King of Hollywood
Chapter 423 - 145 Oscar oh Oscar

Chapter 423: Chapter 145 Oscar oh Oscar

With a loud clang, the police burst through the door and quickly took control of the situation—at least it seemed that way. The room was small and felt empty because it was sparsely furnished, with only a table and a laptop on it, and a woman in a tight leather jacket typing at the computer.

"You’re under arrest, ma’am," the leading officer said, shining a flashlight on her back.

The woman obediently stood up and placed her hands behind her head. Another officer took out handcuffs and advanced to handcuff her. However, just as the cuffs touched her wrists, there was a sudden change. With lightning speed, she twisted the officer’s wrist and struck him in the face. Before the other officers could react, she had swiftly knocked them down.

The last officer, seeing this, tried to draw his gun, but the woman kicked a chair at him, hitting him squarely. The final officer barely dodged the first blow, but just as he was getting up, the woman leaped into the air, ready to kick. The scene froze at this moment for several seconds until a voice called out, "Cut!"

The two actors immediately relaxed, the officers straightened up, and the woman was lowered down by wires and began moving around.

"Your hand strike was too soft just now. Do you understand what a ’hand strike’ is? It should be fiercer. Don’t worry about hurting them; you’re not strong enough to do real damage," Yuan Heping immediately went over to the actors and started explaining, despite his still somewhat shaky English. Normally, communication was fine, but when it came to technical terms, he needed a translator, so directing took a lot of effort.

"Come here, Yuan, let’s analyze this again. We’re about to do the first real shot," Adrian’s voice called at this moment.

Yuan Heping nodded, gave a few more explanations, and then joined Adrian, who was talking with a cinematographer, surrounded by several cameras. Needless to say, what they were about to shoot was a 360-degree filming of Trinity’s aerial kick, requiring several high-speed cameras around the scene. This technique, known as "bullet time," wasn’t an original idea from any specific sibling duo; it was greatly influenced by Yuan, who proposed the method of circular shooting—a fact Adrian remembered clearly. So instead of directing the crew as usual, he let Yuan handle it.

"I need to capture Trinity’s kick in 360 degrees within the frame. Do you have any ideas?" he asked Yuan straightforwardly.

Indeed, having been immersed in stunt coordination for many years, Yuan quickly came up with the method, though Adrian had hinted at it during their conversation. The overall concept, however, was proposed by Yuan. Adrian looked skeptical on the surface, but internally, he was delighted, proving his memory correct and that Yuan was indeed a worthwhile investment.

"Alright, let’s start right away," Adrian said after the final exchange between the stunt coordinator and the cinematographer.

Generally, when it came to action and fight scenes, Adrian preferred to leave the reins to Yuan with minimal interference. Coupled with previous contract negotiations, Yuan felt a certain gratefulness, which is why he nearly always took charge personally. It’s worth noting that in the original "The Matrix," Yuan often let his disciple Chen Hu lead the direction, only occasionally offering guidance when in the mood.

"Are you okay?" Adrian soon approached Monica, who was stretching.

"The next scene will have you suspended for longer than before. Are you sure you’re okay?" he asked with concern. "Hanging from wires isn’t easy. If you’re not ready, I can have them wait a few more minutes."

"I’m fine, Ed, this little problem isn’t going to stump me." Monica smiled slightly, knowing that when Adrian said he would do something, he meant it. She was also aware that their relationship was basically common knowledge among the cast, but she still wanted to show her effort as much as possible, regardless of what others said behind closed doors.

"Really?" Adrian asked for confirmation.

"Really." Monica nodded her head. Although it was just a few words, she still felt comforted inside.

"Well then, let’s get started, but don’t push yourself too hard." Adrian patted her shoulder and his fingers subtly traced her neck before he cockily raised his eyebrows. It was a covert tease that went unnoticed by others, which was rather stylish, wasn’t it? As for Monica’s rolling eyes, he simply ignored them.

Just three days into shooting, Adrian was already certain that casting Monica as the female lead was an extremely correct decision. Her short hair and tight leather outfit brought a unique sexiness. The prime of a woman’s allure had not yet passed for her—the provocatively prominent curves remained perfectly maintained. Coupled with her modeling career that lent her an icy beauty, she was nearly perfect. If she could only appear a bit tougher, it would be even better.

However, this wasn’t a big issue, as these qualities could be changed. Monica had played too many fragile, victimized roles in his memory, but Trinity was a dexterous and strong-willed woman, which was why he initially thought she was unsuitable. Now, because of him, Monica had played Mia in "Pulp Fiction," the gangster’s mistress who was no mere pushover.

