Chapter 733 I hate the feeling of fighting alone.
For American entertainment media, Lu Yanhe is a very special figure.
Where should I begin?
In fact, the arrogance and conceit of the United States in all aspects has been pointed out by many people, and even they themselves do not deny it.
Now, you can often see them on some programs openly admitting this and attributing it to "this is because we have the best talent and the highest level of industrial expertise."
The reality is that while they are arrogant, they do have the "capital" to be arrogant. This is certainly unpleasant.
At first, Lu Yanhe's appearance was like an unexpected gift to them.
This is similar to when "Slumdog Millionaire" swept the Oscars, and the male lead also had a period of great success. However, as time went by, he ultimately failed to truly break into the mainstream of Hollywood.
Lu Yanhe, however, has demonstrated a consistency that is rare and uncommon among actors who "don't work in Hollywood" over the years.
Even Marion Cotillard, an Oscar-winning actress, has somewhat "disappeared" from Hollywood in the past two years because she doesn't often film there, focusing instead on making films from her own country. Not to mention the other actors.
Since the box office success of "The Mist" brought Lu Yanhe widespread attention, the popularity of several works such as "Friends" and "The 17th Floor" on streaming platforms, and the impact of several films such as "Love Letter" in the film industry, have kept him in the public eye, or at least in the eyes of Hollywood.
For Hollywood, the resources that Lu Yanhe obtained in Hollywood were incredibly "good".
Another cameo in *Hurricane 2*, and another unbelievable cameo in a guest film. And then there's Midoriya's fantasy epic, *Godless*. And *The Mist 2*, which just finished filming.
As an Asian actor, Lu Yanhe's ability to secure so many top-tier film opportunities in Hollywood in such a short period of time is remarkable.
But he's also a screenwriter, he has his own production company, and he can collaborate with so many film companies on projects.
He barely went through the typical actor's development period in Hollywood; he entered the real "power circle" directly through his scripts.
Although, at present, his power is not taken seriously by those at the top power level.
Regardless, Lu Yanhe has achieved a level that few others can reach, at such an age, as a foreigner.
How many people can create a sensation in Hollywood?
Lu Yanhe had previously served as an Oscar presenter twice, which already demonstrated his influence in the mainstream Hollywood circle.
Or, setting aside his influence, he has at least reached a point where others cannot ignore his presence.
This time, Lu Yanhe is finally bringing a work to the awards season.
For many people, this moment feels like a natural progression.
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Tom Wayne has always been a fan of Lu Yanhe.
Lu Yanhe's rapid rise to fame in the American media and film industries owes much to his efforts.
He was the first American film critic to discover Lu Yanhe, a Chinese actor, and also the first to write reviews of Lu Yanhe's films, performances, and even his career.
Even many of his peers said he had lost his objectivity.
Tom Wayne retorted directly: Don't you guys have any favorite actors?
No one can deny that.
No film critic can say they don't have a favorite actor.
Objectiveness is certainly important in their line of work, but if they didn't truly love it, how could they persevere in doing it?
If you truly love something, how could you not have a preference for it?
Tom Wayne had actually seen the movie "Tropical Rainy Season" twice in Seatour.
The first time was to attend the premiere, and the second time he bought a ticket to see it himself.
While watching the film, Tom Wayne was once again impressed by Lu Yanhe's ability to create a character.
According to Tom Wayne, Lu Yanhe's acting style actually combines elements of both method acting and experiential acting.
This time, Tom Wayne not only attended the New York premiere of "Tropical Rainy Season" by himself, but he also brought several of his colleagues and friends.
Upon arriving at the scene, a friend exclaimed in surprise, "Is this still New York? How come half the people here are Asian?"
There were indeed many Asians present.
Tom Wayne said, "It's an Asian film, there's nothing strange about having a lot of Asians."
“Well, I’m just a little out of sorts,” my friend said. “I’ve never seen so many Asians in one place before.”
“Now you see,” the other person laughed. “Lu Yanhe is now a leading figure among Asian American filmmakers. Wherever he is, there will be many Asian Americans. You’ll have to get used to it.”
Tom Wayne frowned.
The implication in his two friends' words made him somewhat uncomfortable.
He didn't know if they had any malicious intent, but what they subconsciously reflected in their words was actually a slight prejudice against Asians.
Of course, no one will admit it.
This is especially true for media professionals like them.
In the current public opinion environment, no one is allowed to openly make "discriminatory" remarks.
Tom White had not noticed this tendency in them before.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have brought them to the premiere.
