Versatile Superstar: Rise In Hollywood

TV shows premiere were nothing new. Though in the past, only movie premieres would be given importance. 

But as time went by, the TV shows had gotten a lot of following and some of them were even more popular than blockbuster movies. This has been strengthened by the rise of streaming platforms. 

The idea of binge watching a whole series was a great one and unlike shows on television, they don’t have to wait a week for new episodes. Due to this, it had gotten a lot of popularity. 

Even then, there was a lot of difference in premiers. Small series won’t get one as the media won’t be interested until it has gotten a lot of buzz from the audience. Thankfully, [Sherlock of the Shadows] was the opposite of it. 

It was Zetflix main series at the end of the world and they wanted it to be big, so everything was grand. 

Aiden went through interviews with every major magazine in Hollywood with a lot of photoshoots for promotions. The questions were pretty simple. 

Most of them focused on Aiden’s accident on the set, why he signed the project and how he feels to be the lead in a major Zetflix series.

The streaming company mostly used unknown faces in their series, so it was considered as a breakthrough if one managed to land a major role. 

But Aiden’s case was different. 

His popularity was surging every now and then due to multiple projects in different industries. Zetflix was glad to get him on board rather than it being the opposite. 

Aiden just conveyed that in the interview, trying to imply that he wanted to do the series not because of the streaming platform but because of the interesting premise. 

Aside from that, there were also questions related to his mental health.

Apparently, a paparazzi had found out that he was taking psychological help and had leaked it to media companies. 

Aiden tackled it with a sense of humour, “Well, it was a new experience for me. Playing a character who could see ghosts made me paranoid and my personality changed a bit to Finn Wheeler. There were bad things and a few good things — I got the number of a lot of girls because my character is a playboy in nature.”

The answer was met with a chuckle and Aiden just repeated it in all his interviews. After all, it was tough to come up with new answers for the same question. 

It was annoying but something that a celebrity needs to deal with. 

After the interviews ended, Aiden flew to Los Angeles for the premier of his series which was happening in the Chinese theatre, one of the most prestigious halls in Hollywood. 

Zetflix had called several reporters, celebrities and other people for the event. 

It was not like they were doing this because they wanted to make the hype. It was also because they were very confident in the series. 

It was liked by most authoritative figures in the company and hence, they were proudly showing it to the world. 

***

“Damn! There’s so many celebrities here.”

“It’s basically a field day for us.”

“Wow! Who’s that model? She looks gorgeous.”

“Jeremy Hill is here. It looks like the star case is finally appearing.”

“Zetflix is really making an example to show that they are still the number one platform despite others trying to one up them.”

Outside the Chinese theatre, it looked like a mess with so many reporters, celebrities and other people. The lanes were divided in two parts for people to walk in. 

Suddenly, a car came up on the red carpet and Aiden and Wade walked out of it. Tom, who was driving the car, took it towards the parking lot as the media attention turned towards Aiden. 

Like vultures seeing their prey, their eyes shone with a glint as they rushed towards Aiden. It was fair to say that it was a situation that Aiden both loved and hated. 

He felt a bit uncomfortable seeing so many reporters swarming him but he needed to get used to it. 

Unlike other events, the attention was going to be only on him for this one. 

He moved forward as Wade patted his back. 

“Aiden, what are your thoughts about the premier? Do you think it will be able to get good ratings?”

“Zetflix’s other series are flopping left and right. In that environment, do you think your series would hold on?”

“How did you attempt this role? Did you do something special to get into the mindset of your character?”

Aiden answered all these questions one by one, trying to stay calm and only answer one thing at a time.

The tactic worked as reporters keenly listened to his words and a few of them wrote them down even while others were recording with their cameras. 

The problem was that Aiden didn’t know how to get out of here. Everytime, he would try to move forward, a question would come up. 

As he wanted to answer as much he could about the show, he couldn’t just leave. 

It was then that someone approached him. 

“Aiden, there are a lot of people who want to talk to you. Let’s go.”

He turned around to see Ava wearing a red dress. He nodded before waving to the reporters. 

 “I need to go now.”

Saying that, he started walking with Ava. Cameras still followed them but at least he could breath now. 

“Thanks.” Aiden said, looking towards her as she smiled.

“No problem and I did have people to introduce you to. I think you know one of them.”

Ava’s words made him curious as they walked through a crowd of people. A few of them came to talk to Aiden, just congratulating him on the show and introducing themselves. 

‘It’s hard to remember every name I hear but it’s more important to know someone than to not.’

He thought in his mind. 

He had gotten into the habit of making mental notes on every person he meets that looked even a little important. 

“Here they are.”

Ava muttered and Aiden looked ahead, noticing two people that looked like a couple. He recognised one of them. 

“Zavier, it’s been a long time.”

The man was wearing glasses and his hair was dyed white. He was Zavier Lamb with a changed look from the time they have worked on [Black Saints]. 

“It’s really been a while, man. I am hearing a lot about you. I still remember the shooting of [Black Saints]. It has been two years.”

“Yeah, you haven’t directed anything after that, right? I heard you acted as a screenwriter on a movie but nothing apart from that.”

Zavier had taken a long break after a commercial hit [Black Saints]. Aiden had read that a lot of people felt like it was a pity because they considered him the next big commercial blockbuster director. 

But he lost all momentum. 

“Yeah, I got married and wanted to spend more time with my kids.” Zavier said, pointing towards the woman standing next to her. 

She was a blonde woman who looked to be in her mid 30s. Aiden recalled seeing her on the set once or twice.

It looked like they were dating for a long time. 

“Florence Levine. I have watched your performances a lot. You are a good actor.”

Florence said with a fox-like gaze. 

“Thanks.”

He simply said that as Ava talked about how Florence was a director herself and had directed a few movies in the past. Though, Aiden could only nod as he hadn’t watched them. 

Two of them were horror movies and one was directly on streaming platforms. 

After that, both Florence and Ava left to talk to some other people and Aiden couldn’t help but think. 

‘Ava is probably collaborating with her on a movie.’

It was pretty obvious, knowing that Ava was a business minded individual. 

“You have grown a lot since playing Kai.”

Zavier suddenly said, grabbing Aiden’s attention. They were left alone now. 

“Yeah, I’ve been trying something new every time since playing him.” Aiden said, smiling. Kai was his first impactful role and it has stayed with him till now. “Weren’t there sequel plans for it? I remember you discussed it on the set, wanting to show Kai’s origin.”

Zavier nodded at that question.

“I have several ideas written down on it but I got busy in life. Now, I’m trying to pitch a romantic story to a few studios. Granite films still want me to do the sequel but it’s a dark territory. My life’s very happy now. I don’t know if I want to approach it.”

“I can understand that. You should send me your script whenever it’s ready.”

“What? You want to audition for it?”

“I will need to see if the idea works for me. I am going to sign new projects at the end of the year only.”

“I will send you the script in a few days. It’s good to have actors interested in it from the start.”

As a creator, Aiden knew that there was a time for everything and it was important for one to know when was the right time. 

If he would have tried making something like <Morpheus> a few months ago, it wouldn’t have worked because his mentality was completely different than. 

He hadn’t gone through the experience that was necessary to write such a story. 

Although it would be a lie if he said that he didn’t feel disappointment. Kai was a beloved character of his and he wanted to see how he would play him now. 

Especially with the bonus he gets on villain characters. 

‘For now, let’s focus on the premier.’