Reborn in Hollywood

Chapter 99 is showing off his broken teeth again.

After hanging up the phone, Li Rui lay on the sofa and stared at the ceiling for a long time.

Jessica came downstairs and saw his utterly dejected look, so she walked over and sat down next to him.

"What's wrong?"

Li Rui tossed his phone aside.

"The promotion for Pirates of the Caribbean has been moved up; we have to go to Disney headquarters tomorrow."

Jessica was taken aback.

"So soon? Didn't you just get back?"

"When the people at Disney saw the news about me riding a motorcycle, they thought I was full of energy and had nothing better to do."

Jessica couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"Serves you right for being so cocky!"

Li Rui glared at her.

"You're still laughing?"

Jessica smiled even more broadly.

"Alright, alright, it's just doing PR and marketing. It's not like we haven't done it before."

Li Rui sighed.

"You don't understand. Doing publicity is much more tiring than filming. At least filming involves creation, but publicity is just repetition, answering the same question a hundred times."

Jessica patted his hand.

"Just bear with it, it will pass soon."

Li Rui looked at her.

"Didn't you just get back from Europe? Aren't you going to spend time with me?"

Jessica shook her head.

"I also have my own things to do. I just took on a new script and will be joining the crew next month. I need to make the most of these few days to memorize the script."

Li Rui was speechless.

"Alright, let's all go about our own business then."

The next morning, Li Rui drove to Disneyland.

Burbank — Disney headquarters building.

The white, modern building stood out strikingly in the California sunshine, with a bronze statue of Mickey Mouse at the entrance and several pigeons perched on Mickey's hat. Li Rui parked his car in the parking lot and took the elevator to the eighth floor.

The meeting room was already filled with people.

Producer Jerry Bruckheimer sat in the main seat.

Next to him was director Gore Verbinski, and next to him were several people in suits—Li Rui didn't recognize them, but judging from their demeanor, they should be the publicity managers sent by Disney.

There were still a few empty seats, clearly waiting for someone.

Bruckheimer saw Li Rui come in and waved.

"Raphael, sit here."

Li Rui sat down opposite him.

"Has our captain not arrived yet?" he asked.

Bruckheimer glanced at his watch.

"He recorded a program in New York last night and his flight is this morning, so he should be here soon."

As soon as he finished speaking, the conference room door was pushed open.

Johnny Depp strolled in.

He was wearing a wrinkled linen suit, his hair was messy, and he had a sleepy expression on his face.

Even his swaying as he walked in looked like Captain Jack Sparrow had stepped out of the movie screen.

Good morning, everyone.

Depp yawned and sat down next to Bruckheimer.

Bruckheimer glanced at him.

"What time did you go to bed last night?"

Depp thought for a moment.

"Three o'clock? Or four o'clock? I can't remember."

Verbinski couldn't help but laugh.

"Can you hold on today in this condition?"

Depp waved his hand.

"I can manage, as long as I have coffee."

A staff member handed him a cup of espresso, which Depp took and downed in one gulp, then let out a long sigh.

"Alright, he's alive again."

Li Rui found it amusing.

Many of Depp's actions seem natural, but for some reason, they just come across as comical.

Bruckheimer cleared his throat.

"Everyone's here, let's begin. The publicity plan has been moved up, as you all probably know. Today's main purpose is to discuss the upcoming arrangements. Feel free to share any ideas you have."

Depp raised his hand.

"I have a question."

Bruckheimer looked at him.

"explain."

Depp leaned back.

"How many races do I actually have to run?"

A man in a suit standing nearby chimed in.

"Mr. Depp, you are the male lead, so the publicity focus will definitely be on you. We have arranged about thirty events, including variety shows, interviews, fan meetings, overseas promotions, and so on."

Depp blinked.

Thirty shows? A month?

"Yes, one month."

Depp was silent for a few seconds, then turned to look at Li Rui.

"Little blacksmith, what about you?"

Li Rui shrugged.

"I haven't asked yet, but it should be less than yours."

The man in the suit took over the conversation.

"Mr. Li has arranged about fifteen events, mainly supporting activities, such as appearing on several major programs with you, plus some independent interviews."

Depp smiled.

"Fifteen games? That's pretty easy."

Li Rui rolled his eyes.

"How about we switch?"

Depp waved his hand.

"No, no, you're not suited for the role of the lead actor."

Li Rui ignored him.

Bruckheimer tapped the table.

"Alright, let's get down to business. Here's the detailed schedule; take a look."

The staff handed over several documents.

Li Rui took it and flipped through it.

Indeed, he has half as many activities as Depp.

It mainly consists of joint interviews with several major programs, plus some magazine interviews and fan meetings.

As for Depp, that page was densely packed with his work, from morning till night.

Depp looked at the chart, his expression growing increasingly bitter.

"New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, London, Paris—am I going to travel the world this month?"

Verbinski smiled.

Why didn't you say that when you were the lead actor?

Depp sighed.

"I wish I hadn't taken this role in the first place."