Tom White originally hoped that they would watch the movie seriously, and perhaps it would move them and make them willing to support Lu Yanhe.
Yes, I have a preference.
Knowing that Lu Yanhe is aiming for awards season this year, Tom White hopes to offer him some assistance.
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"Filming for Death Stranding won't start until December."
Another Chinese actor client of Darren Wilson, Wang Jiaqi, who filmed the sequel to "The Mist" with Lu Yanhe, also came today.
She smiled as she answered others' inquiries about her next project, adding, "I didn't know you knew Lu Yanhe too."
“I met him at a party last year.” Olivia Tuman, who won the Academy Award for Best Actress, was wearing a simple black dress and chatting with Wang Jiaqi. She had just received a new Academy Award nomination for Best Actress last year. “He is a very nice young man.”
Just then, Lu Yanhe appeared.
He walked over to them and greeted them warmly.
For Lu Yanhe, Olivia Tuman, though not as dazzling as Nicole Kidman or Emma Stone, possesses acting talent and industry recognition that rivals Olivia Colman, who won the Academy Award for Best Actress for "The Favourite," and Helen Mirren, who won the same award for "The Queen." Even if she isn't a superstar, she will never be considered "outdated."
(On a side note, you can see from the changes in Olivia Colman's acting career after winning the Oscar that this shows why the Oscars are so important in Europe and America. After winning the award, her acting career seemed to be blessed. In her fifties, and not being a conventionally beautiful actress, she not only starred in one art film after another with great directors, but also landed important supporting roles in a series of blockbusters such as "Wonka" and "Barbie". These were resources that she basically could not access before winning the award.)
In this industry, there is a group of actors who are the backbone. They don't engage in any celebrity management, but their fame as actors, as well as the reputation and fans they have accumulated over many years of acting careers, ensure that they never lack roles, and one project after another comes to them.
Although many of their works are not the so-called big-budget or mainstream productions, this does not mean that these works are unknown to anyone. They can still receive a lot of attention and even good feedback.
Just like "Secret Meeting" starring Ralph Fiennes, who would have thought that such a movie would gross more than $100 million worldwide?
Lu Yanhe greatly admires and idolizes this type of actor.
However, this time Olivia Tuman was not actually invited by Lu Yanhe, but by Midoriya.
Midoriya is currently preparing for the film "Godless" and is in talks with Olivia Tuman about starring in it.
Like Lu Yanhe, a big-budget film series like "Godless" requires many big names.
Even big stars need top-tier commercial blockbusters like "Godless".
Fame and influence are always an actor's weapons.
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"Schmidt Lowry even invited Olivia Tuman, it seems he really wants to help Lu Yanhe with public relations for this year's Oscars."
"But isn't it too early? The situation is still unclear, and Lu Yanhe may not even be able to get any good performances at the outpost."
"Then you are underestimating the influence of the Sea Tour Film Festival on the Oscars over the years. In the last five years, more than half of the films that won awards at the Sea Tour Film Festival have performed very well during the North American awards season, and the same is true for the Oscar results."
"Of all the film festivals in the world, the only ones that can consistently influence the North American awards season, besides the Seatour Film Festival, are the Sundance Film Festival in the United States. Other film festivals, at most, only affect the Best Foreign Language Film category, including Jose and others, unless the winning film is an American film."
...
At the premiere, many people started discussing the Oscar situation this year, using Lu Yanhe's potential Oscar nomination as a starting point.
Lu Yanhe heard quite a bit about it.
This kind of atmosphere is common at various public relations events during awards season.
Everyone is talking about movies, this year's competitors, who deserves the award, and what the current state of the film industry is like.
Most importantly, everyone knows that such discussions are essential and necessary.
Previously, Weinstein successfully lobbied for Gwyneth Paltrow, creating the most famous "water queen" in Oscar history.
In recent years, Kate Winslet, Cate Blanchett, and others have publicly supported Andrea Reisborough for "To Leslie," which resulted in her being nominated for the Oscar for Best Actress at the last minute, causing a "surprise" scandal.
Fortunately, neither the unrecognized "water queen" nor the "parachute nomination" ultimately brought them better career development.
This can be considered a stroke of luck amidst misfortune.
However, it is undeniable that if filmmakers who have influence over academy members publicly endorse or support someone, it can have a significant impact on the final outcome.
In the annual public relations battle, it's actually difficult to watch all the nominated films, prioritize which ones to watch, and give priority to whom. If an influential person stands up and says "XXX is worth it," anyone would pay more attention to that person and prioritize watching their work.
