The Greatest Showman #1506 - Straight to the Point

Roy could faintly sense the seriousness in his mother, which made Renly seem different. Although Roy didn't fully understand why, he still expressed his courtesy. "Lord Renly, please follow me."

Emma's intervention had prevented Renly from acting on his initial impulse, and he hadn't corrected Roy's title. Instead, he smiled and asked, "So, in the game you were playing just now, which side were you on? Air Force or Navy?"

"Air Force!" Roy answered cheerfully, his steps almost turning into a skip. Realizing his overexcitement, he immediately forced himself to calm down. "We were just playing around."

"A lot of things start as jokes—dreams, careers, too," Renly said with a small nod, not saying much more. Their footsteps had brought them to their destination, but it wasn't a room—it was the backyard porch.

As Roy pushed open the back door, Flora ran over, placed her hands on the screen door, and did her best to help him open it. Roy controlled his strength, letting Flora help until the door was fully open. The little girl beamed up at Renly, eagerly awaiting praise.

A smile tugged at Renly's eyes. "Thank you, young lady."

Flora, now shy, turned and ran off, the sound of her footsteps filled with uncontrollable joy and light laughter.

Renly turned his attention to Roy. "Thank you, Roy."

The older boy remained calm, nodding politely at Renly. He seemed as though he wanted to say something but thought better of it, recognizing that the guest had come on business.

After watching Renly walk into the porch, Roy stood still, bouncing lightly on his feet. He felt an unfamiliar curiosity—maybe about the Air Force versus Navy discussion, or the manner of address, or perhaps just a vague desire to learn more about Renly.

Roy sensed that the actor he was visiting felt different from others.

At that moment, Roy's younger brothers ran up, teasing, "Mr. Nolan! Haha, you're Mr. Nolan!"

The mood lightened instantly. Roy, startled, quickly turned to leave with his brothers, hoping not to disturb the ongoing conversation.

Meanwhile, Renly had entered the corridor where Christopher Nolan sat, dressed casually in a tennis shirt and jeans. He was staring ahead in silence, with a steaming cup of coffee on the table beside him. The faint aroma of the coffee rose from the steam, mingling with the sound of rain falling outside the porch, creating a peaceful, insulated world under the eaves.

Renly, familiar with such routines, sat down on the opposite side of Christopher. He enjoyed the moment of quiet, watching the rain, feeling an odd sense of calm.

Christopher seemed lost in thought until he snapped back to the present and noticed Renly. "Sorry, I got a bit distracted. When did you arrive?" After a pause, Christopher added, "Ah, this is our first official meeting, right? I haven't introduced myself yet."

Renly waved off the formality. "I think we can skip that part. I'm already sitting here at your house, so it feels a bit late for introductions." He glanced around briefly, noting the clean coffee cup and pot before helping himself to a cup.

Normally, coffee cups were kept in the kitchen, but Christopher had placed the cups, sugar cubes, and condensed milk on the low table, as though he intended to serve Renly here from the start. Of course, there was a slight chance that Christopher had prepared this space for a moment of quiet enjoyment with Emma, but given the nature of their meeting, that seemed unlikely.

Christopher, noticing Renly's actions, picked up the coffee pot and poured him a cup, the steam rising from the coffee, swirling in the air.

"There are four little ones in the house, so things can get noisy. Hope you don't mind," Christopher said, his tone polite but serious. It was clear that humor wasn't his style.

Renly wasn't surprised. After all, this was their first official meeting, and it would take time to find the right rhythm for conversation. "Children are always special. Sometimes it feels like time moves slowly for them, and they live in their own world, but then, one day, you realize how quickly they've grown. By then, it's too late to savor those moments. That's why, when I can, I try to spend as much time with them as I can."

"Oh? You feel that way too?" Christopher asked, glancing at Renly curiously. "I thought you'd still be in the phase where you don't fully understand what it's like to be a parent."

Renly raised his hands, laughing lightly. "To clarify, I don't have children." He added with a playful tone, though there was no self-pity or sadness in his voice—just lighthearted irony. "But I'm still a kid myself, so I understand what it's like to want those moments."

Christopher froze for a moment, then chuckled warmly. "I like your sense of humor. You're quite skilled, and I have to say, I don't mind it."

Renly raised an eyebrow in surprise. "What do you mean?"

"Well, it's about kids and time," Christopher replied with a relaxed expression. "That's the core theme of the film. And, it seems like you wouldn't be talking about this if you didn't know something about it. Everyone's been saying how smart Renly Hall is, and I'm starting to see why."

Renly didn't argue; he was used to this kind of perception. In Hollywood, it was easy to fall victim to flattery, and he understood Christopher's guarded approach. He didn't mind it. "So, my agent mentioned that you're thinking of defining this film as 'Othello.' Is that true?"

"Othello," of course, was the famous ancient Greek epic by Homer, focusing on themes of perseverance, homecoming, and personal trials. Renly saw the parallels in the storyline of Interstellar, where the protagonist Cooper faces an epic journey through space, driven by his desire to return home to his daughter.

Christopher didn't answer right away but met Renly's gaze seriously, considering his words. After a pause, he finally spoke. "What if it really is the case?"

Renly didn't hesitate. "Then I'd say the script fails to fully capture the heart of it. Or, there's a limitation in the editing."

Christopher's eyes narrowed, his voice still stern. "The screenwriter is sitting right in front of you."

Renly shrugged. "That doesn't change my opinion. But I think we can have a good discussion about it."

Christopher fell silent, raising his right hand to support his chin, clearly ready for a debate. Renly, sensing the moment, knew this was a critical time to engage in work talk.

"Othello is a personal eulogy," Renly explained, "A tribute to the tenacity of the individual, where the emotional bonds of family drive a person to overcome everything. But this project is different. It's about the insignificance of humanity when confronted with the vastness of time. All our efforts are nothing compared to time's unfathomable passage. Time can bend, stretch, but it can never be reversed. We must take responsibility for our choices, even if the end result is destruction."

Renly paused, realizing the weight of what he had just said.