Nicholas placed the recorder on the coffee table after turning it on. Hugo sat directly opposite him, while Joseph sat quietly beside Hugo. Nicholas glanced at Joseph, and after confirming that Joseph had no special instructions, he continued to chat with Hugo, "Besides coffee, what other hobbies do you have?""Fitness, reading." Actually, these hobbies gradually developed. Since there was no internet or computer in his life, Hugo had to find some interests to pass the time.Fitness was for maintaining physical health. After enduring the torment of drugs, this body's vitality had been largely depleted, and Hugo had to rebuild it little by little. Otherwise, if he couldn't run before he turned thirty, that would be too terrible. As for reading, it had always been Hugo's hobby. Whether it was physical books or e-books, books were the crystallization of different wisdoms, and traversing through these piles of words was a very interesting thing."Yes, I can see the effects of your fitness." Hugo's physique had always been excellent. "Hudson Hawk" was also an action-comedy, and Hugo's agility was evident, but later, due to drugs, Hugo lost a lot of weight, reaching its most severe point before the Golden Raspberry Awards. After that, Hugo seemed to be gradually recovering. As a journalist, Nicholas could clearly see the changes in this process. "As for reading, have you read any interesting books recently?""Oh, I'm an old-fashioned person in that regard. I'm currently reading 'The Old Man and the Sea'." Hugo said with a chuckle. Before transmigrating, Hugo had dropped out of school at fifteen. Although many people said that studying was useless because society valued ability, and knowledge like mathematics or language was rarely used in work, it couldn't be denied that books served more as a source of vision, accumulation, and foundation. The so-called scholarly aura was actually the most direct manifestation of this.To make up for the regret of dropping out of school early, Hugo had been persistently self-studying. This was also the reason why Hugo's current demeanor was so unique. Without years of accumulation, it would have been impossible for him to perform as he did after transmigrating. True handsomeness was never about appearance, because that was just a shell. Without the support of spirit, the beauty of the shell would be difficult to gain everyone's approval. Only outstanding temperament could conquer everyone. What Hugo possessed now was not just a shell."Ernest Hemingway, a wise choice." Nicholas praised him, then nodded slightly. "Speaking of hobbies, I originally thought you would give me a different answer, but I didn't expect to have a pleasant surprise now.""A different answer?" Hugo raised an eyebrow, not reacting for a moment. Fitness and reading were indeed things he almost daily committed to. Hugo's first thought was "Sugar Trap." This work was adapted from a novel, and he had just mentioned reading. Could Nicholas have heard something and wanted to inquire about related matters?But Nicholas gave Hugo a surprise, "Guitar or... some other instrument.""Ah..." Hugo chuckled. He really hadn't expected it to be about this. "Music!" Hugo exclaimed, "Actually, to be precise, I prefer to consider music a part of my life, not just a hobby.""Wow, tell me what that means. I seem to have noticed some inside information." The excitement in Nicholas's brows clearly livened up. It seemed this was the focus of his first interview today.Hugo glanced at Joseph, carefully choosing his words. Without understanding his previous life, he had to speak cautiously. "I've always been very interested in music since I was a child, you know, The Beatles, Michael Jackson..." Hugo almost blurted out Oasis, but then he remembered that Oasis was only formed in 1991 and was not yet hugely popular. If he mentioned them now, it would contradict "since I was a child," so Hugo quickly braked, "and The Rolling Stones.""When I truly started 'engaging' with music," Hugo deliberately emphasized the tone, highlighting that this was the beginning of his true entry into the music world, "it was because of Kurt Cobain, you know, he's a legend." This was somewhat different from Hugo's own situation, but in fact, before transmigrating, Nirvana was indeed a band Hugo greatly admired, and Nirvana's strong rise in 1987 also fit Hugo's current timeline best, so Hugo found this entry point for himself.Sure enough, Nicholas and Joseph both came to a sudden realization. Joseph had never known when the bridge between Hugo and music was built, and now he finally had an answer. Nicholas took over the conversation and said, "Nirvana,'Smells Like Teen Spirit,' classic!"Nicholas unexpectedly discovered that he and Hugo had so many commonalities. Nicholas had felt this way during his first interview on the set of "Scent of a Woman," but it only became clear today. "No wonder I was amazed when I heard you sing 'Next Time You See Me.' It turns out you're not a novice."As the conversation progressed, Hugo no longer had the guardedness he had before the interview, and his emotions completely relaxed. Hearing