The Best Director

Chapter 119: The Absent Oscar

In the stretched Lincoln moving forward, Will Smith, dressed in a black suit, was gazing out the window. Sitting beside him were Terry Smith, Jada Pinkett Smith, and their youngest son Jaden. Today was supposed to be a happy day, attending the Oscars with his family as a nominee for Best Actor—what a wonderful thing! But there was a sense of regret and sorrow in his heart that he couldn’t shake off, and his family felt the same.

The reason for this was the absence of that brilliantly smiling miraculous director, currently held in New York’s Rek Island Prison, and it had been four days.

“Dad, do they have TVs in prison?” Terry Smith, dressed neatly and looking handsome, suddenly thought of something. Turning his head to Will, he asked with interest, “Can Yang watch tonight’s Oscar ceremony? They must have one, right?”

Will Smith and Jada exchanged a smile. Even though they both knew that the prison had a TV, they were certain that Wang Yang wouldn’t be able to watch tonight’s Oscars. However, Will patted his son’s shoulder and said with a smile, “Buddy, he’ll see it.” He was truly grateful to that young director. The role in “The Pursuit of Happyness” had brought him more than just this Oscar nomination. It wasn’t just about reviving his acting career, which was once again bustling with offers; it had also saved his confidence and his dignity. The days of self-doubt had been tough to endure.

Furthermore, his relationship with Terry had also grown much closer, and only then had he started to understand some of his son’s thoughts and desires, becoming a better father. Will shook his head with a smile. Yang was a good guy; he shouldn’t be in jail, should he?

As he was reflecting on this, the driver and the assistants in the front reminded everyone that they were “almost there.” The Smith family immediately composed themselves, getting ready with joy for the upcoming red-carpet walk. When the stretched Lincoln stopped and the door opened, the Smith family was greeted by blinding flashes and the click-click of cameras as the nearby reporters shouted out. The flash from their cameras filled the entire Walk of Fame.

This year’s 73rd Oscars were still being held at the Snowlan Theater, and it would be the last time, as next year, the Oscars would move to the newly built Kodak Theater. For this reason, the event organizers had put in a lot of effort this year, and the guests reciprocated, with over 2800 celebrities expected to attend, making for the lowest absence rate in history. Thus, compared to last year, the Walk of Fame fashion show started 30 minutes earlier, with the highest number of participants in a red carpet walk in the history of the Oscars. This year’s Oscars were truly grand.

Among those absent, the magical Baby director Wang Yang was naturally the center of media attention, but this was not a big deal. The Oscars always had its share of focal points, people of interest, and news; any single person out of the 2800 stars was merely a grain of sand.

Outside the Snowlan Theater, the red carpet was buzzing with people, dazzling stars in suits and gowns, media journalists with cameras and video cameras, staff members, and stars laughing and showing off their best sides.

Natalie wore a black off-the-shoulder long dress, a faint smile on her face, but she felt a vast emptiness inside. She had thought this day would be memorable, something to feel happy about whenever she looked back, even if she had to endure watching that guy and his girlfriend sweetly cuddling and kissing before her eyes… She had been willing to bear it! But now, those two were nowhere to be seen, and everything around her seemed so noisy.

She really wanted to return to New York right now, to prepare for the visitation the next day. After all, she wasn’t going to win the Best Actress Oscar tonight. But whether for her image among the fans, the Oscar jury, or for the reputation of “Juno” and Flame Movies, she needed to stay until the end of the award ceremony, the Oscar night. It was so annoying!

“Hello, Natalie, we’ve found you.” The on-site interview reporter from ABC Television Network walked over with a smile. She was a middle-aged white woman holding a microphone with a cameraman following her with his camera. This wasn’t just a live pre-show tidbit for the nation to watch tonight, audiences in over a hundred countries around the globe would see this, and the footage would be forever circulated.

Natalie looked at her and smiled, saying, “Hi!” The blonde reporter pointed the microphone at her and asked with a smile, “How are you feeling right now?” Natalie casually swept a lock of hair behind her ear and elegantly chuckled, “It’s not my first time at the Oscars, but this time is definitely the most exciting. However, on the other hand, you know my friend, the director of ‘Juno,’ Wang Yang, couldn’t make it, which is really terrible. I believe he should be here.”

In a Manhattan hotel apartment in New York, there was a beep, and Jessica, sitting on the sofa, turned on the LCD TV. She picked up the remote and switched to the ABC channel. Her bare face looked haggard, with two faint dark circles under her eyes, and her gaze seemed desolate.

The Oscars ceremony was being broadcasted on TV. After an introduction set in space, the image of host Steve Martin falling onto Earth played, before cutting to the grand hall of the Kodak Theater. The vast hall was packed, and amidst the thunderous applause, Steve Martin, dressed in a black suit, walked to the center of the stage and said, “Thank you, thank you all!” Behind him stood a towering Oscar statuette.

