Chapter 662 Buying time
Darren Wilson had prepared a speech for Lu Yanhe to use in the telephone interview with reporters they arranged later, but Lu Yanhe directly refused.
"Darren, speaking my true feelings is completely different from speaking the words in the manuscript you gave me." Lu Yanhe said, "I will never do the latter."
Darren Wilson could only nod and said with a smile: "You have the final say."
Lu Yanhe has actually always been a little resistant to this kind of telephone interview, especially one where both parties know what is going to be said, because he doesn't want to put on a show.
However, because he had already promised others, no matter what he thought in his heart, Lu Yanhe still praised the movie and Edward Hodgson's performance according to his own feelings about the movie.
At that time, how they will promote this message and spread it to the ears of the target group will be their business.
Darren Wilson picked up Lu Yanhe and went to have dinner together.
He arranged the dinner, and in addition to Edward Hodgson, he also invited Hua Ruzhen and another client of his, a Chinese-American actor born and raised in the United States, Wang Jiaqi.
Wang Jiaqi's makeup is completely European and American style.
Lu Yanhe doesn't quite appreciate this kind of dress, but that's everyone's aesthetic.
Lu Yanhe wouldn't say much.
Wang Jiaqi has a TV series starring her, which is broadcast on AMN TV and has already reached its third season.
If a drama can make it to the third season, it means that it at least has a certain audience.
Darren Wilson's dinner was very clear.
Wang Jiaqi curiously asked Chen Ziyan a few questions about the current situation in China.
Chen Ziyan asked: "Have you been to China?"
Wang Jiaqi shook his head and said, "No, I only heard from my grandparents that they were from Jinkou."
Chen Ziyan: "Oh? That's very close to Yuming."
Darren Wilson said: "Among the Chinese people who grew up in the United States, she speaks Chinese very well."
Wang Jiaqi smiled and lazily played with her hair. "I can only speak, not write. I don't even know a few Chinese characters. The main reason is that my grandparents only speak Chinese."
A few people were talking and laughing.
They started chatting with each other.
Edward Hodgson whispered to Lu Yanhe: "Lu, do you have any film and television projects in Hollywood next?"
"We are in talks," Lu Yanhe said. "We are going to shoot a sequel to The Mist next year, but it may not be filmed in the United States."
Edward Hodgson: "Will the sequel to The Mist start filming next year? Many of my friends are looking forward to this movie. If they know the news, they will definitely be very excited."
Lu Yanhe: "That should be the case, that's right, this is the news I received."
In fact, many actors have a common problem, which is a kind of "accent" that is rarely seen in ordinary people.
This tone does not mean that they think they are superior to others and have an aristocratic tone. Rather, it is a "stage tone". Whether they speak or move, it seems that there is a camera filming them at any time. You can clearly feel a "dramatic sense" that has been sculpted on the stage.
For example, Edward Hodgson has a habit of nodding slightly at the end of his sentence.
In the performance, this is an auxiliary action to emphasize the expression of emotions or tone, but Edward Hodgson seems to use it to express his importance to the person he is talking to, so that the other person has a feeling of "being focused and affirmed".
Lu Yanhe was somewhat surprised.
He was surprised at how sensitive he was to these things now.
But this sensitivity has more or less affected his communication with others now.
After all, everyone has some acting skills. Only when a person is alone will there really be no acting skills at all.
Edward Hodgson said: "I heard from Darren that you are also a screenwriter. The film "Love Letter", which won an award at the Jose-La Roche Film Festival this year, was written by you."
"Yes." Lu Yanhe asked, "Have you read Love Letter?"
Edward Hodgson shook his head and said, "I was busy with the release and promotion of The Office and didn't go to the cinema."
Lu Yanhe nodded.
"I will go and see it later," Edward Hodgson said. "Darren told me that this is a love movie with a lot of oriental philosophy."
Lu Yanhe: "It doesn't matter if you don't watch it."
He smiled and waved his hands.
Edward Hodgson said, "But doesn't Love Letter plan to make a difference this year during the awards season? It has earned more than 8 million in the US box office, which is the best performance among foreign language films, especially Asian films. It also won two trophies at the Jose-La Mancha Film Festival. Darren said that if it is managed and publicized well, Love Letter has a chance."
"That would require me to invest a lot of time and energy in this matter," Lu Yanhe said. "Besides, it may not necessarily lead to any success. Every year, many movies claim to compete in the awards season, but not every good movie is suitable for your American awards season. The movie "The Office" is very good, and it is very suitable for the Oscars, but if it is put into a film festival like the Westwood Film Festival to compete, the evaluation it will definitely not be as high as it would be in the American awards season."
