Behind The Spotlight Chapter 208
Celebrity reporters were hated by celebrities, especially the paparazzi who called themselves "reporters."
News reporters were one thing, but even then, reporters had agendas they fought for, some were bad and some were good. They were often shaped by sponsors, editors, or personal beliefs.
Anyway, reporters loved asking tricky questions. These questions were traps that could implicate people regardless of intent or context. As for why they did it, reporters just wanted to make interesting stories. It didn't matter if it could destroy a celebrity or not, they were selfish and driven by exposure.
In the next two decades, reporters would no longer be respected. Simply because this occupation was no longer about the truth, but about narratives.
Tricky questions were loved by reporters because no matter how a person answered them, they would suffer.
Just like now…
"Mr. Gunner, do you think Hollywood is fair to minorities?"
This question could be answered with Yes or No.
If Axel answered, "No, Hollywood isn't fair," he would immediately be blacklisted by studios and directors and labeled as problematic. It would imply that Hollywood was racist, discriminatory, and didn't care about minorities. That would be a bad answer.
But if Axel answered, "Yes, Hollywood is fair," it would also be a bad answer. Because Hollywood was inherently unfair, a well-known reality. It discriminated against minorities. How many Asians do you see in movies or TV shows? And when they appear, are they typecast or not? Do they have accents even though they can speak English fluently in real life? What about Latinos? Blacks? Were they typecast or not? Why do they mostly get mafia, cartels, or gang-related roles?
Let's not even talk about pay gaps and underrepresentation. Hollywood was always unfair.
If Axel answered Yes or No, the reporter would have a follow-up question ready to destroy him.
So no matter what kind of answer Axel gave, he was at a dead end.
Of course, there were ways to answer these kinds of questions safely, but Axel was not an expert in this field. He was an actor, not a debater or a politician.
Furthermore, why the fuck did these reporters ask actors these kinds of questions anyway? They should be asking studios and executives, the real decision-makers. Leave the actors out of this mess. Their job was to act, not to lead rallies against inequality.
Axel knew he was trapped, and he didn't know how to get out of it safely. The question wasn't on the list the PR team prepared him for. The best answer he could give was "No comment," but even that was a bad answer, often interpreted negatively.
Silence followed as Axel thought about how to respond.
Just as the reporter was eager to push further, a sudden commotion broke the tension.
"Hey! Watch where you're walking! Don't you know these shoes cost $50,000? You creased my shoes!"
A loud interruption.
A tall, handsome man raised his voice, immediately catching the attention of everyone in the venue.
"The fuck did you say to me!? I didn't even touch your shoes!" the other man retorted angrily.
"Fuck you. Don't even try to lie. I saw you step on my shoe." The handsome man pointed at his black shoe. There was no crease or stain, perfectly black, yet he acted as if he had suffered a grave injustice.
"I said I didn't step on it!"
"Pay up! These shoes cost me $50,000!"
"You know what? How about we settle this outside?"
"That's exactly what I've been waiting for!"
At that moment, security personnel rushed in and escorted the two men out of the venue. Reporters immediately snapped photos, some already excited about writing articles about the disturbance. A few reporters followed them outside, but the two men simply walked away.
There was no fistfight, which left the reporters disappointed.
As for the tricky questions, everyone forgot about them, and the event ended peacefully without further issues.
When Axel reached the underground parking lot, he found Collin waiting for him. Axel chuckled as he recalled what happened earlier. Collin and Arnold made a scene to distract the reporters.
"Thanks, Collin. But honestly, I feel like answering that question wasn't really dangerous. Who would take it seriously anyway?"
"Don't underestimate reporters. If they work together, your career could be in jeopardy," Collin warned him sternly.
Even though what Collin and Arnold did was an overreaction, they took it seriously. Agents would do everything to protect their clients. It didn't matter if they caused trouble or made a scene, as long as their actors were safe. Fortunately, Uni-versus Pictures let it slide and didn't blacklist them.
"By the way, were your shoes really worth $50,000?"
"Hell no. Do I look crazy enough to spend that kind of money on a pair of shoes?"
"I thought so." Axel laughed.
That day, reporters wrote about the commotion, but it didn't gain much attention. If the two had actually gotten into a fistfight, they probably would've made the front page of many newspapers.
...
...
...
"I'm surprised. I thought you were avoiding us? I heard from Griffith that you've been very busy." Salvador Manuel wore a smug expression as he looked at Collin, clearly testing him.
Collin's secretary coordinated with Salvador's secretary to arrange the meeting. For this meeting to happen, Salvador's approval was required. After all, he had the upper hand, and Collin was the one asking for a favor.
"Griffith is right, I'm really busy. Why would I avoid you? You're my boss."
Salvador smiled faintly. He had been in the industry far too long to not understand how business worked.
'You're avoiding us because you don't want to transfer your clients' contracts.'
Of course, if Salvador were in Collin's position, he would probably do the same.
Why would anyone hand over the fruits of their hard work and let others harvest them? Fuck that.
"So, what's the real reason you're here? For clarification, I'm also busy, and I adjusted my schedule just to meet you. We don't need to lie to each other."
Agents used flattery, deception, truths, lies, and more. Words were their strongest weapon. If they talked aimlessly, this meeting would be worthless. It was better to get straight to the point.
Besides, Salvador already had a good idea why Collin wanted to meet him.
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[Thank you for reading this novel.]