Reborn Action Star: Starting in Hollywood

Chapter 583: The 77th Academy Awards, Lin Yuan's Journey to Become a God

On the evening of February 2005, 2, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles.

A long red carpet stretched from the entrance of the theater to the main entrance of the venue, and both sides of the road were filled with media reporters from all over the world.

As an annual film festival, the Academy Awards ceremony has never been short of reporters, but today's number is particularly large.

In addition to media reporters from Europe and the United States, reporters from China, South Korea, Japan, India, and even Latin America and Africa gathered here, attracting the attention of the world.

With the arrival of film crews from time to time, the men in handsome and straight suits and the women in gorgeous and moving dresses formed a beautiful landscape and also killed countless rolls of film for the reporters.

At this time, director Eastwood walked into the venue with a blonde woman with a curvy figure and a resolute face.

The sound of reporters' cameras opening their doors rang out frantically, and the red carpet in the evening was illuminated by the flashes that came one after another, making it as bright as day.

A Los Angeles Times reporter said: "Director Eastwood is so popular that he can be said to be an evergreen in the film industry."

"Of course, what's more valuable is that as he grows older, his films are getting better and better. Have you seen his movie 'Million Dollar Baby' last year? It was so touching that it brought tears to my eyes, even as a grown man," replied the reporter from the Chicago Post.

"Of course I've seen it. 'Million Dollar Baby' is definitely a classic," the Los Angeles Times reporter said, then changed the subject. "It's a shame, though, that such a good film won't win any major awards, because Lin Yuan's 'The Legend of Tang Dynasty' is truly outstanding."

"There's nothing we can do about it. Compared to a film like 'The Legend of Tang Dynasty' that is a monument to film history, although 'Million Dollar Baby' is excellent, it's not unfair for it to lose. It's just that for director Eastwood, he's going to miss out on the Best Director award, and I feel a little sorry for him," replied a reporter from the Chicago Post.

"Don't feel sorry for Director Eastwood. After filming 'Million Dollar Baby', he joined Lin Yuan Pictures and just worked with Lin Yuan on 'Jungle Bully'. It is said that the old director is very happy. His career has a second spring. Although he did not win the Best Director award, he also received sufficient compensation." said a reporter from the Los Angeles Times.

"Ah, that's good. I heard that 'The Heroes of Tang Dynasty' was nominated for three major awards: Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor.

There are also nominations for six minor awards, including Best Foreign Language Film, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Visual Effects, Best Costume Design, and Best Makeup.

And all nine awards will be won.” The reporter from the Chicago Post replied.

A reporter from the Los Angeles Times lamented, "This is outrageous! Lin Yuan swept all the awards. How can other crews survive like this? Doesn't this count as ascending to the throne?"

"Of course it's the throne. Haven't you heard that Lin Yuan has revealed that after this Oscars ceremony, his films will no longer participate in any awards nominations." The reporter from the Chicago Post replied.

"Lin Yuan is such a kind person, always thinking of others. In fact, I hope he is not in a hurry to get down from the throne. Wouldn't it be nice to sit on it for a few more years?" said a Los Angeles Times reporter with emotion.

"So you are destined not to be Lin Yuan. You are not broad-minded enough."

"Can you really do that? To treat fame and fortune like dirt?"

"Hahaha, I can't do that either. Lin Yuan is so open-minded. It's a pity that I won't be able to take pictures of him at the Oscars in the future."

"Why hasn't Lin Yuan arrived yet? The crew of 'The Legend of Tang Dynasty' should be arriving soon, right? I wonder who will walk the red carpet with him this time. His injury hasn't healed yet, which is really worrying."

"I heard that the two female leads of 'The Song of Tang Dynasty', Liu Yufei and Gao Yuanyuan, are not in Los Angeles. I'm also curious about what kind of outfit Lin Yuan will wear as his female companion this time."

