Chapter 959 Let bygones be bygones (1)
Lily Williams arrived wearing denim shorts and a t-shirt.
Sunlight filtered through the lush foliage, leaving behind a dense shade.
She is a very beautiful girl.
She's refreshing and sunny, and her smile is somewhat reminiscent of an actress named Keira Knightley, the one from "Pirates of the Caribbean."
She is one of the very few European and American female celebrities of the same age who have a relatively close relationship with Lu Yanhe.
Lu Yanhe is usually quite careful to avoid any rumors.
Lu Yanhe's attitude towards Lily Williams truly changed after she stood up for him when he was attacked on the red carpet.
She had no romantic feelings for him. Lu Yanhe was well aware of this. That's why he dared to be so open about his relationship with her—
Otherwise, he would have just silently thanked her and would never have taken the initiative to lend her his bodyguard and arrange a local guide after she came to China.
Lily Williams is a fairly upright person. In this respect, she shares the same trait as Arne Bogut, who also starred in *The Mist*. Lu Yanhe felt quite lucky to have met two decent Western actors from the start—
If everyone were like Simon Schmidt, even if "The Mist" ultimately succeeded, Lu Yanhe would probably have developed a hostility towards Western actors and would never have been able to approach people with the kind of goodwill he has now.
People's perception of a place is often related to their first impression and the first few people they meet.
Lu Yanhe received her at his house in Lingyang District.
Chen Siqi was also there.
However, she only came out to briefly meet Lily Williams before immediately going back to her office on the second floor.
Lu Yanhe and Lily Williams sat in the yard.
The weather is great today.
The sun was shining brightly, but because Yuming is a northern city, it wasn't hot sitting under the shade of the trees.
Lu Yanhe asked, "Have you visited all the different places in Yuming recently?"
“Yes.” Lily Williams nodded with a smile. “Your city is amazing. The most central area is actually in the old town, while all the more modern and developed areas are on the outskirts.”
“Indeed.” Lu Yanhe nodded. “After all, it’s an old city with a history of over a thousand years.”
Lily said, "I've seen so many of your ads on the street. You must be a superstar in China, right?"
"Well, it would seem like I'd be lying if I said no," Lu Yanhe said with a smile. "So, I guess so. Actually, you have many fans in China, you should know that, right?"
Lily nodded: "Yes, I know. When I came to promote The Notebook, I saw a lot of fans."
"Do you have any plans to join a film crew next?" Lu Yanhe asked.
Lily Williams shook her head.
"I'm still looking at the script," she said. "Do you have a script for me to act in?"
Lu Yanhe: "Me? I'm going to collaborate with D19 on a few thriller/horror films, but I estimate they'll all be low to medium budget films. Do you still take on these kinds of films?"
Lily Williams thought for a moment, shook her head, and said, "I would like to accept, but my agent would not agree. My agent is now focused on getting me to win an Oscar."
"Hmm?" Lu Yanhe thought about it and wasn't surprised. He said, "Your current stage is indeed the best stage to compete for an Oscar."
For actresses aiming for an Oscar, being between twenty and thirty years old is a significant advantage – conversely, this age group is a significant disadvantage for male actors.
The main reason is that in the film industry, good female characters are often concentrated between the ages of twenty and thirty, while good male characters are often after the age of thirty-five, or even after the age of forty.
People's definition of a good male character is often based on his life experience as the foundation of his charm.
Lily Williams' second advantage lies in her rise to Hollywood stardom in recent years. With box office success and signature films, her starring role in "The Notebook" could even potentially be a contender for awards this year. If it's a relatively quiet year, the film's success could justify a strong showing.
Following this, Lily Williams also has "Speed," co-starring with Yan Liang. Given Lu Yanhe's absolute confidence in the film, its box office performance is expected to be strong. Under these circumstances, it's understandable that her agent wants her to take on award-contending roles. After all, Lily Williams has successfully transitioned from an idol-type actress to one capable of portraying more complex characters and subjects. Now is the peak of her career.
Lily Williams nodded.
"That's why it's difficult to choose a script."
"Are you looking for award-winning films like those from film festivals?" Lu Yanhe asked.
In the United States, it's not only films that have won awards at the four major film festivals that are considered award-winning films.
Lily Williams said, "Everyone is watching."
She suddenly remembered something: "Does The Notebook have a chance to win awards? Soren said he would help the film with its awards season campaign."
