2001 Media Godfather

Chapter 81 A Big-Name Director I Don't Like

There's a rather awkward point about the casting for "You Are My Glory".

The series is geared towards a younger audience, so the character of Qiao Jingjing needs to have the aura of a real-life celebrity and be good-looking enough.

To put it bluntly, aside from the age range issue, this role really needs to be played by an idol actress.

But here's the problem: in 2002, the domestic film and television industry had just begun its transformation from the traditional television station and studio system to a market-oriented one, and there weren't many actresses who took the idol route.

So, casting Chu An for this role is a bit of a pain. Looking around, it seems like there's really no one else who could play the role besides Xu Shu.

Thanks to Lu Mingze's fame, quite a few people came to audition, but very few were deemed suitable.

There are one or two that are barely enough, but I can't make up my mind and we still need to discuss them.

As evening approached, the auditions for the day were drawing to a close. Lu Mingze and Chu An saw the last actress off from the courtyard, their smiles instantly vanishing.

Old Lu sighed, "A few more friends will recommend them tomorrow and the day after. They're not that famous, but they're quite good-looking."

Chu An was already mentally prepared, "If it doesn't work, we can look for it slowly after the New Year."

Back in the living room, Su Manqing and Senni were already out of the inner room.

Chu An, "Have you read the script?"

Su Manqing raised her delicate eyebrows. "I've seen it. It's alright, isn't it?"

Chu An didn't realize she was joking. In fact, he wasn't that confident in his adaptation skills either. He said honestly, "Actually, it's just a starting point, to get the ball rolling. If it's not attractive enough, I'll write another one for you."

There are plenty of good scripts, but Chu An doesn't want to reveal too much before his artists make a name for themselves.

Well, Chu An is indeed a bit insecure about this, not to mention his screenwriting skills.

Firstly, the original script of Heartfire, despite its flaws, had been tested by the market.

Secondly, as a once very successful professional, Chu An's foresight regarding the market and his creative concepts that were more than 20 years ahead of their time are the most valuable aspects.

It's as if he himself didn't realize that his adaptation of "Firelight" had actually encompassed the main interests of Western audiences as well as political correctness.

Seeing his serious expression, Su Manqing smiled faintly but didn't say anything.

"Then I'll set off for America tomorrow."

Chu An nodded, "Yes, let's keep in touch."

"Okay." Su Manqing stood up and casually asked, "So, have you found a suitable female lead for your patriotic film?"

Chu An shook his head. "They're hard to find."

Su Manqing glanced at a script on the table, picked it up casually, and asked, "Mind if I take a look?"

Chu An replied, "I don't mind."

"Bye-bye!"

Their carefree departure left Lao Lu feeling restless and eager.

"What do you think she wanted the script for?"

Chu An rolled her eyes at him. "Stop dreaming."

"How many film projects has she turned down in the past two years in order to get into Hollywood? Coming here to act in urban soap operas? What a pipe dream!"

Well, Lao Lu also thinks this idea is a bit excessive.

Over the next two days, Lu Mingze and Chu An interviewed several more actresses, but the situation was the same as the first day—they were always just a little bit off.

As for Su Manqing, she disappeared without a trace after she left, leaving Chu An feeling restless and anxious.

Despite his considerable achievements in his previous life, he had never actually accomplished the feat of bringing a domestic actress into Hollywood.

If Su Manqing really succeeds, Chu An won't gain much benefit, but he will still feel a great sense of accomplishment.

Park City, Utah, USA.

The Sundance Film Festival is a premier event for independent films worldwide and one of the most unique film festivals.

Originally established in 1984 as the Utah Film Festival, it was later taken over by Hollywood star Robert Redford and named after the Sundance Resort, where the festival was held.

Apart from the opening and closing ceremonies being held in Salt Lake City, most of the film screenings are concentrated in various theaters in Park City.

Industry forums and closed-door meetings at film festivals, for example, are held at the Ketchum Estate, a resort owned by founder Robert Redford.

Su Manqing attended the opening ceremony of the Salt Lake as a guest. This Venice and Cannes double Best Actress winner still garnered considerable media attention at Sundance, a venue already steeped in artistic atmosphere.

But to many people's surprise, Su Manqing was clearly not there just to gain some exposure and leave.

