The coffee table in the living room was currently piled high with three large trays of fried chicken and two boxes of pizza. On the floor next to it were two bottles of cola and three packs of beer. Five young people were gathered around the table, enjoying their dinner also their first official celebration meal after moving in. They were also celebrating Hugo landing his second role since 1992.
"Don't you have a roommate upstairs? Why didn't you invite him to join us?" Hugo glanced at the lively scene in the room and suddenly remembered that the fourth floor also had a three-bedroom, two-living room layout. Before Joseph and Kal moved in, one of the rooms was already occupied.
Kal shook his head. "He's not around. Since we moved in, I've only seen him once. Most of the time he's not home. I think he's a music student, but I'm not sure whether it's the Musicians Institute or the University of California, Los Angeles."
At first, Kal seemed a bit stiff, which was probably why the previous two actors left him high and dry. But later it became clear that Kal was actually quite sociable and even more lively than Joseph he just took his work seriously and could be a bit stubborn. Over the past few days, Kal had talked a lot and had gotten closer to Hugo.
"A music student?" Hugo raised an eyebrow and looked at Alex. "Don't tell me you studied music too?" As he spoke, his eyes drifted toward a worn-out piano in the corner.
Alex immediately caught Hugo's teasing and waved his chicken leg in protest. "That was left by the previous roommate. He said a few keys were broken and it couldn't be played anymore, so he didn't bother taking it. I just left it there and didn't throw it away." Then, remembering Hugo's impromptu performance the other night, Alex added, "You seem more like the musical type. If you want to use it, feel free."
Kal and Charlize both perked up with interest at Alex's words. The entertainment industry was never short of multi-talented people, but it was rare to find someone truly gifted in more than one area. Hugo already had promising acting potential which defied the typical "pretty boy" rule so could he also be musically talented?
This time, Hugo was the one waving his hand. "No, I don't play piano." But he forgot he was holding a slice of pizza, and ended up shaking the toppings off, spilling them on his jeans and even the floor. Joseph and Alex quickly jumped back to avoid the mess.
Hugo hurriedly reached out to pick up the fallen toppings, but Charlize immediately scolded him. "Hugo! Your hands are so greasy don't make it worse! Use a napkin!" Her stern voice startled the four men in the room. Realizing she'd overreacted, Charlize saluted and said sheepishly, "Sorry, I have OCD."
Seeing her so serious, Hugo couldn't help but chuckle shyly, taking the napkin she handed him and cleaning up the mess before tossing it into the trash. He casually joked, "Are you sure it's not just a cleanliness obsession?"
"Oh no, nothing that extreme." Once everything was neat again, Charlize relaxed and returned to her usual self. Noticing that the four guys were all staring at her, she quickly changed the subject. "Wait, Hugo, did you say you don't play piano? Are you serious?"
Charlize's mock-earnest expression made it clear she was trying to steer the topic away, and Hugo played along with a laugh. "I can play, just badly. So I'd rather say I don't, to save myself the embarrassment."
"So what if it's bad? A good-looking guy playing piano is every girl's dream!" Charlize said with a grin, relieved the topic had changed.
Hugo looked surprised. "You're not still clinging to some fairytale prince fantasy, are you? That's so cliché."
"So what if I am? I'm a woman, you're a man don't you know men and women think differently?" Charlize didn't deny it, but didn't confirm either. She crumpled up her napkin and tossed it at Hugo. Unfortunately, it was too light and fell short halfway.
Kal, sitting beside them, saw that Hugo and Charlize were getting into a playful argument and quickly jumped in to change the subject. "Joseph, when does Hugo's new movie start filming?" After all, tonight's dinner had another key reason: Hugo was footing the bill.
"It'll start shooting in Burbank. I got the call today probably next week. But Hugo still needs to do costume fittings, so it might get pushed back a day or two," Joseph replied, clearly preoccupied with the project. "Oh, right. Tomorrow we need to go sign the contract, and then we're meeting Rob, Jack, and Demi probably for script reading."
"That soon?" Alex asked.
"It's not that soon. The male lead was only just finalized. The schedule's already behind," Joseph said. "Jack still has another commitment a movie called Hoffa, directed by Danny DeVito. So filming might be a bit rushed this time."
"Danny DeVito? The guy from One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and Terms of Endearment?" Kal looked surprised. Joseph nodded. "When did he become a director?" DeVito was a well-known actor, seen in many classics, and Kal didn't expect him to be directing.
