….
[After A Week]
Regal sat on the corner couch, scrolling through emails on his phone.
To his left, Keanu had his boots kicked out onto the low table, taking slow sips from a paper cup of green tea.
Standing quietly near the back wall were Rook and Rocco, both former security colleagues of Rock, with Rock standing between them.
For today's press tour, the studio's PR team had practically begged Rock to ditch his usual black suit.
They wanted him to look approachable, so they gave him a simple charcoal henley and dark denim. But the man was so muscular, the shirt just looked stretched to its limits across his shoulders.
A young female production assistant rushed into the room carrying a plastic tray with four bottles of water. She was looking down at a clipboard, moving too fast, and her sneaker caught the edge of a cord taped across the carpet.
She stumbled forward with a small gasp, the tray tilting wildly in her grip.
Before anyone else could react, a massive hand reached out.
Rock took one step forward, caught the bottom of the plastic tray with two fingers, and steadied it completely before a single bottle could fall.
"Watch your footing, miss." He said softly, his voice surprisingly gentle for someone his size. "That could have been dangerous."
The young woman froze, staring up at him with wide eyes. Her face instantly turned bright pink. "I... oh. Thank you. Thank you so much."
Rock gave a polite nod. "You're welcome. Walk slowly."
She nodded quickly and hurried out of the room.
On the couch, Keanu lowered his tea, smiling into his beard.
He nudged Regal with his elbow. "Every single time, man. You see that?"
Regal let out a quiet laugh. "The man doesn't even realize he's doing it. He just walks in, helps people, and somehow leaves everyone else completely unable to keep their composure."
Rock turned his head slowly, looking at them with a completely straight face. "Is something the matter?"
From behind him, Rocco gave a grunt of agreement, while Rook gave a tiny nod.
The three of them had a strange, wordless language that seemed entirely based on slight head tilts and mutual understanding.
"Nothing, Rock." Regal said, setting his phone down with a grin. "All fine."
Before Rock could reply, the studio door opened, and a man with a headset poked his head in. "We're ready for you guys in Studio B. Five minutes to air."
Studio B had been set up for a video interview.
There were four chairs arranged in a loose circle, a low wooden coffee table with a few glasses of water, and three cameras mounted on smooth tracks.
The interviewer was David Lin, a well-known entertainment writer who had built a huge following online by keeping his conversations honest, funny, and free of typical Hollywood PR fluff.
When the three of them walked in, David stood up with a wide smile, shaking Regal's and Keanu's hands.
But when he stepped up to Rock, David paused for half a second, his eyes widening slightly as he looked up.
"Good to meet you, Rock." David said, extending a hand.
"David." Rock replied, taking his hand with minimal pressure as he was told.
Near the exit doors, Rook and Rocco quietly took up positions on either side of the room. They didn't get in anyone's way, but their presence made the entire studio feel suddenly very secure.
Regal took the chair on the left, Keanu sat in the middle, and Rock sat on the right.
The chair let out a noticeable creak as Rock sat down.
Rock paused, placed both palms on the armrests, gave it a small test push, and seemed satisfied that it wouldn't break under him.
"I take it you're all ready." the floor manager called out. "And we're rolling in three, two, one..."
"Hey everyone, welcome back." David looked into the main camera with an easy smile. "Today, we have a very special table. Fresh off an absolute winner of a night at the Golden Globes… we have the creative core of LIE Studios.
"Director Regal Seraphsail, Keanu Reeves, and the man who has taken the internet completely by storm, making his acting debut in the upcoming disaster thriller Train To Catch, Rock."
The cameras cut to the group.
Regal gave a wave, Keanu offered a warm nod, and Rock simply stared directly into the lens, giving a blink.
"Now, Regal, I have to ask about that night first." David started, grinning broadly. "Because while the entire industry was looking for you at the after-parties, you were spotted thirty minutes later at a small Italian restaurant at your old boss's wedding."
Regal smiled, leaning back comfortably. "The meal bread was great, honestly."
"Did you really plan to attend it from the beginning?" David asked.
"Yeah." Regal said with a slight shrug. "And as much as I respect them, Hollywood parties happen every year. A good friend only gets married once... well, maybe not in his case, since this is his second wedding after the first one failed. Anyway, unnecessary information." He paused, then grinned. "Hopefully, this second act will be a blockbuster."
"If I had skipped out on him just to drink fancy wine and talk about box office numbers, I wouldn't have felt good about myself."
"And Keanu." David laughed, turning to the middle chair. "Did you know he was leaving?"
Keanu let out a chuckle, scratching the side of his neck. "Oh, I knew. I actually asked if I could come along. But Regal looked at me and said, 'Keanu, you just won Best Actor. If you go missing right now, security will call the national guard.' So I had to stay behind, and also someone had to cover for him, right?"
