Huayu Entertainment 1995 started with hijacking.

Chapter 209 Fortresses Often Collapse from Within

Richard took a deep breath, then knocked lightly on the door. When his secretary opened the door, he immediately offered a smile and then carefully went inside.

Inside the room, Michael Eisner sat calmly in his office chair. Standing in the room was none other than Miles, the executive who had previously met with Wu Yuchen. Miles had his head slightly lowered and didn't dare to breathe loudly.

Upon seeing this, Richard sensed something was wrong and quickly stood next to Miles, forcing a smile: "Mr. Eisner."

Michael Eisner raised his eyelids and glanced at him: "Richard, are you in charge of Wu Yuchen's public relations this time?"

Even though it was just a question asked in a calm tone, Richard could feel a sense of pressure from it and immediately nodded: "Yes, sir."

"I heard that Wu Yuchen won Best Director at yesterday's Directors Guild Awards?"

"Yes."

Richard thought this should be considered good news, so he went on to say a few more words:

"Wu Yuchen's Best Director win this time will be historic..."

But before he could finish speaking, Michael Eisner interrupted him: "Why not 'The Sixth Sense'?"

Richard's body stiffened instantly, as if his throat had been choked, and he couldn't make a sound.

"I'm asking you? Why wasn't 'The Sixth Sense' awarded this prize?!"

As Michael Eisner's voice rose, Richard's legs began to tremble. He wanted to explain that this was Wu Yuchen's choice, and also the best choice; the chances of "The Sixth Sense" were much slimmer, and the current result had proven everything. But he dared not contradict the tyrant before him.

Michael Eisner slammed his fist on the table and shouted at the two men, "You need to understand that you are Disney employees and you must always put Disney's interests first!"

Richard's Adam's apple bobbed nervously, sweat beaded on his forehead, and he lowered his head, not daring to utter a sound. Miles, standing beside him, quickly said, "Mr. Eisner, this was our mistake, but it's not too late to fix it. The second round of Oscar voting hasn't even started yet..."

"Do it, now!"

Amidst the tyrant's roar, Miles hurriedly led Richard away from the den of evil.

Once back in his office, Miles finally breathed a sigh of relief, then tugged at his collar and unbuttoned it to make breathing easier.

Then he said to Richard, "Richard, did you hear that? Mr. Eisner just gave the order."

Richard looked troubled: "But the Directors Guild has already awarded the prize, and we've stopped our public relations efforts for the Best Director award. And doing so would create a lot of uncertainty for the Best Director award we've already secured..."

Miles interrupted him directly:
"Hey Richard, don't you understand what Mr. Eisner means? So what if 'Love' won an award? Is it even part of Disney's production?"

"Isn't it distributed by us? And Wu paid a lot of public relations fees..."

Miles waved his hand:
"So what? Didn't Disney spend money on PR for The Sixth Sense?"
Ultimately, how much did Disney earn after "Amour" won the Oscar for Best Director? It's just an Asian film, and an art film at that. How much will it gross in North America? Ten million? Twenty million?

But *The Sixth Sense* is different. Since the Oscar nominations were announced, its box office has been rising against the trend for the past two weeks. And most importantly, if *The Sixth Sense* wins the Best Director Oscar, do you know how much its DVD sales could increase? At least 5000 million!

Richard naturally understood this reasoning, but he still couldn't help but complain:

“Why didn’t we say so from the beginning? There’s too little time left, and I can’t tell Wu about it now, and he’s unlikely to agree to the decision. If it had been decided from the start, Wu, the entire team, and I would have poured all our resources and energy into ‘The Sixth Sense’…”

Miles waved his hand and said:
"Who would have thought you guys could actually win the Directors Guild Award for Best Director? Best Director in your twenties? If you had told me that before, I would have thought it was a pipe dream!"

Richard slapped his forehead in anguish: "So, it's because we won the Directors Guild Award that Mr. Eisner has this idea now?"

Miles spread his hands and said, "Of course, Mr. Eisner saw that Wu Yuchen was able to win Best Director with a foreign language film and an Asian film, so why can't it be 'The Sixth Sense'?"

Originally, according to Disney's own assessment, the sheer number of nominations for *The Sixth Sense* was already a victory, a boost from the Oscar buzz. But seeing Wu Yuchen actually win the Guild of America's Best Director award for *Love* only fueled the desire to retaliate. If *Love* could do it, why not *The Sixth Sense*? They're both Wu Yuchen's films, why are you showing favoritism?
"But, but this is completely different..."

“Richard, there are no buts. You’ve seen Mr. Eisner’s attitude. No one at Disney can go against him. I don’t care what method you use, whether you bring people to visit him or call each of the judges one by one.”

