Hollywood: The Greatest Showman

Chapter 17: Joining the Crew

Amidst the sunshine, the scent of the sea came rushing in. The azure sky, verdant tree shades, clear ocean... As far as the eyes could see, far and wide, the entire world lay underfoot. Such a sight is almost impossible to see in New York or London and it was only the first time that, San Diego, on the west coast of North America had opened its arms warmly, welcoming Renly.

Today is Friday, the time for the cast members to meet for the first time officially. In the past week, Renly spent all his time in the library, repeatedly consulting many books on the Pacific of World War II. Then he rented the DVD set of the classic series "Band of Brothers" and watched it again to prepare for the upcoming shoot.

Closing the taxi door, tapping the roof, turning around, and looking at the bustling... campsite in front of him, Renly's first reaction was "wrong place." Shouldn't the first meeting of the cast be sitting in a conference room, introducing themselves and getting to know each other? But what he saw in front of him looked more like a campsite, with tents being set up within sight.

There were five or six management personnel scattered at the entrance, each holding a clipboard, surrounded by several people. Carrying his dark gray backpack, Renly stepped forward and casually joined a queue. There were only three people in front of him, and he was soon up. "Is this the 'The Pacific' cast? I was told..."

"Name?"

Renly's words were interrupted, he was about to answer, but unexpectedly, the other party had no patience, urging, "Name." The brisk manner was somewhat like a soldier, a thought flashed in Renly's mind, but his words didn't pause, and he answered directly, "Hall."

The other person pointed to another person beside him, "Anyone whose name starts with 'H' report to him." How many people were there that they were arranged in alphabetical order by surname?

Renly walked to the side again and queued up. This time, without waiting for the other party to inquire, Renly directly spoke up, "Hall." Then he saw the other party quickly scan the clipboard, "Hall, actor, report to barracks number three."

Sure enough, this was boot camp.

Before recruits formally went to the battlefield, to avoid making low-level mistakes that not only harmed themselves but also their comrades, they all had to go through boot camp training. When filming "Band of Brothers," they also followed the model of boot camp. Not only could it let the actors experience the feeling of real soldiers, but it could also make the actors professional enough in the performance process. Now, "The Pacific" was once again following this tradition.

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This was indeed an interesting thing, wasn't it? As an actor, finding the first job and entering boot camp before touching acting. If it weren't for becoming an actor, this was almost impossible in life.

Barracks number three was very conspicuous, on the left side of the main road. The dull gray cement brick walls were not eye-catching, but the towering size easily distinguished it.

After registering at the door, Renly walked into barracks number three. Instead of being greeted by future colleagues, it was... countless clothes! Twelve sets of clothes racks divided the spacious barracks into twelve aisles, each filled with a variety of costumes, not just soldier uniforms, but also retro costumes from the 1940s, ranging from luxurious to civilian, like a scene from a warehouse clearance sale.

Voices came from behind the clothes racks. Walking along the aisle, the space suddenly opened up at a turn. In the center was a large empty space, with a dozen boxes of boots neatly arranged, and the entire wall behind was filled with different ranks of Marine Corps uniforms. The brand-new uniforms, smelling of fabric softener, were neatly placed together, quite visually impactful.

After another actor finished collecting his costume, Renly stepped forward, "Renly Hall, playing Eugene Sledge."

The staff member in front glanced over the list and muttered, "Oh, Third Company K, Private First Class." Turning around skillfully, he found a set of uniforms and handed them over. Seeing the other's movements, Renly immediately reached out and took the whole set of uniforms. "Shoe size?"

"Seven and a half." But after the words were spoken, Renly immediately corrected himself, "Eight and a half." The other person furrowed his brows slightly, obviously dissatisfied that Renly couldn't even remember his shoe size.

In fact, seven and a half was the British size, while eight and a half was the American size. Renly just acted on reflex. However, noticing the impatience of the other party, Renly didn't bother to explain — this was a military camp, obviously everything was executed according to military regulations from the entrance. Although it might be a bit annoying for ordinary people, for actors, it was the necessary path to getting into character.

The other person bent down to fetch a pair of boots and two pairs of socks, then put them heavily on top of the uniform. "After training today, from six to nine in the evening, there will still be someone here. You'll come to collect your other costumes then. Before entering the barracks, you have two episodes of scenes."

