Chapter 101: Oscar Night

Mehdi Thomson knew the audience was more interested in hearing from someone else, so he quickly wrapped up his acceptance speech and handed the stage to Gilbert.

As Gilbert approached the microphone, cheers and shouts erupted from the audience below.

Taking a moment to steady himself, he reminded himself silently, "This isn't Best Director, this isn't Best Director..."

After calming down, Gilbert delivered his first award acceptance speech of his life.

Truly, it was his first time, though if you count winning a school essay contest in a past life, it would be his second.

"First, I want to thank my amazing team. Without their support, I could never have completed such a complex project.

Annie and Sophia were always there to help me solve problems during filming, while Charles and Kane kept the production organized, allowing me to focus on directing.

Keanu, Sandra, Dennis, and Naomi are some of the best actors I've ever worked with.

And to my cinematographer, my art director, my stunt coordinators, and all the team members—without you, there wouldn't be this film.

Second, thank you to my family for their support. My father, my aunt, and her family have always been my loyal fans.

Then, I'd like to thank Touchstone Pictures and Warner Bros. for their trust. I hope we can continue to work well together.

Finally, thank you to my fans. Without your support, there would be no 'genius director' in the press.

I'm not a genius, but I'm willing to keep bringing you even more exciting films. Thank you…"

It was a fairly brief acceptance speech, but he was young, so it was understandable for his first time on this stage.

It's hard to imagine what Gilbert's speech would be like if he were ever nominated for Best Director.

Of course, everyone knew that for now, Gilbert had no chance of winning an Oscar for Best Director—he was simply too young.

Unless he encountered a huge opportunity or pulled off the best publicity campaign ever, it was unlikely.

After receiving the Best Editing Oscar, Gilbert still couldn't rest; he handed the statuette to Mehdi Thomson and then headed backstage for interviews.

Most of the questions revolved around how he felt about winning his first Oscar.

Gilbert simply replied, "I'm thrilled and excited. This is my first Oscar experience, but I don't think it will be my last."

With this statement, he hinted at his ambition to one day take on the Oscars.

However, with his strong commercial appeal and no background in independent films, he seemed miles away from traditional "film art."

Winning a major award like Best Director would likely take a lot of effort.

The Oscars' bias against commercial films wasn't new.

Of course, that doesn't mean commercial films are entirely cut off from Oscar recognition. Some influential commercial movies have managed to make their mark.

Gilbert also spoke about his new movie, hinting that it would hit theaters on the first weekend of the summer season.

These days, the hottest summer releases typically come out in June or July, with May marking the beginning of the summer season, though the films released then tend not to be as big.

But Gilbert wasn't concerned about this; May was perfect for him—less competition meant his movie could release without much pressure.

"Interview with the Vampire" was initially set to release the same weekend as "Real Steel," but then there was an issue with the animal rights organization.

Afterward, CAA and Universal Pictures rescheduled its release to August.

With the two movies now in different release periods, there was no competition.

Tom Cruise even called personally to clarify that he wasn't aware of CAA's involvement with the animal rights group.

In essence, he implied that it was all Michael Ovitz and Martin Bob's doing and not to blame him.

Clearly, Tom Cruise recognized Gilbert's value—not just his achievements but also his age.

At only twenty-three, Gilbert had directed three consecutive hits, with his latest film, "Speed," grossing over four hundred million dollars worldwide.

Since entering the industry, Tom Cruise's highest-grossing film had been "Top Gun," with a box office of $357 million.

His critically acclaimed film with Dustin Hoffman, "Rain Man," also grossed $355 million.

However, he hadn't yet starred in a film that broke the $400 million mark.

In Hollywood, maintaining star status requires a solid box office track record, sometimes even more than an Oscar.

After the backstage interviews, Gilbert still couldn't rest—he had to present the award for Best Foreign Language Film.

The award went to a Spanish film titled The Lovers of Four Sisters.

Notably, the lead actress of the film was a Latin star Gilbert was familiar with—Penelope Cruz.

She attended the Oscars and jumped with excitement when accepting the award for Best Foreign Language Film.

After presenting the award, Gilbert returned to his seat.

Naomi Watts curiously asked him, "Gilbert, where's the statuette?"

