Hollywood Director 1992.

Chapter 38 Big Brand Anti-Fans
“I heard that Link is an orphan who didn’t go to school for many years and used to be a gangster in El Monte.

But look at him, he is very relaxed on the stage, speaks clearly and logically, and says some very inspiring words one after another. How could such a person come from a slum?"

In a bar in Los Angeles, Al Simmons, an entertainment reporter for the Los Angeles Times, pointed at the man on TV who was wearing a well-fitting suit, looked handsome and elegant, and had good conversation, and said to his companions.

"What do you mean?"

A reporter from America Express asked.

"Do you think the huge sales of Buried Alive is a scam, a successful hype?"

"Hype? How to hype?"

asked a USA Today reporter.

“Maybe Link is not a child from a poor family. He has lived in a good condition since he was a child and received a good education. Especially in directing and acting, he has received guidance from professionals, which makes him have strong directing ability.

The people behind him, in order to help him create the halo of a "genius director", deliberately created the movie "Buried", first making a number of film companies misjudge it, and then letting the movie be released with difficulty, which then became a huge hit at the global box office and set the record for the highest return ratio in film history.

This huge contrast has a high topic value. With the help of media publicity, Buried continues to sell well and Link becomes famous overnight. Doesn't it sound reasonable?"

Al Simmons narrowed his eyes and spoke slowly.

"Al, are you crazy about making big news?

The reason why Buried sold so well is because of its good quality. Initially, Buried was only shown in one theater. Because of its good box office performance, it gradually gained support from theater chains. It was not due to hype. You got the cause and effect wrong. "

The Hollywood Reporter reporter said.

“So is it possible that Buried was not shot by Link, or that it was not like what he said, with only two people, but a group of people, with more professional filmmakers guiding them? This is the secret of the high quality of Buried. In any case, I don’t believe that Link’s first film can be as good as Buried.”

Al Simmons stroked his stubble and pondered the possibility of this speculation.

After he finished speaking, he wanted to hear the opinions of his colleagues, but when he turned around, he found that several of them were gone.

He looked around and saw several colleagues gathered around Thomas Miller, a veteran reporter from the American Forum, listening to Thomas explain a paranormal event that had recently occurred in Connecticut.

According to an investigation report by the Forum last year, a couple named Mr. and Mrs. Campbell, who lived in New York, moved to northern Connecticut not far from the hospital in order to treat their son's illness. They found an old house that was just for rent here.

The house environment is good, but there are often many strange noises at night, and ghosts appear at night, which is very scary.

After asking around, I found out that the old house used to be a funeral home.

The news was initially reported by local media, and later Fox News Channel followed up and captured some suspicious footage.

This incident caused a sensation last year and was called the "Connecticut Haunted House Incident". The Tribune also sent people to interview the incident, and Thomas Miller was one of them.

When everyone saw Thomas coming, they gathered around him to ask what was going on.

Al Simmons was bored with this kind of thing, so he sat back at the bar and watched TNT's talk show "Conversation with Link, the Director of Buried Alive," to see if there was any chance to dig up some useful news material.

On TV, host Billy Crystal interviewed Link. After "Buried" became a big hit, he was also dubbed "genius director" and "the highest-grossing director in history" by the media. Billy Crystal asked him if he felt any pressure?
Link's answer was no. Instead of worrying about whether he could bear all the praise, he should focus on his current work. Because no matter what, the ability of a director is reflected in his film works. He will not become more skilled in directing because of the halo of a "genius director".

"Humph!"

Al Simmons took a sip of beer unhappily. Link was only 20 years old and his words were flawless. There was no chance for him to find some news material to hype.

"Link, after Buried became a huge hit, many film critics said that the success of Buried could not be replicated and was largely accidental. Your future films will not be able to do better than Buried. What do you think of this statement?"

host Billy Crystal asked.

Hearing this question, Al Simmons perked up a little and wanted to see if Link admitted that the success of "Buried" was due to luck. Whether he admitted it or not, there were points worth exploring.

"Success? How do you define the success of a movie? Do you only use the box office revenue ratio as the only criterion, or the total box office performance, awards won, status in film history, and impact on the film industry? If you only use the box office revenue ratio as the only criterion, it is indeed difficult to replicate. But if you use other factors as the criteria for defining success, I may not be able to do better."

clap clap clap!
There was applause from the TV.

