Chapter 232: Oscar Pusher!

After Wu Yuchen returned this time, he first went to the *Spider-Man* crew. The crew here had already started filming and officially began shooting. As a producer, Wu Yuchen naturally had to come and see the situation. In fact, when he was in the country, he also talked to Kevin Feige every day to understand the situation in the crew, so he didn't feel very unfamiliar after coming over.

After he came over, he mainly communicated with director Sam Raimi and several other producers, discussed some problems encountered, and explored some doubts and confusion about the shooting plan, and came up with solutions.

Subsequently, he went to DreamWorks, which was mainly to cooperate with DreamWorks for some publicity work for *Pirates of the Caribbean*. Now *Pirates of the Caribbean* had already started warming up, but the scale was not large, because the focus of Hollywood now was all on the Oscars. Even if large-scale publicity was done now, it would be half the effort, and Wu Yuchen was just cooperating to film some promotional clips, which would be used when large-scale publicity started.

Of course, he didn't forget to contact Grazer after he came back, and went to the shooting scene set up for *A Beautiful Mind* every day. In fact, everything was basically in place now, just waiting for him, the director. After Wu Yuchen finished handling the matters on the other two sides, the *A Beautiful Mind* crew also officially started filming.

The shooting plan and arrangement had already been decided before, because the male lead Russell Crowe was still lobbying for the Best Actor award for *Gladiator*, so now they were shooting the scenes of other supporting roles.

Wu Yuchen originally thought that the male lead Russell Crowe would not come back until the Oscar awards ceremony ended, but he didn't expect that he would join the crew shortly after March passed.

"Director, I heard you really need me~" Russell Crowe joked after coming over, showing no frustration at all for not winning the Screen Actors Guild Best Actor award.

"Wow, Russell, you really gave me a big surprise!" Wu Yuchen said with a smile. This was joining the crew more than half a month early, saving him a lot of time.

Russell shrugged: "I was afraid that if I didn't come, I would be kicked out of the crew by you, Wu Dao. But by the end of the month, I have to ask for two days off to go to the Oscar awards ceremony scene. I believe you should be able to understand~"

Wu Yuchen nodded with a smile: "Of course."

That's right, Jennifer Connelly, the female lead of *A Beautiful Mind*, also had to go to the Oscars tomorrow because she was nominated for Best Supporting Actress.

Russell naturally knew that Wu Yuchen was asking about the situation of this year's Oscar Best Actor, so he shook his head with a smile:

Wu Yuchen said to Russell Crowe with a smile: "Russell, your performance in *Gladiator* is great, and with DreamWorks' help this time, you have a good chance this year."

Wu Yuchen walked towards her with a smile: "Of course, but I think I can cheer you on first now~"

In the evening, in the room, the female lead Jennifer Connelly had put on a black evening dress, revealing her snow-white fragrant shoulders and sexy half-spheres, and asked Wu Yuchen while gesturing:

This was not just for the figure, but also to avoid going to the bathroom after arriving at the red carpet tomorrow. Compared to men's suits, it is quite troublesome for female stars to go to the bathroom in evening dresses.

Ridley Scott was also a first-line director in America today, and he was also very qualified, with representative works such as *Blade Runner*, *Thelma & Louise*, and *Alien*.

"Cut! Good, let's stop here for today!"

Wu Yuchen knew that Russell Crowe was talking about the director of *Gladiator*, Ridley Scott, who was also nominated for this year's Oscar Best Director. And compared to the Best Actor award, the competition for this year's Oscar Best Director was really lively.

Wu Yuchen looked up and down with great interest, and then said: "Very beautiful, you will be the most beautiful and moving woman at the awards ceremony tomorrow!"

As for what status he came to participate in, look at the people sitting beside him. On the left is the director of *Traffic*, Soderbergh, and on the right is the director of *Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon*, Ang Lee. Both of these films were invested by his Miracle Pictures, so he could naturally come if he wanted to!

Two weeks later.

Everyone was a professional actor, and they could distinguish this point. However, even if there was competitive emotion hidden in their hearts, Wu Yuchen was not worried about this, because the roles of the two in the film already had a certain tense relationship.

If he could, he would also like to continue filming *A Beautiful Mind*. But the male and female leads of the crew plus the second male lead all ran to participate in the Oscars. Wu Yuchen had already filmed the scenes other than them earlier, so he could only let the crew rest for two days, and he simply came to participate in this year's Oscars.

Then Jennifer Connelly raised her head and asked Wu Yuchen: "Dear, will you go to the scene to cheer me on tomorrow?"

"Please, you will wrinkle it, let me take it off first~" Jennifer Connelly pleaded.

"Thank you, Wu. But with Tang Mu Hanks there, no one can say they have confidence."

