Chapter 537 - A Wave of Oscar Nominations

Just when the filming was progressing smoothly, the Oscar nomination list was announced, and the results placed Laila and Roy, who were still on set, in the spotlight once again.

Last year's box office champion, "Pirates of the Caribbean," received six Oscar nominations, including Best Actor, Best Sound Mixing, Best Editing, Best Visual Effects, Best Costume Design, and Best Makeup!

This was Roy's first Oscar nomination and the first for a film Laila had worked on.

Upon hearing the news, the entire company was buzzing with excitement. Even Mr. Oswald himself was delighted and ordered all the media under his banner to report this Moran family's honor and make it widely known.

With the top boss giving the order, the people below had no choice but to dig for material. They dared not disturb the young lady, so they had to rely on the information available from the staff.

Some astute individuals, such as Mr. Anthony, who was in charge of Laila's and Moran's media work, directly suggested exclusive interviews for the occasion.

"Now that the topic is hot, how about a few exclusive interviews?" Anthony proposed.

"Wouldn't a few interviews be considered non-exclusive?" Laila found his suggestion amusing when she received his call. Nevertheless, she didn't mind. It was time to promote her film, CD release, merchandise sales, and theme park projects. Having more publicity would only mean more money for her, so why would she mind?

"Alright, arrange it. I can accept one interview for a print publication and one for a television program. If you want more, find someone else, like Roy or others."

Anthony was already quite satisfied with the results he had achieved. He had initially thought that getting the young boss to agree to one interview would be a success, but he hadn't expected to secure a television program as well. In hindsight, he should have pushed for more from the start.

After the call, Laila noticed that Roy, who had been waiting for her to finish her phone call, was pacing back and forth. She couldn't help but smile and ask, "Didn't you already receive a Golden Globe nomination? Why are you so nervous now?"

"This is the Oscars! Can it be compared to the Golden Globes?" Roy stood in front of her, leaning on her desk. "Do you think I have a chance this time..."

"I'm sorry, but no," Laila knew what he wanted to ask. Without letting him finish, she shook her head regretfully and dashed his hopes. She also threw some cold water on him, saying, "The reasons are the same as the Golden Globes. You're still too young. And the Oscars have never been fond of commercial films. To win that trophy, you'll need to wait a few more years and make the kind of films they like."

Roy was aware of these facts, but the excitement of receiving an Oscar nomination had been circulating in his heart, and he couldn't shake it off. People often had a bit of wishful thinking, and he was no exception. What if the jury suddenly decided to give the award to a young person? What if they suddenly started liking commercial films?

Well, those possibilities were likely just wishful thinking.

"I can't help but feel disappointed," Roy sighed in frustration. If it was due to a lack of skill or the film's quality, he wouldn't mind. However, their film had grossed nearly 700 million at the box office, and he had portrayed a surprise-hit pirate captain that audiences loved. Wasn't that enough to earn him an award?

Just look at the films nominated for Best Actor alongside him. Denzel Washington's "Training Day," Will Smith's "Ali," Russell Crowe's "A Beautiful Mind," and Tom Wilkinson's "In the Bedroom"...

Could the combined box office earnings of their films compare to what their film had brought in? Why could they compete for the award while he could only be a runner-up?

"Actually, you should consider yourself lucky," Laila smiled at him.

"Sorry, but I don't see where I'm lucky!" Roy replied with an annoyed look.

"You are lucky. At least your competitors are all heavyweight contenders. If you lose to them, there's nothing to be ashamed of. Look at the nominees for Best Actor; each of them has won a pile of awards."

Roy, feeling discontented, retorted, "I've also won a pile of awards, you know?" Although they weren't heavyweight awards, who could say that those weren't genuine achievements?

Laila smiled and said, "Yes, you've also won a pile."

Roy looked at her, feeling like he was being treated as an unreasonable child. Well, he was being unreasonable.

"Never mind, forget about me. Has Janet found out yet?"

Janet was in charge of the costume design for "Pirates of the Caribbean," and her Best Costume Design nomination was naturally her accomplishment.

"She called as soon as she saw the list. She couldn't believe it and kept exclaiming," Laila recalled the excited and intermittent words she had heard over the phone. She hadn't seen Janet so excited before, even when she had won major awards for costume design. What was it about a film award that made her so thrilled?

"Yes, and Jia Xiaoming, I mean, Xiao Ye. He's changed his name to Xiao Ye now," Roy mentioned the name with an increasingly strange tone. It seemed like he found just pronouncing that person's name from his mouth extremely unpleasant. Right from the beginning, he hadn't had a good impression of him. The man had clung to Laila, and if it weren't for him, she might not have encountered danger. It was incredible how he still dared to stick around.

"You mean Xiao Ye..." Laila couldn't help but feel a little helpless about his confrontational attitude.

"Never mind the details," Roy brought up her previous words and added a smirking smile, "He's impressive. A few strokes of a brush on my face, and he secured a nomination. His luck is indeed something else."

Laila found it hard to disagree. She had always known that he had the talent to win an Oscar; she just hadn't expected it to happen so quickly. She had initially thought it would take at least two or three more years.

However, it wasn't entirely surprising. These awards didn't necessarily follow an age or experience requirement. Perhaps it was because these awards weren't as closely watched as others.

Roy noticed her silence and walked over to embrace her. "Don't be disappointed. Next time, you'll definitely win an award."

While Janet, a costume designer, and Xiao Ye, a dubious secret agent, could both secure Oscar nominations, Laila, who was genuinely dedicated to filmmaking, was left without a nomination. It was indeed a ridiculous and unfair situation. If it were him, he would probably be disheartened as well, especially since she held filmmaking in the highest regard.

Laila leaned into his embrace, her lips curling into a silent smile.

Poor Roy seemed to have forgotten that she had also received a nomination. Laila had edited the film, and her name was listed under the Best Editing category.

It was a heartwarming moment, and she would enjoy the warmth he brought her. There was no need to mention right now that she had also received a nomination. It would probably make him feel awkward, wouldn't it?