1994: I Became a Literary Master in America

Chapter 104 The Golden Scene (Part Two) 2/5

"What is he doing? It seems like he's repeatedly filming the same scene. Is it because he's a newbie?"

The TV screen switched back to the studio.

Michiko Kakutani is one of the chief literary critics for The New York Times.

She pointed to the frozen image on the screen with a puzzled look and asked, "It seems like he's constantly making adjustments; maybe his idea isn't fully developed yet."

"No, no, no, what I mean is that his ideas are very mature."

Woody Allen interrupted Michiko Kakutani, saying, "He's not adjusting, he's shooting different shots—if you look closely, you'll see that he's adjusting all the details. Even though it's the same shot, the actor's performance, tone of voice, and the surrounding set and lighting are all changing."

John Cusack said, "Same scene, same lines, minor tweaks to the details."

It has a Groundhog Day feel to it, I don't know if that's right.

"Yes, I think so too."

Woody Allen chuckled, then looked at Leonard and asked, "What do you think, Leonard?"

"I feel the same way. This kid's control of the situation doesn't seem like that of a rookie; it's more like that of a veteran."

"But Mr. Richard Gere said he was a novice."

Jim Moret interrupted Leonard.

Leonard looked displeased and said, "What gives him the right to say that? He's not the director, is he?"

"Directing requires talent," Woody Allen chuckled, adding, "Often, even actors with outstanding acting skills can't clearly see what the director is thinking. That's why it's said that the director is the soul of a film."

That kid did a really good job.

Elizabeth Hardwicke suddenly spoke up: "I don't like to make statements without first confirming them."

Mr. Richard Gere has clearly made this mistake.

In particular, he repeatedly mentioned Jeffrey's Chinese heritage when talking about him.

I hate this idea of ​​linking lineage with ability; it brings back some unpleasant memories.

"Me too!"

Michiko Kakutani added a comment.

"But he does look very young."

"Jim, don't use your mortal mindset to define a genius's idea."

The atmosphere in the studio began to heat up.

-

If Susan hadn't informed him beforehand, Xu Shengjie might have even thought that Jim Morlet, the ABC correspondent, was a hater of Richard Gere. He defended Richard Gere at every turn, but the quotes he used were all sensitive words from Richard Gere that teetered on the edge of a minefield, which to some extent stirred up everyone's nerves.

Michiko Kakutani is a Japanese woman.

As a woman, her remarks were mostly sarcastic and pointed, giving people a strange and unsettling feeling.

One moment it's targeting Richard Gere, the next it's targeting Xu Shengjie.

Their back-and-forth banter with Jim made the atmosphere increasingly tense.

Woody Allen firmly believes that directing is a profession that requires a lot of talent and cannot be easily defined by lineage or age.

Leonard and Elizabeth, however, didn't hold back, launching a barrage of criticisms at Richard Gere.

At first, John Cusack, a veteran actor, would offer a few comments, but later he gradually fell silent.

He debuted in 83 and is an actor with ten years of experience.

He is also a producer and screenwriter, owns his own company, and has achieved considerable success in Hollywood.

He had realized that ABC's program was definitely targeting Richard Gere.

That Chinese-American kid has a powerful background!

The fact that ABC (American-born Chinese) would stand up for him is no small feat.

So he glanced furtively at Diane West, only to find this Hollywood veteran in her forties, eyes downcast and silent. And then there was screenwriter Douglas, who, from the moment the tension flared, stared at his desk without uttering a word. It was as if something on that desk held the spark that would inspire him.

John Cusack began to develop some interest in Xu Shengjie.

Seeing that the atmosphere had calmed down, anchor Charlie quickly interrupted the argument.

On the screen, the interviews with Qiao Ni and Xu Shengjie also began.

In response to Qiao Ni's question, Xu Shengjie spoke eloquently.

He used witty remarks and skillfully avoided the traps in Joni's interview.

Woody Allen lowered his voice and said to Cusack, "This kid doesn't seem like a typical student who failed his college entrance exams. I reckon he ran into some trouble that caused him to fail. This kid definitely has something going for him—"

"I think so too."

"Richard has probably hit a brick wall."

The interviews are still ongoing.

Qiao Ni's questions were no longer only directed at Xu Shengjie, but began to extend to other members of the crew.

For example, Danny Airo, Leslie Rollins, Oliver Wood—

-

She asked the staff to give Xu Shengjie some feedback.

The feedback received was mostly positive.

For example, "professionalism", "generosity", and "meticulousness"!

"Sally started working out in August, and Jeffrey even hired a trainer for her, but he never paid any attention to me."

Edward Norton felt wronged.

"That's because Sally is a beauty, and you're too ugly."

"Oh, so Jeffrey, you and Sally—"

"Friends, fellow disciples."

