Chapter 819

Natalie was wearing a dark-colored, long-sleeved evening gown. Her long brown hair hung softly on both sides, making her look delicate and charming. At the same time, she had a hint of sexiness, perfectly displaying the contradictory temperament of a young girl and a woman.

"Hello, Adriaan." She smiled and shook hands with Adriaan. Her acting skills were superb. At least for now, it looked like she and Adriaan were just ordinary friends.

Their intimate relationship was very secretive. Only Charlize knew about it. Adriaan rarely showed affection to Natalie in public. Even when he visited the set of "Good Will Hunting," it was because of Natalie's request and Adriaan's cautiousness. However, even so, his thumb still slipped on the back of the girl's hand when he shook hands with her.

"Looks like you're ready to win the award, right?" Adriaan smiled.

"Good Will Hunting" had received several important nominations, including Best Movie, Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Supporting Actor and Actress. Moreover, the nominees were all in front of him, so he asked.

"No, I don't think I can compete with you for Best Director." Director Gus Van Sant waved his hand. After all, standing in front of him was a big shot who had received three Best Director nominations at the Oscars. Moreover, he was appointed to direct this movie. Whether it was in terms of ability or reputation, it was not appropriate for him to boast in front of him.

"Don't belittle yourself, Gus. Who can be sure of winning an award until the end?" Adrian, however, did not seem to mind. In fact, he looked very relaxed. Clearly, he really did not care whether he could win the Best Director Award again.

"To be honest, if 'Fight Club' had been released at the end of last year, I might have competed with Rui Fan for Best Actor," Jekun said regretfully.

"Maybe," Adriaan replied noncommittally.

While he was busy with "The Lord of the Rings" in New Zealand, he had already arranged for "Fight Club" to be released in the United States. As he had expected, the movie did not do well. Because of Fincher, Adriaan helped the company secure 2,000 cinemas, and the box office in the first three days was not bad. It was 4.3 million on the first day, 8.8 million on the second day, and over 10 million on the third day. It even topped the box office in the first week during the off-season. However, it was only a flash in the pan. The box office in the second week was just over 20 million, and it was expected to be lower next week. It was just a flash in the pan. The box office in the second week was just over 20 million, and it was expected to be even lower next week.

Film critics were also at odds with each other. Conservatives labeled it "a typical anarchist work", while radicals claimed that the film spoke the true thoughts of young people nowadays. Similarly, the audience's view of "Fight Club" was very different. In the eyes of ordinary people, it was just a good thriller, but in the eyes of evil movie lovers, it was definitely a classic.

As for the tabloids, they were all focused on gossip about Denis and Winona. As early as during filming, there were rumors of Denis and Winona chatting happily, and rumors of them having dinner together. After Denis got married, there was a bit of a lull. After the movie was released, it started again. Who asked the two to have a vague passionate scene in the plot?

However, it was more positive than negative overseas, especially in Europe. That was to no avail. So, the movie was still the same. It earned close to 100 million or more in the global box office. Don't think that it was a lot. Compared to the investment of nearly 70 million, it was a loss for sure. In a few years, it would become a classic of cult films, a must-watch for classic film lovers. Then, they would make some money from the sale and rental of videotapes or DVDs.

So, even though Rui Fan performed very well — basically, all the three main leads were very good, whether it was Rui Fan, Denis, or Winona. Some media even thought that it was Winona's best performance in the past few years, and that she had already gotten rid of her innocent image. Adriaan was very surprised when he found out, but when he remembered that she was acting with Denis, he felt relieved. Many times, acting skills would improve by leaps and bounds under stimulation.

Anyway, even so, it was difficult to get a nomination. The conservative Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences would not like a movie that advocated anarchy, even if it was not the opinion of the producer and the director.

"Don't worry, Jacquin. Sooner or later, you will compete with each other. Don't back down then," Adriaan joked.

He chatted with Rui Fan and Robin Williams for a while longer, then left. From the beginning to the end, he only said a few words to Natalie. They greeted each other like ordinary friends, but before he left, he gave her a deep look. He had no choice. The reporters were all pointing their cameras at him. The conflict between him and the two Miracle Girls was what they wanted to see the most.

Unfortunately, the reporters did not know that Adriaan had already discussed with Gwyneth and Blanchett that they would only show up after he went in.

Fortunately, Natalie secretly gave him a smile, which made him feel a little better.

But other than Gwyneth and Blanchett, there were other people. Julia and Nicole were already Oscar regulars, and Sarah and Zeta-Jones were also on the way. Although Mulholland Pass only had one nomination for Best Director, Naomi still showed up. Kate did not attend because he was not as popular as he was when he made Tornado. As for Monica and Sophie, their bellies were already bulging. Although it did not prevent them from walking, they did not want to be questioned by the reporters on the red carpet.

