Huayu: I'm reborn, but you still force me to be a scumbag?

Chapter 453 American Social Interaction

Alison noticed Chen Nuo staring blankly at the newspaper photo and said, "John Barrymore was called a great profile by Americans 100 years ago, and I think many people will call you that 100 years from now."

Chen Nuo murmured, "Is that so? But I just hope that if I put my face on the ground, I won't get trampled on as much."

Allison was clearly not following his train of thought. She paused for a moment, then couldn't help but chuckle and said, "I think your mark is probably never idle, 24 hours a day. Nobody else has that opportunity."

Chen Nuo wasn't actually that sensitive; he was just saying it casually and didn't take it seriously. He smiled and said, "Alison, I was just joking."

He then turned to the entertainment section of the newspaper.

As expected, Allison wasn't lying; this version's wording was indeed excessively brilliant, even bordering on being full of a strong combative writing style.

To be honest, in his memories of his previous life, Chen Nuo had never seen such straightforward language used to discuss China in any mainstream American newspaper.

Even the voices of the minority that support the Asian community cannot hide the hesitation and reservation in their words.

This made him subconsciously look at the author's signature on the article.

He is a guest commentator named Jonathan Winters.

The name sounded unfamiliar, but it was definitely not Asian, let alone of Chinese descent. Just looking at the name, it was impossible for his ancestors for eight generations to have any connection to the East. Yet, the commentary he wrote felt like a public insult to his ancestors for eighteen generations.

The title alone is incredibly impactful.

Yesterday, amidst the Golden Globe nominations, I witnessed the biggest instance of racism in 21st-century Hollywood.

The article's content is even more explosive:

"Has the Hollywood Foreign Press Association forgotten its identity? Their existence should be part of the globalization of film, helping Hollywood understand the world—not excluding it!"

"Do you really want me to believe this is a reality? Even with leading box office, critical acclaim, and acting, Chen Nuo still doesn't even deserve a nomination?"

"How can I believe there's no element of racial discrimination in this?"

"...If Inception were a film starring Brad Pitt, would he not even have received a nomination? The answer is obvious..."

"...Viewers of Inception should all share a deep resonance with me. Looking at its achievements to date, whether it's its historic box office performance, its IMDb ratings, or critic reviews, it all demonstrates that this is a once-in-a-lifetime masterpiece..."

"...Chen Nuo's performance in it was also outstanding. Who can forget the thrilling car chase scene he performed on the snowy cliff? And who wouldn't be moved by the tears he shed for love and family in the depths of his dream?"

"...To exclude such a person from the Golden Globe nominations is like a re-enactment of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882! It is an insult, a disgrace, and a disgrace to the entire United States!"

Damn it.

That can't be right...

Chen Nuo felt increasingly uneasy. He looked up at Allison's serious expression and suddenly realized something. He asked, "Is this one of your people?"

Allison shook her head and said, "How could that be?"

Chen Nuo responded with an "oh".

So it seems his goal isn't as difficult as he imagined. He's only just begun, yet it feels like he's already nearing the finish line. With these righteous American citizens who speak out against injustice, what great things can't be accomplished?

“These are Warner Bros. people,” Allison added.

Chen Nuo choked for a moment.

"As soon as the results came out yesterday, I contacted Warner. We absolutely can't miss this opportunity," Allison said calmly. "I believe that if we manage things properly, public opinion will definitely be on our side."

"This, this, and this, take a look."

Chen Nuo took the other newspapers and began to read them carefully.

These comments are much more normal.

Entertainment Weekly: "In the genre film Inception, Chen Nuo carried the core burden of the entire work with a surprising emotional depth. His absence is one of the most disappointing regrets of this year's Golden Globes."

The New York Times: "Perhaps it's a genre bias, or perhaps it's a problem with the voting mechanism, but when an actor delivers such an outstanding performance in a globally acclaimed film and still fails to receive a nomination, it inevitably raises questions about the Golden Globe Awards' evaluation system."

USA Today: "Chen Nuo's performance was impeccable; he created a highly charismatic and contradictory protagonist. The Golden Globes may have their own criteria, but the public has discerning eyes."

It took him about five or six minutes to skim through these objective and neutral articles.

Gulnazar had already changed her clothes and dried her hair. She came out carrying a tray with two cups of coffee, one for him and one for Alison. Then she stood properly to the side.

Allison said thank you, took a sip of her drink, and then said, "These are all Warner people too."

