The Greatest Showman

Chapter 50 – Data Mining

Experts see the details, while amateurs see the fun.

Under the gaze of the public, “The Pacific” that made its shining debut not only attracted tens of thousands of viewers to watch the live broadcast for the first time, but also drew attention from insiders such as film critics, reporters, actors, and directors, becoming the hot topic on the evening of March 21, including the agents, of course.

In the period before this, the news that “The Pacific” used a newcomer with no performance experience as one of the three main characters had already spread throughout Hollywood, especially after the premiere last night, “Renly Hall” suddenly grabbed people’s attention.

However, this still did not cause a chain reaction. The reason why the media did not want to focus too much on Renly also applies, but in the end, it is because, “The Pacific” still lacked weight. In the eyes of industry insiders, the purpose of Tom’s premiere hype couldn’t have been clearer: to create news and deflect the pressure.

Even if a newcomer acting in a mini-series is extremely amazing, their influence was still limited.

However, the situation changed subtly after “The Pacific” debuted tonight. This newcomer actor showed delicate acting and excellent camera sense, which really caught people’s attention. But if it were just that, it would not be enough to make people take further action. However, at the premiere last night, his witty humor, tactful responses, and calm and steady atmosphere in front of the reporters showed a rare talent, coupled with his handsome appearance, will make his potential value increase exponentially.

Frances Parker dialed Tom Hanks’ phone, “Tom, tell me honestly, where did you dig up such a gem? His acting was so natural and there was a rare elegance in each of his moves. Given time, he will surely reach the top level as an actor.”

Tom chuckled, “I thought you were well-informed and used to seeing newcomers like this.” Frances is a senior agent at the Endeavour, which ranks among the top five agencies in Hollywood. Their biggest reliance was actually TV series, and “Heroes,” “Prison Break,” and “The Big Bang Theory” are all works produced by their clients.

In response to Tom’s roundaboutness, Francis was a little too eager, “You know I don’t like to joke around. Although he is a newcomer, he has already shown the potential of a superstar.” Tom’s light laughter came from the other end of the phone, “The Pacific” has only aired the first episode, and Renly’s scenes were only three minutes long. It’s too early to say he has a “superstar potential”.

However, Frances didn’t mind it at all. “Didn’t you and Steven also speak highly of him? Give me five years, no, three years, and he will definitely have the ability to be in the top ranks. Does he have an agent now? Before this, does he really have no other works at all? What information do you have about him that you can tell me? Give me his contact information now, and I will immediately sign him. Maybe soon he will be appearing in works produced by you again. By the way, how old is he this year?”

“If I remember correctly, he should be under twenty-one,” Tom’s answer almost dislocated Frances’s jaw.

Meanwhile, not only Frances, but at least four other agents were trying to contact the “The Pacific” crew through different means, attempting to find out more information about Renly. As for the number of those who used other connections and methods to investigate him – that is incalculable.

Expectation, curiosity, excitement, and inquiry… The attention gathered on this new actor was truly extraordinary. It’s no exaggeration to say that the name “Renly Hall” was causing quite a stir within Hollywood. On the night of the premiere of “The Pacific,” Renly stole a lot of the limelight. However, they were all bound to be disappointed.

“Nothing, absolutely nothing?” William searched the IMDb actor database and Wikipedia but came up empty-handed. There was no information, no trace to be found, nothing. To be precise, Renly didn’t even have an IMDb actor page. It was as if… he had popped out of a crack in a rock.

William was dumbfounded. Even for a newcomer, this was too strange. Even personal basic information like birthdate wasn’t available. Currently, on “The Pacific” IMDb page, the column for the actor who played “Eugene Sledge” was marked as “Renly Hall,” but clicking on it yielded a blank page.

Renly Hall. Works list: “The Pacific.”

This was all the information they could find for now; it was as clean as a blank sheet of paper.

William couldn’t help but feel disappointed. He was impressed by Renly originally because he was the only unlucky person in the first episode who couldn’t go to the battlefield, but what really moved him in the end was the stunning performance. That seemingly effortless performance gradually became clear as time passed. Thirty minutes after the premiere ended, the image of the rich boy in his mind became increasingly concrete. That was truly rare.

