Chapter 567 Return
"He shouldn't have said that on stage."
He was simply stating a fact.
"But this is not a problem with the Oscars. Apart from Best Foreign Language Film, the other Oscar awards are mainly for English-language films."
"Then it would be better to just say that it's mainly aimed at Hollywood movies."
Even so, is there a problem?
"If you just want to create an award that covers American films, that's fine, but haven't you always wanted to achieve a greater global influence than the four major international film festivals?"
During a live television commentary program, a guest and the host got into a heated argument.
Coincidentally, this guest was of Korean descent.
The host is an American.
The Korean man was very sharp-tongued and argued with the host without holding back.
The host quickly retorted, "Don't the four major international film festivals give priority to their own domestic films?"
"At least in the four major international film festivals, Asian films are nominated every year, and not just one! Unlike your Oscars, where only one film appears occasionally!"
...
After watching the video of the argument on her phone, Chen Ziyan put down her phone and said to Lu Yanhe, "Your counterattack against Harvey has sparked quite a bit of discussion."
Lu Yanhe: "That wasn't caused by my retaliation. When Harvey said those things, it was destined to cause this discussion. Even if I hadn't said anything, the Asian Americans living in the United States would have attacked me. I don't live in the United States, nor do I work in Hollywood, so those discriminatory remarks don't really affect me, but it's different for them. Their livelihood depends on the United States, and they certainly don't want to be defined as predators."
Chen Ziyan sighed and said, "I'm worried that with all these things combined, your biggest impression in Hollywood will be that of an Asian. I didn't want you to have such a strong label, but unfortunately, things just didn't go as planned."
“There’s nothing we can do about it,” Lu Yanhe said. “Besides, Sister Ziyan, I am an Asian myself. After the Oscars, I changed my mind. I don’t need to lower my Asian identity—the premise is that they always label us as Asian. It’s not something I can lower just by wanting to.”
"I know, but you should understand what I mean?"
“I understand that if an actor has too many labels attached to them, it will affect my ability to play more types of roles.” Lu Yanhe nodded. “But, as you said, things don’t always go as planned. Too many unexpected things happen, so we can only accept it.”
Chen Ziyan picked up her phone again.
Someone messaged her.
"Yan River".
"Um?"
"Harvey responded on Twitter."
"What did he say in response?" Lu Yanhe felt that Chen Ziyan's voice sounded a bit strange.
Chen Ziyan said, "He said he only meant to make a joke, but you misinterpreted his meaning and pushed the matter into a conflict between blacks and yellows."
Lu Yanhe hesitated for a moment.
The reason I say "paused" is because his whole body actually paused for a moment.
"I really don't know what to say about this."
"Many people accused him of being stubborn and refusing to admit it."
"It is itself."
“But he has a lot of Black fans,” Chen Ziyan said. “They band together and attack you regardless of race.”
“I understand.” Lu Yanhe paused for a moment, then said, “Do you want to respond again on Twitter, or do you think we shouldn’t respond on Twitter?”
“You should respond, but I don’t think you should respond on Twitter,” Chen Ziyan said. “We’re going to the Vanity Fair party soon, where there will be media interviews. I think you should respond to this through the media.”
Lu Yanhe nodded, "That's what I think too."
Chen Ziyan asked, "What are you going to say in response?"
"To be honest, what I want to say most right now is that he is the one who deliberately instigated conflict between black and yellow people." Lu Yanhe sneered, "He's the one who cries 'stop thief' while being the thief himself, he has no shame at all."
Chen Ziyan: "You should be mindful of your words."
“He’s already taking advantage of me, why should I be careful about what I say?”
"What I mean is, don't start swearing," Chen Ziyan instructed.
"Then I certainly wouldn't resort to swearing."
We arrived at our destination and got off the bus.
The sound was overwhelming.
Many celebrities who did not attend the Oscars ceremony also showed up at Vanity Fair's party.
The scene seemed even more lively than the Oscars ceremony.
Lu Yanhe's appearance caused a great stir.
At the entrance, there were many fans. Among them were many people of Asian appearance. Lu Yanhe heard many of them shouting his name.
Lu Yanhe waved his hand, didn't linger, and quickly walked into the entrance.
There is a photo area inside.
There is also an interview area before the photo spots.
