Behind The Spotlight Chapter 262
"Axel, look at the camera!" A reporter said.
Axel Gunner stared at the camera while keeping his smile. He stood upright, maintaining a tall posture as dozens of reporters took pictures of him.
Axel was wearing a nice suit, sponsored by Diore and designed by a famous designer specifically for tonight's award show.
Axel had been attending so many parties lately just to ask for votes. He had attended different kinds of gatherings, most of them were formal events, while others were a bit questionable, though not entirely bad, usually just featuring drugs and crazy people dancing around. Thankfully, Axel was a reasonable guy, so he never entertained carnal parties like sex orgies. He had never gone to a party like that, not even once.
Well, Axel was afraid of women and had been celibate for more than a decade. He could interact with women professionally, but it was a completely different story if a woman showed romantic interest in him. Axel simply avoided her.
"What do you think of tonight's award show? Do you believe that you will win the award?"
"I hope so. I did my best, and I believe my performance deserves the win. Still, I will respect the decision of the Academy," he humbly expressed his opinion... He had actually spent $5 million over the past two months just hiring the PR team and bribing Academy members. He hoped his investment was worth it.
Outright bribery using money was not allowed, but there were many ways to bribe people without cash. Even giving out movie tickets was considered a bribe. Giving presents was also a bribe.
"Your performance in Whiflash is compelling. What kind of preparation did you do?"
"I internalized the character and studied him seriously."
After the interview, he went inside the auditorium where many celebrities were present. Tonight was the 73rd Academy Awards, where movies and celebrities would receive recognition from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Axel found his seat, which was in the second row, where most of the people from Whiflash were seated, such as the director and the rest of the cast. Axel greeted them and shook hands. They had spent months working together, so they were no strangers.
Axel talked to the director.
"The museum wants your help in promoting their paintings."
"I'll contact my agent," Axel replied.
Last week, Axel and the director of Whiflash had attended an art exhibit. The museum was funded by Academy members. Furthermore, a famous actress was hosting a gallery show that day to present her paintings.
Axel had seen many art pieces, and his overall experience had been fun. But he had mixed opinions on the paintings of the actress. All he saw were realistic paintings of an unborn fetus, and from the actress's proud expression, she took immense pride in her creation.
Axel didn't know the exact reason why the actress painted a bunch of pieces with the same theme, but he found them uncomfortable since the paintings were bloody, gruesome, and highly realistic... It felt as if Axel were staring at real pictures of unborn babies.
On top of that, the guests who attended the art exhibit clapped and praised the actress's gallery show.
Axel sat down and decided to forget what he had witnessed at the museum. As for promoting the museum, Axel would only agree if they offered money... He didn't want to do it for free for the sake of art.
While waiting for the award show to start, Axel opened his phone to check if Jennifer had replied to his text.
He confirmed that Jennifer had indeed replied.
-- I'm doing fine, don't worry. Also, good luck with tonight's Academy Award. Wish you the best.
"...Seems like she's doing her best."
Axel muttered.
What had happened last week shook the country. Shawn lashing out while on a talk show was the headline across many news stations. Jennifer was not left unscathed, she was suspended for a month, and her position as the host of Morning with Jennifer was taken over by a sports reporter.
Axel knew that Jennifer was affected by it, and she was probably not doing fine.
'Even if she admitted that she's alright, I know that she's also sad.'
Hence, Axel had contacted her right when the issue exploded and even offered his help. Axel and Jennifer were old clients of Collin, they knew each other well and treated each other as friends. Naturally, Axel was worried about his friend.
"Don't frown, the cameras are pointing at you."
Collin greeted Axel, and the actor quickly controlled his expression. He grinned at Collin.
"I asked the production team to reserve a seat for you."
"That's good to hear."
Only a few people could attend the Award Show, and most of them were elites. The only reason Touchpebbles Pictures had agreed to reserve a seat for Collin was because of his status as an executive of ANT.
"Are you worried about Jennifer?"
"How did you know?"
"She called me." Collin shrugged. "She said that you don't have to worry about her, that she's not that weak."
"But the consequences..."
"I will handle the consequences. Do you not believe in me, the Hidden Ace?" At this point, Collin had already accepted his nickname.
"I do believe in you, but what happened last week is quite huge. I'm not sure if it's fixable."
Axel had experienced a scandal once, and it had been brutal. He had almost lost his entire career just because of it. It was not surprising that he was scared of scandals. And now, his friend was experiencing an issue that could lead to her being blacklisted.
"I did it once, I can do it again."
"..." Axel was speechless.
He knew that Collin was not being arrogant, he could genuinely prove his statement.
"Even if Jennifer hits the bottom, I'll help her reach the top again."
Axel chuckled. Indeed, Collin could probably do it.
"I'm very lucky that you're my agent."
[Thank you for reading this novel.]