Then, Miles put his arm around Richard's shoulder and said:

"As for Wu Yuchen, I don't think you need to tell him. Anyway, both 'Sixth Sense' and 'Love' are his films, and he has an obligation to contribute to the public relations of 'Sixth Sense.' If 'Sixth Sense' does better, it will also bring glory to him as the director."

If "The Sixth Sense" could win the Best Director Oscar, that would be a win-win situation, since he'd be the one accepting the award anyway, wouldn't he?

Upon hearing this, Richard couldn't help but let out a long sigh. How could this be the same thing?! Decisions made by superiors on a whim are truly infuriating and upsetting.

He had a premonition that if he really did this, Disney would definitely fall out with Wu Yuchen, and no director could tolerate such a thing happening.

But this is His Majesty the Emperor's order! His Majesty the Emperor was the kind of person who could fire even a powerful figure like Michael Ovitz, the founder of CAA, just a few years ago, even if it meant paying a 1.2 million penalty for breach of contract. How could he possibly take a director's request seriously?

……

A few days later, at DreamWorks, Sam Mendes entered the office and found Spielberg and David Geffen there.

Upon seeing him enter, Spielberg smiled and said, "Hey, Sam, you need to revise your PR strategy again."

"Hmm?" Sam Mendes asked, somewhat puzzled.

"Rejoining the Best Director competition."

"what?!"

Sam Mendes was stunned upon hearing this, and then asked, "But wasn't this award already reserved by Wu Yuchen?"

David Geffen smiled and patted Sam Mendes on the shoulder: "I can only say you're really lucky, something interesting happened~"

"Something interesting?" Sam Mendes asked curiously.

Spielberg shook his head and chuckled, "The strongest fortresses often crumble from within. You don't need to know too much for now, just focus on public relations. Every effort you put in now could increase your chances of winning an award."

Sam Mendes was somewhat confused, but he knew something must have happened, otherwise the two big shots wouldn't have made him do useless work for no reason.

Watching Sam Mendes leave with great enthusiasm, David Geffen smiled and said, "I never expected something like this to happen."

Spielberg said calmly, "Isn't this exactly what Eisner would do?"

David Geffen then commented on Wu Yuchen: "He's still a bit green!"

Spielberg laughed and said, "Young people always need some experiences to grow. When I was in my twenties, I was still learning how to make movies, and he was already much better than us. I will talk to him again after this."

Miracle Films: Wu Yuchen and Soderbergh clasped hands together.
"Wu, thank you so much! Communicating with you is so much better than those executives who only ask about the cast and funding! I can't wait to restart this project!"

"Steven, you're going to make a great movie. I trust my judgment!"

Watching Soderbergh leave, Wu Yuchen was in a good mood. He couldn't miss this opportunity to snag a high-quality project.

Through these days of negotiations, both parties reached an agreement: the film is intended to be an Oscar contender. Wu Yuchen will invest 4500 million yuan and will not interfere with the filming process, but the cast must be decent.

Wu Yuchen wasn't too worried about that. In his previous life, after Soderbergh was abandoned by Fox, he eventually found an independent production company and secured investment himself. He handled the entire film from start to finish, so if he invested in it this time, the result wouldn't be much different. It's already March, and the Nasdaq index reached a high of 5,132 yesterday. Fortunately, he had already sold all his US stocks, so he could just sit back and watch the show.

In the past few days, Wu Yuchen discovered that Richard had arranged a lot of publicity for "The Sixth Sense" for him. However, Wu Yuchen could understand it. After all, "Love" had already won the Directors Guild Award for Best Director, which was equivalent to a pre-order for the Oscar. So, the public relations team's next focus was on the Best Original Screenplay for "The Sixth Sense," and it was only natural to allocate resources to it.

Richard, who had been by her side for months, was rarely seen, which made Wu Yuchen feel a little uneasy. Wu Yuchen smiled and shook his head. What was there to be uneasy about losing a grown man? Wasn't it better to have Jennifer Connelly, a beautiful woman, by her side?
The following day, after Jennifer Connelly's earnest pleading the previous night, Wu Yuchen accompanied her to the Screen Actors Guild Awards. The Screen Actors Guild Awards, unlike the Directors Guild Awards, are only in their sixth year, but they have quickly become important Hollywood awards.

This year, Jennifer Connelly was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her role in "The Sixth Sense," and she even had Wu Yuchen support her. Unfortunately, it was all for naught, as she still lost to Angelina Jolie in "Girl, Interrupted."

Wu Yuchen, on the other hand, seemed quite relaxed, watching the whole thing unfold. Haley Joel Osment, who played the young boy in *The Sixth Sense*, was also nominated, but unfortunately didn't win. This is quite normal, considering they didn't invest any public relations resources in the boy's Best Supporting Actor award!
The big winner at this year's Screen Actors Guild Awards was once again "American Beauty," which swept both the Best Actor and Best Actress awards, just as predicted.