Joseph shrugged. "The War of the Roses was directed by him."
Kal was even more surprised. The War of the Roses was nominated for Best Musical or Comedy at the 47th Golden Globes, and had received high praise at the Berlin Film Festival, starring Michael Douglas. "My bad," Kal admitted. As an agent, missing such important info was definitely a mistake.
"See! I told you Hugo would get the part!" Alex said excitedly, teasing Kal, whose embarrassed face made everyone laugh. "By the way, Hugo how much are you getting paid for this film?"
"Tell Vanity Fair to pay up for that info nothing less than $5,000!" Hugo joked. Tomorrow, the news of him beating out Tom to land the lead role in A Few Good Men would likely be on the front page of every major paper. His salary would certainly attract attention too this time, he wasn't just a supporting character like in Scent of a Woman, but the lead. The pay would be on a whole new level.
Unfortunately, Hugo didn't know the exact figure either. He knew he wasn't in a position to negotiate, so he had left everything to Joseph. Hugo turned to Joseph, who raised three fingers and said with a hint of regret, "But they still refused to give you a cut of the profits."
That meant Hugo would earn a flat $3 million for starring in A Few Good Men, returning to the same level as Hudson Hawk. Mainly because Hugo was much cheaper than Tom, so Columbia Pictures wasn't too hard-nosed. However, since Hugo didn't yet have any box office pull, they were unwilling to risk profit-sharing.
"Whoa." Alex's reaction basically summed up how Kal and Charlize were feeling too. Even Hugo was amazed just recently, he'd been shocked at getting $500,000 for Scent of a Woman, and now, as a lead, he was making $3 million. It was unbelievable.
"Let's not overthink it. Progress comes step by step," Hugo said contentedly, patting Joseph on the shoulder to reassure him about the profit-sharing loss. "Remember, I'm still the reigning Golden Raspberry Worst Actor, and I just got another gig. That's what matters. I bet Tom and Brad aren't in the best mood right now."
Joseph quickly came to his senses it was his own greed getting the better of him. So, he also smiled, "How does it feel to beat out your competitors and land the role?"
Hugo shoved the slice of pizza in his hand into his mouth in one go, chewing with force, then raised both his arms like a bodybuilder to show off his biceps. "Call me Popeye the Sailor!" he declared. After saying that, Hugo even jumped up and mimicked Popeye's strutting posture as he walked off.
The comical gesture instantly had everyone bursting into laughter, with the atmosphere becoming incredibly harmonious.
After they finished dinner and drank all the soda and beer, it was already eleven o'clock. Joseph and Kal went back upstairs, and Alex went to take a shower, leaving only Hugo and Charlize in the living room to clean up the mess.
Hugo began collecting the pizza boxes one by one but noticed that the box in front of Charlize had mushrooms left behind she probably didn't eat mushrooms. But surprisingly, she had eaten all the crust, which was different from most girls. This made Hugo chuckle.
"What are you laughing at?" Charlize noticed Hugo's expression and asked.
Hugo shook his head. "Nothing." The smile was still on his face. "Are you really okay with staying here?" Hugo hesitated for a moment before finally voicing the concern in his heart.
"Heh, it's not like you're a virus what does it matter?" Charlize paused what she was doing and glanced at Hugo. Their eyes met in the air. This time, neither looked away, and there was no awkwardness. They simply looked at each other quietly. Charlize continued, "If you're worried about that night, don't be it's already in the past. I think we're more suited to be friends. Look, aren't we getting along quite well? People always say there's no such thing as pure friendship between a man and a woman. What do you think?"
Hearing Charlize's words, Hugo felt a twinge of disappointment deep down, but he quickly bounced back and replied with a smile, "I don't think so—at least that night wasn't a pure friendship."
Charlize laughed generously at that and nodded in agreement. "But maybe it's exactly because of that night that we can now be sure that being friends suits us better. So, with that little incident, maybe we can have a pure friendship?"
Hugo tilted his head and thought for a second, then curved his lips into a smile. He gave Charlize a light punch on the shoulder and said in a street-style black accent, "Yo, homie." He even tugged on his pants in an attempt to act casual, but it didn't resemble it at all, making Charlize burst into laughter again, nearly flipping over the pizza box in her hands.
...
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