That's why Olivia Tuman's appearance at the premiere of the movie "Tropical Rain" sparked so much discussion.
-
The premiere of "Tropical Rainy Season" began amidst such heated discussions.
No matter how much noise there is, in the end, dust returns to dust, and the film will speak for itself.
No matter how much others praise a movie, if it doesn't move you, it won't make you vote for it.
If someone you admire tells you a movie is good, you go to see it with great enthusiasm, but after watching it, you find it's just so-so, you'll only feel disappointed, not "Although I don't like it, I still want to support it."
Under normal circumstances, such thoughts would not arise.
-
Lu Yanhe sat in the audience, once again returning to the humid and sweltering world of "Tropical Rainy Season".
Several months later, watching the movie again, Lu Yanhe felt inexplicably nervous at this moment.
The tension this time stemmed from the fear that his performance in the film might not be as good as he seemed.
He hadn't expected to react this way.
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Will Lu Yanhe be nominated for Best Actor or Best Supporting Actor?
Meanwhile, someone was also asking Zebi Doyle of Parameter about this issue.
In the eyes of many in Hollywood, Zebi Doyle and Lu Yanhe have a very close relationship.
Therefore, this person clearly believes that Zebi Doyle knows Lu Yanhe's plans.
Zebi Doyle shook his head and said, "I don't know what Lu Yanhe is thinking."
The person who came to inquire about Zeby Doyle was Uber Clark, a very famous figure in Hollywood. He was a child star who successfully transitioned to acting and starred in a very influential American TV series called "Lost in New York," where he gained immense popularity.
His performance in "Traces of Pain" this year was a huge hit at the Sundance Film Festival, and his performance in it is considered a strong contender for this year's Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.
So far, he and Lu Yanhe are the most popular contenders for Best Supporting Actor.
Of course, the public relations battle hasn't officially started yet; everyone is just accumulating public relations resources.
Uber Clark is now paying attention to Lu Yanhe because Lu Yanhe might not be nominated for Best Supporting Actor, but instead for Best Actor.
If he were to be nominated for Best Actor, he would lose a strong competitor, making him more likely to win Best Supporting Actor this year.
Zeby Doyle clearly knew what Uber Clark was thinking.
He said, "Uber, nobody knows what Lu Yanhe and his team are thinking right now. They've done a great job keeping it a secret. Even his agent, Darren Wilson, doesn't know, let alone me."
Uber Clark: "It would have been great if he had nominated for Best Actor."
“It depends on what his plans are,” Zebi Doyle said. “Perhaps you could try talking to him.”
"I don't know him."
“The premiere of ‘Tropical Rainy Season’ is in New York, and he’s in New York. You can ask him to meet up,” Zebi Doyle said. “Besides being an actor, he’s also a screenwriter, so you have a perfectly legitimate reason to ask him to meet up.”
Uber Clark: "You mean you want me to communicate with him directly?"
“He’s a person who likes to communicate directly. If you’re hoping he’ll nominate you for Best Actor and not compete with you for Best Supporting Actor,” Zeby Doyle said bluntly, “While I can understand your thinking, I don’t think Lu Yanhe will accept that. I’m not saying he won’t nominate for Best Actor, but he definitely won’t make that deal with you.”
“What if I win Best Supporting Actor this year and agree to star in a movie he wrote, and you also produce it?” Uber Clark asked.
Zebi Doyle finally got serious at this moment.
Uber Clark said, "Zebi, we should have continued to work together a long time ago on 'Beach Murder,' which we collaborated on five years ago and grossed over $200 million worldwide."
At that moment, Zeby Doyle's phone buzzed.
He picked up his phone and glanced at it.
"The New York premiere of 'Tropical Rainy Season' is over, and the first batch of media reviews are out."
"Hmm?" Upon hearing this, Uber Clark immediately took out his phone.
Both of them started flipping through the pages.
The Washington Post: "Tropical Rainy Season is sure to be the hottest film of this year's awards season. Before watching the film, everyone's focus was on Lu Yanhe, but both the real protagonist of the film, Huang Feng, who plays the little boy, and Qin Shulan, who plays the mother, are hard to ignore."
The New Yorker: "Although we already knew that Lu Yanhe had won the Best Actor award at the Seatour Film Festival for this film, and we came to see it with high expectations, Lu Yanhe's performance still did not disappoint us. Beneath the image of an impulsive, irritable, and emotionally expressive teenager, his deep gaze conveyed a more complex and confused inner world. Even after achieving fame, he was still able to return to his roots and become a teenager who seemed to have never stepped into the entertainment industry before. Undoubtedly, he delivered a performance worthy of an Oscar."