Bruckheimer ignored him.

"Is there a problem?"

Depp shook his head.

"No problem, it's up to you guys."

Bruckheimer nodded.

"That's settled then. You'll handle the specific coordination with your respective agents. Meeting adjourned."

As they left the conference room, Depp followed Li Rui.

"Little blacksmith, do you really only have fifteen matches?"

Li Rui nodded.

"right."

Depp clicked his tongue twice.

"I wish I had played a supporting role too."

Li Rui glanced at him.

"You're willing to give that up? The lead actor's salary is several times mine."

Depp thought for a moment.

"Let's forget about it."

The two entered the elevator. Depp leaned against the elevator wall, suddenly remembering something.

"By the way, how many games does Kayla have?"

Li Rui was stunned for a moment.

"Kayla? I didn't notice, wasn't she absent today?"

Depp frantically winked at Li Rui.

"Didn't you two have great chemistry on set? What, you don't care anymore after filming?"

Li Rui was speechless.

"That's acting; can it be the same as real life?"

Depp winked.

"Really? But I feel like the way she looks at you is a little different."

The elevator doors opened, and Li Rui stepped out.

"You're overthinking it. It's not like I have to pursue every female character."

Depp followed behind, grinning mischievously.

"OK, OK, I was overthinking it."

On June 9, Li Rui launched his first promotional event – an interview with Entertainment Weekly.

The interview took place in a hotel suite in Beverly Hills.

The reporter was a woman in her thirties, wearing glasses, and looked very professional.

For some reason, all of this made Li Rui subconsciously recall the promotional campaign for Fast & Furious 1.

The reporter first asked a few standard questions.

What was it like filming "Pirates of the Caribbean"?

Li Rui thought about it.

"It was a great experience. The atmosphere on set was fantastic. Jerry is a very experienced producer, and Gore is a very meticulous director. Depp was a great collaborator."

The reporter took notes in his notebook.

"Are you injured?"

"No, Bob Anderson taught very well, and the action scenes were all rehearsed in advance."

The reporter looked up.

"How was working with Keira Knightley? Did you two have any chemistry on set?"

Li Rui remained unfazed.

"She is a professional actress, and we have great chemistry. The role of Elizabeth is very suitable for her."

The reporter asked a few more questions, all of which were routine.

Li Rui's answer was perfectly flawless.

After the interview, the reporter closed his notebook and said with a smile.

"Mr. Li, you are the most cooperative actor I have ever interviewed. You answer every question without any nonsense."

Li Rui smiled to himself, thinking that everyone was just acting, it was just a matter of who could act more realistically. Anyway, you can forget about getting any big news from me.

"Treat professional matters professionally."

On June 10, ABC's "Good Morning America" aired.

Li Rui arrived at the studio half an hour early. The makeup artist was touching up his makeup when Depp sauntered in.

He was wearing a floral shirt today, and his hair was still a mess.

"Good morning, little blacksmith."

Li Rui looked at him in the mirror.

"You didn't sleep again last night?"

Depp yawned.

"I slept, I only slept for three hours."

The makeup artist came over to apply powder to him, and he closed his eyes and let them do as they pleased.

After the show started, the two sat on the sofa. The host was a blonde woman with a bright smile.

"Johnny, tell us about yourself first. How did the character of Captain Jack Sparrow come about?"

Depp leaned back on the sofa and began to talk about his creative process.

"Actually, at first, Jerry and Gore wanted Captain Jack Sparrow to be the traditional pirate, dirty and fierce, wielding a scimitar and hacking people around. But I thought that was too boring. I started to think that a real pirate should be the kind of person who you can never guess what he's thinking. He can be your brother one second and sell you out the next. So I came up with Keith Richards from the Rolling Stones as the example."

The host laughed so hard he almost fell over.

"And where's your gold tooth?"

Depp grinned, revealing his gold teeth.

"I paid for these myself. One piece is 14K gold, one is 18K gold, one is 22K gold, and one is platinum. The dentist said he'd never seen a client like me before."

Li Rui rolled his eyes subtly—this guy was showing off his few broken teeth again!

The host laughed even harder.

She then turned to Li Rui.

"Raphael, anything interesting happened on set?"

Li Rui thought about it.

"Once, during an action scene, my sword flew out of my hand and almost hit the cameraman on the head. Everyone was stunned, but Depp was laughing so hard he couldn't stand up straight."

The host's eyes widened.

"real?"

Depp interrupted.

"Seriously! When that sword flew over, the photographer froze completely, and Raphael even walked over and said seriously, 'Sorry, my hand slipped.'"

The host couldn't help but laugh.

After the recording of the program was completed, the two walked out of the studio.

Depp patted Li Rui on the shoulder.

"Well done, little blacksmith, you've got a knack for telling jokes."

Li Rui shrugged.

"I learned it from you."

Actually, there aren't that many behind-the-scenes stories; it all depends on the celebrities' improvisation and making things up.

On June 11, a fan meeting was held in Los Angeles.