As soon as Lu Yanhe entered, he was spotted by the sharp-eyed media, who began calling out his name.
They all seemed afraid that Lu Yanhe wouldn't want to stay in the interview area and would leave immediately.
Tonight, the conflict between Lu Yanhe and Harvey almost overshadowed the award winners, generating a huge amount of buzz.
In this situation, Lu Yanhe suddenly went from being an ordinary award presenter to a "celebrity" who received a lot of media attention.
Sure enough, when Lu Yanhe arrived at the interview area, the question they were most concerned about was Harvey's response on Twitter and whether he had anything to say.
Instead of answering, Lu Yanhe asked, "Do you also believe that I started this conflict?"
No media personnel at the scene responded.
Lu Yanhe smiled.
“From beginning to end, I never brought up skin color. What I was targeting was the way someone else described skin color.” He looked at the camera. “Actually, I’m not the main character tonight, and neither is Harvey. Instead of pinning this on me, he should reflect on himself. Why did he initially point the finger at us Asians for taking away their resources? Doesn’t he think he owes an apology to Asians for those words, and also owes an apology to the entire Black community for speaking on behalf of Black people on the Oscars stage?”
He spread his hands.
"My response on this matter ends here. No matter how he tries to change the subject or downplay the issue, I don't want to engage in any more verbal sparring because it's pointless," Lu Yanhe said. "If you are really interested in this matter, you might as well take my questions and ask Harvey when he will give his answers to these questions."
Lu Yanhe spoke these words in the calmest tone possible.
The media present all showed excitement in their eyes.
Everyone knows that Lu Yanhe's response was tough enough to cause a new uproar.
-
If someone wants to be recognized by people in a circle as quickly as possible, it's not by visiting people door-to-door to introduce themselves, but by becoming the subject of a news story.
That's how Lu Yanhe got to know Hollywood.
If what happened to him during the filming and release of "The Mist" only attracted a lot of attention at the public level.
This time, Lu Yanhe directly displayed his sharp attitude in front of everyone.
-
At the bustling party, some people saw Lu Yanhe and turned away, while others warmly greeted him, expressing their respect and support.
Lu Yanhe did not want to be a so-called "spokesperson," but it seems that many people have placed him in such a position.
If Lu Yanhe were to tell people at this moment that he doesn't want to be a so-called "Asian spokesperson," no one would believe him.
At least, Lu Yanhe saw this in the eyes of many people: You said those things and did those things just to make everyone know you, right?
Such speculation from others left Lu Yanhe speechless, and he could only silently accept this crown.
Jiang Yuqian told Lu Yanhe that many people were asking her about his situation.
“Nuss of people have come up to talk to me before. They’re curious about you, but they don’t want to come to you directly.” Jiang Yuqian shook her head helplessly and rolled her eyes. “It seems that some people are particularly wary of being seen associating with you.”
"Is it because I've already offended a large portion of Black people?" Lu Yanhe said. "Harvey put a very serious label on me."
Jiang Yuqian: "Then you'd better be careful. If Harvey keeps using this hat to incite people to target you, they still have a lot of influence here."
"It doesn't matter, I don't usually stay in Hollywood anyway," Lu Yanhe said calmly.
Jiang Yuqian said, "But you'll still be coming to Hollywood to film movies later, right? I remember you told me that you were planning to make some movies in Hollywood. It would be terrible if Harvey and his forces caused you trouble here."
Lu Yanhe said, "If that's the case, then we can only deal with it as it comes. However, I think that no matter what, this shouldn't be him causing me trouble. He offended me first, and I'm not in the wrong, so why should I be afraid of him?"
Jiang Yuqian nodded: "You're right. On the contrary, we Asians should unite. I was worried that you would be targeted and retaliated against by them, and I forgot that Harvey is the one who should be targeted."
Anger flashed across her face.
"Sister Yuqian, please don't get involved in this matter." Lu Yanhe could tell that Jiang Yuqian wanted to stand with him against the common enemy.
Jiang Yuqian's work is mainly focused overseas now, and Lu Yanhe doesn't want her to be targeted by those people because of this small matter.
It's really unnecessary.
Jiang Yuqian shook her head and said, "No, you reminded me. I know you don't actually need my support, but as an Asian, it would be unreasonable and morally wrong of me not to stand up and express my stance at this time."