Just as the two reporters were talking, there was a sudden commotion in front of the red carpet.

The reporters in front pressed the cameras even more frantically, and the burst of flashes formed a silver frenzy, instantly illuminating the entire night sky.

"Crack! Click!"

At this time, the sounds of camera shutters became continuous. People who didn't know the situation might mistakenly think: Is this the sound of someone using a wheeled heavy machine gun to fire?
"Lin Yuan! It must be Lin Yuan!" shouted the Los Angeles Times reporter.

"It has to be him. Look at those reporters up there, they're going crazy!" The Chicago Post replied, "For our media industry, Lin Yuan is a huge gold mine right now!"

More than 20 days ago, the press conference held at Linyuan Villa in Douglaston Town became the most watched TV program in human history!

Thanks to this press conference, the participating reporters directly exceeded their KPI for the entire year. The huge success made those reporters who did not have an invitation letter particularly jealous.

Today is the first time that Lin Yuan appeared in public after his injury. How could these reporters not go crazy?

It can be said that the reporters’ enthusiasm for chasing Lin Yuan now even exceeds that of those crazy fans.

On the red carpet, Lin Yuan, wearing a round-necked, tight-fitting crimson robe with narrow sleeves and a black futou on his head...

He appeared in front of everyone with a cane.

The reporters who saw Lin Yuan's look clearly were stunned at first, but soon felt that it was reasonable.

In the past, Lin Yuan always appeared in public wearing Hanfu at the Oscars ceremony.

He had previously worn Feiyufu, a modified version of the dragon robe, so it was not surprising that this time he wore the standard Tang suit from "The Song of Tang Dynasty".

The only thing that surprised them was that Lin Yuan was leaning on a cane, which looked a little awkward.

But this also immediately killed more film for the reporter. After all, it was quite rare to see Lin Yuan in this state.

It should have been very inconvenient for him to move around with a cane, but fortunately, Charlize Theron, who was wearing a moon-white Hanfu, was beside him, supporting him carefully.

Lin Yuan wore classical Chinese costumes, and Charlize Theron, who accompanied him, had to wear Hanfu to match the look so as not to look out of place.

But it has to be said that Charlize Theron's 1-meter tall figure and curvy and plump body can be said to be a walking clothes rack. Wearing moon-white Hanfu, she looks even more like a fusion of Chinese and Western beauty.

Today, her appearance appeared on the Chinese Internet, satisfying countless people's most beautiful fantasies about "Hu Ji".

If it were any other Hollywood actress, under the storm of flash lights from reporters, they would inevitably think about striking some nice poses, so that they could take the opportunity to gain more fans.

But Charlize Theron didn't care about all these. All her thoughts were on Lin Yuan. She held Lin Yuan tightly with both arms. Their bodies were pressed tightly together as they limped forward.

The intimacy between the two aroused countless fantasies, so the reporters took pictures even more crazily.

Following Lin Yuan were director Nolan, Chen Long, Li Renjie, Zhang Ziyu and other crew members, who also received warm greetings from reporters.

As the entire "The Legend of Tang Dynasty" crew arrived at the autograph wall, signed their names, and prepared to enter the Dolby Theatre, a reporter from The New York Times approached and enthusiastically asked, "Mr. Lin Yuan, I'm glad to see you're in much better health than you were 20 days ago. How's your injury now? I think this is what fans are most concerned about."

Such individual interviews are specially arranged, and it is natural for The New York Times, as the media most friendly to Lin Yuan, to get this opportunity.

Lin Yuan smiled and said, "Thank you all for your concern. I have basically recovered."

"Have you recovered? But I see you are still using a cane," asked the New York Times reporter.

"Actually, I don't need crutches anymore, but I'm worried about the wound tearing, so this is a safe protection plan." Lin Yuan replied.

He and Betty had discussed this. After all, someone might have seen him running during yesterday's assassination attempt, so it would be better to deal with it calmly to avoid embarrassment if he was exposed.