Even “Band of Brothers” had not been able to achieve this.

“Billy, why don’t you try searching on Google? Or…maybe Facebook?” Graham gave his opinion.

William’s eyes lit up. “Yes, Facebook!”

In 2010, Google had unquestionably become the largest Internet search engine in the United States, with a coverage rate of over 80%. Yahoo, Microsoft, and Facebook followed behind, with Facebook covering 53% of the US population. Furthermore, Facebook’s visitor rate had surpassed Google’s, ranking first in the US website traffic, with Google, Yahoo, and YouTube following closely behind.

However, after opening Facebook, William tried different name combinations several times for searching but still couldn’t find any information, which was truly surprising.

“Impossible? Isn’t Renly a young person? Why hasn’t he registered on Facebook?” William found this increasingly interesting, and his curiosity about this new actor grew. He then searched on Google and finally found something. Most of the news was about the premiere last night, except for one additional message from an actor on Facebook.

This was an unknown actor who mainly worked in the outer Broadway, New York and had a regular job. Apparently, he was one of those people who had to compromise with life after struggling to make a living as an actor. He mentioned on Facebook that they were currently rehearsing an original play.

One of the actors participating in the play truly caught the attention of the entire crew: “From the West End of London, at least appearing in three plays, solid basic skills, and has a lot of spirituality in his performance, Jesus Christ, we’ve struck gold! Renly Hall, with this guy, our play is sure to be a hit.”

“He is British!” William’s eyes widened. In the “The Pacific,” that standard Texan accent of his had no flaws. “He also has a background in theater acting! Oh my God, do you think we can find his name if we search those professional drama schools in the UK?”

Unlike the United States, the UK still adheres to strict steps for actors that are getting started – having a professional academy background, polishing yourself in London’s West End, and challenging unconventional roles. Only actors who follow such steps can gain recognition from their peers. In recent years, with the dominance of Hollywood, this tradition has loosened, and some grassroots actors who became famous overnight have emerged. However, fundamentally, this tradition and pride of British actors have not changed.

Therefore, most British actors can basically be found by name in those drama schools.

“Billy, Billy, look!” Graham bumped William’s shoulder hard and pointed to a YouTube link on the computer screen. The title read, “Cleopatra, performer, Renly Hall.”

“…Is this a coincidence?” William questioned.

Graham, on the other hand, had a different idea. “We just searched for ‘Renly Hall’ earlier and didn’t find anyone with the same name. Besides, why can’t actors sing? Everyone can sing. The only difference is whether they are out of tune or not. Maybe he was just casually playing and singing at home and uploaded it to YouTube.”

William couldn’t argue with that point and instead became excited, quickly clicking on the link. Due to his excitement, he clicked three times before successfully entering the familiar YouTube page. After taking a look up and down, William noticed that the video was uploaded last August, and eight months had passed, but the number of views was less than 2,000, and there were only a pitiful 39 likes.

Without any special gimmicks or professional promotion this kind of video will be submerged by countless new videos within an hour, and no one will notice it.

William was somewhat convinced by Graham’s statement. Perhaps this was just a video that Renly recorded for his own entertainment, so it didn’t attract much attention from netizens.

After clicking on the video, a man holding a guitar appeared on the screen. A milky-yellow spotlight fell on his broad shoulders, and his slightly curled golden-brown hair seemed to add a touch of desolation and loneliness. “It’s him! It’s him!” William couldn’t help but exclaim and shook Graham vigorously.

Graham almost felt like he was falling apart. “Look, look!” He could only use this method to calm William down.

At this moment, the two of them noticed that Renly was actually in a bar, so this was not a casual bedroom performance, but a formal concert with many audience members below the bar. From the recording angle, it seems that the person recording is standing inside the bar.

When the strings drew the first note, William’s mind was drawn in. The sadness overflowing from the cheerful melody was touching. After the song was performed, his turbulent inner world could not calm down, but only slowly revolved and settle bit by bit, as if the whole world had suddenly become quiet.

“My god!” This was the only reaction William could give.