She added, "Especially since I was there tonight."
Lu Yanhe understood Jiang Yuqian's meaning.
He nodded.
-
However, Jiang Yuqian and Lu Yanhe clearly underestimated the power of Asian influence in Hollywood.
Although they are only a minority group, their combined strength is considerable.
Moreover, and most importantly, Harvey's statement that yellow-skinned people are competing with black people for survival resources—
This statement provoked public outrage.
The following day, many Asian celebrities took to the media or their social media accounts to lodge strong protests and condemnations of Harvey's remarks.
Several highly respected Asian directors in Hollywood also joined together to send a joint letter to the Oscars, protesting the discriminatory remarks against Asians.
If last night, only Lu Yanhe stood in front of Harvey and his forces' artillery fire, the situation changed dramatically starting the next day.
In particular, major media outlets around the world and the public voices on the internet are expressing support for Lu Yanhe and condemnation of Harvey.
Getting back to the main point, this matter has entered the public sphere and will inevitably be subject to judgment on "who is right and who is wrong".
Lu Yanhe is upright and has nothing to fear, and that is the thing he fears least.
However, Lu Yanhe had to return to China the day after attending the Oscars.
He still has a job in the country.
-
After this incident, Lu Yanhe received many emails from people he wanted to get to know but hadn't yet.
Because there is no chat software like WeChat, Lu Yanhe mainly communicates with his friends abroad through email.
His personal email address is not a secret; if you want to know it, you can basically find out through some mutual friends.
During the time Lu Yanhe was out of contact while flying back to China, not to mention others, the creators of three Chinese-language dramas with a large overseas audience—"The Squid Game," "Friends," and "The Gold Rush"—expressed their support for Lu Yanhe on social media and demanded an apology from Harvey.
Chen Bige, Shang Yongzhou, Ning Xiulian, Wang Zhong, Liu Bige, and other influential Chinese filmmakers who have won awards in the international film industry also spoke out to express their views.
Subsequently, celebrities, directors, and screenwriters from many Asian countries, including South Korea, Japan, Singapore, and Thailand, protested against the discrimination against Asians at this year's Oscars and demanded an apology from Harvey.
When Lu Yanhe arrived in China and got off the plane, Harvey, under pressure, finally apologized on one of his live TV shows.
Of course, his apology made no mention of the attack on Lu Yanhe, only saying that his original intention was not to discriminate against Asians, and that he apologized for the harm caused to Asians.
However, what Harvey probably didn't expect was that Lu Yanhe had a large fan base that had fought many battles overseas.
They saw that Harvey made no mention of apologizing to Lu Yanhe, and instead launched a furious attack in his comment section, making his social media comment section more lively than ever before.
-
"This trip must have been tough," Chen Bige teased Lu Yanhe with a smile after returning to the recording studio.
Lu Yanhe also showed a helpless smile and said, "Who would have thought? I thought it was just going to present an award."
“I must say, you did a great job, you gave us a good talking to.” Chen Bige nodded to Lu Yanhe. “Luckily you were there too, and you shut him down on the spot. This kind of person has a mouth but no brain.”
Lu Yanhe: "I don't know how his team agreed to let him say this on stage."
Chen Bige: "Then you're still not familiar with him. He's done this kind of thing quite a lot. He's a very controversial host and has been criticized a lot."
"Then why did the Oscars invite him?"
“Didn’t you know? Because the host they originally wanted to hire got embroiled in a cheating scandal, they had to find another host at the last minute. There was only a week left until the Oscars, and many hosts refused to take the job, but he did,” Chen Bige said. “I thought you knew.”
"I didn't pay much attention."
As the two were chatting, Shang Yongzhou came over with a thermos.
"Yan He, when did you get back?"
The day before yesterday.
"Things have been quite lively these past few days," Shang Yongzhou said. "Has Harvey been trying to contact you, wanting to make peace?"
"Huh? No." Lu Yanhe shook his head.
"No?" Shang Yongzhou seemed somewhat surprised. "I even had people come to me asking me to mediate for you. But I refused."
Lu Yanhe: "Nobody has ever come to talk to me about this."
“He probably can’t even find a way to contact you,” Chen Bige said directly. “After all, you’ve only made one movie in Hollywood, so not many people know you.”
