Adam in Real World and Harry Potter(Showbiz/OC/HP/Hollywood)

Chapter 19:

.....

-May 1, 1996

From the moment his name appeared in the newspapers as the new Beaver Cleaver, Adam White's life became a whirlwind.

The congratulatory calls wouldn't stop.... not just from friends, family, or acquaintances in New Jersey, but also from several of his relatives in Britain, who seemed almost more excited than he was about his rising success in Hollywood. Apparently, news of him landing the role of Beaver had even spread there.

And now, with the premiere of Bogus approaching, he was facing something he hadn't thought too much about: promoting the film..... you know, interviews, press junkets, and media appearances.

Just months ago, Adam had been a completely unknown kid. Now, he had to sit in front of cameras, talk to journalists, and answer questions about his experience in the film.

That was how the film industry worked. It wasn't enough to just act well.... you also had to sell the movie.

And with all the media buzz surrounding Leave It to Beaver, the Bogus team was more than happy to take advantage of his newfound little fame.

Of course, Adam already knew this was part of the business. Every movie, no matter how big or small, required promotion to ensure audiences knew about it before its release.

But what did surprise him was that..... even though he was a brand-new child actor, they still wanted him to do some pre-release interviews.

Especially now that his casting as Beaver had been everywhere, making his name practically free publicity for Bogus.

Naturally, it wouldn't be anything like what Whoopi Goldberg or Gérard Depardieu were doing. They were the real stars of the film, carrying the bulk of the promotional weight.

But his role as Albert Franklin was significant to the story, and the recent headlines had given him a certain media relevance.

Because of that, the PR team arranged a modest but well-planned schedule of interviews and appearances for Adam, ensuring that his face and name would start becoming familiar to the public.... while also capitalizing on the buzz around Leave It to Beaver.

...

That morning… Adam woke up early in his hotel, where he was staying with his brother and tutor, Andrew, and his manager, Estelle Gable.

After a quick breakfast and a short rundown of possible interview questions with Estelle, he hopped into a car with them and headed to the television studio.

"How are you feeling?" Andrew asked, flipping through a folder with the interview schedule.

"I'm fine," Adam replied casually.

The truth was, he wasn't nervous.

Nop, not at all.

Why would he be?

He'd spent months acting in front of cameras every day, improvising dialogue, slipping into character effortlessly.

How hard could a live interview possibly be?

Yup. A live interview couldn't be harder than that.

Though, most of the actual work.... if not all.... was done by his Perfect Acting skill. But if he ever felt the need, he still had Natural Occlumency to fall back on.

So yeah, nothing could really go wrong.

Andrew gave him a skeptical look.

"Not even a little nervous? Seriously?" he asked, feigning disbelief as he continued skimming through the schedule.

Adam smirked.

"Maybe a tiny bit, but nothing crazy," he admitted.

Andrew nodded with exaggerated seriousness.

"Good. Because if you mess up, I'm going to make fun of you for the rest of your life."

Andrew, as always, never missed an opportunity to tease him.

Adam let out a sarcastic laugh.

"Wow, such inspiring support," he shot back, earning a soft chuckle from Estelle.

She had seen the two brothers bicker and argue countless times, but no matter what, they always ended up laughing it off or acting like nothing happened.

"Well, I think if Adam survived filming with Whoopi Goldberg and Gérard Depardieu, then a simple interview shouldn't be a problem, right?"

"Yup," Adam nodded, flashing a confident grin.

Estelle let out a light laugh and gave him a small pat on the shoulder.

"That's the right attitude. Just remember to relax, be yourself, and answer naturally. No need for long speeches.... just interesting little stories. Relax, have fun, and let your natural charm do the rest."

....

Shortly after, Adam was backstage at the television studio, mentally prepared.

He had done several interviews with newspapers and magazines over the past few days, but this would be his first live television appearance.

A production assistant approached and gestured toward him.

"It's time. Follow me, Adam."

Taking a deep breath, Adam stood up and followed the assistant down a hallway until they reached the show's recording set. Ahead, the bright studio lights illuminated the stage, and the host.... a poised woman with a warm smile.... was waiting eagerly.

"Today, we have a young talent who is about to make his big-screen debut!" she announced with enthusiasm. "He plays Albert Franklin in Bogus, alongside Whoopi Goldberg and Gérard Depardieu, and he was recently cast as the new Beaver Cleaver in the upcoming Leave It to Beaver movie. Please welcome Adam White!"

The audience clapped politely as Adam walked onto the stage with a relaxed smile, greeting them with a small nod.

"Welcome, Adam, it's a pleasure to have you here"

"Thank you for having me"

The interview started with the basics.