Despite some flaws, Monica still performed quite adequately, and her subsequent roles were also those of independently spirited women, so she had a solid foundation. With a little bit of tuning and once she became accustomed to the role, handling it would be no problem.

The 360-degree aerial kick scene was soon underway. Since everyone had little experience with this type of filming, Adrian knew the process and some of the details but had never tried it himself, thus it took about ten tries to get it right. Monica had to be hoisted into the air over and over again and after more than ten times, Adrian finally declared the shot perfect. She was then helped to a chair and immediately collapsed.

Seeing this, the remainder of the shots had to wait until Monica recovered, which might take a while, and they had already wasted too much time on this scene. It was nearly time to wrap up for the day. Luckily, besides Monica’s scenes, there were a few minor shots of others, so Adrian quickly announced to make the best of the remaining time and finish some simple additional shots.

For instance, during the scene where the police break through the door, the agents were already outside. When the team leader told them everything was under control, they informed him, "Your men are already dead."

"Cold, unfeeling, just following the orders of the matrix. Smith is somewhat different, but that’s not for now, so no need to show it," Adrian patted Hugo Weaving’s shoulder as he spoke.

After much consideration, he still chose him to play the role of Agent Smith, considering he had other plans for the movie and couldn’t find a replacement at that time, it made sense to start using him now to make things easier later.

"No problem." Weaving nodded, adjusted his costume, and walked to the set to begin.

The soon-to-be highly acclaimed and somewhat overrated "The Matrix" had thus begun its quiet shooting. It didn’t attract much attention, partly because the crew did a good job keeping things under wraps, and the public was still fervently debating "Eyes Wide Shut." However, the most significant reason was that the Oscar ceremony, set for March 24, was looming.

The noisy crowd, the long red carpet, the various flashes and clicks, the dazzling male and female guests—these were ever-present at the Oscars, and Adrian was no exception as he made his appearance there. He could have chosen not to attend, but refusing to attend to showcase his uniqueness wasn’t an option for others, but not for him. After all, his status was undeniable, and he was more than just a director, a screenwriter, or a producer; he neither could nor needed to act otherwise.

Even though there weren’t any major nominations this year, there were still two minor nominations—"Saving Private Ryan" for Best Original Screenplay and "The English Patient" for Best Adapted Screenplay.

Although he only provided the initial draft for "Saving Private Ryan," Spielberg insisted on adding his name, thus earning him a share of the nomination for Best Original Screenplay. Similarly, "The English Patient," although completed by several editors, was primarily based on his initial overall concept, leading to his name being added and consequently his share in the nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay.

After learning about these nominations, Adrian simply shrugged his shoulders. Had he not insisted on not signing off on the screenplay for "Jerry Maguire," he might now have another nomination for Best Original Screenplay. However, this was not entirely a good thing, as in the West, although there’s no dictum that "abnormal success breeds monsters," when one person has too much, the criticisms tend to increase. It’s good to be in the spotlight, but only to an appropriate extent.

Indeed, after the nomination list was announced, some journalists raised doubts. Over the years, nearly every award cycle featured screenplays Adrian had a hand in, many of which were bestsellers. Despite his clear talent, wasn’t this a bit too much? Hence, one journalist hinted that perhaps the Miracle Director included his name intentionally to maintain his reputation.

But because "Eyes Wide Shut" premiered soon after and stirred substantial debate, coupled with the subtlety of the article’s hints, and since Adrian had a good reputation for not hesitating to credit other screenwriters, often putting them first, it hardly mattered to anyone.

Whether it was some people’s deliberate doing or that journalist wanting to make a splash didn’t make much impact, and Adrian took note of some neglected aspects; he wasn’t particularly bothered, simply instructing to keep a watch discreetly.

As expected, as soon as he stepped onto the red carpet, numerous microphones neatly reached him at once. Questions about "Eyes Wide Shut" and the various controversies it sparked followed, still ongoing. Adrian was somewhat frustrated; he’d spoken about everything he could in previous interviews, but these fellows still seemed desperate to extract some sensational news.

Of course, this irritation passed quickly. Journalists live off such things; but whether to cooperate was up to him.

"I think Tom and Ralph both have a good chance. As the one who recommended them for these films, I’m familiar with their performances, both of which are outstanding. As for who will win, it’s all about luck. Regarding Best Director, Steven is very likely, from any perspective, ’Saving Private Ryan’ is an exceptional movie," Adrian adeptly steered each media inquiry back to the awards ceremony, whether smoothly or forcefully, and he turned a deaf ear to their reminders, leaving the journalists a bit helpless.