"And Ross Oakley went with him!" David pointed out, shaking his head in disbelief.
"Ross practically adopted the restaurant by the end of the night." Regal said with a dry grin. "He had three pastries wrapped up in tin foil and stuffed into his suit pocket before we left. I don't think he trusted us not to eat them on the way home."
The small crew behind the cameras chuckled, and the room settled into a relaxed rhythm.
David then turned his attention squarely toward Rock. "Okay, Rock. We should talk about Train to Catch, because a few months ago, LIE Studios released an official photo of you, Keanu, and Regal."
"Everyone was curious what Regal's bodyguard was present, but still nobody could have guessed you are debuting, until the official posters dropped. How does someone go from professional private security to starring in a massive disaster film?"
"....." David waited.
Rock didn't speak right away, sitting with his hands resting calmly on his knees as he thought over the question for several quiet seconds, the silence stretching just long enough to make David wonder if he'd asked something wrong.
Then he spoke in his deep and completely matter-of-fact tone.
"The boss asked me to help him out because he wasn't sure he would find another big guy like me willing to sign on without a mountain of paperwork, so I figured, why not?"
David blinked, letting out a startled laugh. "That's it?"
"Yes?"
"How did you approach the character?"
Rock answered. "The character is an ordinary man trying to protect his family. I just behaved like I was in that situation."
Regal glanced over at Keanu, both of them grinning.
David stared at him for a moment, completely fascinated. "Man, either you've really thought this through, or you don't think at all."
"Thank you." Rock replied evenly.
Keanu laughed softly, shaking his head. "You should see him on set, David. Really. We were doing a rehearsal for a scene where our characters are trapped in the train hallway. There was a fake luggage rack bolted to the wall that Rock was supposed to push against to steady himself."
Keanu spread his hands out. "He didn't even hit it hard, he just pushed his shoulder into it, and the entire fake frame ripped right out of the wall, the bolts shearing off as the whole crew went completely quiet."
David smiled. "What did you do, Rock?"
"I apologized to the team." Rock said seriously, looking genuinely contrite. "It was poor judgment on my part. I applied too much weight without checking how securely the wall was anchored. Darren had to spend money to fix the set piece."
Regal added, shaking his head with a chuckle. "The carpenters were so impressed they took photos of the broken fake metal bracket."
David turned back to Regal, steering the conversation toward the heart of the project. "Regal, why Rock, though? It can't be the only reason Rock is saying, right? Trust me, if you don't know any famous action stars in Hollywood would make their schedules free for that role."
Regal thought about it for a beat. "Well, thank you for the words, but I don't want to believe I hold such power. And honestly, it is exactly as Rock said, I didn't have time to make a casting call, but if I had to add another reason, then it would be… we don't have much budget either."
"LIE studios doesn't have the budget?" David noted. "That's a shocker, but I understand what you meant, and it clearly explains why you have been the most successful studio for the past five years without a single dud."
He looked back at Rock. "Rock, you look very convincing in action scenes without a doubt, but I have an inkling that there is a lot of emotional depth to your character.
"So, for someone who seems so tough and quiet, how did you find that emotion?"
The studio went completely silent as the playful energy in the room softened, even the camera operators seeming to lean in slightly while Rock sat still for a long moment, his gaze never wandering as he stared steadily at David.
"I don't think it's complicated." Rock said softly, his voice low and steady. "When you choose to protect someone, you take on that responsibility. Their safety is your job. If you fail, nothing else matters. You just do whatever it takes to keep them safe, even if it costs you everything."
He paused for half a second, his expression completely unchanging, but his words hitting with total honesty.
"I didn't have to act." Rock finished quietly. "I just thought about what it would feel like to fail the people I care about. And that was enough."
Nobody spoke for two full seconds.
David sat frozen, his mouth slightly open, before letting out a soft, stunned breath. "Wow... yeah. That... that hit hard."
"Told you." Regal said quietly from the side, a warm, proud look settling onto his face. "He's the real deal."
David cleared his throat, taking a sip of water to steady himself before looking back at the big man. "So... on that note, could you name a few people you would do anything for?"
Rock didn't even take a fraction of a second to think.
"Lady Gwen." Rock said plainly.
David blinked, tilting his head. He took a second to process the title. "Wait... are you perhaps referring to Gwendolyn? Regal's fiancée?"
"Yes." Rock replied, calm and unbothered.
David's eyebrows rose. He looked at Rock, then pointed a hesitant finger between the two men. "So... it's her first, and Regal is second?"
"Yes." Rock stated with absolute certainty. "Absolutely."
.
….
[To be continued…]
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