Generation Z Artists

Chapter 287 Just Shout It Out

"Thank you, Oscars, this is the most glorious moment of my life!"

"Thank you, Chicago, this is the best movie I've ever made in my life!"

Best Supporting Actress Catherine Zeta-Jones was moved to tears on stage, but the applause from the audience was somewhat perfunctory and impatient.

In any major film festival in the world, Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress are not considered core awards.

This thing is quite niche, only important to those in the industry; the general public doesn't care, and the media cares even less.

Therefore, Zeta-Jones's treatment was quite normal; what was truly unusual was the extraordinary attention she received for the Best Supporting Actor award.

When Martin took the stage with the card, anticipation and anxiety began to permeate the world.

Nortel.

Xie Xiaojing, the head of the directing department, laughed heartily: "Oh dear, I'm so sorry, our school's first Oscar-winning screenwriter is actually taught by the directing department. I'm ashamed, I'm so sorry!"

The head of the literature department was so angry he snapped: "What the hell have you been teaching? Huh? What does it have to do with you! You're a piece of shit!"

Seeing Lao Wang's breakdown, Liu Shibing, the head of the performing arts department, felt inexplicably better.

"At the very least, the first Oscar for acting in the school's history might not be yours, you piece of trash. Don't you dare show off in front of me."

"Why not?"

Xie Xiaojing was guilty but stubborn, forcing herself to be confident.

"I think the Best Supporting Actor award should go to Fang. Doesn't an action star deserve this level of acting skill?"

"Ah!"

Liu Shibing gave a cold laugh and didn't say anything more that would harm unity.

From his standpoint, he certainly hoped Fang Xinghe would win the award, but rationally, he genuinely felt that Fang Xinghe's chances were slim.

Hopefully, the result will be unexpected...

StarNet.

The baby's breath was very restless.

The pinned Oscar-themed post was flooded with hundreds of replies per second.

Will Fang Fang win Best Supporting Actor?

"Fang Shen will surely win!"

"China's first Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, Fang Fang's first major acting award, go for it!"

"If I win, I'll give away two copies of 'Born to Sing Wildly' to everyone!"

"Win one of 100 QQ skins! Take a screenshot of the moment you win!"

"I pray with my life that Fang Fang will win the award; the glory is yours, and I will burn brightly for her!"

"I'm so angry! My boyfriend actually poured cold water on me at such a crucial moment. We're breaking up! He'll trade my single life for Ziwei winning the prize!"

"I'm so angry! My girlfriend didn't believe that Brother Fang could win the award. We broke up! Her best friend is Baby's Star, so we've decided to celebrate Brother Fang winning Best Supporting Actor together!"

"..."

Beijing People's Art Theatre.

"Old Feng, do you think your apprentice can win Best Supporting Actor?"

Feng Yuanzheng quickly reviewed all the candidates' performances in his mind, frowned, and shook his head: "Difficult."

Pu Cunxi offered a gentle reassurance: "Not necessarily, Xiao Fang's performance is still competitive."

Sister Song spoke her mind: "I think we shouldn't have too high expectations. There's a lunatic in this year's class. How could Cooper act so well?"

In an instant, everyone fell silent.

The room was full of top-notch actors, so they naturally understood the competitive pressure Fang Xinghe was facing.

To be honest, this year... has been really unlucky.

Channel 6, Movie Channel.

The host finally demonstrated his skill, cooling everyone down with a high degree of professionalism.

"This year's Oscars featured a dominant performance in the Best Supporting Actor category, much like Nicole Kidman's dominance of all the precursor awards for Best Actress. Fang Xinghe's chances of winning are extremely high..."

Viewers in front of their televisions were stunned, their hearts pounding with anxiety, and they began to discuss the situation amongst themselves.

……

"This year's Best Supporting Actor competition is truly competitive!"

Martin slowly began to speak, referring to all five candidates.

Of course, the five people's comments were not of equal weight.

Ed Harris, Paul Newman, and John Reilly, the top three candidates, received only general praise.