The next day outside Ketchum Estate, the media once again spotted this Asian face attending the distribution strategy seminar.
Robert Redford, who was in his fifties at the time, personally greeted the guests at the entrance of the estate.

Upon seeing Su Manqing dressed in her finest attire, the old lecher hurriedly went up to her and gave her a warm hug, saying, "Oh, Manqing, it's such a wonderful surprise that you're here."

He had exchanged ideas with Su Manqing several times at last year's Cannes Film Festival, and now, facing the media's barrage of questions, he naturally acted like an old friend.

Su Manqing's smile was polite and appropriate. "Mr. Robert, I should be thanking you. Thank you for giving me this opportunity to attend such a special event."

Robert supported Su Manqing's waist and personally led her into the manor. "Don't be so polite, we're old friends. I'm just curious."

“My European friends told me that you just turned down a Hollywood production and were focused on Cannes, so why are you here?”

“Alright!” Su Manqing looked as if Robert had seen through her. “By chance, I got my hands on a really good script. But it’s hard to find a suitable director in China, so I came here.”

This made Robert Redford pause, and his smile froze. "Can't they find good directors in China?"

He clearly didn't believe that.

He was simply curious, "What kind of script could captivate our Best Actress so much?"

Su Manqing pursed her lips and joked, "If you can recommend one or two promising new directors, then I can give you a look."

Robert laughed and began promoting his film festival, "There's never a shortage of talented directors at Sundance."

Su Manqing attended all the subsequent events, but due to her limited understanding of the American film market, she only participated and rarely took the initiative to express herself.

However, thanks to Robert Redford, many people know that this Asian actress came to Sundance with a script.

How should I put it? Hollywood is proud and doesn't care about European actresses.

But in Sundance, as Chuan said, that's a different story.

What is independent film? What is an independent filmmaker?
It's a group of newcomers or marginalized practitioners without resources, along with small and medium-sized production companies, banding together for mutual support.

They are a group of people and companies that operate outside the core of Hollywood, waiting to be discovered by big companies and distributors through film festivals.

In reality, he was both poor and destitute.

While actresses of Su Manqing's caliber are not uncommon at Sundance, very few actually come with scripts seeking collaboration.

So when everyone learned the actress's true purpose, those so-called independent film directors swarmed around her like black bears smelling honey. Robert Redford, in particular, praised the script highly.

Even at the luncheon following the release strategy seminar, he publicly stated, "That's a wonderful and rare story."

As a result, Su Manqing has been busy these past few days, with directors constantly visiting her.

At this moment, Su Manqing finally managed to find some time to have dinner with Robert Redford. "Manqing, my advice is not to rush things for now. The right director for this film may not have appeared yet."

Su Manqing sensed the underlying meaning in his words and elegantly chewed her steak. "Robert, I'm not in a hurry. In fact, I've been waiting for you to recommend a truly suitable director."

Upon hearing this, Robert burst into laughter. "A clever Eastern woman. Well, tomorrow David Lynch and Columbia's distribution director will be attending some events on the day of the screening. I've already recommended your script to Lynch; perhaps you two can talk."

Su Manqing's heart skipped a beat.

David Lynch? Su Manqing was no stranger to him; strictly speaking, David Lynch owed her a favor.

Because at Cannes in 2001, it was Su Manqing who overruled public opinion and awarded the Best Director award to David Lynch and the Coen brothers, resulting in a tie.

Moreover, given David Lynch's directing ability and reputation, if he were to direct "Firelight," it would indeed have a chance to win a Cannes Film Festival award.

But the problem is
From a personal perspective, Su Manqing didn't like this person very much.

David Lynch's work has always been a mix of praise and controversy.

Su Manqing was particularly uncomfortable with the film's use of violence and sexual innuendo to create sensationalism.

To put it simply, if David were to direct "Heart Fire," Su Manqing would have a hard time avoiding taking her clothes off, and there would likely be a lot of violent scenes added.

That guy is a bit of a pervert.

But
Robert was clearly being very generous this time, and Su Manqing didn't want to miss this opportunity either.

Ultimately, the decision was made to contact David and see what he thought of the script.

The next day, through Robert's introduction, Su Manqing met with Lynch and studied the script.

"This is a very good script, and I am very interested in it."

The script Lin Qi was referring to was, of course, Chu An's revised version. In fact, Su Manqing never brought the original script to the United States.