Lin Yuan continued, "In about ten days, I will be fully recovered. Then I will go to Sichuan Province in China to start preparing for the scene where I will climb the Yala Snow Mountain."

"Then I wish you, Mr. Lin, a smooth filming and bring us more exciting action scenes. I have another question. It is said that "The Legend of Tang Dynasty" will be the biggest winner of this year's Oscars, and it may be a sweep that has never been seen in the history of the Academy Awards. What do you think?" asked a reporter from The New York Times.

According to several senior members of the organizing committee and information from multiple channels, not only did Lin Yuan know that he would sweep the Oscars this time, but other filmmakers also basically knew it tacitly.

Colleagues from other film companies had already prepared to serve as a background board for Lin Yuan, highlighting Lin Yuan and elevating him to the altar, and then respectfully seeing Lin Yuan off the throne.

This is good for everyone. Therefore, this question from the New York Times reporter was also arranged by Lin Yuan. He needed to express his attitude in front of the public and also give the entire film industry a reassurance.

Lin Yuan then said, "The awards haven't been finalized yet, so the claim of a sweep is just a rumor. I won't accept your compliments now."

The reporter smiled good-naturedly.

Lin Yuan continued, "But I want to take this opportunity to make one announcement. After today, my films will no longer be considered for any film awards. Thank you for your support in the past, and please pay more attention to the excellent films made by other filmmakers in the future."

Lin Yuan's words were quite tactful and beautiful, showing his noble character.

The New York Times reporter also said with a smile: "Then let us witness Lin Yuan's most glorious Oscar ceremony together!"

Lin Yuan smiled and waved goodbye to the reporters, then walked into the Dolby Cinema with the help of Charlize Theron.

As always, Lin Yuan and his crewmates sat in the center of the first row, the absolute center of attention.

Once the crew of "The Legend of Tang Dynasty" took their seats, all other crews had entered the venue and the 77th Academy Awards Ceremony was about to begin.

As the passionate music sounded, the golden curtain slowly opened, and Chen Long, dressed in a red Tang suit, came to the center of the stage.

Seeing Chen Long's appearance, all the guests present were stunned, and then immediately broke into thunderous applause.

No one expected that the host tonight would be Chen Long!
No Chinese has ever hosted the Oscars, but when you think about the fact that the biggest winner tonight is Lin Yuan, it doesn't seem surprising.

If we want to crown a new Chinese action superstar, it would obviously be more meaningful to let the older generation of Chinese superstars do it.

The sense of ritual of inheritance is simply overwhelming, and the organizing committee's full intentions can be clearly seen.

Chen Long said with a smile, "I'm very happy to be hosting the 77th Academy Awards tonight. I hope everyone won't get tired of seeing Chinese faces tonight."

Chen Long's words caused another burst of good-natured laughter and applause from the audience.

This is a double entendre. Aesthetic fatigue is not just because Chen Long will show up from time to time as the host, but it also implies that Lin Yuan and his crew will go on stage crazily to receive awards tonight, making the audience feel a complete "yellow storm".

Looking at the reactions of the guests, Chen Long's originally somewhat uneasy heart was completely put at ease:
None of the guests expressed dissatisfaction. They were all genuinely happy for Lin Yuan and sincerely hoped to see him ascend to the altar.

Perhaps, on the one hand, it's because everyone truly loves Lin Yuan. Any aspiring filmmaker would be impressed by a super-talented person like him who works so hard to make films others wouldn't even dare to dream of. But on the other hand, it's definitely because of Lin Yuan's high moral character, or perhaps his tactful decision to step aside and not completely block everyone's path. Therefore, everyone is willing to give Lin Yuan an unprecedented and dignified exit.

A towering mountain like him will only make all his peers despair. No one will challenge his idea at all. It is definitely what everyone wants to see that Lin Yuan can voluntarily withdraw.