Lu Yanhe: "No matter who he finds, I will not forgive him until he publicly apologizes to me."
“That’s how it should be. Don’t let those people think you’re easy to bully.” Chen Bige agreed. “Those people in Hollywood are just as bullying and cowardly.”
“They can’t bully me. I’m not an American actor, and I don’t work in Hollywood,” Lu Yanhe said with a smile.
Chen Bige asked, "Is your next Hollywood movie the sequel to 'The Mist'?"
"Yes." Lu Yanhe nodded. "The contract has been signed, but scriptwriting hasn't started yet. The earliest we can start filming is next year."
In fact, according to the schedule of D19, it is indeed scheduled to be filmed in the first half of next year.
What will you be filming this year?
"I'll work on a TV series called 'Chinese Paladin,' and then I'll look at director Liu Bige's film projects. He has a spy drama he's looking for me to direct. If I can't film it this year, I'll direct my own script."
"What other scripts did you write yourself?"
"A youth romance film," Lu Yanhe said with a smile, "You Are the Apple of My Eye."
"Hmm? Is it the same theme as 'Love Letter'?"
“They’re different.” Lu Yanhe shook his head. “One is the regret of unrequited love, and the other is the regret of not being together in the end. They are two completely different emotions.”
Shang Yongzhou: "Then it's not going to work with us."
Chen Bige: "If you want to act in Yan He's script, why don't you just tell him directly?"
Lu Yanhe asked with a smile, "What kind of genre would you like to act in, senior brother?"
Shang Yongzhou looked at Lu Yanhe in surprise: "Are you really going to write one for me?"
“Yes, if you need it,” Lu Yanhe said. “I’ve been writing a lot of commercial film scripts these past two years, and I’d like to rewrite a script like ‘Rouge’ and ‘Raise the Red Lantern’.”
Shang Yongzhou said, "Then write it according to your own ideas."
Lu Yanhe: "I have too many ideas."
Shang Yongzhou: "If you put it that way, the other screenwriters might really want to curse you with voodoo dolls."
Lu Yanhe laughed and said, "Really, senior brother, tell me what kind of subject matter you want to act in, and I'll write it for you."
Shang Yongzhou: "You really think I can just bring it up?"
“Really.” Lu Yanhe nodded.
Shang Yongzhou said, "Actually, I've always wanted to act in a martial arts film. I missed the era when martial arts films were popular, and the scripts I received later were all too ordinary."
Lu Yanhe was stunned, and an expression of disbelief appeared on his face.
"No way?"
"Oh? Really? I'm not lying to you. I haven't received a good martial arts film script yet."
"No, what I meant was, senior brother, didn't you know that I had already written a script for a martial arts film?" Lu Yanhe asked.
Shang Yongzhou was stunned.
Lu Yanhe said, "I wrote the script for 'Dragon Inn,' but I gave it to Liu Bige. He was interested and wanted to film it. Speaking of which... Senior brother, although it is an ensemble martial arts script, I think you will definitely like it. This script is really good, not to brag."
That was his favorite martial arts movie.
Lu Yanhe said, "Let me send you the script first, senior. If there's a role you want to play in the script, I'll ask Liu Bige if he has anyone in mind. If he has, then I'll write another one for you. If he doesn't, that's perfect."
Shang Yongzhou nodded. "Okay."
Chen Bige immediately asked, "Are there any roles suitable for me?"
Lu Yanhe was taken aback, hesitated for a moment, and said, "Well... there is quite a bit, if you don't mind that this isn't a movie with a strong female lead, Sister Bige."
Chen Bige: "I'll forget about other movies, but you're so confident in this script, and you didn't even consider that Shang Yongzhou might refuse, so of course I'm interested."
Lu Yanhe: "Then I'll send it to you together."
-
In fact, after Lu Yanhe handed the script for "Dragon Inn" to Liu Bige, he never took care of it again.
He called Liu Bige, told him about the situation, and asked him about the progress of the project.
Liu Bige frankly stated that he hadn't even had time to push forward with the project.
I was working on the post-production of "After the Fake Death" and then I was busy working on the spy film "Dingfeng No. 1".
Lu Yanhe said, "If both Shang Yongzhou and Chen Bige want to act in it, are you okay with that?"