Lynch is the kind of director who enjoys challenges. In another timeline, in the latter half of his life, he even stopped making feature films because they were uninteresting and completely lacked challenge.

He then turned to short films and experimental works.

"Heartfire" is set against the backdrop of the oppression of women in the Victorian era, and tells the story of a pioneering woman of that time, which is relevant to contemporary feminism.

"This is amazing!"

This time, Su Manqing was in a dilemma: should she let David Lynch direct the film?
In the end, he could only use the excuse that he had other activities today and would discuss them in detail another day to temporarily gloss over the matter, and he didn't even attend the dinner that Robert Redford had specially prepared for David Lynch.

In reality, Su Manqing was thinking of Chu An. She felt she should discuss it with this "little strategist" before making a decision.

When it was time for dinner, a group of friends gathered at Robert Redford's estate.

"Hey David, how did the talk with Miss Su go?"

David Lynch gave a sly smile. "That's a great script. Just thinking about Su Hengchen in front of the camera makes me want to start filming tomorrow!"

Columbia Pictures' distribution director also raised his glass and chimed in, "I've spoken with David, and the higher-ups are very willing to invest in this kind of promising film."

Robert Redford grimaced regretfully, "If I weren't so old, I would really like to try out the role of Godwin."

“Hey! Robert!” the Columbia Pictures director joked, “We’re not going to pay you a huge salary.”

David Lynch went even further, saying, "I think he wants to have something happen between him and Ms. Su on camera. Robert has wanted an Asian girlfriend for a long time."

Everyone burst into laughter, completely unrestrained.

Such laughter was jarring to a young woman hiding in a corner of the banquet hall, who glanced disdainfully at David Lynch and Robert Redford, who were the focus of attention.

"Two rude old boars!"

Beside her stood a handsome middle-aged man with a nose so high it could kill someone and a face so long it could carry an airplane. He chuckled and replied, "Hollywood is a den of bastards; you'll have to try to get used to it."

The young woman smiled knowingly, gave David Lynch a good look, and said, "I suddenly have a great idea."

"Don't you think it would be interesting if we snatched that script from Lynch?"

His eyes lit up, "I'll direct, and you'll act!"

"No!!" The middle-aged man panicked immediately. "Sophia! I won't act in your movie. You can't afford the pay!"

Sofia grinned mischievously. "My dear brother, perhaps we should take a look at the script before making a decision. Don't you think?"

As she spoke, she pulled the man along, saying, "I heard that Miss Su Manqing's hotel is nearby. Let's go take a look at the script."

The man couldn't resist her, so he swung his muscular arm and shoved the wine glass into the waiter's hand, saying, "I'm not going to go crazy with you!"

"Besides, Ms. Su is aiming for the Cannes Best Actress award; she won't give the script to a newbie like you who's only made one bad movie!"

Sofia wasn't angry at all; she was a very individualistic girl. "How will you know if you don't try?"

Meanwhile, Su Manqing was making a phone call to Chu An.

"Has our goddess Su finally remembered her hometown people?"

Su Manqing rolled her eyes at her over the phone, "Stop joking. I've run into a problem and need your advice."

Chu An put away his teasing tone and said, "Tell me about it."

So, Su Manqing told Chu An that David Lynch was interested in taking over.

There was a moment of silence on the other end, then someone finally blurted out, "I didn't expect to hook David Lynch."

Just as I was about to express my opinion, Su Manqing's doorbell rang.

Su Manqing didn't hang up the phone, but told Chu An to wait a moment.

She opened the door and saw a girl even younger than herself standing outside.
The girl smiled at Su Manqing and said, "Hello, Ms. Su Manqing. Let me introduce myself. My name is Sofia Coppola, the daughter of Francis Ford Coppola."

"Who is this"

Su Manqing stepped aside. "No need for introductions." She put down the phone that had been hovering by her ear and extended her hand to the middle-aged man. "Hello, Mr. Nicolas Cage."

.

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P.S.: I forgot to mention before that I'm a bit embarrassed to write about things in China, but I don't feel guilty about writing about things abroad.

Foreign film festivals, stars, and films are referenced as closely as possible to retain their original names and historical context. The aim is to copy films from the next twenty years to avoid inconsistencies.

Okay, actually it's just laziness. Resetting the settings in China is complicated enough, and I really don't want to rack my brains abroad.

(End of this chapter)