Of course it is easy to distinguish between good movies and bad movies.
But the choice between good movies and great movies is actually more of a choice of aesthetics and preference.
Taking Guoshi as an example, it is obvious which one is better between "Raise the Red Lantern" and "Three Shots Surprise", but what about "Raise the Red Lantern" and "Ju Dou"?
The styles of these two are quite similar.
Let's change to another one, how about Raise the Red Lantern and Coming Home? They are directed by the same director and starred the same actress. Putting aside the honors they won in their respective eras, from the perspective of an audience, can we clearly judge which movie is better?
Not to mention, there are many good movies directed by different directors, with different styles and themes.
Lu Yanhe's words made Edward Hodgson think deeply.
Edward Hodgson's eyes changed as he looked at Lu Yanhe.
-
After dinner, when everyone was leaving, Edward Hodgson and Darren Wilson walked behind and whispered, "Lu Yanhe doesn't seem to agree with Oscar."
Darren Wilson glanced at him and whispered, "He's not working in Hollywood. It's normal that he doesn't regard the Oscar as the highest honor like us. Let alone him. Those who mainly hang out at film festivals don't like the Oscar very much either. They think that the Oscar is just a highly commercialized hamburger. Everyone knows this."
Edward Hodgson: "But hasn't he been in the awards season before? I first knew him because of the movie Paths of Glory."
"Was that his impact?" Darren Wilson said, "That was Midoriya doing PR for him in order to promote the American release of Glory Road. He only came once or twice during that period, and he didn't do PR here like a real competitor."
Edward Hodgson: "I thought he took this side very seriously."
"It's not that he doesn't care. If he didn't care, he wouldn't come here to develop, wouldn't sign an overseas agent with Williams, and wouldn't come to shoot "The Mist" and "The Hurricane 2." Darren Wilson said, "But that's different. If he really values the Hollywood market and really cares more about this, he should have put his focus here after "The Mist." Edward Hodgson asked, "Then why did you recommend him to a movie like "The Hurricane 2"? "
"Edward, he's not here to steal your resources, but the resources he has can give you tremendous support, just like this time," Darren Wilson said. "You can think about it, how many people are there in Hollywood who don't focus on developing in Hollywood but are respected and popular in Hollywood? I'm worried that he might be snatched away at any time."
Edward Hodgson was quite surprised when he heard this.
In fact, Darren Wilson can be said to be an agent who is relatively responsible to his clients.
The clients he manages are basically not in competition with each other, and their types and routes are very different.
Because of this, Darren Wilson often integrates different resources to allow them to access better projects that they may not be able to access at their current stage.
Darren Wilson's support for his client can be seen from Edward Hodgson's actions during this year's awards season.
This is not uncommon in China, but it is not the case in Hollywood.
Because the relationship between agents and artists is often one of employment and cooperation, and, generally speaking, agents are also very detailed. For example, when Edward Hodgson was competing for awards, his agent would not be as meticulous as Darren Wilson, who even used his personal connections to invite Lu Yanhe to endorse him.
Edward Hodgson might not understand, but Lu Yanhe and Chen Ziyan were very clear about Darren Wilson's intentions regarding his actions.
In Edward's opinion, Darren used a lot of his connections to ask another client for help.
However, for Lu Yanhe, Darren's move was also a signal:
Darren is able to do this to his clients.
Today Edward needs Darren to find Lu Yanhe for him.
What if Lu Yanhe needs you one day in the future?
Would Darren help him in the same way?
"The most important thing is, if Edward really gets nominated for an Oscar, you know very well how much of a role Darren played in this process." Chen Ziyan smiled, "Isn't this an opportunity to show his strength? You are so strong, Darren must be worried that you will be poached by others, so he must show his energy and strength in front of you in order to keep you."
"I felt it too. This time around, Darren's attitude towards me seemed a little different."
"He saw the value in you," Chen Ziyan said. "In addition to your value as an actor and screenwriter, you also have value in other aspects, such as the value of standing up for Edward this time. If your support for Edward really helps Edward further open up the awards season, then you should be worried, because such things will come to you one after another in the future."
"But if my words have such an effect, won't others question whether I have affected fairness?"
"That's because you're not in the Hollywood system and don't understand their environment. Why does Hollywood put PR on the table? Because as long as you're really recommending a good movie, you're not telling lies, and everything you do is to get more people to see good movies, there's nothing wrong with the recommendation itself."
