…..
[Few Days Later]
…..
As a few weeks passed, the final production house which will produce [The Hangover] was decided.
Obviously, it was the Red Studio that has stayed persistent till the end despite Regal's outrageous terms.
Nevertheless, once everything was settled, the pre-production was completed with the help of Red Studio and things fell in place eventually.
….
"You seriously dragged me all the way here just to play some throwaway character?" Ross barked, scowling as he stepped onto the lot.
Regal barely looked up. "Why are you acting so grumpy now? We are literally on set. If you didn't want to do it, you could have just said no from the start… dude."
"I did say no, you little brat."
"Brat this, brat that …always the same." Regal muttered, then turned to face him fully. "It's two days of shooting, okay? Two. Or maybe a few more extra… I don't know. And come on, it's fun having you around. Just do what I say, get through it, and I will give you a role in every movie I make from now on. Deal?"
"...." Ross just stared.
Regal rolled his eyes. "Also …it's day one. Don't kill the vibe before we even roll the first shot."
Honestly, Regal was probably the only person in the world who could get away with saying Ross was fun to have on set.
Ross groaned, dragging a hand across his face. "Ugh… I swear I am this close to flipping this whole place upside down."
Then his eyes narrowed. "And who the hell is that idiot? He has been staring at you, and everyone else, for the past hour. He is seriously pissing me off."
Regal turned around, casually.
Of course. It was him.
The same guy who had followed him when he met the first Hangover guy.
And then again with the second.
Why was he here now?
Well… not stalking. Not exactly.
At this point, it was basically official. Regal had let him tag along.
He had even stopped pretending to be annoyed by it.
There were reasons for that… however ridiculous they might sound.
Regal just exhaled and muttered. "What doesn't piss you off, Ross? Pretty sure everything does."
"Anyway…." He waved him off and handed over the scene sheet. "Here. You have got five minutes. Then we roll the camera. First shot of the film - don't mess it up."
The script page in Ross's hand read: Interior. Suburban Dining Room – Night.
The opening scene of [The Hangover].
Ross was playing - Sid Garner - a doctor, and Doug's future father-in-law. It's a small role, technically, but every time Sid shows up, it adds weight. He is not just filler - he is part of the pressure cooker that kicks off the entire chain of chaos.
Ross glanced at the group across the soundstage - the main cast. One noted face. Three fresh faces. Young. Raw. Nervous.
He arched his brow.
"Me? Mess it up?" He scoffed. "Try telling that to the four strays you picked up off the street. Do they even know how to act?"
Regal didn't even look at him this time. His eyes were already locked on something else, off-camera, locked on the four men standing near the set lighting, stretching and reviewing lines.
"Well." Regal said simply, lips curving into a smirk. "We are about to find out."
Then, raising his voice, he called out to them. "All the best, guys. Show this man here what you have got, okay?"
He looked almost proud, and the moment held for a beat. It looked good. The cast he pulled together - four very different energies, but somehow it fit.
Ross, hearing that, cast another glance at the four men.
His eyes were ruthlessly cold - so sharp it could have sliced the heat off the lights.
To him no matter how he looked …they didn't look anything special.
Maybe except for one?
"Hey - don't try to scare them." Regal said casually, reading Ross's silence. "They have got to act too, you know. Your performance depends on theirs."
"My performance depends on me alone." Ross said sharply. "And don't tell me what to do again ….or I swear I will make sure to bury to under ten feets today."
Regal raised a brow, half-amused, half-daring. "Noted."
As the two continued their standoff.
The four people are obviously the main cast of [The Hangover].
Zach Galifianakis. Paul Rudd. Ben Azelart.
…And - somehow - Keanu Reeves.
Also… Yep. That Paul.
The same one from Ant-Man.
Regal had no doubts.
If he didn't fit as one of the Hangover guys… then no one did.
He was the same barista Regal had met that day - thanks to that guy.
How did he manage to get him on board with the project?
Simple.
"Need makes a naked man run."
That old saying held true.
Paul was playing Dr. Stuart 'Stu' Price - the anxious, straight-laced dentist with the nightmare girlfriend. The man who would wake up missing a tooth and married to a stripper. Paul Rudd had that nervous energy down to a science.
Zach, on the other hand, was born to be - Alan Garner - Doug's socially oblivious brother-in-law-to-be. He would be the one who accidentally roofied the group, setting the entire chaotic spiral into motion.
Then there was - Ben Azelart.
The last one to join.
Regal remembered clearly - Ben was the first actor he ever auditioned for [Following]. Back then, his acting grade had been a disaster.
[Acting Grade:] E⁺
But during his film [Death Note] changed that.
Somehow, between the madness of that film and Regal's and his brutal practice, Ben had clawed his way to a C.
Now, four months later?
He was a B+
Regal blinked when he saw the report. That wasn't just improvement. That was hunger. Determination. He hadn't even noticed it happening - until it had.
….
[Name:] Ben Azelart
[Traits:] Cheerful, Resilient
[Acting Grade:] C → B+
….
The role had been the last one left to cast. Regal had held off on it, undecided.
And then Ben walked in for a separate audition, without a word, without ego - just this strange energy.
Regal had understood immediately: Ben wanted this. He wasn't coasting. He was chasing it, and with everything he had.
So Regal let the audition roll. No bias. No favoritism. Just the work.