"No problem." Renly's reply was straightforward, and he turned to leave. This small detail seemed to satisfy the other person, who spoke again, "Friendly reminder, it's better to answer 'Yes, sir' in the future."

"Yes, sir!" Renly adapted quickly and confidently. A small smile appeared on the other's lips, "Your accommodation is barracks number eight. Go there and change into your clothes." After saying that, he ignored Renly and looked at the next person, "Name, role?"

Renly turned around, only managing to exchange a glance with the other before quickly leaving barracks number three. Although Renly didn't know what would happen in boot camp, he wouldn't forget the brutal and rough new recruit training methods from the movie "Full Metal Jacket." Being fully prepared was the best strategy.

Entering barracks number eight, a small group of people gathered at the door smoking, with smoke swirling around. Then there were a few people scattered sitting on bare wooden bed boards, focusing on their own affairs. Renly's arrival only attracted a glance from everyone, and then each person withdrew their gaze.

Renly didn't greet anyone either, and walked straight to the communal bathroom on the right side. He changed into a full set of clothes inside — including underwear and socks. When he came out again, all eyes instantly turned towards him. Because in the entire barracks, only two people had changed clothes, while the other seven or eight were still wearing their casual clothes.

Seeing Renly's seriousness, someone could be heard chuckling lowly, and even one voice couldn't contain itself, loudly saying, "Don't know where this country bumpkin came from, just doing whatever he's told, if the officer asks him to drop his pants later, he'll definitely do it without a word..." The coarse words prompted laughter from others.

Renly remained indifferent and walked to an empty spot, stuffing his backpack under the bed without paying attention to their intentions. He had no intention of reminding them. When the real training began later, it would be them who suffered. He just needed to watch from the sidelines and see who the fool was.

"Renly! Renly!" Amidst the laughter, a voice called out joyfully. Coming in through the door was none other than Rami Malek. He was already twenty-eight years old this year, but his baby face looked even younger than Renly's. With a happy smile on his face, he dashed over, "You're here too! I was thinking, I couldn't find anyone I knew and was feeling a bit scared! I knew you'd be selected for sure, and, and... I was selected too!"

Rami's excited words kept pouring out, as if he couldn't catch his breath. Renly couldn't help but smile, looking at the seasoned veterans behind Rami who were mocking him again. He stood up directly, dragging Rami towards the communal bathroom. As a result, the voice from earlier shouted again amidst the bustling noise, "It's still broad daylight, and you can't resist getting laid!" The mocking tone made everyone burst into laughter again.

Richard Carson was very satisfied with the effect of his joke, but he didn't expect Renly to retort, "If you envy it, daddy doesn't mind adding another one." This instantly made him choke on his words, but Renly didn't pause at all and went straight into the communal bathroom.

Laughter erupted behind him again, but Renly didn't care. "Rami, quickly change into your uniform. Training might start at any time."

Rami had just arrived at the military camp and was still unsure of the situation, but compared to Renly, he had been rolling in Hollywood for many years and was naturally more familiar. "Don't mind those people..." he wanted to comfort Renly, knowing that such seasoned veterans were present in almost every crew, especially in the television industry. They took pleasure in bullying newcomers, and might even squeeze the newcomer's income. If the newcomer resisted, they had countless ways to subtly sabotage them without affecting normal work, leaving the newcomer with grievances.

But Renly didn't care at all. He patted Rami on the shoulder, indicating him to hurry up, "Change clothes." After saying that, Renly realized that his words were ambiguous, and he was about to make a joke. Unexpectedly, Rami didn't pay any attention, tossing the bag in his hand to the ground, and began changing clothes.

This made Renly smile wryly.

Rami's movements were quick. The two of them walked out of the communal bathroom soon after. At the door, they heard a stern reprimand, "You shameless bunch, you're still farting around here at this time. Are you waiting for someone to wipe your ass? Quickly, get out!"

Looking towards the voice, they saw a senior officer dressed in Marine Corps uniform. Due to the backlight, it was unclear whether he was a lieutenant or a captain.

The boisterous atmosphere in the barracks just now instantly quieted down, as if frozen for a moment. This displeased the officer greatly, and he snorted, "A bunch of trash. You have ninety seconds. Gather outside. If anyone isn't present after the time is up, you'll run four miles back and forth on the mountain road!" After saying that, he didn't wait for a response and left directly.