Anyway, Monica did not have any important work this year. The Matrix was only nominated for a few technical awards. It was almost impossible for a sci-fi film to win an important award. Sophie's Anna Karenina received better reviews than the original after it was released at the end of last year, but the box office was not that good. It only won a few technical nominations such as Best Costume and Best Art Direction, so it was not a big deal that they did not come.

Although there were reporters shouting for him to respond along the way, Adriaan quickly entered the theater. It was still early, and less than a third of the theater was occupied, but several of his acquaintances were there.

"Hi, Steven, why are you here so early today?" Adriaan greeted Spielberg with a smile.

"You're back from New Zealand? How's the new movie? Still not revealing? "Spielberg responded with a smile, but it was a forced one.

After a few words, he resigned from his position. Adrian then turned to one of the producers he had talked to before. "What's going on? Steven doesn't seem very happy. "

"What else could it be other than Life is Beautiful?" The producer shrugged.

That one sentence made Adriaan understand, and he shrugged as well. Life is Beautiful, directed by and starring Roberto Benigni, was about a Jewish father and son sent to a Nazi concentration camp during World War II in Italy. It won the Jury Prize at last year's Cannes Film Festival. He was there at the time, and Benigni was so excited that he almost kissed the shoes of Martin Scorsese, the chairman of the jury.

The movie was released in the United States last year, and has won numerous awards, such as the Chicago Film Critics Circle Award and the Screen Actors Guild Award. It also won several important awards at the Oscars, including Best Film, Best Actor, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Foreign Language Film. If Adriaan did not take up three spots for Best Director, he would have been one of the nominees.

But Spielberg did not like Life is Beautiful, because the movie was "too entertaining," and "the Holocaust should not be too entertaining." Adriaan understood his feelings. It was just like how Chinese people would never like a movie about the Nanjing Massacre that could make people feel warm and fuzzy, even if the movie had elements of accusation.

How much effort did Steven put into public relations? That was what Adriaan thought as he found his seat. Since Spielberg did not like the movie, he might have used his connections to persuade the Film school's judges not to vote for Life is Beautiful. In fact, even if he did not do that, Life is Beautiful would not have won Best Film. It was an Italian movie, after all, and the only Italian movie to win Best Film at the Oscars was Bertolucci's The Last Emperor. Even so, it was all thanks to China. After all, many people thought that China was a mysterious place, and that view still existed after more than a decade, let alone now.

So Spielberg did not care, but it would be good if the judges could be biased. Jaquen was nominated for Best Actor … Adriaan shook his head. Jaquen was too young, and he had always been under his brother's shadow. Ever since he started acting in movies, he had been compared to Rui Fan. The more dazzling Rui Fan was, the lower his evaluation was.

If Rui Fan acted in Good Will Hunting, he would have a high chance of winning Best Actor with last year's nomination. Jaquen would be better off. Fortunately, the two brothers did not have any conflicts or even fall out because of this.

Adrian shrugged his shoulders and collected his thoughts. This actually had nothing to do with him. What he was most concerned about at this year's Oscars was the Best Actress. He did not care about other awards, such as Best Film, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, etc., but Best Actress had to go to either Gwyneth or Blanchett.

This was not something impossible. As for the other three nominees, Fernand Montenegro was a Brazilian. A Brazilian wanted to win the Oscar for Best Actress? Sorry, please go to the back of the line. Emily Watson, who had only started acting in 1996, did not have any great works, and was too inexperienced. Moreover, "She's Lonelier Than the Fireworks", which was adapted from the life of the British female cellist Jacqueline Dupree, had been strongly criticized by many of Dupree's friends, who thought that it was not in line with the facts and distorted Dupree's image. Among them, there were many masters. Although film and music were two different industries, if these people joined forces to pressure the Film Academy, the Academy would have to consider their feelings.

Meryl Streep was the most competitive. Since she won the Best Supporting Actress Award in 1979 and the Best Actress Award for the first time in 1982, she had been nominated for 11 acting awards. She was about to surpass Katharine Hepburn's record. However, sometimes the number of nominations and the probability of winning were inversely proportional. If the number of nominations was too high, the Film School would not pay attention to it.

Of course, more importantly, Adriaan had invested a lot of money in public relations, so the Best Actress could only be between Gwyneth and Blanchett. Otherwise, it would be a waste of their performances.

"What are you laughing at, Eide?" Gwenis, who had already entered the theater and sat down in the front row to his right, turned around and asked with a frown.

"It's nothing. I just thought of something." Adrian smiled as he snapped out of his daze.