On March 26, this year's Oscars were held at the Temple House in Los Angeles. The red carpet was lined with screaming fans and media reporters snapping photos, all going wild for the big stars who walked by.

This wasn't Wu Yuchen's first time attending the Oscars, and this time he appeared composed, arm in arm with a stunningly dressed Jennifer Connelly. However, after walking the red carpet with the cast and crew of "The Sixth Sense," Wu Yuchen turned back and got into another car.

After the car stopped, Wu Yuchen got out first, then carefully helped the two elderly people out of the car. They were none other than Ge Cunzhuang and Wang Danfeng, the two actors from the film "Love". Not only them, but also Gong Li and Huang Lei, who played supporting roles, were there, along with the film crew's producer, photographer, and others, all happily walking onto the Oscar red carpet.

Wu Yuchen was quite confident that "Love" would win Best Foreign Language Film, so he specially invited the entire crew to participate in and witness the moment when a Chinese-language film won its first Oscar, especially the two veteran actors.

Ge Cunzhuang and Wang Danfeng, both in their seventies, are still vigorous and not at an age where they can't walk. They waved to both sides as they walked the red carpet with Wu Yuchen.

Huang Lei, who came to crash the red carpet, looked very happy. He never expected to walk the Oscar red carpet, but he had no experience before. As soon as he got out of the car, he was a little dazzled by the cheers and flashes of the cameras outside. Fortunately, no one was paying attention to him.

The biggest star in the "Love" cast is Wu Yuchen. Even Gong Li's fame in America is far less than Wu Yuchen's. The fans on both sides of the red carpet were very respectful to Wu Yuchen, constantly calling his name.

"Wu, congratulations! You're a strong contender for the Oscars today, how does it feel?"

An ABC television host invited Wu Yuchen to be interviewed.

"Thank you! Although this isn't my first time attending the Oscars, my feelings are quite different. Before, I was just a spectator, but today I'm fortunate to participate in the selection process. I'm a little nervous, but also excited and thrilled!"

Regardless of what Wu Yuchen was really thinking, he had to project this image on the surface to please the American audience. If he acted aloof and indifferent, he would lose half his popularity.

"Wu, two of your films have been nominated for multiple Oscar awards, and you've even received two Best Director nominations. That's an amazing achievement. If you had to choose, which film would you want to win Best Director?"

Wu Yuchen thought to himself, "Isn't this obvious? The Directors Guild Awards have already given you the answer." However, he also knew that this was just the host deliberately choosing a topic to interest the audience, so he smiled and said:
"Although I received two nominations, my competitors are all very strong, so it's hard to say whether I'll win the Oscar. Actually, I'd be happy to win any film, no matter which one it is!"

The organizers were very thoughtful this time, arranging the seats for the "Love" and "Sixth Sense" crews together. Wu Yuchen naturally sat in the middle, which allowed him to be seen from both sides.

After Wu Yuchen sat down, he glanced at the cast of "The Sixth Sense" to his left—a child who looked about seven or eight years old—and then at "Love" to his right—an elderly couple in their seventies or eighties. He couldn't help but chuckle. The protagonists of his two films were truly two extremes!

The host is Billy Chris, who has hosted the Oscars seven times before. He is a stand-up comedian and has a strong ability to liven up the atmosphere.

After a brief interaction with the celebrities in attendance, the awards ceremony officially began. The first item on the agenda was the prestigious Best Supporting Actress award, designed to warm up the atmosphere.

Jennifer Connelly, sitting next to Wu Yuchen, immediately tensed up, staring intently at the stage and the big screen. Although she lost out on the Screen Actors Guild Awards, the awards are still relatively new and not as predictive as the Directors Guild Awards, so she still held out hope for the Oscar.

However, Jennifer Connelly was destined to be disappointed. After a lot of suspense, the award ultimately went to Angelina Jolie for "Girl, Interrupted." When the camera focused on Jennifer, she quickly managed an elegant smile and then gently clapped to celebrate her rival's win.

Seeing Jennifer Connelly's somewhat disappointed expression, Wu Yuchen knew that the beautiful woman beside him was probably cursing Julie a hundred times in her heart, so he smiled and gently comforted her:
"Jenny, it's okay. Consider this year as accumulating points. I just invested in a movie, and the female lead is perfect for you. Let's come back next year!"