Chen Ziyan paused for a moment and continued, "You know, we often talk about fairness, which means eliminating all factors that will affect the process and results, so we talk about keeping things within the boundaries of each other and avoiding suspicion. But during the Oscars season, they care more about the final award result and whether the award is worthy of it. All parties show their talents, and as long as there is no blatant bribery or vote buying, this kind of public relations and operational ability is also taken for granted."
Lu Yanhe nodded.
"There is one more thing. Wang Jiaqi just revealed a piece of news to me. In addition to being in contact with "Doomsday", Chen Pinhe is also in contact with a drama of Maxine. The heroine of this drama has contacted Wang Jiaqi, and they are considering Chen Pinhe for the male lead." Chen Ziyan said.
When Lu Yanhe heard this, he immediately became serious.
"You said before that you were going to eliminate all future projects of Chen Pinhe. So, do you have any ideas about this drama?" Chen Ziyan asked.
"Of course." Lu Yanhe nodded. "We should do it if necessary. Maxine's drama... Why did they go directly to Chen Pinhe instead of Jiang Jun?"
Jiang Jun and Chen Pinhe are of similar age. Generally speaking, Jiang Jun should also be able to play the role that Chen Pinhe is asked to play.
Jiang Jun has become one of the most popular male actors today thanks to "Squid Game".
Chen Ziyan said: "I don't know about this, but it is normal to give priority to Chen Pinhe. He has gained a lot of international attention in his early years. Even if Jiang Jun is popular, he still cannot compare with Chen Pinhe in terms of actor's achievements and status."
"I thought that at least in Maxine's episode, between the two of them, Jiang Jun would definitely be given priority."
Chen Ziyan: "That may not be the case. I need to find out what the situation is with Maxine's drama. Maybe Maxine is only responsible for paying for this drama, and found another company in China to produce it. That company has worked with Chen Pinhe before. Of course, even if they haven't worked together before, it's normal for them to give priority to Chen Pinhe. Now if people are asked to choose between you and Chen Pinhe, they may hesitate, but between him and Jiang Jun...you overestimate Jiang Jun."
Lu Yanhe calmed down.
He realized that he had been a little unrealistic.
His disgust for Chen Pinhe was deeper than he thought, and it even affected his basic judgment.
"Of course, this doesn't mean that Jiang Jun won't be able to rival Chen Pinhe in the next few years," Chen Ziyan said. "At least, in the field of domestic dramas, Jiang Jun's performance in recent years has been at the top."
Jiang Jun is known as the uncrowned king in the circle.
His acting skills are first-rate, but he was never popular and didn’t achieve any results when he was young.
Now, Jiang Jun's fame has soared and he has no shortage of popularity. He was nominated for the Best Actor in a Drama Series at the Golden Globe Awards for his role in "Squid!". His status has soared, and he only needs to win a few more awards to consolidate his position.
Lu Yanhe immediately started to think about it. Indeed, if he relied on himself, he and Chen Pinhe were not on the same track. It would be difficult to target his resources. He still needed an actor like Jiang Jun who could compete with Chen Pinhe in all aspects.
Lu Yanhe cannot act himself, but he can be a director, an investor, and a script writer.
Many scenarios flashed through his mind instantly.
The ones that were a big hit at the box office, won awards, and had great reviews from the audience...
Lu Yanhe himself didn't realize that there was a raging fire in his eyes.
Chen Ziyan asked: "Is there any news from Lu Nei Reese?"
"Not yet." Lu Yanhe regained his composure and shook his head. "It will probably take him some time to read the script. He won't be able to reply to me so soon."
"I heard that Parameter has already gone through Chen Pinhe's contract." Chen Ziyan said, "Chen Pinhe suddenly started to urge Parameter to complete the contract. I guess he must have heard about our arrival."
"Then we have to speed up the progress. If the contract is signed, it will be much more difficult to make Parameter change its mind." Lu Yanhe frowned, "But we can't rush Lu Nei."
"Then find a reason so that Parameter won't rush to sign a contract with Chen Pinhe." Chen Ziyan said, "There is a way. We can take the initiative to contact Parameter and tell them that we have heard about this project. If they haven't decided on the actors yet, we want to talk to them about the possibility of cooperation."
Lu Yanhe was stunned.
"Will this delay the progress of their signing the contract with Chen Pinhe?"
"Yes." Chen Ziyan said, "I am even very confident. Compared with Chen Pinhe, you, a popular actor who just had a movie that grossed over 2 million US dollars worldwide, are definitely attractive to Parameter. No matter who they think is better in the end, they will definitely seriously consider the possibility of you replacing Chen Pinhe. This can buy some time."
Lu Yanhe nodded.
"Okay, let's do it."
(End of this chapter)