We have the same agent, so of course we'll look out for each other.

When I work overtime, Sally brings me late-night snacks and reminds me to get some rest. I don't see anything wrong with that.

"What about Julie?"

"Julie is a good girl."

Xu Shengjie downplayed the issue, but didn't say anything bad about Julie.

"But we know that Jon has said before that 'Run Lola Run' has a very close relationship with Jolie."

"I did get my inspiration from her short red hair. It was because I knew Jolie that I came up with the script for 'Lola'."

"So, Sally is a substitute?"

"Of course not—"

Joni knows how to stir up emotions.

If Xu Shengjie were to make a slight mistake during this interview, the person most likely to get hurt would be Theron.

Fortunately, he skillfully dodged it.

Meanwhile, another discussion ensued in the studio.

"I like this kid!" Leonard laughed heartily. "Nineteen years old, Richard was still in the University of Pennsylvania, right? But this kid has already made hundreds of thousands of dollars. I think Richard is just jealous of Jeffrey."

I think so too.

Janet and I have said more than once that Richard is a hypocrite.

This time, it seems, is confirmed as well. Especially his forced connections to "bloodline and culture," which disgust me.

Elizabeth was ruthless, practically pointing her finger at Richard Gere and yelling at him.

She doesn't care about Richard Gere's influence.

She is one of the founders of The New York Review of Books and has long since achieved financial freedom.

She focuses on literary matters, and frankly, she doesn't care much about Hollywood.

Richard Gere is known as a gentleman in Hollywood, considered one of the two great gentlemen alongside Sean Connery, and always liked to display their cultural refinement in public. However, Elizabeth saw through this clearly and consistently rejected it.

"How are his two books? Has anyone read them?"

Woody Allen asked a question out of curiosity.

Of the seven guests, including host Charlie, only Elizabeth and Michiko Kakutani raised their hands.

His literary manager was Robert Gottlieb.

Coincidentally, Robert and I are on good terms. Last month, I saw a copy of a book at Robert's house called "Canal Street Metro Station".

It was a heartbreaking urban epic.

Jeffrey uses a calm and restrained style to depict the diverse lives of people in New York's underworld.

The characters he portrays are not symbolic victims, but flesh-and-blood individuals full of contradictions.

The novel's narrative structure is complex and ingenious, with multiple storylines converging at the Canal Street subway station, creating strong dramatic tension.

Michiko Kakutani also said, "Coincidentally, I've also read this book."

I saw the proofreading from Kate Medina, an editor at Random House.

Um, Kate is Jeffrey's personal editor. Epstein, the editor-in-chief of Random House, highly values ​​both of his works.

How to describe "Canal Street"? I think it's more like a novel about the shattered American Dream, but one that doesn't lose hope.

Jeffrey's writing style is concise and powerful, with every detail meticulously crafted.

The Canal Street subway station is not only the place where the story takes place, but also a symbol—it is both an end and a beginning, a place where dreams are buried and a platform for a fresh start.

When these two literary critics spoke, everyone was surprised.

Woody Allen laughed and said, "I'm suddenly very interested in a work that has received such high praise from both of you."

"It will be published next Friday, and Jeffrey will be at the launch event. If you're interested, you can talk to him."

"Then—" Woody Allen instinctively wanted to agree.

However, John Cusack reminded him, saying with some regret, "I have a promotional event in Boston on Wednesday, so I probably won't have time! But I can visit the set; I really want to talk to this kid."

As the interview drew to a close, Xu Shengjie uttered those sweet, poetic words in English: "Separated, both are..."

Relieved, akindling joy for each.

Elizabeth suddenly screamed repeatedly.

"I like him, I like him so much."

He was a poet—wow, I can't imagine that such beautiful poetry could exist in such a distant and ancient China.

Have you heard of Kakutani?

"Spalashi!"

Michiko Kakutani couldn't help but utter a "baka" (idiot).

East Asian culture is in China!

Let's resolve our grievances and release our grudges, and stop hating each other.

Let's part ways amicably and each find our own happiness.

I can't imagine what a gentle and magnanimous man must be to write such words.

Elizabeth, you don't understand East Asian culture. My grandmother told me when I was little: a hundred years ago—well, maybe even a few decades ago—even when China was at its lowest and most miserable, Chinese men were still the ideal partner for us Japanese women—ahhhh, Elizabeth, I think I'm in love!

Michiko Kakutani's behavior left Elizabeth and the others somewhat puzzled.

She read the divorce agreement aloud in Chinese. Although I couldn't understand it, I knew it was the same Chinese passage that Xu Shengjie had used at the end.

John Cusack couldn't help but laugh, "Suddenly, I'm kind of tempted to learn Chinese!"