“We live in a wonderful country, where this statue would have been blown to bits if it were in Afghanistan.” Steve Martin pointed to the statue behind him in all seriousness, and the audience let out a chuckle. Jessica had an expressionless face and couldn’t find it funny at all as she softly wondered, “What’s so funny about that?”

Steve Martin continued, holding his hands together, “In January, when they asked me if I wanted to host this show, my main concern was, would my skin recover in time after all the stretching?” The audience laughed again, and with a gesture of his hands, Steve Martin added, “Thanks to the astronauts! Anyway, that introduction sequence cost the government a trillion dollars. Don’t expect any tax cuts, folks—it’s all because I wanted a spectacular opening.” “Astronauts are watching us from 200 miles up in space, and right now 800 million people around the world are watching this on television, all thinking the same thing—we’re all gay,” Steve Martin said deadpan, prompting a roar of laughter in the hall. After a few words, he then said, “Kate Hudson is 21 this year (‘Almost Famous,’ nominated for Best Supporting Actress), and Natalie Portman is 19.”

At this moment, the live broadcast switched to shots of Kate Hudson and Natalie Portman. Kate was laughing with her mouth wide open, while Natalie maintained her look of serene composure. Amidst the applause, Steve Martin shrugged and said, “I like young actors because they remind me that I’m about to die.”

The crowd in the hall burst into unexpected laughter. Hearing the word “Young,” Jessica felt a twinge in her heart; he should have been sitting there in a dapper suit, taking the host’s teasing in stride, not in prison wear… She leaned backed on the sofa, gazing blankly at the TV screen, her heart already flying off to Rek Island as she murmured, “Yang…”

In Rek Island prison, inside a small cell, Wang Yang was doing push-ups on the floor beside his bed, sweat dripping steadily from his forehead as he counted, “121,122…”

Robert Downey Jr., lying on the bottom bunk, glanced over. He was no longer surprised at how soundly he had been defeated in arm wrestling. The guy on the floor boxed every morning, then spent the whole day writing at his desk, and when bored, would do endless push-ups or sit-ups… Like now, he must have already done at least three hundred, his energy boundless as a bull’s.

“Hey, Yang,” Downey Jr. was getting bored too, propped up on one elbow and looking for conversation, he asked, “I saw in the newspaper that your ‘Juno’ is nominated for Best Original Screenplay. I was wondering, what would you do if you won?”

Winning an award? Wang Yang stopped and lay on the ground, taking deep breaths to think, and said, “I don’t think it’s likely. Would the Oscar Jury really give it to a young person?” Whether he’s now in jail has nothing to do with the results. Sometimes the awards consider these external factors, but by mid-February, the six thousand jurors had already sent in their final votes, unless they could foresee the future.

Nevertheless, the screenplays in contention for the award include “Almost Famous” and “Erin Brockovich”, and despite the media’s balanced predictions, he didn’t have many thoughts on it because the style of the Oscar jury is notoriously conservative. On the other hand, he knew that in the past two years the Oscars had started to innovate and change, one of which was to recognize outstanding work by Black and Asian artists, like this year “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” received ten nominations, ranking second; next year Denzel Washington would become the second black Best Actor (the first was Sidney Poitier in 1964). Perhaps Will would take the lead this year.

So even though his hopes were not high, yesterday he still prepared a victory speech for his spokesperson, Bedes Bill, to read on his behalf—just in case- over the phone. He smiled and frowned, wondering if it would be needed. Who cares!

“Maybe they will,” Robert Downey Jr. said with a smirk, taking out an unlit cigarette and sucking on it, savoring the taste, seemingly moved as he said, “Buddy, times have changed.”

The Kodak Theater in Los Angeles was halfway through the ceremony, having presented several technical and post-production awards, such as Best Original Song for “Wonder Boys,” Best Art Direction/Set Decoration for “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” Best Original Score for “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” and was gradually moving into the main events. First were the two screenwriting awards. The Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay went to “Traffic,” and now it was time for Best Original Screenplay.

Amidst thunderous applause, presenter Angelina Jolie walked out from the left side of the stage with a white envelope, smiling as she said, “It’s an honor to present this award. Screenwriters shape stories and characters, which allow us to display our acting skills…” Will Smith and his family in the audience seats became focused; not far away, Natalie finally changed her expression, a face void of smiles but calm, yet inside she was very anxious.

“The five nominees are William Nicholson for ‘Gladiator’; Susannah Grant for ‘Erin Brockovich’; Wang Yang for ‘Juno.'” Hearing the name and the applause and cheers from the audience, Jessica suddenly got goosebumps and snapped back to reality. This was the award Yang was competing for! Sitting up straight to watch the TV screen, she saw Angel in a white suit continue to say, “Lee Hall for ‘Living Out Loud’; Cameron Crowe for ‘Almost Famous’.” The audience responded with another round of loud applause.

