Entertainment Rebirth Rhapsody

Chapter 467: Cheating is not the only way to success
After the New Year, "Nezha" is still wreaking havoc in China, "North Africa Operation" has been put on the shooting preparation schedule, and "Green Book" is also waiting for Shanhe to go to the United States for shooting.

Shanhe suddenly changed from a leisurely family man to a busy workaholic.

After several days of discussions with the screenwriter team at the production center, Bruckheimer called to urge him.

"Qiu, when do you plan to start filming Green Book? I have everything ready. The crew, actors, and locations are all waiting for you, the director!"

"OK, I have some special circumstances here, so I will leave for Los Angeles next week!"

"Qiu, we have to hurry up. Disney has already put Green Book on the schedule. They plan to release the film worldwide during the Christmas season. We need to leave enough time for post-production and promotion!"

"I understand. Don't worry, it won't delay the release. The movie scenes have already taken shape in my mind!"

"OK, Qiu, after the filming of Green Book is finished, I plan to slowly withdraw from the work of producer. After completing the Pirates of the Caribbean series, I will retire!"

"Really? Are you willing to leave Hollywood, this place of fame and fortune, just like that?"

"Why should I be reluctant? I'm old now. Thanks to you, I have everything I need, including money, fame, and status. It's time to put down my work and think about my later years!"

"Haha... I think it'll be hard for you to get used to the free time without work. I think you'll go crazy!"

"No, I have already arranged a global travel plan with my family. If I am really bored by then, I will go to China to find you!"

"Well, I envy you very much. I wish you a happy journey in advance. Who knows, in a few years, I may be like you and leave this world of fame and fortune that I love and hate at the same time!"

"Fuck, I'm 70 years old and you're only 30. I just started to enter the film industry when I was 30. Qiu, you still have at least 30 years of prime time. Talking about retirement is ridiculous!"

"Haha... My situation is rather special. I can't keep up this creative pace. After filming Green Book, I will focus more on China. Hollywood has lost its appeal to me. Jerry, our ideas always match!"

"Hmm? Well, I know you have always had a long-term vision. When you come to Los Angeles, we can talk more about it!"

"OK!"

...

After watching her son adapt to kindergarten life, Hathaway kissed goodbye to her daughter and family and embarked on a journey to the United States. "Wonder Woman" will start shooting in April, and she, as the heroine, must join the crew in advance and attend the launch conference.

A few days later, Shanhe also arrived at Los Angeles International Airport on the "Kittycat". To Shanhe's surprise, the people who came to pick him up were not Bruckheimer, but Heath Ledger and Will Smith.

After the three of them hugged each other, Shanhe looked at Heath Ledger, who had gained a lot of weight, and asked with a smile:

"Aren't you guys experiencing your roles? Why are you here to pick me up at the airport?"

"We are experiencing the role here. You will know how we experience it in a moment!"

Heath Ledger smiled and replied:
"Will and I are ready, just waiting for you to turn it on, right, Will?"

Will Smith, who was standing by, changed his usual quiet and elegant demeanor and nodded with a smile.

"Yes, I have found a driver and am ready to start my southern tour!"

"Ha ha…"

Shanhe patted Will Smith on the shoulder.

"Very good, you are very close to my ideal Tony and Don Shirley. It looks like this shoot will go smoothly because I already have two outstanding leading actors!"

...

Shanhe followed the two to the airport parking lot and saw the car they were driving. It was exactly the same as in the script, a blue-green 1960s Cadillac Sedan De Ville.

“Is this how you experience it?”

"Haha...surprise?"

Will Smith looked at Shanhe's surprised expression and immediately returned to his normal self.
"Great, that was my idea!"

"Will did come up with a good idea!"

Heath Ledger opened the car door skillfully and continued with a smile:
"We've driven this car all over California, and everything we've done is based on the story in the script. We're Tony and Don Shirley now!"

Shanhe opened the passenger door and leaned over to sit in the car.

"Will, get in the car, and on the way you guys can perform a scene where we eat fried chicken!"

"No problem! Heath, I know a fried chicken shop that tastes especially good. Just follow my lead!"

"Come on! Will, I'm Tony, you're Dr. Tang now, and buying fried chicken is my job!"

"All right!"

Will Smith opened the back seat of the car, got in and complained to Shanhe:

"Qiu, actually I look exactly like Tony in the script, and Heath looks more like Don Shirley. We should swap skin colors!"