"Wu, it's so good to have you here~"

Jennifer Connelly, who had been somewhat melancholy, was overjoyed upon hearing this. If they weren't in public, she would have given Wu Yuchen a kiss. In fact, *The Sixth Sense* was a leap forward in her career, not only achieving phenomenal box office success but also earning her her first Oscar nomination. Now, she believes everything Wu Yuchen says!
Wu Yuchen smiled and said that with an investment of 4500 million, it wouldn't be a problem to arrange a female role for her, and Jennifer Connelly was a good fit, with decent acting skills.

Next came several technical awards, such as those for visual effects and costume design. Among them, the first award related to Wu Yuchen appeared: Best Film Editing.

"Best Film Editing...The Matrix!"

Wu Yuchen was not disappointed at all. He didn't care much about the editing award and didn't invest any public relations resources in it. Moreover, "The Matrix" deserved to win the award. Wu Yuchen applauded.

After a song and dance performance, the Best Supporting Actor awards ceremony for "The Sixth Sense" began. However, at this point, the live stream screen almost entirely focused on Tom Cruise. Well, what can you do when he's a superstar?
However, no matter how big a superstar Tom Cruise is, he is still not well-liked by the old men at the Academy.

"The winner of this year's Best Supporting Actor award is... Michael Caine from 'There Will Always Be Sunshine'!"

Ignoring the dejected Tom Cruise on the screen, Wu Yuchen turned to the little boy, reached out and ruffled his hair, comforting him, "Haley, your performance was fantastic. Just getting here is a victory in itself!"

In fact, if we're really talking about acting skills, Wu Yuchen really thinks the Best Supporting Actor award should have gone to the young actor Haley. But the Oscar statuette isn't just about acting skills; the adult world is very complicated.

After winning two or three more technical awards, it was finally time for the Best Foreign Language Film award for "Love." Wu Yuchen immediately perked up and straightened his posture.

Wu Yuchen values ​​the Best Foreign Language Film award no less than the Best Director award. Although "Love" has been leading the pack, there is no Directors Guild Award that can be pre-selected, so he still feels somewhat uncertain. When the moment comes, Wu Yuchen is naturally a little uneasy.

At that moment, not only Wu Yuchen, but everyone in the "Love" crew was completely focused on the stage.

As host Billy Chris introduced them, a male and female duo walked onto the stage. The Best Foreign Language Film award is usually presented by foreign filmmakers, and this time the female presenter was Spanish actress Penelope Cruz, whose 94 film *Four Daughters* won Best Foreign Language Film. And the male presenter…

The crew of "Love" were overjoyed to see him, because it was none other than Jackie Chan!

Wu Yuchen smiled when he saw Cheng Long, thinking to himself that the organizers were really cunning.

Among this year's Best Foreign Language Film, "Amour" has the biggest advantage. Of the other four competitors, only the Spanish film "All About My Mother" is somewhat competitive, while the other three pose little threat.

As a result, the organizers arranged for a Spanish actress and a Chinese actor to win the award. Whether "Amour" or "All About My Mother" wins the award, this arrangement will not be wrong.

At this moment, Huang Lei suddenly asked, "Who has a higher profile and status in Hollywood, Penelope Cruz or Jackie Chan?"

Wu Yuchen affirmed, "Of course it's Jackie Chan!"

Huang Lei's face lit up with joy: "Hahaha, then the advantage is on our side!"

Gong Li couldn't help but turn to look at Huang Lei: "You can even compare like this?"

"Sister Li, this is a good omen!" Huang Lei's words made everyone smile.

Penelope Cruz spoke first: "Films speak to us in all kinds of languages, the smiles of babies, the tears of the elderly, and so on, all over the world."

Jackie Chan then added, "The five nominees for Best Foreign Language Film prove that films from all over the world have their own unique charm, and are becoming increasingly popular with audiences. They are..."

It was a very standard line of dialogue, and then clips from five candidate movies were played one after another on the big screen.

After the clip finished playing, Penelope Cruz didn't linger and immediately picked up the envelope and opened it. Seeing that it was this Spanish actress opening the envelope, Huang Lei's heart leaped into his throat again—this wasn't a good sign! He thought to himself, "Jackie Chan, you're usually so tough, why don't you just snatch it and open it yourself?"

Not to mention Huang Lei, even Gong Li got nervous. Although she wasn't the lead actress, she was still involved. This was the closest Chinese-language film had ever come to the Oscars!

The two senior colleagues, Ge Cunzhuang and Wang Danfeng, were also staring intently at the envelope...

Penelope Cruz took a slip of paper from the pile, glanced at it, and without any expression, handed it directly to Jackie Chan. A smile already appeared on Jackie Chan's face, but he quickly glanced at it, then his expression completely changed, his face beaming so wide it looked like only his nose was visible. He excitedly shouted:

"Best Foreign Language Film: China, 'Love,' directed by Wu Yuchen!"

(End of this chapter)