Chapter 662 Buying Time

Darren Wilson had prepared a speech for Lu Yanhe, which they planned to use in a later telephone interview with reporters, but Lu Yanhe refused it outright.

“Darren, there’s a completely different nature to me saying what I truly feel, compared to just reading from a script you gave me,” Lu Yanhe said. “I would never do the latter kind of work.”

Darren Wilson could only nod and say with a smile, "It's up to you."

Lu Yanhe has always been somewhat resistant to these kinds of phone interviews, especially those where both parties know what they're going to say, because he doesn't want to put on a show.

However, since he had already promised someone, regardless of what he really thought, Lu Yanhe still praised the film and Edward Hodgson's performance based on his own feelings about it.

How they then promote this message and spread it to their target audience is up to them.

Darren Wilson picked up Lu Yanhe and they went out for dinner together.

He arranged dinner, and in addition to Edward Hodgson, he also invited Hua Ruzhen, as well as another of his clients, a Chinese-American actress named Wang Jiaqi.

Wang Jiaqi's makeup is completely Western style.

Lu Yanhe didn't particularly appreciate this style of dressing, but it's a matter of personal taste.

Lu Yanhe wouldn't say much.

Wang Jiaqi has a drama series starring her that airs on AMN TV and has already reached its third season.

A show that can reach its third season means it has at least a certain audience.

Darren Wilson's dinner arrangements were crystal clear—

Wang Jiaqi asked Chen Ziyan a few questions about the current situation in China out of curiosity.

Chen Ziyan asked, "Have you ever been to China?"

Wang Jiaqi shook her head and said, "No, I've only heard my grandparents say that they are from Jinkou."

Chen Ziyan: "Oh? That's very close to Yuming."

Darren Wilson said, "Among Chinese Americans who grew up in the United States, her Chinese is among the best."

Wang Jiaqi smiled and lazily fiddled with her hair. "I can only speak it, not write it. I don't even know many Chinese characters. It's mainly because my grandparents can only speak Chinese."

The group chatted and laughed.

They started chatting.

Edward Hodgson whispered to Lu Yanhe, "Lu, do you have any film or television projects in Hollywood coming up?"

“We are in talks,” Lu Yanhe said. “We’re going to film a sequel to ‘The Mist’ next year, but it probably won’t be filmed in the United States.”

Edward Hodgson: "Will the sequel to The Mist start filming next year? I have a lot of friends who are looking forward to this movie, and they will be very excited if they know this news."

Lu Yanhe: "That should be correct. That's the information I received."

Many actors share a common problem: a kind of "pretentiousness" rarely seen in ordinary people.

This tone doesn't mean they consider themselves superior or have an aristocratic air. Rather, it's a "stage mannerism." Whether they speak or act, it's as if a camera is always filming them, and you can clearly feel a "dramatic" quality that has been crafted for the stage.

For example, Edward Hodgson had a habit of often nodding slightly at the end of a sentence.

In performances, this is an auxiliary action to amplify emotional or tonal expressions. However, Edward Hodgson seems to use it to express his high regard for the person he is talking to, thereby giving the other person a feeling of being "focused on and affirmed."

Lu Yanhe was somewhat surprised.

He was surprised at his own sensitivity to these things.

However, this keenness has somewhat affected his communication with people now.

After all, everyone has some degree of acting involved. Only when a person is alone can they truly be completely free of any acting.

Edward Hodgson said, "I heard from Darren that you are also a screenwriter, and that you wrote the screenplay for 'Love Letter,' which won an award at the Jose Film Festival this year."

“Yes,” Lu Yanhe asked, “Have you read ‘Love Letter’?”

Edward Hodgson shook his head and said, "I've been busy with the release and promotion of 'The Office' and haven't been to the cinema."

Lu Yanhe nodded.

“I’ll watch it later,” Edward Hodgson said. “Darren told me that it’s a love story with a lot of Eastern philosophical ideas.”

Lu Yanhe: "Actually, it doesn't matter if you don't watch it."

He smiled and waved his hand.

Edward Hodgson said, "But doesn't Love Letter plan to make a splash in awards season this year? It grossed over eight million dollars in the US, which is the best performance among foreign films, especially Asian films. It also won two awards at the Jose Film Festival. Darren said that if it is managed and publicized well, Love Letter is not without a chance."

“That would require me to invest a lot of time and energy in doing this,” Lu Yanhe said. “Moreover, there’s no guarantee of success. Every year, countless films claim they’re aiming for the awards season, but not every good film is suited to the American awards season. The film ‘The Office’ is excellent, and it’s very much in line with the Oscars’ tastes, but if you put it in a film festival like the Citour Film Festival, it certainly wouldn’t receive the same level of acclaim as it would during the American awards season.”