"Ha ha…"

...

Heath Ledger and Will Smith then performed a scripted fried chicken-eating scene for Sanhe.

Heath Ledger, who is usually quiet and introverted, turned into a foul-mouthed Italian chatterbox, while the chatty Will Smith turned into a calm and elegant black musician.

...

“I think this is the best fried chicken I’ve ever had, maybe because the chicken here is fresher?”

"I never met a man with a better appetite than you!"

"Really? I bought a family bucket, you can have some too!"

“I’ve never had fried chicken in my life!”

"Who the hell are you kidding? Black people love fried chicken, barbecue, and kale. So do I!"

Heath Ledger said loudly in the driver's seat while munching on fried chicken:

“When I was in the army, the black cooks used to make these!”

"That's a very narrow view of yours, Tony!"

"Isn't that right? I'm right. I'm an honest and good person!"

"No, you're not right! Not all black people eat fried chicken, just like not all white people eat caviar!"

"Oh, I don't think there's anything wrong with black people eating fried chicken. No offense, you're being overly sensitive!"

"You're missing the point. I mean if every black person..."

"Hey, why don't you have some too!"

"No!"

"Hey, come on, have a piece!"

Will Smith looked at the chicken nuggets that Heath Ledger handed over from the front row and shook his head again to refuse:

"No!" "Just tell me if it smells good or not?"

"It smells nice, but it's going to stain my blanket! I hate when oil residue gets on my blanket!"

"Fuck the blanket! Come on, you won't die if you have one! Come on, take it!"

"No!"

"Go on, or I'll throw it over!"

"how dare you!"

"Then hurry up and continue!"

"How do I eat in the car? Do you have plates or cutlery?"

"Fuck you, just use your hands, it's not like you don't have arms!"

"I can not do it!"

"Eat it, it's okay, continue!"

"All right!"

Will Smith took the chicken nuggets reluctantly, and nibbled the chicken wings carefully with his fingers raised. However, Heath Ledger in the driver's seat kept talking while eating.

Shanhe watched this scene in the driver's seat and couldn't help but secretly applaud the two people's funny performance. This scene is the beginning of the two people's acquaintance and understanding in the play. The performances of both of them are very good, with distinct personalities and psychology, and no lack of joy and relaxation.

"Cut! This scene is over!"

"Ha ha…"

Both of them were awakened by Shanhe's call and couldn't help laughing.

In reality, Will Smith is the talkative one.
"Qiu, I like your revised script. The original script was a smooth work brewed from the perspective of white people. It was a story about white people saving black people. It was just a piece of shit!"

Shanhe did make some changes to the original script, adding the role of a black musician. The movie no longer tells the story solely from the perspective of the white driver, but adopts a dual protagonist model, in which whites and blacks intertwine, understand each other, and change each other!
"Haha... Because I am Chinese, we Chinese have an old saying, 'A bystander sees more clearly.' As a bystander, I am more objective than you blacks and whites!"

"So that's how you were able to write Parasite at the age of eighteen?"

"Maybe!"

"It's a masterpiece, on par with Uncle Tom's Cabin or Roots. It's incredible that you could write it at the age of 18. Jada and I love it!"

"is it?"

"Of course! Qiu, I'm not flattering you, this is what I really think!"

"Well, I hope I can surpass my 18-year-old self now, and I hope Green Book can also be recognized by everyone!"

"Heath and I are very confident. Heath always said that being in your movie is the highest expectation for an actor!"

"Haha... Heath's words don't count. We are friends. He is too subjective!"

"What I said is all true!"

Heath Ledger, who was in the driving seat, retorted:

"Your works have spawned so many Oscar nominations for Best Actor. Leonardo DiCaprio himself said that without Dallas Buyers Club, he might never have won an Oscar. I also won an award for your Joker, and together with Anne who just won the award, your works always allow actors to perform at their best. Not only that, your business acumen is unmatched. Take a look at the Guardians of the Galaxy that you recommended to me. Last year, the global box office broke 800 million US dollars, making it the most profitable Marvel movie!"

Will Smith stuck his head out from the back seat and interrupted:

"Fuck! Was it Qiu who recommended Guardians of the Galaxy to you?"

"That's right!"

"Heath, you are so damn lucky. Qiu, can you give me a little hint?"

"Haha... Will, do you still need my recommendation? No one doubts your commercial value! Besides, I'm not as amazing as Heath says. I just know Disney better than he does!"

