Chapter 102: Small Aftermath of the Banquet

On the other side, Penelope Cruz's American agent was pointing at Gilbert Landrini from a distance, introducing him to Penelope Cruz.

"This is Hollywood's youngest and hottest director, Gilbert Landrini."

Penelope Cruz looked at Gilbert's young face, somewhat skeptical. "Is he really a director? Not an actor?"

"Of course, he's a director. 'The Shallows,' 'Final Destination,' 'Speed'—they're all his works. His new movie, 'Real Steel,' will be released this summer," the agent said, showcasing Gilbert's impressive resume.

Penelope's eyes lit up. She had seen 'The Shallows,' which had been released in Spain. At the time, she had even fantasized about being the lead in the movie. She had also kept an eye on its box office performance. When she saw in the Spanish newspapers that the film had grossed over $100 million globally, she envied the lead actress.

She hadn't expected that at this event, she would meet the director of that film, Gilbert.

"I'll take you over to say hello. If you leave a good impression, he might think of you for future roles," suggested her agent.

Penelope nodded, following the agent. She intended to develop her career in Hollywood, a step every European actor dreams of after gaining fame. Hollywood is the center of the entertainment industry, a big stage filled with opportunities. This is where the path to global success truly begins.

The British actors have had the most success in Hollywood, given their cultural ties with the United States. Next are the Italians, who have produced several well-known Italian-American directors and actors, like the legendary Francis Ford Coppola. Australians have also made their mark, with stars like Mel Gibson and Nicole Kidman. Actors from Spain, France, and other European countries tend to be fewer in number.

As an ambitious actress, Penelope Cruz naturally didn't want to only achieve fame in Spain or even Europe. She wanted to make a global impact.

"Hello, Director Gilbert..." Seeing that Gilbert was nearly done with his meal, the agent quickly brought Penelope Cruz over to greet him.

"Oh, hello!" Gilbert responded, noticing Penelope Cruz behind the agent. She looked familiar, though he couldn't immediately place her.

The agent quickly introduced her, "This is Penelope Cruz Sanchez, a Spanish actress who recently arrived in the U.S. to advance her career."

"Oh~ I remember now. You're the lead actress in tonight's Best Foreign Language Film at the Oscars. Congratulations."

No wonder she looked familiar; she was a Spanish beauty! Penelope eagerly shook Gilbert's hand, "Hello, Director Gilbert. I've seen your films; they're really excellent."

"Oh? Which one have you seen?" Gilbert asked curiously.

She quickly described her experience watching 'The Shallows,' vividly recounting her feelings, which sounded quite genuine.

Gilbert was slightly curious. With the limited information channels at the time, he didn't know much about overseas fans' responses. But judging by Penelope's reaction, his movies were popular in Spain.

The agent silently praised Penelope's excellent approach, boosting her favorability with Gilbert.

He then added, "Ms. Cruz has been a loyal fan of yours and admires your work greatly."

Having been in the Hollywood circle for so long, Gilbert understood what the agent was implying. Since he was still busy that evening, he simply handed Penelope a business card.

"You're welcome to visit my studio anytime, Ms. Cruz..."

Having obtained Gilbert's card, the agent and Penelope excused themselves, satisfied.

The banquet was winding down. After chatting briefly with Steven Spielberg, Gilbert found Naomi Watts, who had finished her socializing, and they left the venue together.

On the way home, Gilbert asked Naomi, "Did you meet anyone interesting today?"

"Harvey Weinstein," Naomi said excitedly. "He oversees Miramax Films and handles film production. He said I might have a shot at the Best Actress Oscar."

"Miramax," Gilbert mused, recalling that Robert Iger had mentioned Disney's upcoming acquisition of the studio.

"Did he give you his card?"

"Yes, here." Naomi took a card out of her bag and handed it to Gilbert, who promptly tossed it out the window.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Naomi asked, bewildered by his actions.

"Stay away from him," Gilbert told her sternly. "He's not a good person."

Naomi pouted, secretly muttering, "As if you're such a saint!"

Back at home, seeing that Naomi was still bothered by the card incident, Gilbert reassured her, "Trust me. In matters like these, I won't mislead you."

Naomi responded, "I don't understand, Gilbert. I have my own judgment. I choose who I talk to and work with. That's my choice."

"Alright, my mistake," Gilbert conceded, raising his hands. "But in this case, please listen to me."

Naomi tossed her bag aside, a little annoyed, "Well, you've already thrown the card away, so there's nothing more to discuss."

"Perfect," Gilbert said, moving in to hug her gently from behind. Whispering in her ear, he said softly, "I'll take care of the Best Actress thing. Trust me, I'll make sure it's perfect."

Naomi's ears, a sensitive spot, tingled from Gilbert's breath, causing her face to flush.

She relaxed, leaning into him, finding herself unable to resist any longer.

"Gilbert, you're really a bad man," she murmured, making a half-hearted effort to escape, only to give up as he held her more firmly.

"Thank you, everyone says so," Gilbert replied playfully, sweeping her into his arms and heading toward the bedroom.