It's easy to distinguish between good movies and bad movies.

However, the difference between good movies is more about aesthetics and personal preferences.

Take the director as an example. It's obvious which is better between "Raise the Red Lantern" and "A Simple Noodle Story". But what about "Raise the Red Lantern" and "Ju Dou"?

These two works are quite similar in style.

What about "Raise the Red Lantern" and "Coming Home"? They have the same director and the same leading actress. Putting aside the accolades they received in their respective historical contexts, can we clearly determine which film is better from a purely audience perspective?

Not to mention, there are great movies from different directors, with different styles and themes.

Lu Yanhe's words made Edward Hodgson thoughtful.

Edward Hodgson's gaze toward Lu Yanhe then changed.

-

As dinner ended and everyone was leaving, Edward Hodgson walked behind Darren Wilson and whispered, "Lu Yanhe doesn't seem to approve of the Oscars."

Darren Wilson glanced at him and whispered, "He doesn't work in Hollywood, so it's normal that he doesn't see the Oscars as the highest honor like we do. Not to mention him, even those who mainly work at film festivals don't really care about the Oscars. They think the Oscars are just a highly commercialized hamburger. Everyone knows that."

Edward Hodgson: "But didn't he also compete in awards season before? I first knew him from the movie 'Path of Glory'."

"Was that his attack?" Darren Wilson said. "It was Green Valley's initiative to do public relations for him in order to promote the US release of 'Path of Glory'. He only came once or twice during that period and did not do public relations here like a real competitor."

Edward Hodgson: "I thought he valued this place a lot."

“It’s not that he didn’t value it. If he didn’t value it, he wouldn’t have come here to develop his career, he wouldn’t have signed Williams’ overseas agency, and he wouldn’t have come to film ‘The Mist’ and ‘Hurricane 2’,” Darren Wilson said. “But it’s different. If he really values ​​the Hollywood market and really values ​​this place more, he should have shifted his focus here after ‘The Mist’.”

Edward Hodgson asked, "Then why would you recommend him for a movie like 'Hurricane 2'?"

“Edward, he’s not here to take your resources, but the resources he has can provide you with tremendous support, just like this time,” Darren Wilson said. “You can think about it, in Hollywood, how many people are there like him who don’t focus on developing their careers in Hollywood, but are still respected and sought after by Hollywood? I’m worried that he might be taken away from us at any time.”

Edward Hodgson was quite surprised to hear this.

In fact, Darren Wilson can be considered a relatively responsible broker to his clients.

The clients he leads are basically not competitors with each other; their types and approaches are very different.

This is why Darren Wilson often integrates different resources to give them access to better projects that they might not have been able to access at that stage.

Darren Wilson's actions during Edward Hodgson's awards season this year demonstrate the extent of his support for his clients.

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 agents usually have very specific roles. For example, when Edward Hodgson was vying for an award, his agent wouldn't be as meticulous as Darren Wilson, who even used his personal connections to get Lu Yanhe to support him.

Edward Hodgson may not understand, but Lu Yanhe and Chen Ziyan are very clear about Darren Wilson's intentions.

Edward believed that Darren had used a great deal of personal influence to get help from another of his clients.

However, for Lu Yanhe, Darren's move also sent a signal:

Darren is capable of doing this for his clients.

Edward needs it today, and Darren can find Lu Yanhe for him.

What if Lu Yanhe needs it someday in the future?

Would Darren help him in the same way?

“Most importantly, if Edward does get an Oscar nomination in the end, you know very well how much Darren played a role in the process.” Chen Ziyan smiled. “Isn’t this also an opportunity for him to demonstrate his strength? Your momentum is 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 also sensed it. Darren’s attitude towards me seems a little different this time.”

“He saw your value,” Chen Ziyan said. “Besides your value as an actor and screenwriter, there are other values, such as the value of supporting Edward this time. If your support for Edward really helps him further open up the awards season, then you should worry that similar requests will come to you one after another in the future.”

"But if my words have such an effect, won't others question whether I've compromised fairness?"

"That's because you're not in the Hollywood system and don't understand their environment. Why does Hollywood put public relations on the table? Because as long as you're genuinely recommending a good movie, you're not lying, and everything you do is to get more people to see the good movie, there's nothing wrong with the recommendation itself."