"puff!"

Chen Nuo suddenly spat out the coffee in his mouth.

"These too?"

"Yes, they're all WarnerMedia-affiliated media outlets. News Corporation, for example, won't say anything good about us."

"... uh, okay."

"It's clear that Warner Bros. also wants more nominations to break Avatar's record, so they've done their best. And now, I bet those people at the Foreign Press Club are regretting it. What we need to do is make them regret it even more, let this nascent media storm grow bigger and bigger, and ultimately make those Oscar old fogies remember your friendship with them last year, making them suddenly realize that it's not worth going against you for a nomination!"

After finishing her speech in one breath, she suddenly turned to Gulnazar and praised, "Darling, your coffee is delicious. Can you teach me how to make it?"

Gulnazar pursed her lips and smiled shyly, "I just found some tutorials online and followed them to learn."

"Could you forward me a copy of the tutorial?"

"of course can."

"Thank you dear."

Allison spoke with a kind and gentle expression, like a friendly neighbor aunt.

……

……

On December 20, 2011, the 69th Golden Globe Awards nomination luncheon was held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills.

This is a routine banquet held after each Golden Globe nomination announcement. As one of the important social events of the awards season each year, it aims to provide a face-to-face exchange for nominees and members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, while also generating buzz for the upcoming awards ceremony and promoting media attention and industry discussion.

To Chinese people, such occasions might seem a bit too formal and unnecessary, but in American social settings, it's perfectly normal.

This is a country where parties and banquets are held for every little thing, 365 days a year.

Just like Chen Nuo.

In the five days between the announcement of the nomination list on December 15th and December 20th, he received more than ten invitations. Even though he wanted to rest, he ultimately had to attend three parties out of politeness.

The three events were a mix of entertainment and casual events. There was a masquerade ball co-hosted by Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, themed "Hollywood in the 60s," a low-key birthday dinner for Morgan Freeman, and a "Directors' Roundtable Night" co-hosted by Paramount, Variety, and Vanity Fair, which included almost all of the most talked-about directors and producers at the Oscars this year.

In short, this was the first time Chen Nuo hadn't worked and was spending the pre-Christmas social peak at his home in Beverly Hills. It was only by attending these lavish parties, which were arguably meaningless, that he truly began to integrate into American high society.

Fortunately, in his previous life, although he only dabbled in the Korean community and Chinatown of Los Angeles, he had never been to a banquet like this one filled with champagne, beautiful women, Hollywood stars and Forbes billionaires. But even if he had never eaten pork, he had seen pigs run, so he could still handle it with ease.

At these parties, he not only met many people, but also made many people get to know him again.

Don't underestimate this point. Just like how Zuckerberg would go for a morning run on the Bund to promote Facebook and learn to say "I love you, China" in Chinese.

To achieve his goals, Chen Nuo naturally suppressed his impatience and patiently engaged in American-style socializing. It was also a good opportunity to network and invite some actors and directors with available time to visit Shanghai next June.

So even if Allison hadn't bought him a long article to make him appear at the luncheon so she could launch the next media offensive, he would still have come.

The only problem might be that he wasn't a nominator or sponsor, so there wasn't an invitation—a minor issue.

But both he and Allison seem to have overlooked this point.

At around 11:12 a.m. on December 29, at the entrance of the Beverly Hilton Hotel.

He stepped out of a rented Bentley Mulsanne, sunlight streaming onto the fabric of his bespoke suit. The concierge behind him gently closed the car door with a soft, gentle click.

At the main entrance, a middle-aged male receptionist wearing a sharp black suit and a headset was waiting.

With one hand behind his back and the other hanging naturally at his side, he took a step forward to greet Chen Nuo as he approached, bowing with a smile and saying, "Good afternoon, Mr. Chen."

"good afternoon."

"Welcome to the Golden Globe nominees luncheon. Please show your invitation."

"I don't have any." "Okay, please come in."

The receptionist nodded and naturally gestured for them to enter. The doormen on either side then opened the door. Chen Nuo nodded to them, straightened his suit, and walked into the Hilton Hotel lobby.

……

"coming?"

"uh-huh."

"I bet the last person the Hollywood Foreign Press Association wants to see right now is you," Leonardo DiCaprio said, head bowed. He could only suppress a laugh as he spoke under the watchful eyes of so many people.

Chen Nuo sat next to him, casually tidying up his napkin and spreading it on his lap, saying calmly, "You're wrong, Leonardo."