But this doesn't mean they weren't strong. On the contrary, Ed Harris's restrained tragedy, Paul Newman's legendary depth, and John C. Reilly's poignant simplicity all represent the highest level of supporting actor performances in Hollywood.

In any other year, they would all have had a chance to win an award.

Unfortunately, two even more extreme cases of perversion have emerged this year.

When commenting on Chris Cooper, Martin suddenly became very serious.

Chris Cooper stars in Adaptation, where he plays John LaRoche, an eccentric, paranoid, rotten-toothed but passionate orchid thief.

Cooper's performance is the soul of the film.

He was completely immersed in this complex and contradictory role, blending La Rochere’s vulgarity, shrewdness, naivety and tragedy into one.

His line, "I am a happy, happy, happy person," contrasts sharply with his broken heart and is full of dramatic tension.

He successfully created a character who is both laughable and pathetic, and even awe-inspiring at times…

Fang Xinghe carefully examined the performance clips on the screen, his expression somewhat intriguing.

Cooper certainly deserves such high praise; his performance in Adaptation is nothing short of insane. The character himself is almost grotesque, and his interpretation is exceptionally profound and human.

If we were to rate his performance using the same standards as Tongzi's father, it would be a score of 98.

If we were to use a more well-known character as an analogy, then even Heath Ledger's Joker wouldn't be able to completely overshadow Cooper's La Rochefoucauld.

In fact, the two roles are about the same in terms of performance difficulty and presentation effect; the only difference is the amount of screen time and the level of charisma.

As a result, Cooper swept all the preliminary awards this year and was widely regarded as the greatest performance of the year.

Therefore, prior to this, no critic believed that Fang Xinghe was a strong contender for the performance award.

Only he himself still held strong confidence.

In terms of performance space, Prince Yu is far inferior, so even though he also contributed a performance of over 95 points, the final effect was not that impressive.

But the problem is this...

When professional expertise clashes with political correctness, how will the Oscars, which prides itself on fairness, democracy, and independence from rumors and external influences, choose?
Martin revealed half the answer with his official comments.

"Star River, Fang Xinghe, from the movie 'Hero'."

His portrayal of Prince Yu is the most classic, powerful, and incredible action masterpiece ever seen on this planet. With a variety of extreme and real-life action sequences, he showcases the ultimate in human strength and beauty.

We shouldn't ask more of him; we just need to remember this character forever and let the images of his free-flowing movements shine brightly in our minds.

But, but, unbelievable!

After delivering such a magnificent action performance, SR also delivered a wonderfully subtle and restrained dramatic performance that can be described as the ultimate in Eastern-style drama!
The character of Crown Prince Yu was subject to great restrictions; he could not have too many expressions, and he even appeared with his face covered in that war scene.

His appearance was tough, cold, domineering, and arrogant.

But at its core, it is gloomy, lifeless, and bewildered, devoid of any attachment to life.

This is an extremely complex and challenging unconventional role, but SR has given Prince Yu a true soul.

Relying solely on eye contact for performance, SR perfectly portrayed the various states of Prince Yu with her delicate handling.

The resolute determination and unwavering resolve during the charge, the subtle shift from anger to dejection when the archer failed, the grief during the retreat—that empty, mechanical gaze still sends shivers down my spine.

In his duel with the nameless one, SR still uses his eyes to express all his emotions.

From disdain to respect, from arrogance to appreciation, from indifference to a glimmer of hope, and finally to a calm acceptance of death, he left us with an unsolved mystery with a final, slightly nostalgic glance.

Beyond the incredibly nuanced and realistic eye acting, what truly amazes us is his complete control over his body.

Please look at the big screen!
When Crown Prince Yu sat upright, he was in a very relaxed state, both elegant and languid.

But when he stood up, picked up his spear, and walked toward the nameless man, he transformed himself into a living tiger with three strides.

In a fixed close-up shot from behind, he changes with each step, using pure physical expression to unleash a powerful aura on the audience in front of the screen.