Chen Ziyan paused for a moment, then continued, "You know, we often talk about fairness, which means eliminating all factors that might affect the process and the outcome. That's why we talk about avoiding suspicion and being complicit. But during the Oscars season, they care more about whether the final award results are worthy of the award. Everyone uses their own methods, and as long as there's no overt bribery or vote-buying, such public relations and operational capabilities are taken for granted."

Lu Yanhe nodded.

“There’s something else. Wang Jiaqi just told me that besides being in talks with ‘Destruction Day,’ Chen Pinhe is also in talks with Maxine for a drama. The female lead for this drama has contacted Wang Jiaqi, and they are considering Chen Pinhe for the male lead,” Chen Ziyan said.

Upon hearing this, Lu Yanhe immediately became serious.

"You said before that you planned to cut off all of Chen Pinhe's projects in the future. Do you have any ideas about this drama?" Chen Ziyan asked.

“Of course.” Lu Yanhe nodded. “We should snipe when necessary. Maxine’s drama… why did they go directly to Chen Pinhe instead of Jiang Jun?”

Jiang Jun and Chen Pinhe are about the same age. Generally speaking, if Chen Pinhe is asked to play a role, Jiang Jun should also be able to play it.

Jiang Jun, thanks to "The Squid Game", has become one of the most popular male actors today.

Chen Ziyan said, "I don't know about that, but it's normal to prioritize Chen Pinhe. He gained a lot of international recognition in his early years. Even if Jiang Jun becomes famous, in terms of acting achievements and status, he still can't compare with Chen Pinhe."

"I thought that, at least for Maxine's series, between the two of them, Jiang Jun would definitely be the first choice."

Chen Ziyan: "That's not necessarily true. I need to find out more about the situation with Maxine's drama. Maybe Maxine only provided the funding 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 perfectly normal for them to prioritize Chen Pinhe. If you were asked to choose between you and Chen Pinhe, people might hesitate, but between him and Jiang Jun... you've overestimated Jiang Jun."

Lu Yanhe calmed down.

He realized that he had been a bit unrealistic just now.

His dislike 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 achieve the same level of strength as Chen Pinhe in the next few years," Chen Ziyan said. "At least in the realm of domestic dramas, Jiang Jun's achievements in recent years have been top-notch."

Jiang Jun is known in the industry as the "uncrowned king".

She has superb acting skills, but she wasn't famous before and didn't achieve much during her younger years.

Now, Jiang Jun's fame has soared, he has no shortage of popularity, and he has been nominated for Best Actor in a Drama Series at the Golden Globe Awards for "The Squid Game". His status has risen, and he only needs to win a few more awards to solidify his position.

Lu Yanhe immediately began to calculate. Indeed, if he relied on himself, he and Chen Pinhe were not on the same track. It would be difficult to target Chen Pinhe's resources. He needed an actor like Jiang Jun who could compete head-on with Chen Pinhe in every aspect.

Lu Yanhe himself may not be able to act, but he can be a director, an investor, and a screenwriter.

Many scripts flashed through his mind in an instant.

It's a box office hit, it wins awards, and it has received excellent audience reviews...

Lu Yanhe himself was unaware that a raging fire was burning in his eyes.

Chen Ziyan asked, "Any news from Lune Ries?"

"Not yet." Lu Yanhe regained his composure and shook his head. "He probably needs time to read the script, so he can't give me a reply so quickly."

“I heard that Parameter is already working on Chen Pinhe’s performance contract,” Chen Ziyan said. “Chen Pinhe has suddenly started urging Parameter to complete the contract process. I guess he must have heard about our arrival.”

“Then we need to speed things up. If the contract is signed, it will be much harder to get Parameter to change his mind than it is now.” Lu Yanhe frowned. “But we can’t push Lu Nei either.”

“Then let’s find a reason to make Parameter not rush to sign a contract with Chen Pinhe,” Chen Ziyan said. “There is a way. We can take the initiative to contact Parameter directly and tell them that we have heard about this project and that if they have not yet cast any actors, we would like to talk to them about the possibility of cooperation.”

Lu Yanhe was taken aback.

"Will this delay their contract signing process with Chen Pinhe?"

“Yes,” Chen Ziyan said. “I’m even very confident. Compared to Chen Pinhe, you, a rising star who just had a film that grossed over $200 million worldwide, are definitely attractive to Parameter. No matter who they ultimately think is better, they will seriously consider the possibility of you replacing Chen Pinhe, which can buy them some time.”

Lu Yanhe nodded.

"Okay, let's do it that way."

(End of this chapter)