...
Following its New York premiere, the American media overwhelmingly praised "Tropical Rainy Season".
Among them, the performances of Lu Yanhe, Huang Feng, and Qin Shulan received a lot of attention.
Of course, the most attention is focused on Lu Yanhe. For the American film industry, the most important person in this film is not director Huang Tianlin, but actor Lu Yanhe.
Because of the early rumors that Lu Yanhe's performance in this film was one of the top contenders for this year's Oscars, it was because of the connection to the Oscars that so many American media outlets wanted to learn about this film as soon as possible.
If we simply say that this movie is very good, to be honest, not many media outlets would be that interested.
-
Zeby Doyle shrugged at Uber Clark.
“It seems that Lu Yanhe is really on a roll this year,” Zebi Doyle said to Uber Clark. “We’ll see which award he submits for.”
-
The positive reviews from the media after the New York premiere of "Tropical Rainy Season" were as expected.
Unexpectedly, Huang Feng and Qin Shulan also attracted attention as a result. Although, in Lu Yanhe's view, they did indeed deserve attention.
This incident also affected the categories of awards he applied for.
"Huang Feng's performance in the film has received a lot of praise. If you were to apply for the Best Actor award, other competitors might use that as a point to attack you."
His public relations manager, Helena Monchi, a very famous public relations manager in Hollywood, explained to Lu Yanhe in the presence of Schmidt Lowry and others.
"Unless Midoriya uses the same public relations resources to deal with Huang Feng."
Schmidt Lowry shook his head and refused outright.
"The amount of money required to do public relations for Lu Yanhe alone is different from that required to do public relations for two other people."
Helena Monchi: "Then your point of attack comes out. Because you are a well-known actress, you have taken away all the PR resources of the distributor. Huang Feng and Qin Shulan, who also gave excellent performances, did not receive the attention they deserved. In Hollywood today, the 'bullying' of half the actors by A-list stars is a very high-profile topic and a huge black mark."
Schmidt Laurie, however, disagreed with Helena Monchi's statement.
"The media only praised Huang Feng and Qin Shulan's performances. With so many performances receiving praise every year, are they all truly valued during awards season?"
“What I’m trying to say is that as this matter progresses and the public relations battle intensifies, Lu Yanhe’s competitors will definitely use this incident to their advantage and smear him. In the current public opinion environment, no one will vote for someone who sacrifices the interests of others and reaps all the benefits for himself,” Helena Monchi said. “What we need to consider now is what’s more important. Lu Yanhe has a very good chance of winning an award this year, given the momentum he’s generated.”
Helena Monchi said to Lu Yanhe, "I suggest you give up Best Actor and apply for Best Supporting Actor instead. Only in this way will your application category not conflict with Huang Feng's, avoiding the problem I just mentioned. Otherwise, if the two leading men end up with the one with less screen time getting a nomination while someone who also performed very well doesn't, that would be your most fatal flaw this year."
Lu Yanhe understood what Helena Monchi meant.
He asked Schmidt Lowry, "Is Green Valley unwilling to increase the public relations budget for 'Tropical Rainy Season'?"
Schmidt Lowry: "Lu, we can't do this at a loss. The PR focus for 'Tropical Rainy Season' will definitely be on Best Foreign Language Film and the acting awards you submitted. We won't focus on other awards."
Lu Yanhe hesitated for a moment and said, "What if we were to cover the main public relations expenses for Qin Shulan and Huang Feng?"
Schmidt Lowry looked at Lu Yanhe in surprise.
“This is no small expense; it would cost at least several million dollars. I recall you didn't invest in this film? No matter what kind of return this film generates, you won't be able to enjoy it.”
Lu Yanhe nodded.
However, Huang Feng is now a contracted actor with Shi Huo, and he will also be the lead actor in a very important film series of Ling He for the next few years.
As for Ms. Qin Shulan, a national treasure-level actress in Malaysia, her acting career had never expanded beyond Malaysia before "Tropical Rainy Season." If this role can truly pave the way for a successful career for her—
Lu Yanhe thought to himself that perhaps he could talk to Qin Shulan later. If Qin Shulan was willing to sign her acting contract or overseas agency contract with Shihuolai, he would cover her public relations expenses, which wouldn't be an unacceptable thing.
"Tropical Rainy Season" is clearly aiming for an award season this year, but if Qin Shulan isn't a contender for Best Supporting Actress and doesn't use this film to establish her presence in Hollywood, then this opportunity will be wasted.
