hanks, but in the end, he hadn’t been able to commit.
Andy and Francis were aware of each other. They exchanged pleasantries at social gatherings, but professionally, they had little overlap. For Francis to be calling him now was unusual.
By then, the plane had finally come to a steady stop. Andy hurried off, phone pressed to his ear, one call after another with barely a pause in between. By the time he reached the hotel where Renly was staying, both of his work phones were nearly dead. Slipping them back into his pocket, he pulled out his personal phone as backup. He checked into his own room first, then went to find Renly’s. This time, he was clever enough to present his ID—the hotel room had been booked under his name—and picked up an extra key card from the front desk. With that, he entered the room effortlessly.
Inside, the place was in its usual chaos. A suit and dress shirt were draped haphazardly over the back of an armchair; the kitchen door abandoned socks and shoes—God only knew why Renly had chosen that spot to undress. A bathrobe was thrown across the sofa in the living area, while a bath towel lay discarded on the floor just outside the bedroom door. Even without a trace of OCD, Andy felt a headache coming on at the sight.
“I told you, it’s a terrible film.”
“A pity, really. I actually used to like Infernal Affairs a lot. Martin’s remake, The Departed, suited American tastes, but I still prefer Andy Lau’s version.”
“After Confession of Pain in 2006, his work lost that edge and depth—and this time was no exception.”
The heated discussion drifted out of the room, and moments later, Andy came face-to-face with them.
“Good morning, gentlemen.”
“Oh, Andy, you’re here already. Was the trip smooth?” Renly greeted him with practised ease.
Andy smiled and nodded at Renly, then turned to the man standing just behind him. “I’m Andy, Renly’s agent. Blue Valentine got plenty of good buzz last night—looks like this year might be your year again.”
Ryan clasped Andy’s hand warmly, grinning. “Right now, I’m actually looking forward to Renly’s film. His taste in scripts has really impressed me. Now it’s time to see what his acting is like.”
“Buried was his choice, too. So you can trust him.” Andy said frankly. “Will you be at the premiere?”
“Of course—that’s the plan, as long as Renly’s still happy to have me.” Ryan glanced toward Renly, only to find him shrugging, as if to say don’t ask me. Ryan froze, caught off guard.
Andy chuckled. “Relax, there’ll definitely be a spot for you on the red carpet. We’d be more than happy to have you.”
Relieved, Ryan let out a small breath and smiled again—until Andy added, still smiling, “But for now, would you mind stepping out? We’ve got some business to take care of. You know, there isn’t much time left before tonight’s premiere.”
Ryan was left completely dumbfounded.
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