The Greatest Showman
Chapter 151

Natalie was feeling a bit agitated and found it difficult to calm down and think clearly.

Black Swan had its official world premiere at the Venice Film Festival last week, receiving widespread acclaim from the media—particularly for the two lead actresses, Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis. The distributor, Fox Searchlight Pictures, believed the film had strong potential to earn award season nominations—and even wins—for both actresses, so a preliminary PR strategy was drawn up.

The part involving Natalie had already begun releasing press statements. The articles mentioned that Natalie had spent a year and a half getting into shape, and had dedicated seven months to learning ballet, not just to revive her childhood training, but also to strengthen her technique so she could perform the ballet scenes herself and showcase real ballet skills on screen. Her dedication and hardship were said to mirror the character she played in the film.

The upcoming promotional campaign would revolve around this narrative, emphasising how Natalie “gave everything to the role,” blurring the line between reality and fiction, and that she performed all her scenes herself, aiming to impress audiences with her commitment and acting prowess.

But in reality, professionals in the field knew that true ballet training requires years of accumulation—seven months was far from enough. Natalie’s year and a half of physical preparation was primarily to match the body shape of her ballet double, so that the shots during filming would look consistent. During production, the difficult ballet sequences were handled by a professional double, while Natalie focused on the acting and poses.

It was foreseeable that professionals would question Natalie’s ballet credentials. When that happens, the production team would not only need all the doubles to keep quiet, but also require the entire crew to back Natalie’s version of events. Only then could the award season PR run smoothly.

If it were exposed that most of Natalie’s ballet scenes were performed by a double, the issue wouldn’t just be about dishonesty—it would also destroy the foundation of the film’s publicity strategy, with potentially disastrous consequences.

Benjamin Millepied, the choreographer for Black Swan, was responsible for all the ballet choreography and direction in the film. As the professional consultant leading the corps de ballet* and stunt double teams, his statements carried great weight and could directly and authoritatively validate Natalie’s “professionalism.”

However, during the shoot, Natalie and Benjamin had developed a romantic relationship. If the media found out, Benjamin’s testimony would lose credibility, which could undermine the studio’s entire PR plan for awards season. Of course, even if the relationship was exposed, it wouldn’t be the end of the world—but if it could be avoided, why take the risk?

So, what Natalie was trying to avoid wasn’t just the paparazzi—it was the paparazzi discovering her relationship with Benjamin. According to their plan, they were supposed to meet at the ticket booth fifteen minutes ago and go into the cinema together; under that arrangement, there was no way the paparazzi could catch them. But Benjamin didn’t show up on time, and that’s when things started to go wrong.

“Are you two on a date?”

When Natalie heard that question, her first thought was to go along with it. If she admitted to dating the stranger next to her, she could divert media attention and create a smokescreen.

“Yes,” she replied firmly.

But as soon as she said it, Natalie realised she might have made a mistake. The man beside her clearly wasn’t a gentleman. If he denied it, things would be incredibly awkward. She didn’t know anything about him—whether he’d be willing to play along, whether he’d be willing to pretend to be her boyfriend for a while. Would Benjamin care? What would Fox Searchlight Pictures do about it? How would his agent react?

And what if this guy tried to take advantage of the situation, using her name to stir up publicity? Wouldn’t she be shooting herself in the foot?

As sharp as she was, Natalie immediately realised she had made a mistake. Her feelings had been a bit out of place lately, and on top of that, she had just flown from Venice to Toronto yesterday. The jet lag was affecting her focus, and her judgment had slipped.

Feeling the weight of eyes on her shoulders, Natalie quickly put on a radiant smile.
“If you consider chatting about films with a friend at a film festival a date, then yes, we’re on a date.”
It was a bit of a stretch, but at least she managed to smooth things over. It gave her room to manoeuvre—whether to advance or retreat—and Natalie finally regained some control of the situation.

Renly’s brow arched slightly. He had no idea what Natalie was up to, but judging from her words, it was clear she had other plans in mind—and he was merely a pawn in the game. Still, he had no intention of playing along.

Renly gave Natalie a meaningful look. This Harvard graduate truly lived up to her reputation.
“Renly, is that really the case?”
Cornell clearly wasn’t buying it and threw the question over to Renly.

Natalie looked up at Renly, a hint of warning in her gaze. Renly couldn’t help but chuckle.
“When it comes to a question like this, shouldn’t we always respect the lady’s answer?”
It was a gentlemanly and impeccable reply. Yet his teasing tone and playful eyes made people wonder what he was really implying.

