The Best Actor in the Vase of Meiyu

Chapter 1914 Applying Knowledge to New Situations
"Hey Edgar, congratulations."

"Oscar, Oscar, Oscar! Haha."

“Edgar, I told you the birds were singing this morning, it’s good news.”

"How are you feeling now? Tell me."

"Did you get the good news to Anson? I'm so happy, Anson deserves it."

"Hey bro, come on, let's give each other a high five!"

The heat hit me in the face.

As soon as Edgar stepped into the Creative Artists Building, he was surrounded by congratulations and praise. Applause, hugs, high-fives, and smiles were constant, from the parking lot to the reception desk, to the elevator, and finally to his office. The air seemed to be boiling over.

In just one scene, Edgar could already sense a completely different atmosphere; the entire creative team seemed genuinely happy for Anson.

This stands in stark contrast to William Morris.

Of course, Edgar understood that this wasn't his achievement, but rather Anson's—

"Spider-Man 2" and "Sunflower" are all showcases of Anson's talent. He deserves an Oscar nomination and all the praise he deserves.

And that's still not all.

Edgar knew exactly what happened at the Golden Globe Awards after-party, and Anson's quick thinking saved Jamie Foxx's public relations for the entire awards season.

Furthermore, that's not all. On the surface, the innovative artist sacrificed Brad Pitt, pushing him into a dangerous situation. But Brian Lord couldn't possibly do a losing business. He made a deal with TMZ, using Brad's news as leverage, not only to get Jamie out of trouble but also to pave the way for the future.

Next time, and even the time after that, if any of the artists under the Creative Artists label are caught doing something wrong, they can easily suppress them.

Moreover, sacrificing Brad was merely a facade. If Jennifer Aniston hadn't swiftly chosen to divorce, the matter would have almost been suppressed by Brian. Unfortunately, it wasn't resolved in the end, and Brad was put in the spotlight, but the innovative artist had already begun to plan to control the damage and salvage his image.

"Mr. & Mrs. Smith" is set to hit theaters this summer, and innovative artists are determined not to let this film fail.

On the contrary, Brian plans to use this negative news to turn the tide, creating a buzz and confusing the public, making people feel the tension and excitement of the forbidden romance between Brad and Angelina.

Of course, things are not that simple. Like dancing on a knife's edge, a slight misstep could result in being pierced by a thousand arrows, so Brian needs to plan carefully.

The key point is that Anson's intervention not only gave innovative artists choices, but also allowed them to plan ahead before they actively promoted Brad, instead of scrambling to deal with the crisis after the paparazzi broke the news.

In crisis public relations, this first move may seem unimportant, but it can actually turn the tide.

Behind Brian's ruthless decisiveness, the innovative artists also saw Anson's intelligence for the first time, and they were truly impressed by Anson in every way.

Now it's Edgar's turn.

On the one hand, Edgar needs to push innovative artists to engage in Academy PR; they can't miss the opportunity. Imagine Anson not only slapping the Academy in the face and winning the Oscar, but also coming within a hair's breadth of EGOT. Frank Pierce's expression should be priceless.

On the other hand, Edgar needs to think three steps ahead. They can't be satisfied with just an Oscar nomination. Regardless of whether they win or not, they need to plan for the next step.

Edgar faced three choices. One was "Spider-Man 2," a commercial film, where he could continue pursuing the title of box office superstar and establish his own status in the industry, just like Tom Cruise and Will Smith.

This is the easiest yet most difficult path. After all, Anson is now the number one choice for leading man in all Hollywood blockbusters. If Anson wanted to, he would have countless options. But similarly, any type of film will be compared to "Spider-Man 2". In the face of the record-breaking achievement, any box office numbers pale in comparison.

Furthermore, style, type, reputation, and so on will all be compared.

Therefore, it is easy, yet difficult.

One type is "Singing Along" and "The Elephant," academic films that, whether in line with the Oscar season or aiming for the three major European film festivals, take the awards route and make a 360-degree turn, starting to explore Anson's different possibilities as an actor, shedding the "pretty face" label and evolving into a powerful actor.

This is a reasonable choice, especially after the ups and downs of this year's awards season. If Anson can actually win an Oscar, even for Best Original Song which has nothing to do with acting, he can turn his image around and truly enter the Academy's field of vision.

Firstly, this means Anson must play by the rules of the Academy, rendering his previous pride futile. Secondly, his purpose is too obvious, no different from Leonardo DiCaprio's. When Anson starred in "Walk the Line," Hollywood insiders were already criticizing and mocking him. Regardless of the quality of the work, Anson will undoubtedly face a lot of pressure.

Pressure is not the problem; however, can Anson, trapped in the rules of the academy, maintain his current aloof position?

Therefore, only a third option remains.

Taking an unconventional and unique approach, it is neither a typical commercial film nor a typical art film, but rather a path that Anson has forged for himself.

"The Butterfly Effect," "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," and "Children of Men" are all of this type.

It is difficult for outsiders to accurately define the attributes of these works, which gives Anson some room to explore his acting career and bring different styles. The success of "The Butterfly Effect" and "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" has already proven Anson's uniqueness.

Look at "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," it still shines even in the year when "Spider-Man 2" swept the world and topped the charts.

learn by analogy.

Edgar needs to find Anson's next project outside of the Oscars—whether he wins or not—to further solidify Anson's brand image and become the capital for Anson to continue to compete with the Academy. Winning an award does not mean that Anson has been recruited by the Academy, and not winning an award does not mean that Anson has given up on himself.

Of course, part of the reason was that Edgar was worried about Anson.

Originally, after filming "Children of Men" was finished, Edgar wasn't in a hurry to find Anson another project; he genuinely hoped Anson could take a break for a while. But now, the situation has changed. If Anson continues to stay at home, he's prone to overthinking, so it's better to let Anson throw himself into new work.

To impress Anson subtly, Edgar needs a standout project, so he may need to utilize the resources of innovative artists.

But how easy is it to do?
So far, of these three projects, "The Butterfly Effect" was approached by the screenwriters themselves, "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" was facilitated by Anson and the screenwriters themselves, and "Children of Men" was found by Anson himself at Warner Bros. None of them have anything to do with Edgar Allan Powell.

Moreover, it's a rare sight.

Edgar had an idea in mind, but the real problem was putting it into practice.

Instead of going to his own office, Edgar walked amidst cheers and laughter to the office of Richard Loft, the top executive of the innovative artists.

Richard wasn't there; he was in a meeting.

But Edgar did not turn and leave; instead, he pushed open the door to his office and waited inside.

(End of this chapter)