"Tell us, how has this experience been for you? Bogus is your first film, right?"

Adam nodded, knowing he had to strike the right balance... sounding excited but not arrogant.

"Yes, it's my first movie, and honestly, it's been an incredible experience. I never imagined I'd be doing something like this, but it's been both fun and challenging. Everyone on set was really kind to me, and working with Whoopi Goldberg and Gérard Depardieu was amazing. I learned so much from them"

The host smiled, clearly delighted with his response.

"That sounds fascinating! Was there a scene you particularly enjoyed?"

Adam smirked slightly.

"Yeah, quite a few, actually, but I especially enjoyed learning a few magic tricks for some scenes"

The host raised an eyebrow with interest.

"Oh, did you have to learn magic for the film?"

"Yes, we had to do, um… The most common one I learned was this one..."

Adam pulled a quarter from his pocket.

"With a quarter, and it goes like this..."

He held the coin between his thumb and index finger, then used his other hand to pretend to grab it. His fingers moved as if taking the coin, but in reality, he had palmed it in his original hand.

Then, he opened the second hand..... the coin was gone.

"I'm impressed… haha, I'm impressed, that's wonderful!"

Adam smiled, stepping closer to the host with a playful expression.

"Oh, wait… seems like it was in your ear all along"

With a swift motion, as if by magic, he pulled the coin from behind her ear. He made it look effortless, synchronizing the movement of his hands with his gaze toward his "empty" hand.

The audience applauded enthusiastically.

"I've been had… That's very good!" the host laughed. "I absolutely didn't see that coming!"

"Thank you," Adam replied with a charming smile.

"And did you have to learn that for the movie, or did you already know how to do it?"

"It was for a scene… well, this trick, at least. But then I got a little carried away heh, and learned a few more.... like this one...."

Without missing a beat, Adam started pulling coins out of nowhere..... his ears, the air, seemingly materializing them out of thin air with fluid precision.

For his first trick, he had already hidden several coins in one hand, discreetly gripping them between his fingers.

Then, he pretended to grab a coin from the air and made it appear between his fingers... so fast and smoothly that it looked magical as he repeated the action, producing multiple coins in rapid succession.

"Wow, looks like we've got a real magician! You'll have to teach me that trick later"

"A magician never reveals his secrets," Adam joked. He had always wanted to say that. The funniest part? Soon enough, he would be a real magician... well, once he got his wand. And only in the wizard world as Draco... But hey, that counted too.

...

The interview continued with questions about how he got the role, what filming in New Jersey and Canada was like, and what he hoped to do in the future.

As the segment neared its end, the host had one final question.

"Well, Adam, before we wrap up... can you tell us anything the audience can expect from Bogus?"

Adam thought for a moment before smirking mischievously.

"Bien sûr, je peux dire plusieurs choses, en fait…"

The host blinked, momentarily taken aback by his perfect French.

"Just in case you didn't understand I said that 'Sure, I can tell many things' " Adam teased her a little. "But I'll just say that there's a scene with Whoopi Goldberg where something… unexpected happens. I can't say more, but I think it'll make people laugh"

The host chuckled.

"That sounds like a subtle spoiler!"

"Well… just a little" Adam shrugged.

The audience and host laughed.

"I must admit, you surprised me earlier... so I see you learned some French? For the film?"

"Err… actually, I had learned a bit before the film. Oh and that was one of the reasons I decided to audition. I kinda just heard that the character spoke French, and I thought, 'Oh, this is my chance!' But it turned out it wasn't really necessary… At least it was useful for something!"

The host and audience laughed again as the segment wrapped up, and Adam felt satisfied. So far, everything had gone perfectly.

"You are definitely destined for great things, Adam" the host smiled. "It's been an absolute pleasure having you here today. I'm sure people are going to love Bogus when it hits theaters"

"Thank you very much! I hope they enjoy it"

"Don't forget... Bogus will be in theaters soon!" the host announced before signing off.

...

As Adam stepped off the set, Estelle and Andrew were waiting for him, both looking pleased.

Andrew spoke first.

"Well, little brother, you didn't trip, you didn't say anything embarrassing… Soooo, I think you officially survived your first live interview"

Adam snorted.

"Survived? I think I nailed it"

Estelle nodded in approval.

"More than nailed it. You were charming, natural, and even managed to surprise them by pulling off not one, but two magic tricks live. That's definitely going to help a lot in connecting with the audience"

As they walked toward the studio exit, Adam noticed a few crew members glancing at him with curious smiles.

It wasn't many people…

But it was the first time he felt what it was like to be recognized in the real world.

And yup, this was just the fucking beginning.