"Hahaha, really? You think they want to see you right now?"

“Of course, exposure, that’s the purpose of the luncheon.” Chen Nuo turned to his right. “Christopher, don’t you agree?”

Christopher Nolan, sitting on his other side, forced a smile and said, “That’s right. But it was a mistake that the Golden Globes didn’t nominate you for Best Actor. I’m not sure if they wanted this kind of exposure.”

"Why wouldn't I want to, Christopher? Actually, it's better that I didn't make it. If I had, what would happen to the person next to me?"

“Damn.” Leonardo DiCaprio rolled his eyes. “I admit you’re better at using a water gun than me, but do you really think you can beat me in a movie?”

"Not necessarily." Chen Nuo shrugged and said with a smile, "But what if you only filmed for forty days? Haha."

"Thirty days..." Little Li pouted, looking regretful. "If I had known it would turn out like this, I definitely wouldn't have been in such a hurry."

That's right. To prepare for his role as a rescued Chinese laborer, Leonardo DiCaprio spent almost the entire year of 2011 gaining weight, but Quentin Tarantino never actually started filming. Luckily, by April, his physique was just right for the role of a former FBI director, so he took on a biographical film at the last minute—"J. Edgar."

It took about 33 days to finish filming.

What can you shoot in a month?
As expected, "J. Edgar" received a lukewarm reception after its recent release, and it flopped so badly that nobody knew what its name was.

But Warner Bros. pulled out all the stops and managed to salvage the film during awards season—Leonardo DiCaprio was nominated for a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor as a result.

This made him ecstatic. Just a few days ago, he had a costume party with Kate Winslet, who was nominated for Best Actress in a Miniseries or TV Movie for her role in "Fantasy Westward Journey," where they played water gun games and ended up getting everyone at the party soaked.

Allison, however, harbored resentment over the matter, especially regarding Warner Bros.' perceived bias in their public relations efforts regarding the Best Actor award.

"By the way, congratulations," Little Li said in a sour tone.

"what?"

"Twilight did well at the box office, and you acted very well too."

Chen Nuo laughed and said, "The weekend box office figures aren't out yet, so it's hard to say. Did you go see it?"

“I went last night. Damn, I really didn’t expect this… If you can act like this, why did you act like that before?” Leonardo DiCaprio asked seriously. “Was it really just to boost box office? Or were you too young back then?”

Chen Nuo shook his head and said, "Do you think my performance in Twilight 1 was bad? I don't think so. Just like your Titanic, I think your Jack is the best Jack, no matter what you think. I don't think you could act better than you did back then even if you went back to being 17. Do you understand what I mean? I think it's precisely because I was too young back then and didn't think about anything that Twilight was so successful."

His words were half true and half false, but Little Li clearly believed them and nodded thoughtfully.

Clint Eastwood, the director of "J. Edgar" who was on Leonardo DiCaprio's side, interjected at this point: "Roland Barthes' 'death of the author' theory. He said that when a creator creates a character, that character has nothing to do with the creator, and all the interpretation of him belongs to the audience."

This was Chen Nuo's first meeting with this Hollywood legend, and he politely complimented him, "Well said. Neither I nor Leo could have said that in our lives."

Leonardo DiCaprio retorted, "Don't drag me into this. I'm not like you."

Chen Nuo lowered his voice and said, "Yes, at least I have a few books at home, while you only have bras, marijuana, and water guns."

"Hahahahaha."

Nolan and Clint both laughed when they heard this.

Leonardo DiCaprio couldn't help but laugh, but said, "I swear, even if I'm lying at home counting stars next year, I won't go to Shanghai."

Chen Nuo ignored him and said to Clint Eastwood, "Director, are you free next year? I still have quite a few empty seats on my jury..."

This is Chen Nuo's recent tactic for recruiting people: trying to get anyone he meets onto the Shanghai International Film Festival jury, acting as if he really has the final say. Little does he know that the selection of jury members is decided by the organizing committee. As the jury chairman, he has no say whatsoever.

Clint Eastwood, once the most famous Hollywood action star, is 80 years old this year, but he is still in great spirits and said with a smile, "I will definitely go when I have time."

"That's great, thank you!"

In the past few days, at least a dozen people have verbally agreed. Chen Nuo doesn't know how many of them will actually make it in six months, but he'll just try to fool as many as he can.

After a while, the banquet officially began.

