Hollywood Director 1992.

Chapter 399 TV Interview, Link's Bold Answers

"Director Link, congratulations on becoming a director with a billion-dollar box office, and also the highest-grossing director in the world. Before you obtained these two titles, did you ever think about achieving these two accomplishments in your directing career?"

In the CBS television studio, host Stephen Colbert asked.

Across from him, Link, dressed in a dark suit, sat on the sofa with a calm and composed expression. Beside him were Chen Long, Chris Tucker, Michelle Reis, and others.

This is the promotional event for the movie "Rush Hour".

Because Link has become so famous and popular recently, the host focused on him as soon as the interview began.

Link shrugged and said, "No, before entering the film industry, I had two goals: one was to make money and achieve financial independence through film, and the other was to make some meaningful films, convey my ideas through film, and gain recognition from my peers."

As for a single film grossing 1 billion yuan and becoming the highest-grossing film overall, such goals are too distant and sound unrealistic.

"Yes, a single film grossing $1 billion and having the highest total box office worldwide are indeed very ambitious goals. In Hollywood, apart from the four major directors, no one else would even dare to dream of them. But Director Link, you achieved these two seemingly impossible goals at the age of 24, which is truly remarkable."

Stephen Kober clapped his hands as he spoke.

On stage, Chen Long, Chris Tucker, and others, along with hundreds of audience members, began to applaud, cheer, and shout Link's name.

Link waved to express his gratitude, and seeing his response, the audience cheered even louder, and the cheers lasted for a long time.

"Link is amazing. We could make a lifetime of movies and still not earn as much as one of his films at the box office."

"In the apartment," Robert Rodriguez remarked.

"A lifetime? You're talking too early. Our career has just begun. We have decades ahead of us. As long as we keep making movies, there will always be one that surpasses Link's box office, or even surpasses 'The Sixth Sense' and 'Jurassic Park'."

Quentin picked up the cool beer and gulped it down.

“I might have it, but you don’t. You said you’d only make ten movies in your life.”

"Rodriguez joked."

“That was my old idea. Now I’ve decided to make more movies, aiming to make 100 before I retire. My screenwriting and directing skills are no worse than Link’s, and I don’t believe my box office will be much worse than his.”

Quentin said with a firm gaze.

Rodriguez laughed, picked up his beer and clinked it against his, his eyes now filled with fighting spirit.

"Director Link, many media outlets are now praising you as the most successful director in the film industry. What is the secret to your success? Could you share it with everyone here?"

"This is what host Stephen Kober asked."

Link waved his hand, "I wouldn't call myself the most successful director. Film is an art form, and the director is the creator of this art. When judging an artist, we can't just look at the market price of their work; that's too one-sided."

We need to evaluate it from multiple perspectives, including the work's artistry, groundbreaking achievements, impact on the field, and derivative impact on other fields.

In this respect, directors such as Jean-Luc Godard, Akira Kurosawa, Alfred Hitchcock, Stanley Kubrick, and Ford Francis Ford Coppola are the masters of film art and the most successful people in the film industry.

They pioneered a variety of film styles and made significant contributions to narrative techniques and film technology innovation.

Although my films currently hold the top spot in total box office revenue, my understanding of the art of filmmaking is still relatively superficial. When making films, I will continue to learn from my predecessors and follow in their footsteps.

Link spoke with a serious yet humble expression. It wasn't that he didn't want to call himself the most successful director in the world, but rather that with his current achievements and influence in the directing world, he didn't deserve that label. If he dared to accept it, he would be condemned by his colleagues and fans the next day.

He didn't want to get scolded.

Stephen laughed and said, "Director Link, you are a very humble person. You have made many pioneering contributions to the film industry, such as the mockumentary style and the circular narrative style."

Furthermore, the most successful directors mentioned in the media mainly refer to those in the commercial field. Almost every one of their films is a box office hit and receives widespread acclaim from audiences after its release. This is something almost no other director can achieve, and it's truly remarkable.

The audience applauded and cheered again.

Link expressed his gratitude again, and under further questioning from host Stephen, he began to answer the question about the 'secret to a blockbuster movie'.

"Dad, what are you laughing at?"

At Coppola's house, Sofia noticed her father, director Francis Ford Coppola, grinning with a smug expression.

Director Francis Ford Coppola glanced at her. "Did you hear what Link said? He called me a master of film and said that the reason his films are successful is because he constantly learns from us, draws on our experience, and insists on innovation on that basis. Humph! Even Link knows that my technique is amazing and wants to learn from me, but you don't know. How could I have such a stupid daughter like you?"

Director Francis Ford Coppola was disappointed in his students.

"Don't talk nonsense, how is our Sophie stupid?"

Sofia's mother, Eleanor Coppola, intervened, saying, "Sophia is not stupid. She is right to learn from Link. Link's movies are never bad. They are very successful at the box office and with great reviews. He became one of the highest-grossing directors in the world at the age of 24. He has won the Golden Lion at the Berlin Film Festival, the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, the BAFTA Award, the Golden Globe Award, the Oscar, and many other awards."

And you, you lost hundreds of millions making films like "Apocalypse Now," "The Rumble Fish," and "The Stranger," and had to make some movies you didn't want to make in order to make money.

If Sophie had followed your example, her movies would have lost money, and the "Man from Earth" videotape wouldn't have sold so well, generating over $2.5 million worldwide—a return of nearly 1 times. Could you have done that?

"Mom, you are so kind."

Sofia affectionately hugged Eleanor and kissed her, then rested her head on her mother's shoulder and looked triumphantly at director Francis Ford Coppola.