As someone advised in a certain "guide to charming women," one of the best ways to appease a woman is by being close with her. However, this method can be risky, as she might enjoy herself and then sue you, so one should use it cautiously.

Naomi, however, wasn't the type to change her mind after a romantic night. The next day, she felt much better.

With work calling, Naomi had to join the cast for a promotional tour.

At the same time, Naomi had landed the lead role in Hollywood Film Company's 'Love at Second Sight,' a Disney subsidiary overseeing film production. The movie would be distributed by Buena Vista Pictures, another Disney-owned company.

Originally, Sandra Bullock had been slated as the lead. However, due to Naomi's close relationship with Gilbert, Disney preferred her instead. Naomi's role as Bailey in 'Real Steel' also played a role in her selection for 'Love at Second Sight.'

Gilbert had always been curious why Disney had so many subsidiaries, like Touchstone Pictures, Buena Vista, and Hollywood Film Company. Once, he asked Robert Iger, who offered an interesting explanation.

Disney was founded with a focus on family-friendly, kid-oriented entertainment, which made it dominant in animation. But this mission wasn't as suitable for live-action films. So, they created subsidiaries to work around Disney's family-oriented image. Otherwise, Touchstone Pictures wouldn't have been able to invest in a horror film like 'Final Destination,' the complete opposite of children's movies.

Gilbert finally understood, realizing why Disney's Marvel movies later became more child-focused.

After the Oscars, attention still lingered around the event. While Gilbert had won a Best Editing Oscar, he wasn't the media's focus. Instead, all eyes were on the Best Actor award.

The post-ceremony discussions questioned Tom Hanks's win for Best Actor, arguing that Liam Neeson's performance in 'Schindler's List' deserved the award.

Hollywood has a significant Jewish influence, and many in that community felt a movie like 'Schindler's List' should sweep the Oscars. Since Tom Hanks wasn't Jewish, Jewish-affiliated media outlets expressed disappointment that 'Schindler's List' didn't win.

Gilbert simply watched, aware that the dispute had nothing to do with him. Although 'Schindler's List' was also nominated for Best Editing, his win saved him from the criticism of the Jewish media.

Soon, both the HIV-positive and LGBTQ+ communities publicly supported Tom Hanks, who played a gay man with HIV in 'Philadelphia.'

Characters like those with mental illness, homosexuality, or terminal illnesses seem to have an easier path to winning Oscars, leaving little room for more conventional roles.

By April, the summer blockbuster season was already brewing.

"Real Steel" held two preview screenings, one for the media and critics, and the other for theater representatives, and it received a good response.

The media's average rating was 80, which is quite decent for a summer blockbuster.

Critics were more divided. Some felt the film had impressive visuals and special effects, and the father-son relationship was clearly laid out, making it an overall solid movie.

Receiving a "passing" rating from picky critics is actually rare for a commercial film.

However, some critics felt that the robot boxing storyline was unnecessary, and that the movie should have delved deeper into the father-son relationship.

Why did they drift apart? How did they change afterward? How did they finally heal each other?

Critics were also split on whether the ending was healing. Some felt the movie should have been a tragedy, arguing that the family-friendly ending diminished its artistic quality.

Others felt the mutual healing between father and son was satisfying, though they agreed the robots felt superfluous.

Among those praising the film was Roger Ebert, a representative of the favorable critics.

Disney and Warner Brothers went to great lengths to satisfy this notoriously difficult-to-please critic.

With a production budget of $80 million, the film was classified as an A-list blockbuster, enough to draw Roger Ebert to attend the event in person.

This well-known critic had quite a list of demands. During his stay in Los Angeles, he requested weekly golf sessions.

He wanted his accommodations to be near a beach so he could go for a swim.

He also requested a yacht to go out to sea.

Robert Iger privately complained to Gilbert, "That damn critic! He actually took eighteen models out to sea, two of whom were underage."

"Wow!" Gilbert exclaimed in amazement. Roger Ebert, at his age, was still living it up.

Just thinking of Ebert's hefty frame pressing down on those delicate models made Gilbert shiver in disgust.

The power of film critics is strong in North America.

Although Gilbert wasn't too fond of them, he knew that for future Oscar campaigns, they would need critics to cheer them on, so he kept his personal feelings in check.

In this industry, there are times when personal preferences have to be set aside.

In this regard, Gilbert had already matured into a seasoned Hollywood director.

"Real Steel" was set for release on May 6, the first weekend of the summer season.

Since competitive blockbusters were mainly packed into June, July, and August, the May schedule was relatively more open.

With the coordination of Robert Iger, Buena Vista's release of "When a Man Loves a Woman" was rescheduled to April 29.

That film also wanted to avoid a head-to-head clash with Gilbert in the first week of summer, so it stepped aside.

Warner's release of "Maverick" took it a step further, pushing its release back two weeks to May 20.

Another film, "The Crow," distributed by Miramax, also chose to steer clear of "Real Steel" and moved its release to May 13.

As a side note, "The Crow" was the final film of Brandon Lee, Bruce Lee's son.

Brandon's death was also quite bizarre; he was accidentally shot during the filming of a gunfight scene with a prop gun.

His death has become Hollywood's biggest recent mystery.

.....

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