This kind of control, achieved solely through physical movement without any external embellishment or editing, has never been seen in any Hollywood performance before. Perhaps only a kung fu master could achieve this effect…

The entire scene was displayed on the big screen.

Fang Xinghe lazily gripped the butt of the gun, took his first step, like a tiger stretching its limbs after just standing up. His second step was slightly heavier.

At the same time, he exerted a slight force with his right hand, swinging the spear in an irregular curve in mid-air.

The third step involves a resonant movement of muscles and bones, making one feel as if they have grown taller.

At the same time, he swung his gun diagonally downwards with all his might, the wind howled, but he remained as steady as a mountain.

The moment the gun came to a stop, the whole person also froze, taut like a bow, straight as a gun.

An extremely fierce and domineering aura naturally flows out.

The viewer immediately gets the illusion that the figure in front of them suddenly fills their field of vision, as intense as a black hole.

The fixed camera shot presents the entire process of this change. There is no blower or any external force driving it. It is purely driven by Fang Xinghe himself. It is extremely cool and extremely unbelievable.

"Wow!"

The filmmakers present couldn't help but gasp in surprise.

"What kind of control is this?"

"I hadn't noticed before, it's terrifying..."

"Expressing a domineering aura purely through physical actions is much more difficult than performing madness or anything like that."

"It's practically cheating. Normal actors might practice yoga at most, but who can master Chinese kung fu to this level like SR?"

"But it was truly an incredible presentation; I can't think of anyone else who could have done it."

At the same time, the masters of the Beijing People's Art Theatre also shouted excitedly.

"Old Feng, isn't this your Tiger training style?!"

"Wow, Fang Xinghe has reached this level?!"

"Wow, I didn't even notice this when I watched the movie before. This scene is more than enough to serve as a model for our Beijing People's Art Theatre and the National Theatre of China to learn from!"

"So beautiful! To perform such a physical act while wearing ancient costume is absolutely amazing!"

"Their Ge faction is really awesome in this regard, and of course, Lao Feng is awesome too!"

Feng Yuanzheng couldn't hold back anymore; he grinned widely, unable to close his mouth.

"Hey, what's the big deal? I only taught him a little bit of the basics. It's all thanks to Xiao Fang's own hard work, hahaha!"

Surrounded by envious glances, Feng Yuanzheng's smile suddenly resembled that of An Jiahe...

On stage, Martin's voice grew increasingly loud.

"Based on the above reasons, we confirm that Star River contributed the highest level of physical and eye control in his first film."

This terrifying, almost divinely bestowed control is the ultimate pursuit of every actor.

But what moves us most is that SR, despite possessing unparalleled talent, chose the most difficult path in the performing arts—the Grotowski school…

Therefore, regardless of whether he wins an award, we must acknowledge and admit that a phenomenal new talent, difficult to categorize and predict, is rising and poised to impact the entire film world!

This is extremely high praise, and it's unlikely that it would be given to outsiders under normal circumstances.

However, all the comments were reasonable and well-founded, leaving even the most xenophobic and picky people speechless and unable to refute them.

Fang Xinghe's eye movements were so vivid and subtle, and his body control was so amazing.

Before the college's evaluation came out, many people were unaware of this subtle yet powerful impact.

But the Academy went to great lengths to find and publish it, and Hollywood, which generally uses the method acting approach, was suddenly taken aback: Holy crap, this guy is actually into brutal comedy?!
Cooper, the biggest competitor, was the first to react. He turned to look at Fang Xinghe, then nervously fidgeted with his fingers, muttering curses in a slightly neurotic manner: "Grupp... clumsy Grupp... Fuck!"

He's not a bad person; he's just too shocked.

It wasn't just him; all the big names who understood Fang Xinghe's acting skills were shocked.

Who was the last actor known for his physical prowess?

I can't remember exactly, but Hollywood has never had any genius actors who practiced Method acting. This stuff is neither mysterious nor advanced; it's pure hard work and clumsy practice, and it's been squeezed out of the theater world by Method acting and can only be relegated to a small corner.

Now, finally, there has been an exception.