"Really?" Gwyneth did not believe him. She lowered her voice and said, "You look like … you are up to no good!"

"How could I?" Adriaan raised his eyebrows and turned to look at Blanchett, who was sitting on the left in the back row. Although her eyes were on the stage, she was actually listening to him and Gwyneth.

"I'm just thinking, what's the difference between competition and unhealthy competition," he said jokingly.

Gwyneth blushed and glared at him, then turned her head away. Blanchett, who was putting on an act, coughed softly. Adrian's smile widened. Even though "The Lord of the Rings" had just started filming and they did not have any scenes yet, the two women did not follow him to New Zealand. However, in order to win the other party's favor, they did everything they could to please Adrian.

It could even be said that they dared to do anything that Adriaan could not think of. Of course, this was an exaggeration, but during this time, they were extremely obedient, even more obedient than Britney's little pet. Although both Gwenis and Blanchett knew that it wasn't appropriate to do so, some things couldn't be ended once they started.

After teasing them a little, Adriaan straightened his body and adjusted his clothes. As more and more people sat down, the award ceremony was about to begin. Although he was a little impatient with the Oscars, since he was there, he had to do a good job.

Even so, when the host went on stage, he couldn't help but sigh in his heart.

The host of this award ceremony was Whoopi Goldberg. Adriaan sighed, not because he thought that Goldberg's hosting was not good enough. How could he be like Billy? Crystal had been invited to host the Oscars several times, which was enough to prove Goldberg's ability. However, this woman really liked to change clothes. In a few hours, she would change at least seven or eight sets of clothes. She even dressed like the female lead in the movie.

The female protagonists were very beautiful in those clothes, but for her, it really made people feel … shocked. It was normal to humiliate oneself to achieve the goal of being funny. It was not that Adriaan could not accept it, but for Goldberg, it was too difficult for her. Of course, he could only keep these words in his heart. If he said it out loud, people would definitely say that he was racist.

The 71st Academy Awards ceremony kicked off. After the song and dance, the awards were officially presented. This time, there was no Best Supporting Actor or Actress to open the ceremony. Even so, the technical awards still attracted a lot of attention. Sci-Fi and fantasy films could only win these awards. Adriaan looked a little distracted. With the quality and reputation of "The Matrix", it did not take much effort to win these awards. The only thing that slightly interested him was the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film.

This year, Pixar was also nominated for Best Animated Short Film, but he did not expect that this award, which should have been in the bag, would be won by Blue Sky Studio. Obviously, Adriaan was going to fulfill another promise, but he did not know if they had prepared the squirrel.

"The winner of Best Supporting Actor is Robin Williams from" Good Will Hunting "!"

There was a sudden warm applause. Williams jumped up excitedly and waved his fist. People around him stood up and gave him a hug. Adriaan also applauded gently. Even though it was delayed by a year, Williams was still able to win Best Supporting Actor. He was indeed outstanding, and "Good Will Hunting" had indeed scratched the itch in the hearts of the judges.

Although most of his works were comedies, Williams' exaggerated performance was different from Jim Carrey's. In addition, he became famous early and had a variety of comedic characters. Plus, there were some other reasons, so he deserved to win Best Supporting Actor.

On the stage, Williams, who had received the Oscar, had already begun his speech. Below the stage, Adriaan looked elsewhere. The crew of "Good Will Hunting" was not far from the crew of "Shakespeare in Love" and "Elizabeth", so Adriaan saw Natalie at a glance. She was listening to Williams' speech attentively. She seemed a little excited. After all, the Best Supporting Actress Award was about to be presented.

As for whether he should support Natalie for Best Supporting Actress, Adriaan had been very hesitant. There were many unfavorable factors, but youth was still the main problem. Ever since the little vixen won Best Supporting Actress a few years ago, Film school would not consider girls who were too young for a long time. Moreover, the other nominees for Best Supporting Actress this year were all very good.

There was no need to mention Judi Dench. Adriaan had personally directed "Shakespeare in Love", so he knew her performance very well. Although she had only appeared on screen for ten minutes, she had received a lot of praise. Besides, Lynn Redgrave and Richel Griffith were all more experienced than her. Moreover, there was also Cathy Bates.

However, nothing was absolute in this world. After all, the weight of a supporting actress was not as important as the female lead, so the scope could be greater. However, Adriaan was not sure if this would be beneficial to Natalie's growth. Although the little vixen had won Best Supporting Actress as the second youngest in history, her future development would definitely be hindered. Although Natalie was smarter than her, it was hard to say what would happen in the future.

Natalie seemed to be aware of this problem. During their several conversations on the phone, Adriaan could clearly sense her hesitation. However, what she was worried about seemed to be different from his.