First, the president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association took the stage to give a speech, welcoming all the guests and nominees and briefly introducing the overall direction of this year's awards. Then, the food was served.

From this point on, the entire room entered a period of free exchange.

Many people finished their meals in a few bites, then wandered around with champagne or cocktails in hand—this was supposed to be a prestigious event to build momentum for the upcoming awards season, a crucial juncture for everyone to network, pave their way, and exchange business cards. Many people came here for this very purpose.

However, Chen Nuo and his group didn't seem to have any need for socializing, so they ate slowly and chatted as they ate.

In particular, after making two consecutive box office flops, Eastwood was extremely envious of Noah Noah's earning power and asked them a lot of questions.

I just had a chat with Nolan about balancing audience preferences with a director's artistic aspirations, and then I jokingly changed the subject: "If I could make a Twilight movie, I'd immediately announce my retirement. I'm serious... Chen, what are your box office expectations for this Twilight film?"

Chen Nuo thought for a moment, then modestly replied, "Around 8 million."

"Impossible!" Leonardo DiCaprio said immediately and decisively, "This movie had the highest opening weekend box office in the Twilight series, and its reviews and ratings are currently the best in the entire series. The final box office will definitely be more than 8 million. I think it should be able to reach 10 billion US dollars."

The old man shook his head helplessly and said, "Hearing this, I feel like I'm really getting old."

"Who said that? I think you can keep filming until you're 90," Chen Nuo laughed.

The old man chuckled and said, "I hope so. I'll definitely spend a lot of money to hire you as my leading man."

"No problem," Chen Nuo agreed. Turning to Leo with a smile, he said, "Leo, why do I feel like you're really interested in my movie?"

Leonardo DiCaprio nodded and said frankly, "Yes, I'm very interested. Because I'm jealous. Ever since that day you told me on the phone how much money you'd make from *Inception*, I've been extremely jealous. That's why I'm following *Twilight*, and it seems to have succeeded again. To be honest, I have an idea now. Director, I don't mean anything by it. I just sincerely think that perhaps you could help me choose my next film?"

Chen Nuo cut a slice of smoked salmon, put it in his mouth, and said, "No, I have to save good scripts for myself. I don't have any roles to play next year."

“Aren’t you filming a TV series? You don’t have time…” Leonardo DiCaprio said, dissatisfied.

"Chen, are you filming a TV series?" Clint Eastwood was surprised.

"Yes, it's a Hong Kong TV series that will be streamed on Netflix."

"Why?" Clint Eastwood shook his head incredulously. "TV series? Why would a talented actor like you waste your time making TV series? What can it bring you? Money? Fame? It doesn't help your acting skills at all."

See, this is the attitude of old-school Hollywood filmmakers towards television series. Chen Nuo began, "On one hand, there's the money; on the other hand, I want to try something new. I actually think television series can have a greater cultural impact than movies..."

Chen Nuo was speaking when his gaze suddenly passed over Eastwood and landed on a person not far behind him.

A young Asian girl with black hair and black eyes stood by the opposite wall, about ten meters away from them. She looked to be around twenty years old, with long hair, fair skin, and a high nose. She was wearing a waitress's uniform, and her posture was tense. She looked nervous and very uncomfortable.

At that moment, she looked over, and her gaze met Chen Nuo's in mid-air.

Then, she visibly panicked, but then calmed down, looked away, and gazed elsewhere.

Chen Nuo was a little surprised to run into this person here.

He suppressed the slight unease in his heart and continued speaking as if nothing had happened:

"...It can have a longer-lasting impact on the lives of viewers. This impact is not necessarily smaller than that of the film itself."

"Really? A Hong Kong TV series? Cultural influence?" The old man chuckled.

“Yes.” Seeing that Eastwood didn’t believe him, Chen Nuo didn’t intend to explain further. He wasn’t spineless and didn’t crave anyone’s approval. Especially not from an 80-year-old man like this; unless he witnessed it firsthand, no amount of explanation would make a difference.

Nolan chimed in, "Chen, if your TV series needs any help, you can let me know."

"Don't worry, I will," Chen Nuo said.

At that moment, Philippe Gabriel, the president of the Foreign Press Association who had just spoken on the awards stage, walked over.

"Hello gentlemen, I hope I haven't disturbed your meal. I need to speak with Chen about something. Chen, are you available?"

Chen Nuo wiped his mouth with a napkin and stood up. "Of course."

(End of this chapter)