Nicholas's words, Hugo immediately burst into hearty laughter, "Haha, I am a novice, absolutely a novice." Hugo said honestly, "Actually, I'm not used to singing myself. I'm more accustomed to composing and then performing it with instruments. If I were in a band, I probably wouldn't be the lead singer.""Are you telling me you're a singer-songwriter? Is this boasting or... boasting?" Nicholas was already very skilled at handling such situations, but today he was clearly a bit more relaxed, and even he didn't notice the jump in his tone."If you want to think that, then I'll admit it." Hugo's words made Nicholas laugh out loud. "In fact, I have indeed written a few good songs. Maybe in the future, I'll have the opportunity to submit them to a record company. Who knows, maybe Michael Jackson will want my songs?""Dream on..." Nicholas didn't think too much and blurted out a teasing remark, sounding less like a journalist interviewing and more like friends chatting. After he said it, he realized his "unprofessionalism," quickly reined in his smile, and changed the subject, "So, was the immense attention given to the ending song of 'A Few Good Men' something you anticipated?"Although the song "Next Time You See Me" was only played with the movie, Hugo had no intention of recording and releasing it as a single. However, its popularity was at a peak in recent days, and the request rate for the original song on various radio stations showed a sudden upward curve. It's worth noting that Little Parker's original song was released in 1956, not one of the popular songs of the early nineties.Hugo didn't notice Nicholas's change, a smile still on his lips. "No, no, of course not. Actually, singing the ending song for the movie was an unexpected situation." Hugo briefly described the situation at the time, but didn't mention Uma's visit, only saying that his singing during a break attracted attention. "Now, after being played with the movie, and achieving such excellent results, I'm actually relieved.""No, your performance this time was excellent. Perhaps a record company will approach you to release an album soon." Nicholas complimented him.Hugo, however, didn't take it seriously. This wasn't the 21st century where "any Tom, Dick, or Harry could release an album." In the internet age, due to the development of social networks and the simplicity of recording equipment, almost everyone could record their own album, and the entry barrier for record companies had dropped again and again, not to mention the grassroots singing craze brought about by talent shows. In the early nineties, the record industry had not yet shrunk, and the situation of a hundred schools of thought contending led to a continuous stream of classic masterpieces, so the entry barrier was naturally relatively high.Nicholas didn't expect a response from Hugo. He continued, "So, do you feel the success of the movie now? Can you really feel the popularity surging towards you?""I don't have much of a feeling. Can you describe it more specifically?" Hugo said, pursing his lips and widening his eyes. Although he was mobbed once when he went to see the movie, to be honest, that was only about a hundred people. Hugo truly didn't know what genuine popularity looked like.For Hugo, the fervent popularity he imagined came from concerts, standing on a stage in front of a hundred thousand people, watching everyone cheer for him—that was truly spectacular."The movie received good reviews, achieved good box office results, audiences started screaming and cheering for you, the number of jobs started to increase, recognition and attention began to climb..." Nicholas looked at Hugo with a questioning gaze after each sentence. These situations were phenomena that erupted after the successful premiere of "A Few Good Men," more than twice as grand as the excitement of "Scent of a Woman" before. This was also direct evidence that the media generally believed Hugo had entered the A-list for the first time in his ten-year career."If that's what you mean by popularity, then... yes, yes, I do feel the popularity." Hugo slowly nodded, expressing his opinion. "But all of this still feels a bit unreal. You know, it seems not long ago, I was ignored, and now suddenly all the lights are starting to converge. This... it's like a dream."Looking at Hugo's slightly hesitant expression, Nicholas originally wanted to mock Hugo, which was his usual style, so he blurted out, "That's because you've never experienced what it's like to be truly popular, and then you just fell down." This was referring to Hugo's performance after "Dead Poets Society." "Of course, now you're enjoying the cheers, but for Tom Cruise, it's nothing at all, so there's no need to be too happy."After speaking, Nicholas saw the amused smile on Hugo's face, and he even nodded slightly, expressing affirmation of his words. Nicholas's latter half of the sentence changed his mind as it reached his lips, "The most important thing is, today you feel all this is like a dream. Perhaps tomorrow an even more beautiful dream will be born. Don't be too surprised. Because, this is Hollywood."
