Behind The Spotlight Chapter 254
2001. The first year of the new century.
Collin's first job of the year was to help Axel attend parties and make sure he wouldn't get into questionable stuff. He trusted Axel, but he didn't trust other people, especially after hearing countless stories about celebrities destroying their careers because of one reckless night. Shawn Jacob was the best example.
Axel was a good guy and probably the most disciplined man Collin had ever met. He always focused on his priorities and wouldn't falter over other things. Collin had huge respect for Axel. The actor rarely drank alcohol excessively and never touched illegal substances, despite how common they were in Hollywood circles.
After becoming a superstar, a lot of people took an interest in Axel, as expected. Since then, some people had approached Axel for their own benefit. Heck, a talent agent from AAC even invited Axel to change agencies by offering him a better deal. Axel knew that his situation at ANT was great, and he had no intention of leaving. Collin was the only agent he wanted to work with.
December and January were the months when most parties happened, and it was also the best time to meet with members of the Academy. It was the time when many studios celebrated the success of their movies. Networking during these months was important because one conversation could influence future casting opportunities.
Last month, in December 2000, Axel had attended the celebration party for Whiplash. Many people from the industry showed up, and Axel made a great impression on the Academy members.
He also attended the celebration party for Funny Ones, the movie in which Lawrence Terrence starred. The two actors enjoyed the party and talked about many topics, small-time celebrities also gathered around them, as both Axel and Lawrence were superstars.
Of course, Collin was present at these parties, as he wanted to make sure that things would go well. There were times he couldn't attend to his other clients, so he entrusted them to their assistants and managers, making sure none of them would fall for deceit.
Lately, someone had been pestering Princess Chantal to attend frat parties full of Black people. No offense, but Collin advised her to stay away from those kinds of parties, especially if the guests were dancing the Crip Walk.
For those who didn't know, in this era of the early 2000s, if a Black person did the Crip Walk, it meant they were a gang affiliate. Gang members were dangerous people, and Collin didn't want Princess Chantal to mingle with them. He treated her like a younger sister and didn't want her in danger. One wrong association could permanently damage her reputation and public image.
The Crip Walk had a dangerous meaning back then, unlike in the next two decades when most people could dance it freely.
But because Princess Chantal didn't attend these kinds of parties, she was deemed a "fake" Black person who didn't understand the culture. Well, Princess Chantal had grown up in France, and she truly didn't understand Black culture in America.
If it were a formal party, Collin might let Princess Chantal attend. But frat parties had a bad reputation. Furthermore, it was obvious that someone wanted Princess Chantal and Isabella to separate so that no one could protect Princess Chantal.
With that, Collin advised his clients to stay away from questionable parties.
"H- Hey, I saw you standing in the corner. You have no one to talk to. You look lonely, I can fix that."
Suddenly, while Collin was contemplating his clients' situation, a woman in a red dress approached him with a shy face.
Collin stared at the woman. She was probably in her early 20s. She was blushing, staring at Collin with shyness.
'She doesn't have bad intentions. I can sense that she's only interested in me because she took a liking to me.'
The girl simply had a crush on him. Collin was just so handsome that she found him attractive.
Collin smiled.
"I'm alright. I like to spend my time being alone, I prefer it this way."
"I see... Can I at least know your name?"
"I'm Collin East." Collin gave her a business card.
The woman glanced at it and saw that he was from ANT.
"You're an agent from ANT? Isn't ANT one of the best agencies in Hollywood? They have the best celebrities in their lineup. Don't tell me your clients are famous?"
"If you think Axel Gunner is famous, then yes."
"..." The woman was speechless. She didn't expect to meet the agent of a famous actor at the party. Furthermore, the agent was actually more attractive than the actor! That was not how it usually went.
"I'm Alison. I'm an actress and I've starred in a TV show."
"That's good to hear." Collin nodded.
Alison slightly bit her lip...
'Is he gay? A woman is basically throwing herself at him, but he's not reacting at all.'
Hollywood had a lot of gays and lesbians, so it might not have been surprising.
"Um... are you gay, perhaps?"
"I have a girlfriend."
"Oh, haha, my bad." Alison awkwardly smiled and walked away. She realized that she was throwing herself at a man who was already taken.
'I can't help it, he's just that attractive.' Alison had met many handsome actors in the industry, but Collin was one of a kind. It didn't help that Collin was smiling a lot now that he had Lila. He was like sunshine, and it increased his charisma tenfold.
Collin chuckled and shook his head as the woman excused herself. After that short interaction, Collin glanced at Axel, who was talking to Academy members. Collin watched the surroundings and saw some people looking at Axel with clear intentions.
'It seems like there are women who are interested in Axel.'
Collin had heard of many instances where women flirted with Axel, but the actor never entertained them...
Both Collin and Axel had their similarities.
But their reasons were different.
Collin didn't want to interact with women because he wanted to prioritize his career and family over romance. Still, Collin was not against romance, he just let fate make the decision, which led him to be with Lila.
But Axel was different. Collin could see that Axel was tired of romance. He was also afraid of women and falling in love. Axel was done with love and wanted to focus only on his career and his son.
Collin wanted the best for Axel. If his decision was to stay single forever, Collin would respect it. After everything Axel had experienced in his failed marriage, perhaps staying alone truly gave him peace of mind.
[Thank you for reading this novel.]