...

The three of them chatted and laughed as they went from the airport to the Bliver Hill mansion purchased by Hathaway. That night, Bruckheimer held a welcome party for Shanhe. Almost all the members of the "Green Book" crew were present. Amid the laughter of the children, the "Green Book" crew began the final preparations for the start of filming.

In mid-April, "Green Book" held a press conference for the start of filming in Los Angeles. Sanhe, Bruckheimer, Heath Ledger and his wife, and Will Smith were bombarded with questions from reporters from various countries on stage.

"Jerry, can you tell us about the specific project? How much are the salaries of Qiu, Heath Ledger and Will Smith? The investment in a feature film is over 100 million yuan, and the salaries of these three people account for more than half, right?"

"Haha... We hope they get as much pay as possible. This is Qiu's work. We haven't thought about the pay and investment issues from the beginning. Heath and Will's agents have suggested reducing their pay and increasing their share, but there's no way! Everyone knows that Qiu's works start at a billion dollars, and I think this one will be no exception!"

"Qiu, writing and directing your own work has always been the secret to your success, but you are not the first screenwriter of Green Book. Will this situation cause any trouble to the shooting or the film?"

“Green Book is adapted from real people. Reality is always more moving than imagination. I like this story very much and have made some targeted adaptations to the script. There is no problem with ideological differences. I can clearly control the entire movie and we are all very confident in the film!”

"What do you predict will be the box office of the film? Is it possible for him to win the Best Director Oscar again next year?"

"Well, this is God's work, I can't replace Him!"

"Haha~ They say you are God's biological son, you can ask him secretly!"

"Ha ha…"

...

"Heath, this is your third time working with Yau. You won the Oscars for Best Supporting Actor and Best Actor for the first two times. What are your expectations for the third time?"

"Qiu has a kind of magic that always allows people to devote themselves to the role. It is an honor for actors to take on his works. I am very lucky to have three such opportunities. I am also looking forward to it. Working with him is a kind of sublimation and enjoyment!"

"Will, do you think you can reach the pinnacle of being an actor in Yau's work, like Leonardo and Heath?"

"Of course, the moment I received the invitation to Green Book, I had this feeling. No one can doubt Yau's talent. Heath and I have been preparing for this film for several months. It is no exaggeration to say that my biggest competitor at the Oscars next year will be my partner. But I think I have more advantages. It is always easier the first time than the second time!"

"Ha ha…"

...

The press conference lasted for two hours. The people on the stage were all the world's most popular superstars. There were so many topics and reporters' questions were endless. Finally, after repeated reminders from the host, the press conference came to an end.

The next day, the news of the filming of "Green Book" spread all over the world. Directed by Shanhe and starring two superstars Heath Ledger and Will Smith, "Green Book" quickly became a hot entertainment topic of the day. The film even surpassed films such as "Avengers 2", "Jurassic World" and "Star Wars", and topped the list of this year's most anticipated movies.

Can Shanhe continue his "Mr. Billion" myth; can he win the Oscar for Best Director for the third time in a row; can Heath Ledger and Will Smith win Oscars again with this film; can "Green Book" cause a social storm like Shanhe's old work "Parasite"?
Such topics have been widely discussed by the media and the public. "Green Book" is naturally endowed with tremendous explosive power. Even if Shanhe did not cheat, the chance of commercial failure of this film is almost zero.

Where there is gain there is loss. Shanhe's reputation and past achievements also bring him extremely high expectations and pressure. For Shanhe's works, if the reputation does not reach excellence, it is a failure. An undefeated myth cannot fail, otherwise, it is not a myth and loses the qualification to be passed on by people!
Shanhe's success is not surprising, but its failure makes some media and the public look forward to it. There is no shortage of such gloating groups online and offline. They predict when Shanhe will face Waterloo.
"Hua Xia Qiu's box office legend may be coming to an end. He has abandoned his greatest secret to success: screenwriting!"

"Luck can't always be on Hua Xia Qiu's side. With a drama movie invested with 120 million US dollars, Hua Xia Qiu is under tremendous pressure!"

“It’s hard for Green Book to replicate the success of Parasite, and it’s impossible for the genius Hua Xia Qiu to create the same storm twice!”

...

Shanhe didn't care about these comments. I might fail, but not this time. You can't imagine a life with cheats, and I have mastered the use of cheats to perfection!

Amidst the heated discussions, filming of "Green Book" began.

(End of this chapter)