After today, Lin Yuan will no longer participate in the struggle for fame and fortune.

Although he will continue to make movies, Lin Yuan's movies are pioneers in making the cake bigger, which will only raise the overall box office market so that everyone can get more meat without attracting any jealousy.

Chen Long smiled and said, "I know that although everyone likes to watch me, they only like the me in the movies. The real me is not as handsome as Lin Yuan, so people don't like to watch me that much. So I am very self-aware..."

"Wow, wow!" A burst of warm applause from the audience interrupted Chen Long's words.

"Jackie Chen, we love you in real life too!"

"You're handsome too! I love your big nose so much!"

“Although a little worse than Lin Yuan!”

Following this jeer, there was another burst of laughter.

I have to say, this may be the most relaxing Oscar awards ceremony ever.

Because all the crew members knew that they were destined to be runners-up tonight.

Without suspense, you can let go of all your worries and burdens, and instead enjoy this film event with ease and joy.

Chen Long was laughing so hard that he almost cried. He finally stopped laughing and said, "Okay, okay! I thank everyone for their affirmation of my appearance.

With the live video as evidence, I can now proudly and confidently say that I am a super handsome guy.

After all, I am only slightly worse than Lin Yuan!"

There was another burst of laughter from the audience. The happiness index tonight was simply off the charts.

Chen Long continued, "But we still have to give out the awards. If we don't, the audience will scold us for being so weak."

The laughter continued on the field.

So the award ceremony officially began.

As usual, we'll start with some small prizes:
"The Big Moment: The Children's Parade" won Best Documentary Short.

"Born into Brothels" won Best Documentary Feature.

"The Incredibles" beat out "Shrek 2: The Last Jedi" for Best Animated Feature.

It is worth mentioning that the Best Original Song and Best Original Score were awarded to "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban".

It has to be said that the Harry Potter series of films is in the same boat as Pirates of the Caribbean in terms of awards. It has only been successful commercially, and its award recognition is far inferior to that of the Lord of the Rings series.

But thanks to Lin Yuan's contribution to the expansion of the box office market, "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban", which originally had a box office of 8 million US dollars in the previous life, has a global total box office of 11 billion US dollars in this life.

It has become another super hit that has surpassed the $10 billion box office.

It is no wonder that the entire film industry is eager to praise Lin Yuan to the sky. After all, who can resist the temptation of real money?
With the continuous presentation of awards and performances by guests on site, the 77th Academy Awards ceremony is progressing in an orderly manner.

As expected, Lin Yuan's "The Legend of Tang Dynasty" won four awards: Best Screenplay, Best Photography, Best Costume Design, and Best Makeup.

Director Nolan, Li Renjie, Zhang Ziyu and others came on stage to receive these awards.

Lin Yuan did not go on stage to receive the award in person. On the one hand, it was because his legs and feet were inconvenient for him to perform, and on the other hand, he wanted to leave this precious exposure opportunity to those who needed it more.

After receiving these four awards, the remaining five awards are Best Foreign Language Film, Best Visual Effects, Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor.

When presenting the Best Visual Effects Award, host Chen Long held the trophy himself and said, "This award should have been received by action director Meng Tao. However, since he and director Johnston are filming in the Alps, I will accept it on his behalf."

Chen Long walked to the center of the stage, holding the trophy and said emotionally, "The following words are what Meng Tao asked me to convey."

He pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket and turned to look at Lin Yuan: "Lin Yuan, I rarely say thank you to you, because you changed my destiny. How can I just say a few words of thanks for such a great favor?"

When Lin Yuan heard Chen Long's words, he was stunned at first, but he quickly realized that Chen Long was conveying Meng Tao's thoughts.

"I never thought that a chance collaboration would open the door to a new world for me.

When I was with you, we dueled together on top of a mast over 30 meters high, conquered the Dubai Tower and the sky at 10,000 meters, and rode side by side on the grasslands...

