Huayu: The Big Players Behind the Scenes

On the afternoon of June 22th,

Zhuang Huai'an, dressed in a fitted black Armani suit, got into a Rolls-Royce.

He never expected that the group of old white men at the Academy would invite him to be a presenter at the Oscars, especially for such a prestigious award as Best Supporting Actor.

Interestingly, it seems that this year's Best Supporting Actor award goes to Chris Cooper, who just starred in "Parasite".

That's fine too; it might even become a beautiful story.

Meanwhile, domestically,

Many netizens have already started discussing it online.

Because of Hero's Oscar nomination, the publicity and reporting in China this year has been unprecedented, and CCTV even specially bought the full broadcast rights.

However, the opening ceremony of the awards ceremony was delayed by about 4 hours because it could not be broadcast simultaneously with the domestic broadcast.

Upon arriving at the waiting area behind the Kodak Theatre, Zhuang Huai'an received a warm welcome as soon as he appeared.

Directed by Ron Howard, and starring Russell Crowe, Brad Pitt, Jennifer Connelly, Nicole Kidman, Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Tom Cruise, Tom Hanks, and George Clooney.

Somewhat surprisingly, Victoria brought David Beckham along to join in the fun.

Not far away, the crew of "Hero" watched Zhuang Huai'an surrounded by Hollywood stars. Zhang Ziyi looked on with envy, while Li Lianjie had a complicated expression.

Many people believe that Jet Li made a name for himself in Hollywood during this period, which is true, but his fame came from videotapes, not movie box office.

In fact, among the Chinese male actors recognized by Hollywood, the so-called $2000 million club, only Jackie Chan has ever been a member, and for a very short time.

Han Sanping joked, "Hey, that kid Huai'an is way more popular than you here."

Zhang Yimou smiled. Although he is an internationally renowned director, it is obvious to everyone that there are no suitable roles for foreigners in the films he makes, which is why his surroundings seem somewhat deserted.

Only a few directors came to say hello; there were very few actors.

Following the Berlin Film Festival, World Cinema Report magazine published a ranking of the 100 greatest directors of all time.

Among Chinese directors, Hou Hsiao-hsien and Edward Yang from Taiwan, Wong Kar-wai from Hong Kong, and Zhang Yimou, Wu Tianming, and Xie Jin from mainland China, among others, have all been cited as examples to illustrate this point.

In the final rankings, Zhang Yimou was ranked 21st, the highest among Chinese directors, and second only to Akira Kurosawa among Asian directors.

Kai also made it into the top 50.

Interestingly, although Zhuang Huai'an has only been in the industry for a little over a year, he has achieved success with three films released at the three major European film festivals, successfully making it into the top 100 and ranking 91st.

Zhuang Huai'an almost died laughing when he saw this number.

After a pleasant photo with Beckham, the organizers began notifying the various film crews to prepare for the red carpet event.

The Oscars red carpet is not only a grand event of the film festival, but also one of the main battlegrounds for major luxury brands in the fashion world.

Unlike the grand finale of domestic film festivals, this event is more practical, shuffling the order of big and small stars and having them take turns walking the red carpet.

The reason for this arrangement is that the Oscars are also broadcast overseas, which can better guarantee the viewership of overseas TV stations. Another reason is the sponsorship of luxury brands, as mentioned above.

For example, Nicole Kidman's endorsement and Angelina Jolie's endorsement are competing products. Sponsors certainly wouldn't want the two of them to be associated with each other, as that would only reduce their exposure.

Seeing that Zhuang Huai'an hadn't brought a female companion, Xiao Li Zi recommended a Victoria's Secret model to him with a sly grin.

This is also a unique feature of the Oscars: many unknown models will bribe staff to sneak into the waiting area, hoping to be noticed and ride the red carpet.

Seeing the American sweetheart recommended by Leonardo DiCaprio looking at him expectantly, Zhuang Huai'an still refused.

Foreign horses and the like really don't fit his aesthetic.

Moreover, Zhuang Huai'an suffers from rhinitis, and the woman's perfume was so pungent that it made him want to sneeze.

After the cast and crew of "The Hours" walked the red carpet, staff guided Zhuang Huai'an onto the stage.