Natalie clapped hard, her eyes glued to Angelina on stage, watching her open the white envelope, her heart pounding faster and faster…

“Hmm, the winner is…” Angelina glanced at the result inside the envelope, looked at the nearly three thousand guests below, and smiled, “He’s a formidable guy, and what I like most about him is his passion for and support of child protection efforts! He’s a hero. He saved a lovely little girl…”

The audience knew who it was, applauding and cheering loudly; Natalie’s fist punched the air surreptitiously, her face radiant with a brilliant smile, overcome with joy, “It’s Yang! It’s that guy!” She suddenly realized her own feelings, unprecedented joy for someone else, was this what liking and caring felt like? Angelina announced with a laugh on stage, “Wang Yang for ‘Juno’!” As she spoke, a large split-screen behind her displayed Wang Yang’s photo and name.

“Oh, my god!” Jessica jumped up from the sofa in ecstasy, exclaiming, “Yang, Yang, you won! You got an Oscar! My god! Yang…” She suddenly stopped, looking around, but where could that familiar figure be? The excited hugs, the kisses… She sighed and sat back down on the sofa with a smile.

The Shalan Theater echoed with enthusiastic applause, and almost everyone knew what the situation was: the wonder boy was locked up in New York, unable to attend the award ceremony in person; obviously, there couldn’t be a phone call linked up, but fortunately, there was someone to accept the award on his behalf. Amidst the applause, Ms. Bedes Bill, accepting the award for Wang Yang, walked up to the stage, smiling as she took the glittering golden statuette from the hands of Angelina Jolie. Holding a piece of paper, she looked at the microphone and said with a smile, “Thank you, everyone. As you all know, he couldn’t be here himself, so I’ll read his acceptance speech.”

The audience below instantly fell silent, Will Smith and his family, Natalie… as well as Jessica and Rachel watching on TV, Joshua, Michael Pitt… and all 800 million global viewers tuning into the broadcast, prepared to listen to his speech.

Bedes Bill looked at the slip of paper and said, “I actually won? Does this count as some sort of compensation?” A soft chuckle rippled through the audience, and she continued, “OK, then I thank Santa Claus, thank the lucky Rek Island, and thank the Oscar judges!” The audience chuckled again, as Bedes said “And now, the next thanks go to some people who are certainly not an impersonal pronoun.” The crowd laughed and applauded.

“First, I want to thank a sweet pronoun, my fans, thank you for your support; a great pronoun, my family! Dad, Mom, Grandpa, Grandma… you’re always so wonderful, I love you!” Amidst the applause, Bedes Bill sped up her speech “Thank you to my friends, my colleagues, no name-checking, you’re so lovely! A special thanks to Natalie Portman, who provided a lot of inspiration and creativity for the screenplay; her understanding of Juno, in turn, influenced the script, she’s a monster.”

The audience burst into laughter and applause again, and the broadcast camera zoomed in on Natalie, who was smiling joyfully with teeth shown, clapping her hands continuously.

“I know this will definitely cause gossip, so I want to clarify right now, there’s nothing of the sort. The last thanks go to an angel, my girlfriend Jessica. I don’t think I need to say much, sweetheart, I love you!” As Bedes said this, cheers and applause erupted once more in the hall. Natalie’s smile turned into a tender smile as she gently clapped, muttering to herself with a touch of melancholy, “Why isn’t it me? Is it just because she knew you before I did?”

“Thanks all done, but I have to say to them, sorry, for worrying you! At last…” Bedes Bill held the little gold man, looked at the closing lines on the paper, and said, “I’d like to quote a phrase, ‘You can kill me, but you can’t defeat me.’ THE END, thank you.”

Jessica dabbed at the tears welling up in the corners of her eyes with a tissue, her face adorned with a sweet smile, choking out, “I love you too.” Watching Bedes walking down the stage on the screen, she suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of longing, aching to hear his voice, to see his face. Unable to help herself, she reached for the cell phone on the coffee table in front of her and dialed his number, but no miracle occurred, only the repeated, icy voice of the system, “I’m sorry, the user you have dialed has turned off their phone…” She frowned and sighed, “Why isn’t it that voice: ‘Hi, sweetheart!’ She stood up and walked to the balcony, gazing out at the dark night sky and the sleepless city below, with Rek Island not far to the north… Leaning against the balcony railing, she picked up her phone and sent a text message, “I love you.” After a while, she sent another smiling message, “I miss you a lot.” She knew it was pointless, yet she sent another, “Can you reply to me?” “What are you doing?”…

“Magical Yang, who do you think will win Best Actor this year? Tom Hanks? Russell Crowe? Will Smith?” Lying on the lower bunk, Robert Downey Jr.’s voice was casual, but the speed of his shaking right foot increased. Wang Yang on the upper bunk, staring at the ceiling so close by, replied lightly, “Definitely not Robert Downey Jr.”

“Mm, yeah… that’s right!” Downey flipped over, holding his breath with his head buried in the pillow, surrounded by darkness.

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