On the contrary, with the praise from the media, if Qin Shulan can perform well in this year's awards season, even if she doesn't make it into the Oscar nomination list, it will greatly help increase her popularity in Europe and America and improve the entertainment industry's perception of her.
Lu Yanhe is bound to make a name for himself in the European and American film and television industry—or rather, he has already begun to do so.
Having a talented actress who has the potential to be nominated for an Oscar would only benefit his subsequent projects.
Not to mention the revenue she could generate after gaining recognition in Europe and America.
All the public relations funds invested during awards season are not for charity; the more you invest, the greater the long-term benefits.
Schmidt Lowry was unaware of Lu Yanhe's thoughts; he only felt that Lu Yanhe was being a little too kind.
"So, are you going to compete with Huang Feng for Best Actor?" Schmidt Lowry asked.
Lu Yanhe shook his head. "No, I want to nominate myself for Best Supporting Actor. I have almost no chance of winning Best Actor, but as for Best Supporting Actor, didn't Helena say before that I have a great chance of winning in the current situation? Isn't that right?"
Helena Monchi smiled and nodded.
"certainly."
“Then you have absolutely no need to cover Huang Feng and Qin Shulan’s public relations expenses,” Schmidt Lawley said.
Lu Yanhe: "Schmidt, I hate the feeling of fighting alone."
-
Is Lu Yanhe considered an A-list celebrity in Hollywood now?
This is a difficult question to answer.
All things considered, only one of Lu Yanhe's starring films, "The Mist," was a box office hit in North America.
As for films like "Late Spring," "Love Letter," and "Paths of Glory," which set many box office records in China and Asia, while their box office performance in North America was not bad as foreign language films, they did not have a significant impact.
But apart from him, no one else could earn $1.5 million for a cameo role in a movie for three days, given his current achievements. In terms of salary, Lu Yanhe is definitely an A-list star.
Not to mention his current fame and influence, which cannot be encompassed by a single film like "The Mist".
However, it seems unreasonable to conclude that he is an A-list celebrity based solely on the above factors.
Ultimately, we still need to look at the actual results.
However, if Lu Yanhe can win an Oscar, then he will undoubtedly be an A-list star.
For some actors, winning an Oscar can transform them from a talented performer into a well-known one. Olivia Colman, mentioned earlier, is a prime example.
Some actors win an Oscar to solidify their existing industry status and influence. Like Leonardo DiCaprio winning the Oscar for Best Actor for "The Revenant."
Lu Yanhe is a combination of the former and the latter.
He didn't follow the conventional path of an actor in China, and the same was true in Europe and America.
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Returning to China.
Take two days off.
Chen Ziyan brought good news: Qin Shulan agreed to sign the overseas brokerage agency contract to Shihuo.
Similarly, Qin Shulan will also be joining the public relations campaign for this North American awards season.
On September 27, "Tropical Rainy Season" began limited screenings and previews simultaneously in the United States and China.
The promotional battle for the October National Day film season has begun.
"Tropical Rainy Season" is the only art film among them, and of course, it still receives a lot of attention because of Lu Yanhe.
Lu Yanhe specially brought the entire crew to an episode of Peng Zhixing's "Zhixing" for an in-depth interview, and also held a special screening, where they had a long discussion that lasted for an hour.
"This film is aimed at its target audience. Don't worry that the topics we discuss are too in-depth and not friendly to most viewers." This is what Lu Yanhe said to Peng Zhixing and the host of the special screening.
"Tropical Rainy Season" was destined not to be the kind of movie that would sell more than 700 or 800 million.
If it can't appeal to the masses, it should just stick to the "elite route".
We want to encourage viewers who enjoy these kinds of films to go to the cinema as much as possible.
Therefore, the praise from the media in Europe and America, as well as the fact that Lu Yanhe and his friends are going to "compete for the Oscars" this year, are all the focus of the film's promotion.
The key point is that this movie is clearly an art film that is neither particularly enjoyable, funny, nor heartwarming.
This unconventional publicity approach left other film companies somewhat bewildered.
Can such a high-profile promotion of the film as "not so easy to watch," "a bit boring," and "mostly slow-motion shots without dialogue" really attract audiences to watch it?
After several days of preview screenings, "Tropical Rainy Season" garnered 7 million yuan in box office revenue despite only having 2% of its screenings per day, leaving other film companies stunned.
They suddenly remembered something from a long time ago.
Thinking back to that year, another art film, "Road to Glory," had a long preview screening period but eventually grossed over 100 million yuan at the box office.
(End of this chapter)
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