Moreover, as soon as it was born, it was as dazzling as the sun in the sky. How could this not be shocking?
"Star River is actually a martial arts practitioner... Crazy!"

"He's really special."

"Perhaps he never really intended to make a living based on his looks..."

"Of course, Leonardo DiCaprio at his age didn't have such ambitions, neither did Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, or any of the male stars known for their good looks."

Amid the discussions, most people's aversion to Fang Xinghe winning the acting award vanished.

Their opinions are not the key factor in whether or not Fang Xinghe wins an award or gets another chance, but the combined opinions of the entire Hollywood staff are an important factor in determining Fang Xinghe's personal reputation.

Winning an award and then being criticized and disapproved of by everyone—Fang Ge doesn't care, but that's definitely not the best path.

Yes, he could finally be sure he would win the award; the committee's evaluation had already laid the groundwork quietly.

"So, the winner of this year's Best Supporting Actor Oscar is..."

"Star River, Heroes!"

A moment of silence fell over the room, followed by applause that, while not particularly enthusiastic, was sincere enough and gradually rose in cadence.

Mouzi and Lijie, who were standing next to him, jumped up and gave him a hug.

"Congratulations, congratulations, you really did it!"

"Thank you, but don't get excited, I won't stop here."

Fang Xinghe gently patted Sister Li on the back, then strode onto the podium.

He received the golden statuette, which truly belonged only to him, from the previous Best Supporting Actor award, glanced at it briefly, and then looked around at the entire audience.

The boy's expression was unexpectedly calm.

He showed not a trace of ecstasy—not on his face, not in his heart, not in his eyes.

He was simply stating his feelings truthfully.

"Thank you to the academy for awarding me this highly prestigious performance award."

I would not say that my victory was a foregone conclusion or without any suspense. No, I faced a group of extremely respectable competitors: Ed Harris, Paul Newman, John C. Reilly, and Mr. Chris Cooper. I thoroughly enjoyed the performance of each of you.

Yes, I enjoy the process of fiercely competing with opponents at the same level.

Therefore, I want to thank you for your outstanding performance, which makes my honor shine even brighter.

Each and every one of you deserves this award, but as it turns out, I deserve it even more.

I don't think it's luck. The academy's recognition logic is very clear—to recognize, promote, and reward the breadth of performances.

The character of Crown Prince Yu is inherently limited in scope, making it difficult to enhance the overall presentation.

Performances that score 60 or 85 points are both capable of keeping the audience completely engaged and entertained in this kind of commercial kung fu blockbuster.

But in a very narrow space, I used all sorts of extremely detailed techniques to elevate the character's quality to over 95 points. This is my outstanding contribution to the overall quality of the film through the breadth of my performance.

This breadth includes, but is not limited to, martial arts, equestrianism, dialogue, eye contact, body language, and shifts in demeanor...

I am proud of everything I have done.

Furthermore, I firmly believe that I deserve any award.

Action stars often face the same dilemma as me: they are good at martial arts but not at writing.

The award-winning actors are at the other extreme, being neither good at literature nor martial arts.

As a result, audiences rarely see masterpieces that combine action and artistry at their peak, which is a regret for them and for the entire world film industry.

Now, I'm here to fill that void.

I don't know when I'll win my first major Best Actor award, but I know I will eventually.

I don't know when a dynamic newcomer will emerge to challenge my position in action, but I know no one can.

This is me, a true all-rounder in the film industry, paving the way for action movies and showcasing more possibilities for the performing arts.

I am Fang Xinghe from China, the well-deserved winner of the 75th Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actor!

Thank you all for your recognition. Now, you may applaud.

Finally, Fang Xinghe raised the trophy high.

In the still photo, thunderous applause erupted.

You can hate him, but you can't stop someone from loving him.

This is an absolute conqueror you have to admire, tolerate, respect, and look up to. Who else can turn a mere Best Supporting Actor award into a personal showcase?
Hollywood never had anyone like this before, and the world may never produce another like him again.

So just throw your brains away, open your mouth wide, and shout!

******
cold.

(End of this chapter)