"This film could have been nominated for an Oscar, given its outstanding box office performance worldwide," said Lu Yanhe. However, compared to its subsequent impact, it didn't win any awards at the Oscars that year. "It depends on this year's situation. To be honest, the overall style of this film is too romantic and idealistic. From an artistic point of view, it might not be enough, which is determined by the film's theme. But the Oscars are different every year. If 'Soren' really wants to spend money and invest in public relations, it might still be able to create some buzz."
Lu Yanhe suddenly thought of the famous water queen Gwyneth Paltrow. He changed the subject and said, "But, it's not a good thing to get a nomination or an award by relying on public relations. To be honest, it will damage your reputation in the industry."
Lily Williams nodded.
“Given your current influence and status in Hollywood, as long as you continue to take on good projects and hone your acting skills, winning an award will be a natural outcome when you encounter a good role in the future,” Lu Yanhe said. “There’s no need to rush. There’s an old Chinese saying: ‘Haste makes waste.’”
Will you have any works submitted for awards season this year?
"Yes, the movie 'The Boat' will soon have limited screenings in North America," Lu Yanhe said. "However, this movie may not be able to perform well in acting awards; its main focus is on whether it can compete for Best Foreign Language Film."
Lily Williams said, "We were all quite surprised when 'Winds Are Still Found' lost out on Best Foreign Language Film last year."
"Unexpected things always happen, so we have to learn to accept it." Lu Yanhe smiled helplessly. "I hope 'The Boat' will have better luck this year."
Lily Williams said, "I watched the movie 'Love Letter' the day before yesterday."
"Hmm?" Lu Yanhe looked surprised.
“I’ve been talking to people in China about their favorite movies, and a lot of them have mentioned Love Letter,” Lily Williams said. “That movie wasn’t particularly well-known in the U.S. before.”
“Indeed, do you like it? I think that Asians might be able to feel this kind of emotion more in movies like ‘Love Letter’,” Lu Yanhe said. “For audiences in Europe and America, it might be difficult to fully empathize with the state of unrequited love or liking someone but never expressing it.”
Lily Williams nodded.
"But the ending of the movie still made me cry," she said with a smile. "You've probably seen the news, right?"
"Um, are you alright?"
“It’s okay, I just can’t help feeling a little sad, it’s nothing,” Lily Williams said. “Watching your movie reminded me of how I felt when I liked him back then. Actually, I also wrote him love letters. I had a crush on him for a long time before we got together.”
Lu Yanhe looked surprised.
In his mind, a girl like Lily Williams should be pursued by boys from a young age.
It wasn't that she was particularly beautiful or a goddess-like figure, too proud to pursue someone. Rather, in Lu Yanhe's view, Lily Williams was not only beautiful, but also possessed the kind of style that would undoubtedly appeal to boys around her. She was sunny, youthful, and full of energy; Lu Yanhe found it hard to imagine her having a crush on someone.
Of course, he quickly realized that his reaction was too stereotypical.
Why not?
"Why did you break up back then?" Lu Yanhe asked.
“He slept with another girl, and I caught him once. He swore he would never betray me again, but a week later I caught him again, with the same girl.” Lily Williams shrugged. “So, I swore I would leave him.”
"Was he already using drugs at that time?"
“I don’t know. He almost never did anything like that in front of me. He knew I didn’t like it, including marijuana,” Lily Williams said. “My father died because of drug addiction. I always remember the huge trouble and shadow he caused our family when I was a child. Rudy knew that too, so maybe he had already started back then, but he didn’t let me know.”
Lu Yanhe said, "After you broke up, you never contacted each other again?"
“Yes.” Lily Williams nodded. “Later, my work became increasingly busy.”
A less-than-ideal ending always leaves people feeling regretful.
Lu Yanhe said, "Then you now—"
“I’m single now,” Lily Williams said. “That’s why Arne’s girlfriend would mind if Arne played my love interest.”
Lu Yanhe: "Okay."
Lily Williams said, "I really envy you and your girlfriend for being able to hold hands and stay together since your student days."
“You never know when love will happen, just like we never expected that Li Zhibai would fall in love with Jiang Yuqian,” Lu Yanhe said. “Honestly, you probably can’t imagine how shocked we were when we found out about it.”
Lily Williams smiled and said, "I can imagine that I also read some reports at the time, saying that their relationship had caused a lot of controversy in China."