On March 25, 2001, the 73rd Oscars were held in the Shrine Auditorium. At this time, Wu Yuchen was sitting in the auditorium.

Wu Yuchen also breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, the scenes for this scene were filmed today, just in time to change scenes, and the crew could change to the next scene in the next two days.

But because Wu Yuchen won the Guild Award and double nominations last year but didn't win an Oscar, whether it was Ang Lee who won the Directors Guild Award or Soderbergh who had double nominations, they didn't dare to say they were stable this year. And Ridley Scott was naturally like facing a great enemy, desperately lobbying for votes, so the Best Director award this year was still the one with the biggest suspense.

"Hey, Russell, how is it? Any confidence?"

"Gaga, what's the point of taking it off!" Wu Yuchen smirked and moved forward.

From this, one can see that the main cast of the *A Beautiful Mind* crew are truly genuine acting professionals; in this regard, there is indeed no need for Wu Yuchen to worry about doing any work to coach the actors.

Jennifer Connelly smiled upon hearing this, then touched her clothes and said: "I feel it's a little tight, I won't eat tomorrow, I'll diet for a whole day."

Then Russell turned and said with a smile: "However, compared to me, I think Ridley will have a bigger headache."

After the film *Gladiator* was released, quite a few people shouted that Ridley Scott had reserved the Best Director award this year. However, the situation kept changing afterwards. First, Soderbergh popped up. This guy entered the competition with *Traffic* and *Erin Brockovich* at the same time, achieving the same double nomination achievement as Wu Yuchen last year. Then Ang Lee popped up and won Best Director at the Directors Guild Awards.

After Ed Harris joined the crew, besides greeting Wu Yuchen, he also immediately shook hands with Russell Crowe. This showed that although the two were competitors at the Oscars half a month later, they were still cooperating friendly within the *A Beautiful Mind* crew.

The biggest threat to Russell Crowe this year was still Tang Mu Hanks, a two-time Oscar Best Actor winner. It was well known that the Academy liked Big Tang Mu, just like they hated Little Tang Mu. Now quite a few people were saying that the Academy was going to give Big Tang Mu his third Best Actor award.

He had just thought about it and roughly understood. The Screen Actors Guild Awards ended yesterday, and the Oscar voting had also entered the final stage. It didn't make sense to lobby after the voting closed, so Russell came to the crew to report in advance.

This time in the *Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon* crew, there were also Nick Cheung, Michelle Yeoh, Zhang Ziyi, and others sitting. Originally, when they were seated, Zhang Ziyi wanted to play a little trick and sit next to Wu Yuchen, but was directly pulled up and pushed aside by Ang Lee. After getting along for more than half a year, he knew what kind of person Zhang Ziyi was. Usually, it was fine in private, but on such an important occasion as the Oscars, she still wanted to grab the C position from him, Ang Lee?

Seeing that Michelle Yeoh and Nick Cheung had already sat down and there were no seats in this row, Zhang Ziyi could only run to the row behind. Watching the three directors Ang Lee, Wu Yuchen, and Soderbergh sitting together talking and laughing, although Zhang Ziyi was unwilling to miss a good opportunity to get closer, she had no choice.

And just the day after Russell Crowe joined the crew, the second male lead also joined the crew. As for why he also joined the crew at this time, it was because he was also one of the nominees for Best Actor at this year's Oscars, Ed Harris, who was nominated for Best Actor for *Pollock*.

Russell didn't immediately throw himself into filming after joining the crew, but first did preparatory work. Wu Yuchen would also communicate with him privately to enhance their relationship, facilitating subsequent cooperation.

"Dear, how is this one?"

"Oh, baby, no, don't you trust my technique?" Wu Yuchen didn't stop his movements.

Dieting was one of the must-do things for many female stars participating in the Oscars. The Oscar red carpet was an annual grand event, and people like Jennifer who were nominated were even more likely to go on stage to receive awards. Therefore, they would be extra concerned about their figure after putting on the evening dress, fearing to show any ugliness.

Some people's stomachs would get bigger after eating something, so for female stars who had to wear evening dresses to show their figures, dieting had become a must-do thing for participating in the Oscars, and some even started not eating or drinking a day in advance, at most touching some water to moisten their throats.

"The Oscars are really not that simple. It's a pity not to win the Screen Actors Guild Award this time, but fortunately, Benicio del Toro is not in the competition for Oscar Best Actor, otherwise there would be another headache-inducing character."

Speaking of this year's Screen Actors Guild Awards, the winner of Best Actor was not Russell Crowe, but Benicio del Toro of *Traffic*. But the reason why Russell was not frustrated was that Benicio del Toro did not get an Oscar nomination for Best Actor. He signed up for Oscar Best Supporting Actor, because his screen time was insufficient, so even if he won the Screen Actors Guild Best Actor award, it posed no threat to Russell Crowe's Oscar Best Actor competition.

