Behind The Spotlight Chapter 235
"Congratulations, Axel, your movie is successful."
An actress congratulated Axel and smiled at him, tilting her head slightly to appear adorable. Axel returned her smile and humbly replied, "Thank you."
After 30 days of screening, Whiplash had grossed over $54 million. It was not bad, especially for a psychological drama with a modest budget.
'Heh, so much for a famous actor.'
The actress who congratulated Axel, Shaina, sneered inwardly. She actually didn't believe that the movie was successful. She only congratulated the actor because she had to make a good impression. Networking was essential if she wanted to survive in Hollywood.
Shaina was a small-time actress. She had been in Hollywood for five years, and her role in Week on an Island was her biggest break so far. Hence, she wanted to use this opportunity to make connections with useful people. For her, Axel Gunner was on top of the list, a stepping stone she could use.
She smiled seductively, giving Axel flirty gazes, but it seemed that Axel was too dense to notice it. She clicked her tongue behind her smile, slightly irritated that her charm was ineffective.
Then another actor approached Axel and genuinely grinned.
"Axel, I watched Whiplash. Your performance is amazing. I'm happy for you. I wouldn't be surprised if you get a nomination at the Academy Awards." Cross Pinger laughed and hugged Axel, slapping his back like an old friend.
The two actors had known each other for about a decade now. They starred in Wyatt's debut movie, The Accidental Wedding Crashers, and they had been friends since then.
Unlike Shaina, who was just praising Axel, Cross had a genuine reaction. Shaina smiled at the two and nodded, agreeing with what Cross said, trying to blend into the moment. Just like Axel, Cross was also one of her targets to latch onto. However, Cross saw through her intentions, so it didn't work in the first place. He avoided her most of the time.
Her role in the movie was just one of the side characters who had six lines. Her agent worked hard to make sure she would get the role, and Shaina wanted to prove that she could reach stardom even if she had to play dirty.
"Don't listen to what others say. Whiplash is not a blockbuster anyway. For the movie to gross over $54 million is already a victory."
Indeed, Whiplash was already profitable for Touchpebbles Pictures. They only bought the movie for $20 million. Now that the box office was 2.5 times bigger than the budget, Touchpebbles Pictures could profit from it.
And again, the profitability of Whiplash would come from the videotape and DVD markets. These markets appreciated drama films better than theaters. Many audiences preferred watching such films quietly at home.
However, some people who didn't understand the film industry believed that Axel had fallen off because his latest movie failed at the box office. Compared to The Born Identity, which grossed over $700 million at the box office, Whiplash was a clear failure, at least in the eyes of people who only cared about numbers.
Shaina had the same opinion. She believed that Whiplash was a failure.
While they were having conversations and laughing, Brody Paige exited his trailer and saw Axel and the others talking.
Brody greeted Axel but disregarded the others, barely glancing at them. He didn't even notice Shaina's lustful gaze. Brody was also one of her targets, but his ego made him blind to her. He rarely paid attention to people he considered insignificant.
"Axel, your movie is amazing. Congratulations."
"Thank you." Axel smiled steadily and politely.
Brody left after that, not sparing them a second look.
Cross had a dark expression. It was obvious that Brody didn't respect him at all.
Cross was one of the main characters in the movie, but Brody never interacted with him unless they were in front of the cameras. Their conversations were strictly limited to professional matters.
Well, Cross was still a nobody. He starred in some movies, but never as the protagonist. Cross Pinger didn't have the charisma to be a protagonist. He could be a side character at best. It was already amazing that he got the role of Miku Beam in the Week on a Cruise Ship franchise, a steady job, but not enough to earn respect.
In Brody's mind, Cross Pinger would not reach a high status in the industry.
But Axel was different. Axel had the capability to be a superstar, no, he was already a superstar, so Brody treated him as an equal.
In the production team of Week on an Island, there were only three superstars.
First was Director Wyatt Bray, a director who created many box office hits.
Second was Brody Paige, a handsome leading actor adored by many fans.
Third was Axel Gunner, an actor who became famous starring in Face:Swap and Born Identity.
Except for them, no one else was worthy of respect, at least from Brody's perspective.
Cross had a bitter smile as he understood his status.
The only way for Brody to change his views about Cross Pinger was for Cross to become a superstar, but that would be difficult.
After the break, Wyatt announced the continuation of filming. He called Shaina to speak about her role.
The woman smiled cutely at Wyatt, her lips curving into exaggerated sweetness, but the director didn't budge.
"Here's what you're going to do. Just smile and act gorgeous in front of the camera, nothing else."
"Fufufu, director, I can do that all the time. I can even do that in bed... You know... Fufu."
Wyatt explained what she had to do in the scene, and the woman nodded while replying flirtatiously. Her eyes glanced at his face from time to time rather than at the script.
"A-Alright, just do your job."
Out of all her targets, Wyatt was the most responsive. Whenever she tried to seduce him, something under his belt would react. She thought she would eventually get her opportunity with Wyatt. However, no matter how many times she tried to seduce him, the director remained firm.
She even invited him to her hotel room, but Wyatt just shrugged despite having a reaction.
'Wyatt is such a handsome guy. I don't mind sleeping with him. I heard he was fat before, so perhaps his dick is not that big. But it doesn't matter, he has a nice face.' Shaina's thoughts were shallow.
Indeed, Wyatt was now an attractive man, and many women in the production team were actually interested in him.
However, Wyatt remained strong.
Why?
Because Wyatt was engaged, and he loved his fiancée, Elise Montemayor. The ring on his finger was not for decoration, it symbolized his commitment. His girlfriend was a lovely woman, and Wyatt would never hurt her. They loved each other. His girlfriend took care of him, she was attentive, and she brought peace to his life. No, his girlfriend was his peace, the anchor that kept his heart at ease.
He didn't want to cheat on her.
[Thank you guys for reading this novel.]