And Ben earned it. Regal had been fair with his judgment.
Sure, there were others who might have matched Ben Azelart's performance level. But just acting talent wasn't what Regal was after - not anymore.
Not in a project like [The Hangover]. He needed someone who could gel with anyone. Someone with a positive attitude, resilient under pressure, able to handle chaos without falling apart.
Ben fit that profile exactly.
He was someone Regal was sure wouldn't cause trouble down the line - and in this kind of production, that mattered almost as much as skill.
Still, none of those things would have saved him if the acting hadn't backed it all up. But it did. And that is what made the decision easy.
Ben would be playing - Doug Billings - the poor groom who goes missing after getting left on the hotel roof all night. Ironic, really. The entire film revolves around him, yet he is absent for most of it.
And then there was Keanu playing - Phil Wenneck - the true lead.
The smooth-talking schoolteacher, confident, street-smart, the guy who takes charge when everything falls apart. A husband, a father, a man who saw the Vegas trip as an escape valve for a life that had gotten too tame.
The story of how Keanu ended up in this film? That was a long one. A very long one. But for now, it wasn't the focus.
What was important - were the reactions. The four of them. Their first moment together on set.
The cameras weren't rolling yet, but the energy was thick enough to taste.
They were holding the scene papers.
Quiet. Focused.
But the silence wasn't because of the scene - it was because of the argument exploding right in front of them.
Regal and Ross.
Even off script, it was a performance that demanded attention.
No matter how much they tried, the four actors couldn't ignore it.
Each of them reacted differently.
Zach Galifianakis and Paul Rudd looked visibly uncomfortable. Shifting weight. Avoiding eye contact. Nervously glancing at the crew.
Ben Azelart looked… completely laid back. Like he was watching a mildly interesting rehearsal.
Keanu Reeves? Calm. Collected. But there was a flicker of concern in his eyes, the way he subtly tracked every word being thrown.
What surprised the actors more wasn't just the shouting - it was the reaction of the crew.
Or rather, the lack of one.
All around the set, no one moved to intervene. Not a single step forward. No one tried to mediate. No nervous glances between departments. Just… nothing.
And it wasn't fear. That was the strangest part.
They simply didn't care.
Sound engineers adjusted cables. Makeup artists dabbed cheeks and powdered brows. Camera assistants checked angles and lens flares. At most, someone might glance toward the yelling for a few seconds… maybe shrug… then go right back to work.
Like it was nothing. Like a daily occurrence.
It was bizarre.
There was a full-blown argument unraveling, between the director and the most influential name on the cast list, and not a single crewmember was stepping in.
Zach and Paul exchanged looks, visibly rattled.
Wasn't someone supposed to stop this?
Was this... normal?
Apparently - yes.
"Don't worry too much, guys." Ben finally said, stepping in with a slight grin. "It is pretty normal. They are just talking. Loudly. But still …talking."
He didn't blame them for misunderstanding. Not one bit.
He has been right there himself, back during the [Death Note] filming. Hell, that had been even worse.
And now that Regal hadn't changed much of his non-acting crew, most of these people had already lived through similar on-set firestorms. Which explained the chill, almost zen-like reactions.
"I know Regal said he was close with Mr. Ross." Keanu murmured, eyes still on the pair. "But I wasn't expecting this."
Zach and Paul still looked like they weren't quite sure if they should step forward …or back away slowly.
Ben just shrugged, like someone who'd already made peace with this brand of madness.
"Welcome to the Regal set…" He said under his breath.
He said it so cheerfully, so casually, that it earned a reluctant chuckle from Zach.
Zach, naturally more high-strung, kept glancing at Regal and Ross like they might explode again at any second.
He rubbed the back of his neck, half-laughing, half-wincing.
"Man, I thought I had awkward family reunions. This is like… next level Thanksgiving dinner."
Paul chimed in, his voice a touch nervous but trying to keep it light.
"Y-Yeah, uh, is there like a fire drill plan if this turns into a full on brawl?" He joked, motioning vaguely toward the exits.
Ben laughed out loud at that, not even pretending to hide his amusement.
Keanu shook his head slightly, a warm chuckle escaping him. Despite the earlier tension, he looked… fine. Relaxed. Like someone who had seen enough backstage insanity in his life to know when to worry and when to let it roll off.
Zach still looked a little rattled but was starting to loosen up, tapping the side of his scene paper like a nervous drummer.
"You know what?" Zach finally said, looking around at the calm crew, the unfazed Ben, the unbothered Keanu. "I am not even gonna pretend anymore. If nobody else thinks it's weird, then screw it. I am adapting."
"Good choice, man." Ben said, grinning as he clapped Zach lightly on the back. "Adaptation is key. Also… Regal likes people who can roll with the punches. Literally."
"Noted." Paul muttered, dryly. "Rolling is my new skill set."
The tension in their little corner finally cracked, replaced by a low ripple of laughter among the four of them.
A small, important shift - their first real bonding moment as a group.
In the distance, Regal barked a few sharp orders to the crew, Ross threw a grumpy look toward the cameras, and the prep for the first take resumed like nothing unusual had happened.
Keanu straightened up, smoothing his shirt, and gave a small nod to the others.
"Showtime…." He said simply.
….
.
[To be continued…]
★─────⇌•★•⇋─────★
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