"Oh no! Wu, you will dirty the dress!" Feeling Wu Yuchen's movements, Jennifer Connelly immediately called out.

He came to participate in the Oscars this time, of course not to cheer for Jennifer Connelly. The cheering that should be done had already been given to her last night.

"Best Art Direction... Congratulations, Tim Yip!" Award presenter, the great beauty Catherine Zeta-Jones, announced the winner of the first award today, and the scene sent applause.

Among them, the *Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon* crew was the happiest. The first award of this year's Oscars was taken by them, which was equivalent to a good start falling to them. According to Chinese customs, that was a good omen!

After Tim Yip went up and gave an excited speech, Nicolas Cage went on stage to present an eye-catching award, Best Supporting Actress, which also made Jennifer Connelly nervous.

She had already received a nomination for *The Sixth Sense* last year, and this year she was nominated again. The chance of winning should be greater than last year!

However, the result disappointed her: "Best Supporting Actress... *Pollock*, Marcia Gay Harden!"

But now the camera swept over the candidates one by one, and Jennifer Connelly still had to maintain a polite smile and applaud for others.

After a while, she looked at Wu Yuchen sitting not far away. It seems that if she wants to get the Oscar golden statue, she must put more effort into him.

*A Beautiful Mind*, which Jennifer Connelly is currently starring in, is also an Oscar-aiming film. She has confidence in Wu Yuchen, who can send her into the nomination again. At that time, she must beg him to invest some lobbying resources for herself, otherwise, she might fall into this situation today again.

At worst, she will buy a few more evening dresses for him to play with, even if he wants to play something more exciting, it doesn't matter. She has now fallen at the nomination twice in a row, clearly so close, but can only watch the golden statue fall into others' hands. She doesn't want to experience a third time!

The third award, the award presenter was Russell Crowe: "The winner of Best Editing... *Traffic*, Stephen Mirrione!"

Wu Yuchen applauded happily again. Now *Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon* and *Traffic* each won an award, 1:1.

Then there were several awards for Best Short Film and Best Costume Design, and then Angelina Jolie went on stage to present Best Supporting Actor: "The winner of Best Supporting Actor... *Traffic*, Benicio del Toro!"

This award was undisputed, after all, he relied on this role to win the Screen Actors Guild Best Actor award, and this nomination for Best Supporting Actor was almost stable.

Wu Yuchen was still smiling, *Traffic* scored another point, and it was a relatively heavy point, now leading *Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon*.

Then there were several awards such as Best Sound Editing, and then there was a song and dance performance, and the person on stage this time was a group of dancers wearing Chinese ancient costumes. As for the singer, it was none other than Li Wen!

This was also the first Chinese-language singer to sing at the Oscars. Li Wen wore a red cheongsam, showing Chinese elements, and sang "A Love Before Time," which was the English version of "Moonlight Lover."

Wu Yuchen sat under the stage and enjoyed it quietly. Li Wen's singing skills were still quite impressive, and she had a good stage sense, full of aura, and could hold the stage.

And this performance by Li Wen seemed to be a sign. The next award presenter, the big-mouthed sister Julia Roberts: "The winner of Best Cinematography is... *Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon*, Peter Pau!"

The *Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon* crew cheered again, and Wu Yuchen also nodded while applauding. *Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon* added 1 point, 2:2.

Then there were several awards such as documentaries, and then the male and female leads of *Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon*, Nick Cheung and Michelle Yeoh, went on stage to present Best Visual Effects, which made Zhang Ziyi envious and jealous again. If she could go on the Oscar stage and stand under this spotlight, how good would that be!

The award for Best Visual Effects was given to *Gladiator*. Wu Yuchen also applauded to send blessings. Now he and DreamWorks are friendly partners!

And with the appearance of Nick Cheung and Michelle Yeoh, *Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon* indeed had gains: "Best Original Score... *Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon*, Tan Dun!"

Wu Yuchen thought, 3:2, *Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon* scored another point, overtaking *Traffic*. His left and right hands were really chasing each other!

And finally, as the awards ceremony entered the second half, the Best Foreign Language Film award that *Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon* was very concerned about also arrived.

In Wu Yuchen's view, there was still no suspense for Best Foreign Language Film this year. The competitors were not enough for *Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon* to fight, and this point *Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon* should have been steadily taken.

Sure enough.

"The winner of Best Foreign Language Film... *Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon*!"

Now Wu Yuchen didn't sit and applaud anymore, but stood up directly and took the initiative to hug Ang Lee: "Director Ang, congratulations on winning the Oscar!"

"Thank you Wu Dao! Thank you!" Ang Lee was also happily patting Wu Yuchen.

At the same time, the *Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon* crew was also full of joy. This was the Oscars. Although it was not the first Chinese-language Oscar, the gold content and influence were not comparable to other awards!