"I gave it to Mehdi," Gilbert replied nonchalantly.

Leonardo seemed to guess what Gilbert was thinking and laughed, "Maybe our young director here prefers the Best Director Oscar."

Gilbert didn't respond, implying agreement.

Of course, tonight's Best Director award was out of his reach, as it went to Steven Spielberg.

Likewise, this year's Best Picture was awarded to Schindler's List.

Tom Hanks, just like in his previous life, won Best Actor for his role in Philadelphia, marking the start of his stardom.

What's more, Gilbert knew that Tom Hanks would also be in Forrest Gump this year.

Two consecutive blockbusters, along with an Oscar win, would truly mark the beginning of Tom Hanks' era.

Gilbert had a movie he wanted to collaborate with Tom Hanks on.

However, he'd first finish his current projects and the Alcatraz project before approaching Tom Hanks.

Having come to 1990s Hollywood, Gilbert felt it wouldn't be complete without working with both of the "Toms."

After the Oscars ceremony, there was a reception dinner.

Gilbert attended with Naomi Watts, with Leonardo also joining.

After some socializing, Gilbert encouraged Naomi to mingle while he found a quiet corner to grab a bite to eat.

Leonardo, still adjusting to such an environment, seemed more interested in gazing at the glamorous actresses but didn't dare approach them.

"If you're interested in someone, you should be bold and talk to them, Leo," Gilbert said.

Leonardo shook his head, replying, "Not interested. See that one over there?"

"Who? Julianne Moore? Isn't she a lesbian? I don't think she'd be interested in you," Gilbert replied.

Leonardo shot him a look, "You don't know? She's bisexual and has attended nude parties."

"How do you know that?" Gilbert asked, intrigued.

"I attended one too," Leonardo said, matter-of-factly. "Though everyone wore masks, I recognized her."

Gilbert was speechless. No wonder Leonardo would eventually become one of Hollywood's renowned playboys—he'd started young and had even attended silver parties.

"Hey, Gilbert, want to come? I could introduce you, maybe even to Julia Roberts," Leonardo offered.

"Me?" Gilbert declined without hesitation. "Not interested. I'd rather go fishing."

"Fishing sounds great. I'm good at it," Leonardo grinned.

Finding a kindred spirit in fishing, the two naturally struck up a conversation and agreed to go fishing together sometime.

After Leonardo left to mingle, Winona Ryder came looking for Gilbert.

"Now that you have a girlfriend, you're not interested in me, huh?" Winona joked, finally finding Gilbert hidden away in a corner with some snacks.

"Lora," Gilbert smiled awkwardly, "You're still here?"

Winona Ryder's full name was Winona Laura Horowitz.

After learning this, Gilbert had suggested she change it to "Winona Hogwarts."

Winona didn't understand and asked why.

"So that people will think you're from a magic school," Gilbert explained with a smile.

"Why does Hogwarts sound like a magic school?" Winona still didn't get it.

Gilbert simply gave a mysterious smile. "You'll understand one day."

Winona Ryder's full name had reminded Gilbert of the famous Harry Potter series.

The author, J.K. Rowling, should be working on her first book around this time, and Gilbert planned to keep a close eye on it.

Of course, he'd thought about writing it himself.

But books and movies are two very different media. While he could handle directing Harry Potter, writing the novel was beyond him.

That didn't matter, though; with the advantage of foreknowledge, he could secure the rights in advance.

Of course, a series like this would require major media backing, as no one person alone could replicate its success.

Back at the Hollywood party, Winona Ryder remarked, "You're really boring and uptight."

"Why do you say that?" Gilbert asked, curious to know how others saw him.

"You don't do weed, you don't go to social parties, you don't rock out. You're only focused on your work.

Doesn't that feel stifling?" she teased, poking him lightly on the chest.

Gilbert shook his head slightly. "Laura, you're thinking of Johnny Depp, not me.

People have many choices in life. I'm free to choose mine."

Hearing him mention freedom, Winona Ryder had no retort, but she shot him a sidelong glance and muttered, "You're really boring..."

With that, Winona floated off, a bit disappointed that her flirtations hadn't been reciprocated.