“If they’re willing to come, why shouldn’t I? Of course I want to cooperate with them,” Liu Bige said.
Lu Yanhe breathed a sigh of relief.
If Liu Bige is willing, that's fine.
Liu Bige: "By the way, He Han told me that your company contacted him? They want to sign him?"
“Yes,” Lu Yanhe said. “We were planning to do some film projects ourselves. You know, we even asked you for recommendations back then, didn’t we?”
“He was quite hesitant. After the film ‘Miss Ning’ was canceled midway through due to a withdrawal of funding, he was disappointed for a long time. Later, he returned to France and worked on film sets there, never thinking of becoming a director again,” Liu Bige said. “If you sign him, will you support him in making movies?”
“Of course, otherwise why would I go through all that trouble to sign him?” Lu Yanhe said. “Big-budget films might not be able to support him, but low-budget films like ‘Miss Ning’ are definitely no problem.”
“He’s really talented, and you’re willing to give him another chance… I don’t know what to say, thank you for remembering him.”
“I almost got the role in ‘Miss Ning’ back then, and I was all ready,” Lu Yanhe said. “So, I know very well how excellent he is.”
"Yes, but it seems like Longyan is blind to it," Liu Bige suddenly said in a cold tone.
Lu Yanhe sighed.
"By the way, regarding the movie 'Dragon Inn,' did Longyan have any objections?"
"Not yet, but I've already told them about the script. They... they're also worried about the martial arts film genre, thinking the box office prospects are poor."
“I really don’t understand their positioning of you. You’re not a commercial film director, so why do they want you to be a commercial film director who sells box office revenue?” Lu Yanhe shook his head.
The box office of the movie "Dragon Inn" may not be very high. At best, it will probably be in the range of 800 million to 1 billion yuan. If it can be made to the same quality as the original work, with such a lineup of writers, directors and actors, this box office is achievable.
However, it is clear that in Longyan's eyes, this box office figure is not commensurate with Liu Bige's.
He had only just finished filming "Late Spring," and "After the Fake Death" hadn't even been released yet.
Liu Bige: "They always think that as long as I'm willing to make some commercially successful films, it's no problem for me to make a billion or two billion in box office revenue."
His tone was helpless.
Perhaps all auteur directors like Liu Bige have to go through such a process.
At the time, Chen Ziyan personally went to negotiate with Mrs. Huang to prevent Longyan from interfering in making "Dingfeng No. 1" into a spy film with a strong commercial style.
In fact, in Lu Yanhe's opinion, Longyan really didn't need to control Liu Bige's filming so much.
It's rare for an auteur director like him, who has won international awards, to have a style that doesn't set a high bar for viewers. He can be both critically acclaimed and commercially successful. For example, "Late Spring" grossed 500 million yuan at the box office. With the addition of overseas and streaming rights revenue, it has brought at least 300 million yuan in revenue to Longyan so far.
Because it won a major award, its copyright revenue will remain substantial in the future.
Liu Bige is definitely a director who can follow this path.
It is precisely this kind of cooperative relationship that can last.
Otherwise, given Liu Bige's current attitude towards Longyan, it seems very likely that they will end their cooperation after the first contract period.
Isn't this a losing proposition?
Lu Yanhe asked, "When can filming for 'Dingfeng No. 1' begin? Is there a rough timeframe?"
"I'm waiting for another actor's reply."
"Hmm? Who?" Lu Yanhe asked curiously.
"Teacher Wen Shengming."
When Lu Yanhe heard the name, he was stunned for a moment, and then he instantly understood why Liu Bige used the word "wait".
He also said that, given the success of Liu Bige's debut film and his leading role, this kind of lineup is something that almost every actor in China would want to join.
There are also those who don't reply promptly and require waiting.
It was him.
Lu Yanhe had never met Wen Shengming, but how could someone in the entertainment industry not know him?
If Lu Yanhe were to use a person as an analogy, the first person that would come to mind is Teacher Chen Daoming.
A big shot who is not that old, yet has already achieved a transcendent status.
Lu Yanhe asked, "Did you invite him to make this movie?"
“Hmm,” Liu Bige said, “The two main characters in this movie are your character and his character, and I don’t know if he’ll be willing to play them.”
Liu Bige sounded a little nervous.
(End of this chapter)
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