"Shit! He cunningly avoided the point again."

Al Simmons pounded his fist on the counter.

Just as he was about to leave the bar and go outside to find the news, he suddenly heard Billy Crystal mention Robert Downey Jr. in the next question.

In the third week of its release, the North American box office of "Buried" surpassed that of "Chaplin" and reached fourth place on the weekly box office list. Robert Downey Jr. publicly accused "Buried" of being shoddy and not a good movie, and also mocked Link for walking the red carpet.

Al Simmons was also present at the interview. The incident caused a stir in the entertainment industry, Robert Downey Jr. was criticized by some people, and Link's public image was also affected.

Afterwards, many media wanted to interview Link about his views on the incident and how he evaluated Robert Downey Jr.'s behavior.

It's a pity that Link always avoids talking about it.

Now that Billy Crystal has taken the initiative to bring up this issue, even though it's just rehashing leftovers, if Link can reveal some fresh "ingredients" here, it could be a delicious "public opinion" feast.

Al Simmons took out his interview book and stared at the TV intently, listening to the host's questions when he suddenly felt the surroundings were crowded and his back was hot.

Look back.

Ok!

The guys who were surrounding Thomas Miller to listen to ghost stories all gathered around him in the blink of an eye, their ears sharper than those of dogs.

"Link, when Buried was a big hit, Robert Downey Jr. and many filmmakers in the industry publicly criticized Buried for its poor quality and said it didn't deserve the box office. They also mentioned that you used the premiere of Charlie Chaplin to release Buried. I think you've seen this news. How did you feel at the time?"

Billy Crystal asked.

“Is it time for gossip?”

Link joked.

"Stop talking nonsense and answer quickly!"

Al Simmons slammed the counter and yelled at the TV.

"Well, it was interesting, Robert Downey Jr. was a famous movie star, the best actor of the younger generation, at least in the top three, and I was just a nobody at the time.

After the news came out that day, a friend held up the Los Angeles Times and yelled at me, "Link, come and see, Robert Downey Jr. publicly scolded "Buried" as a bad movie and laughed at you for rubbing shoulders with Charlie Chaplin on the red carpet. You're going to be famous."

Hahaha!
Everyone laughed when they heard Link shouting with a changed voice.

"I wrote the report. Link must have read the report I wrote."

Al Simmons clapped his hands and laughed.

"Shh, don't talk, just listen to Link."

Several reporters nearby gave warnings.

"So when you saw the news, you were not angry, but happy instead?"

Billy Crystal asked.

"I'm not happy. I can't be happy when I'm scolded for no reason. I'm not angry either, because the newspaper said that Robert Downey Jr. said those unreasonable words when he was drunk. It's too petty to argue with a drunk person. I never mentioned this matter in public afterwards. The only thing that disappoints me is that Robert Downey Jr. has not made any explanation or apology since he sobered up."

"You want Robert Downey Jr. to apologize to you?"

"If there is an apology, it's even better. We are all in the entertainment industry and we will inevitably meet or cooperate in the future. If the relationship is too strained, it will not be conducive to good interpersonal relationships. If there is no apology, it doesn't matter. Having a big star-level anti-fan is also a very interesting and rare experience. At least, Billy, you don't have such a big star among your anti-fans."

"No, I don't have any haters. My fans love me. But I'm also jealous that you have a big hater."

Hahaha!
The audience laughed.

"This Link is quite humorous."

In the bar, Al Simmons stroked his chin and said.

"Not only is he humorous, he's also a very smart guy."

“Indeed, he knows that Robert Downey Jr. has a great influence in the entertainment industry and has many fans. The Downey family has strong connections in the industry and is a VIP client of CAA. Competing with him is not a good thing for Link, a newcomer in the entertainment industry.

He avoided the main issue and took advantage of the situation. He did not mention the movie dispute, but only mentioned the fact that Robert Jr. did not apologize, behaving very rationally.

It is rare for someone of his age to be able to do this, and he is indeed not an ordinary young man."

"Now all the pressure is on Robert Downey Jr., guess what, will Robert Downey Jr. apologize?"

Al Simmons looked at his colleagues and asked.

(End of this chapter)