The media on both sides found it quite interesting to see him walking the red carpet alone, and they kept taking pictures, with reporters from the domestic "Six Princesses" being the most active.

Unlike the solemnity of the three major film festivals, the atmosphere at the Oscars was much more relaxed, with host Steve Martin cracking jokes and teasing all the nominated films.

Even Zhuang Huai'an wasn't spared. This guy used stand-up comedy to mock him for being ignored and walking the red carpet alone.

In response, Zhuang Huai'an smiled and gave him the middle finger without hesitation. After seeing his action on the big screen, the people in the room applauded and cheered.

It was just a lighthearted joke to lighten the mood. As long as it didn't involve race or political stance, Zhuang Huai'an wouldn't take it to heart.

Soon it was Zhuang Huai'an's turn to go on stage, and he was presented with Jennifer Connelly, the winner of the previous Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, and one of the most beautiful actresses in the eyes of many netizens.

Just so you know, she's the little girl dancing in "Once Upon a Time in America".

The two stood side by side in the waiting area. Zhuang Huai'an glanced at them discreetly, and thought, "Wow, beautiful..."

"Next up is the award for Best Supporting Actor at the 75th Academy Awards. Welcome our presenter, Jennifer Connelly, and the director who finally found a female companion, An~~~"

Steve Martin, that old rascal, made another sarcastic remark.

The audience below the stage obliged with a burst of laughter, and the Sixth Princess's cameraman quickly captured the scene.

"Steve is right," Zhuang Huai'an said with a smile as the two walked to the microphone. "It's probably because of your reminder that the organizers noticed this issue and specially arranged for me to be with Ms. Connery."

"It's an honor to present an award with An," Jennifer said with a smile. "It's a pity I didn't know An wasn't bringing a female companion, otherwise I should have walked the red carpet with him. With a great director like An by my side, the media would probably have taken more pictures of me."

An awards ceremony is just a way for you to tease me and I to retaliate.

Steve, that old rascal, really knows how to liven things up. Hearing Jennifer say that, he quickly asked, "Ms. Connery, perhaps you wouldn't refuse An's date invitation?"

"Of course, not only me, but I believe no one can refuse a date with An," Jennifer answered readily.

Besides Zhuang Huai'an's talent, his robust 185cm physique and ruggedly handsome appearance, no less than Keanu Reeves', make him a perfect lover.

"Oh~~~"

The crowd below applauded and cheered, and Leonardo DiCaprio even put his fingers in his mouth and whistled loudly, looking like he was enjoying the show.

Okay, okay, laugh all you want, but you won't be able to laugh in a bit.

Zhuang Huai'an did not respond, but instead gave Jennifer a chivalrous salute.

Since there was still enough time, Steve continued to ask questions.

"An, from a director's perspective, who do you think will win Best Supporting Actor this year?"

"Their performances were all excellent, but if I had to choose, I would pick Chris Cooper."

Zhuang Huai'an took the opportunity to say "GG": "The reason I chose him is because Mr. Cooper just starred in my latest movie 'Parasite,' and I have already had a direct understanding of his acting skills."

"Parasite?"

"Yes."

After their interaction, Steve quite liked the young director and didn't mind giving him a piece of his mind. "Oh, this title sounds interesting. Is it going to be released in North America?"

Receiving Steve's kindness, Zhuang Huai'an smiled at him and quickly said, "Of course, I would much rather receive the award here next year than here."

"Well then, I wish you success."

Hearing the notification tone coming from the headset, Steve stopped when he felt it was time, and Zhuang Huai'an was also very satisfied.

Upon opening the envelope, unsurprisingly, Chris Cooper once again won Best Supporting Actor.

This old guy is quite amusing. After giving his thank-you speech, he also took the opportunity to help Zhuang Huai'an get a GG (game over).

The three stood on the stage, and the awards ceremony continued.

Best Foreign Language Film: "Hero" narrowly lost to the French film "Where Is My Home?"

Zhuang Huai'an subconsciously turned his head to look at the "Hero" film crew behind him. Zhang Yimou seemed to have expected this and looked calm, while the others looked somewhat heavy-hearted.