Director Francis Ford Coppola looked embarrassed and frustrated. Eleanor was three years older than him, had been his senior in college, and after getting married, she became the head of the household and often acted as his housekeeper on set. He couldn't really refute what Eleanor said.

He could only put on a stern face and point at the smiling Sophia, saying, "You're 25 this year and you don't have a proper boyfriend. You're still messing around with that playboy Link. What are you going to do in the future? Are you going to spend your whole life with Link? For your future, I think you should stay away from Link."

“Link is my man. We have been together for more than four years. Our relationship is very stable and I am very happy.”

Seeing that director Coppola was about to speak, Sofia interrupted, "Link is not only my man, but also my mentor. With Link's guidance and help, I've directed three films, greatly improved my directing skills, and earned tens of millions in salary and profit sharing. My achievements in film far surpass those of my peers. Without Link's help, could I have achieved these things? Impossible. Dad, you should bless Link and me for our love, instead of constantly creating trouble for me."

"Ridiculous. Link is a total scumbag with dozens of girlfriends. What kind of love could you possibly have with a scumbag?"

Director Francis Ford Coppola retorted loudly.

"That's because you don't understand Link, you don't know how good he is. If you don't understand anything, don't interfere with us."

Sofia retorted in a louder voice.

"Okay, stop talking."

Ms. Eleanor was exasperated by the father and daughter's arguing, so she blocked old Coppola, who was still arguing, and turned the volume up to the maximum with the remote control, forcing them to stop.

Sofia snorted softly, turned her head and stared intently at Link. Suddenly, she noticed the outline of Link's trouser leg and burst out laughing, covering her mouth. She immediately took out her phone to remind Monica and Jennifer to watch the TV interview.

Director Francis Ford Coppola shook his head helplessly. A perfectly good cabbage had been eaten by a pig, and there was no way to save it. He looked at Link talking eloquently on the TV and felt annoyed. Although this guy had a good image, was worth billions, and was a very capable director, his character was terrible.

"Director Link, can we talk about that shooting?"

Upon hearing Stephen's question on TV, director Francis Ford Coppola's eyes lit up. He wanted to use this to persuade Sofia to leave Link and find an honest man to date. However, before he could even open his mouth, Ms. Eleanor slapped him, telling him to shut up.

Director Francis Ford Coppola could only watch Link's interview with a long face and a sense of sullen dismay.

When the shooting occurred in July, Link was filming on set and did not have time to give interviews to the media, nor did he respond to the incident.

Although more than a month has passed, the incident remains a hot topic among the public.

The audience was also very curious about his thoughts.

CBS wanted to take this opportunity to ask a few questions in order to boost the show's ratings.

Link also wanted to take the opportunity to promote "Rush Hour".

When asked a question by the host, he briefly described the incident, attributing his ability to avoid the gunman to the bodyguard's warning and his own good reaction.

When discussing the street shootout between bodyguards and gunmen, he casually mentioned the gunfight scenes in "Rush Hour" to Chen Long and Chris Tucker, discussing whether bullets can curve and whether anyone can dodge bullets, using this method to attract the audience.

"Director Link, after the shooting, Star Weekly reported that the incident involved executives from the seven major film studios, and that it was possible that they orchestrated it. What do you think of this statement?"

"This is what host Stephen asked."

"I've also read some tabloid reports, which are very exciting, like a spy movie. However, the information they provided is inaccurate, and there is no solid evidence to prove that the executives of the seven major film studios were involved in the assassination. The police also cannot use these reports to find trouble for the executives of the seven major film studios, which is a great pity."

Why do you feel it's a pity? Do you hope this revelation is true?

Stephen quickly pressed for more information.

Link laughed and said, "If the media reports are true, the presidents of the seven major film studios will be in trouble. I find it amusing to think about how they'll be troubled by this."

The audience couldn't help but laugh when they saw the regretful expression on his face.

"This guy shouldn't have included me. I never said I was going to deal with him."

"Warner Bros. Pictures," Miguel Goss said, shaking his head.

“Star Weekly reported that you also attended that meeting and made comments about Guessing Movies, so you weren’t entirely uninvolved.”

Richard Fox laughed.

"Damn it! There's a mole among those people. I should have known better than to go. Now that Link suspects us, we have to figure out how to repair our relationship."

Miggos cursed, his face dark.

Richard Fox shrugged; he wasn't at that meeting, and he didn't offer much of an opinion.

On television, host Stephen begins questioning the suspect, Puff Daddy, about how the two fell out.

The Puff Daddy case is currently under trial. In addition to hiring a gunman to shoot Link, Puff Daddy is also involved in several other criminal cases.

According to court sources, Puff Daddy's case has a lot of precedents, making the trial quite complicated. It is estimated that it will take about six months to reach a conclusion. However, based on the information currently available, Puff Daddy will likely spend at least ten years in prison.

Link didn't say much about it, only expressing his trust in the NYPD's judgment, gratitude to the NYPD, and hope that such an incident would not happen again.

Host Stephen asked a few more questions before shifting the focus of the interview to "Rush Hour".

The interview lasted 85 minutes, with about half an hour aired on CBS. The first half discussed the movie, and the second half was a personal interview with Link.

After the program aired, Link's answers on the show attracted public attention and discussion, and some media outlets also quoted one or two of his responses for their reports.

Including his humility even after becoming a director with 10 billion box office earnings;

The next goal is to win the Oscar for Best Director;

I hope the presidents of the seven major film studios go to jail;
He does not deny dating multiple girlfriends at the same time;

And the outline on his trouser leg—was it a belt or something else?

(End of this chapter)