I watched with my own eyes how you became a legend step by step, and I was willing to follow behind you.

I hope that in the days ahead, we can continue to create more exciting action movies to shock (cao) and amaze (fan) the world!"

There was a warm applause from the audience. All the guests present knew that Lin Yuan and Meng Tao were the golden pair and had created countless classic works in their past collaborations.

It was a pity that Meng Tao was not present on the night when Lin Yuan was deified.

Chen Long said with emotion: "You may or may not know that Meng Tao was originally a martial arts instructor in my Chen Clan. When Lin Yuan was filming Jurassic Park 3, he needed an action actor to guide the filming, so he borrowed someone from me through Zhang Ziyu.

At that time, I was not very familiar with Lin Yuan and had no idea what kind of person he was. I only knew that he had just made his mark as the second male lead in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

"But I still lent him Meng Tao, the best actor from the Chen Clan, because I felt that if a Chinese person could make a movie in Hollywood, and star in a big production, I had to support him."

"At that time, I didn't expect that I would witness the rise of a legend. Four or five years ago, when Lin Yuan was first invited to Hong Kong to guest star in my Rush Hour 2, he was just a fledgling action star.

But today he has reached a height that even I dared not imagine. I am very happy and relieved. Lin Yuan, I am proud of you! You are my role model!

After hearing Chen Long's true confession, Lin Yuan felt a lot of emotion in his heart.

The years of hard work in the past were like a picture unfolding in his eyes. Without realizing it, he had overcome so many life-and-death difficulties and reached a height that even Chen Long could only look up to today.

At this moment, Chen Long, an action superstar of the previous generation, officially completed the passing of the torch to Lin Yuan of the younger generation.

Lin Yuan did not let Charlize support him, but got up from the chair with a cane.

He didn't like sentimentality, and instead said with a smile, "Brother Chen Long, you're not thinking of retiring, are you? You're still young. How can you not keep fighting at this age? My next movie has a lot of extreme action scenes designed. Would you consider a formal collaboration?"

Hearing Lin Yuan's words, Chen Long smiled like a brilliant chrysanthemum.

Even director Eastwood refuses to admit his age, so how could Chen Long, at his age, not want to leave behind a few more classic movies?

However, due to the decline in his physical fitness in recent years, Chen Long began to accept the reality that he was on the decline. But Lin Yuan reached out to him at this time, which was really what he wanted most in his heart.

Lin Yuan's words once again aroused thunderous applause from the audience.

Rather than seeing the old taking over and the passing of the torch, everyone prefers to see the inspirational story of someone getting stronger as they get older and reach new heights, so they gave the warmest applause to encourage them.

As the applause died down, Lin Yuan returned to his seat.

The next award is the most important one besides the four major awards: Best Foreign Language Film.

In fact, in a sense, the Best Foreign Language Film award is even as important as the Best Actress award.

Because the Best Foreign Language Film represents the best non-English language film recognized by the Oscars worldwide in the past year.

This is definitely a testament to quality.

The nominees for Best Foreign Language Film are:

"Datang Yingge" (China)

Deep Sea Sleep (Spain)
Just Like Heaven (Sweden)

Downfall (Germany)

The Chorus (France)

This year's nominations for Best Foreign Language Film are quite gorgeous.

"The Chorus" is quite famous in China. With its excellent quality, it has conquered and moved countless people.

But in the previous life, the winner of the Best Foreign Language Film was not "The Chorus", but "The Big Sleep".

Although "The Big Sleep" may not be better than "The Chorus", its quality is completely comparable, which shows the value of this year's list.

But even with so many excellent foreign language films, "The Legend of Tang Dynasty" lived up to expectations and won the award.

So director Nolan once again stepped onto the podium.

He said somewhat helplessly, "I, a British director whose native language is English, made a Chinese-language film and won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. Don't you think that's weird?"

(End of this chapter)