"Controversy... well, you could call it that, since they both have an incredibly large number of fans," Lu Yanhe said. "If your relationship were exposed now, it would probably be a global sensation, with a lot of paparazzi following you, trying to take some photos."
Lily Williams: "Even if I'm not in a relationship, I'm basically being followed by paparazzi every time I go out. It's been a little better these past few days in China."
Lu Yanhe: "You should come to China more often in the future, especially when you want to avoid those paparazzi."
“Yes.” Lily Williams nodded. “I love your house. It’s beautifully decorated.”
"Siqi's masterpiece."
"You are so lucky to have a girl like her."
“I think so too,” Lu Yanhe said with a smile.
In the evening, Lu Yanhe entertained Lily Williams at his home.
Lin Yu and Xu Zijun also came.
With just a few people, Lu Yanhe knew that Lily Williams didn't want to see too many people right now, and her current state wasn't suitable either.
Therefore, this dinner was completely relaxed and enjoyable.
Lin Yu had originally suggested that this opportunity might be used to conduct an exclusive interview with Lily Williams.
But Chen Siqi also said that this time it was inappropriate to mention the matter.
A few of us took a group photo after dinner as a memento, that's all.
The next day, Lily Williams returned to the United States.
To Lu Yanhe and Chen Siqi's surprise, she wrote him a serious email expressing her gratitude for the past few days.
Chen Siqi said, "She must have had a really tough time these past few days."
"Hmm," Lu Yanhe said, "I'm going to New York in a few days for a screening and promotional event for 'The Boat.' Do you have time to come with me?"
“Sure, I have relatively more free time this month,” Chen Siqi asked. “Is ‘The Boat’ aiming for an Oscar again this year?”
“Yes.” Lu Yanhe nodded. “Besides Best Foreign Language Film, we are also watching the trend to see if we can compete for the awards in both Best Original Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor.”
"Is this another attempt to help Wen Zhang win Best Supporting Actor?"
“Yes,” Lu Yanhe said. “In this movie, the only actor who has room to shine is Teacher Wen. His performance in Situ received unanimous praise from the international media.”
"And you?"
“We will do some promotion, but after their evaluation, they believe that my character and my performance in the film are unlikely to be a good one,” Lu Yanhe said. “Sister Ziyan also said that I don’t need to force myself to get votes this year. Instead, I should continue to increase my presence and exposure and see if there is any hope for ‘The Original Father’ to compete for the Best Actor award next year.”
"Will 'The Original Father' be released next year?"
"Well, Huang Tianlin has declined invitations from other film festivals this year and has decided to put 'The Original Father' in the main competition at Situ next year," Lu Yanhe said. "Sister Ziyan has already seen the finished film and said that my performance in the finished film was outstanding. Huang Tianlin has almost edited this film into a film in which I am the absolute lead actor."
"Huang Tianlin is quite lucky for you."
“Yes, he’s a director who really brings out the best in his actors, which is related to his filming style. His style is based on capturing the details of the actors and characters, which really brings out the actors,” Lu Yanhe said. “The problem with ‘The Boat’ is that it suffers from this. Of course, as a film, ‘The Boat’ is actually more artistic. I never expected ‘The Boat’ to be so academic, yet not at all old-fashioned. From my own aesthetic point of view, I would prefer a film like ‘The Boat’, but as an actor, ‘The Original Father’ brought out my best qualities more clearly.”
“It’s alright. You acted in both movies. The good works are yours, the good roles are yours, and the good performances are still yours,” Chen Siqi said with a smile. “However, speaking of which, I originally thought you would write another script for Lily Williams. I thought what she went through would inspire you.”
“You really know me, and I do have this idea,” Lu Yanhe said. “However, I have too many projects on my hands right now, and I’m worried I won’t be able to handle them all, so I didn’t plan to tell her before I wrote it down.”
"So that's how it is."
“She’s collaborated with me on several recent projects, so she doesn’t need to keep filming my movies,” Lu Yanhe said. “I’m increasingly convinced that people need to work with different people to create different sparks. If Sister Ziyan hadn’t chosen the script for ‘Tropical Rainy Season,’ I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to work with Huang Tianlin. Although Huang Tianlin won’t admit it, I think he’s increasingly enjoying filming me. He can capture a primal impulse in me, like a kind of wild quality, and then he amplifies that quality in his lens. It was only after I discovered this that I understood why he can always accurately capture my most textured performance moments.”
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