The people in the crew were hugging each other, celebrating each other. After Ang Lee hugged several people, he walked onto the stage. Zhang Ziyi was also very happy. Her work also won an Oscar! She also thought about coming over to hug Wu Yuchen and Ang Lee, but unfortunately, she sat in the back row and couldn't come up.

After Ang Lee went on stage, everyone sat down.

Ang Lee held the Oscar golden statue in his hand, then took out a piece of paper from his suit pocket and started reading it:

"Thank you to the committee for awarding Best Foreign Language Film to *Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon*, thank you to my producers Bill Kong and Hsu Li-kong, and all the actors and staff who have put in a lot of effort, thank you..."

This time Ang Lee wrote a string of names on the paper, which was prepared long ago, for fear of forgetting when receiving the award.

After he finished this long string, he put away the paper and looked under the stage:

"At the same time, I want to especially thank Wu Dao Yuchen. The filming of *Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon* was very difficult. Without his help, perhaps there would be no such film at all. Thank you very much!

Finally, this is an honor belonging to Chinese-language films, thank you!"

After Ang Lee finished speaking, he smiled and walked off the stage, and a burst of applause sounded in the venue.

At the same time, the live ABC TV also aimed the camera at Wu Yuchen because of Ang Lee's speech just now. He was smiling and applauding at this time.

For Wu Yuchen, many viewers were already familiar with him. After all, he had continuously created high-grossing films in recent years, especially *The Sixth Sense* last year, which left a deep impression on many people, and he also stepped on the Oscar stage last year and won the golden statue.

At the same time, Ang Lee's words also made many actors, directors, and some producers in the venue keep it in mind. It seems that *Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon* could achieve the current results, which is inseparable from the support and help of this first-line director Wu Yuchen.

Wu Yuchen just smiled lightly, while still silently remembering in his heart, this *Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon* is leading *Traffic* 4:2. He looked at Soderbergh sitting beside him, you still don't exert force in the second half to catch up!

The next award, Best Original Song, was awarded to the legendary American singer Bob Dylan. And immediately following was the eye-catching Best Actor award!

Although the camera aimed at the five candidates at the same time, everyone focused on Russell Crowe and Tang Mu Hanks. As the award presenter announced, Russell Crowe was extremely excited, but he still remembered his mature man persona at this time, suppressing his excited emotions, and then politely hugged everyone around him.

Wu Yuchen shook hands with Russell Crowe who passed by and congratulated him. Watching his back as he went on stage, he just discovered now that most of the awards at the Oscars this year seem to be related to him.

The next Best Actress also made the big-mouthed sister get what she wanted and successfully went on stage to receive the award. Wu Yuchen also congratulated Soderbergh beside him. This was a heavy award won by his other film *Erin Brockovich*.

Immediately following, "The winner of Best Adapted Screenplay... *Traffic*, Stephen Gaghan!"

Hmm, *Traffic* caught up by one point, 4:3.

And when it came to the second to last award, Best Director, the whole venue held its breath, especially Ang Lee, Soderbergh, and Ridley Scott.

The result was announced from Tang Mu Cruise's mouth: "Best Director... *Traffic*, Steven Soderbergh!"

Wu Yuchen thought 4 to 4 tied, then stood up again, offered a hug to Soderbergh, and congratulated him. As for the sad Ang Lee on the other side, he couldn't take care of him.

After Soderbergh went on stage, he was very pretentious, closing his eyes and holding the trophy for several seconds, causing the scene to laugh and give him another round of applause, and then he started to speak:

"..."

"Yes, I want to thank you Wu. When my investment was rejected, it was you who took a fancy to *Traffic* at a glance, spared no support, and let us get to where we are today!"

With Soderbergh's speech, the live camera at the scene aimed at Wu Yuchen again. Wu Yuchen was sitting upright, with a faint smile on his face.

At the same time, the attention of the whole audience was also on Wu Yuchen. This was not the first time he had been thanked today. There was also Ang Lee who specially thanked him earlier!

In fact, it was not just Soderbergh and Ang Lee. Some winners of *Traffic* and *Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon* earlier had already mentioned thanking Wu Yuchen. But this time, coming from the mouths of the two directors, it made an even deeper impression on the people present.

And now the interested people present also discovered that *Traffic* and *Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon* combined to win 8 awards today, and among them were many heavy awards such as Best Director, Best Foreign Language Film, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor, etc.!

Many of today's Oscar losers and actors interested in the Oscars had firmly remembered Wu Yuchen and Miracle Pictures in their hearts.

Regarding Wu Yuchen's influence and energy, everyone also had a new understanding. Although he didn't participate in the Oscars himself this year, his company pushed two films to win many awards.

What is this? This is an Oscar pusher! ===== CHAPTER 233 =====