This question was easily resolved, but another issue wasn’t so easy to handle.

"What do you think I should do, Dan?" Near the entrance of the Temple Grand Theater, Adrian clapped Dennis on the shoulder and asked.

"Don’t ask me, Ed, I’m already troubled enough," Dennis replied, his face troubled, unable to perk himself up even in front of so many journalists.

No wonder, since just at the end of last month, a prolonged scandalous battle had finally concluded. Winona, through a spokesperson, publicly announced her breakup with Dennis. Considering this news still topped entertainment reports amid the unabated arguments over "Eyes Wide Shut," it underscored just how attention-grabbing the news was.

Interestingly, while Winona was quite high-profile, she didn’t speak ill of Dennis. She only expressed that despite the countless wonderful moments with Dennis, she no longer wanted to continue this way. Consequently, most people began to sympathize with Winona. Even when Depp was asked about it, he darkened and sighed, not answering but not as dismissive as he used to be.

The rumors of this love triangle spawned countless versions, so much so that Dennis’s team was still managing his public image. Fortunately, his reputation had always been good, making the situation not too challenging.

"How could it get any worse, at least Jenny is still by your side," Adrian shook his head.

"I haven’t seen Jenny in a while, I think it’s better for us to cool off for now," Dennis shrugged.

"Oh, come on, you know Jenny has done enough for you," Adrian couldn’t help but shake his head again.

As far as he knew, the main reason for Winona’s breakup was that Aniston, with tears in her eyes confronted Dennis in front of Winona, demanding to know why after all she had done for him, she was treated this way, and what had Winona ever done for him?

Sounds like a soap opera, doesn’t it? Adrian admitted that it was largely his own speculation based on Dennis’s vague responses, but sometimes life is just like a soap opera. Speaking of which, Aniston’s behavior was indeed surprising, what on Earth attracted her to Dennis so desperately? But then again, Dennis, that idiot, forgot all he had been taught. If it were him, he would’ve had them eating out of his hand long ago.

"Alright, alright, since you’re not helping, I’ll just pick someone at random," Adrian sighed, then smirked mischievously. "But as a punishment, the leading role I had set aside for you will go to someone else."

"What?" Dennis stared in astonishment as Adrian laughed heartily and walked towards his target.

It was neither Rachel Weisz, nominated for Best Actress, nor Sophie Marceau, nominated for Best Supporting Actress for the second time, nor Kate Blanchett, nominated for Best Supporting Actress for the first time, and definitely not Julia Roberts or Gwyneth Paltrow, who attended the awards ceremony. It was... a 12-year-old girl, Scarlett Johansson, who had successfully played Blanchett’s daughter in "Jerry Maguire."

"Hey, Scarlett, you look really pretty," Adrian complimented as he approached the girl, drawing away the disappointed gazes that had focused on him.

This was the second problem, he had about seven women at the Oscar belonging to him, though there might be more in the future, now was now and later was later. So when he appeared, the women all instinctively focused their gazes on him, hardly intending to enter the Grand Theater, standing still, wanting to see whom he would talk to first—only Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise had already gone inside.

It’s boring, isn’t it? You’d think they had seen enough of him chatting intimately with other women on TV broadcasts, but sometimes women are irrational, accepting many things by default, knowing there’s no point in comparing, yet still wanting to see who he would talk to first. Even Rachel and Sophie, a bit scared and wanting to avoid him, had their eyes inadvertently darting his way.

Of course, Adrian could also choose to just walk in, but then... that was a tough choice, like choosing whom to spend the holidays with. Although they are just minor nuisances, if left unattended, they could turn into major headaches.

Their actions were quite discreet, but still, some people familiar with Adrian noticed. Before entering, Nicholas Cage seriously tapped Adrian on the shoulder: "You need to hurry up, Ed, there’s not enough time for you to think."

At the time, they were discussing the filming of "Con Air," among other things when he suddenly interjected with that remark, which seemed out of the blue to anyone else, but Adrian got the joke.

Actually, he wasn’t without options. He had already considered this earlier. Since "Jerry Maguire" was one of the favorites to win awards, and since Scarlett had played a memorable role in it, walking the red carpet with her and chatting for a bit before going in together wouldn’t raise any eyebrows. Asking Dennis about it was just a way to buy time. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qi Dian (qidian.com) to vote, your support is my greatest motivation.)