Before Garvin and Cornell could analyse the deeper meaning, a voice called out from nearby:
“Natalie? What are you doing here? I’ve been looking everywhere for you!”

Everyone instinctively turned to look. A tall, elegant man was jogging toward them. His face was filled with concern, slightly breathless. His eyes were fixed solely on Natalie, full of anxious affection. He began explaining eagerly:
“I was waiting for you at another ticket booth and didn’t see you at all. Later, someone told me there are four ticket booths here.”
His English carried a gentle French accent, sounding charming and refined.

Now things had really gotten awkward.

Natalie kept signalling desperately with her eyes. Seeing that Benjamin was about to wrap her in a big hug, she hastily called out,
“Benjamin!”
That finally made him slow his steps.
“Sorry, I ran into two reporter friends here, and we lost track of time.”

The simple sentence carried enough information. Benjamin finally caught on and let his open arms fall back to his sides. Natalie turned to the two reporters, catching a glimpse of the unfamiliar man next to her. Just as she was about to explain, she heard the stranger’s calm, gentlemanly voice:
“I’m very sorry, I have to take my leave now. I’m going to see The Illusionist, and there’s not much time left before it starts.”

His smooth baritone voice rang out like a cello—deep and elegant—but the subtle undertone in his words made Natalie’s left eyelid twitch. Then he added:
“I hope the two of you have a wonderful afternoon.”
Damn him! Natalie silently ground her teeth.
What the hell was that supposed to mean?
He was clearly planting seeds for the reporters to let their imaginations run wild. Her whole plan had just been completely derailed.

Garvin’s pupils narrowed slightly. At first glance, the two sentences Renly had just spoken seemed entirely ordinary—just polite small talk suited for a social setting, courteous and graceful. However, the tone and timing of his words were intriguing—first, he declined to answer the question about the date, leaving the answer entirely to Natalie, as if there was some hidden story behind it; then, as soon as the man who seemed to be French appeared, Renly immediately took his leave. Although his excuse was flawless, the timing was just too coincidental to ignore.

What exactly was Renly hinting at?

Natalie watched the back of the unfamiliar man as he walked away without hesitation. She gritted her teeth silently. She raised her voice, wanting to call out to him, only to realise she didn’t even know his name. The words she intended to speak ground to a sudden halt, almost causing her to bite her own tongue. “I wish you a pleasant afternoon as well.” In that split second, Natalie regained her composure, looked at the two reporters, and said with a cheerful smile, “He’s always like that—utterly obsessed with films. Nothing can get in his way. Our crew is gathering later to watch a movie together. I wanted to extend the invitation, but it seems the answer is already more than obvious.”

Witty and humorous, intelligent and sharp, and with such poise, she casually explained Benjamin’s sudden appearance. In the shortest time possible, she smoothed over the entire situation. Even if not flawless, at least it didn’t worsen the situation.

Something was off. Seriously off. Every pore on Garvin’s body was screaming: something fishy is going on. Especially if they consider Renly’s tone and reaction just now—there was definitely something suspicious going on. Call it overthinking or chasing shadows if you must, but that was simply what his gut told him.

“Tup, tup.” A faint tapping sound came from his arm. Garvin didn’t need to look to know it was Cornell. Cornell must be wondering whether they should follow Renly’s footsteps or stay behind to dig into Natalie’s secrets. In fact, Garvin had originally planned to continue tailing Renly—after all, he was the hot new talent these days—but now, he had changed his mind.

“Is the BlackSwan crew planning to watch a movie together today?” Garvin raised his voice and asked curiously, “Which movie? It must be something really special to get the entire BlackSwan team together.”

Natalie felt things were spiralling out of control. That damn man, he was nothing but trouble!

Renly walked straight toward the ticket booth. He hadn’t lied—he really did intend to watch The Illusionist.

As for Natalie… In his past life, Renly couldn’t remember the exact timeline, but the news of Natalie’s pregnancy had been widely known, and the child’s father was Benjamin. The two even got engaged later. But from those subtle clues just now, it was clear Natalie didn’t want reporters to find out, especially not about her relationship with Benjamin. As an outsider, Renly knew too little to understand the full picture, and frankly, he didn’t care to know. That final little dig? Just a polite return of favour—nothing more.

He checked the time, the screening was beginning in five minutes. Surprisingly, there were still tickets available for the film, which was quite rare during a film festival. Renly bought a ticket and went straight into the theatre, leaving the earlier incident behind him.

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