The Best Director

Before the luncheon had even begun, nominees were gathering in small groups for casual chats—Nicole Kidman, dressed in a black coat dress, was laughing and talking with Renée Zellweger and Diane Lane; Martin Scorsese and Nicolas Cage were discussing something, and a heavily pregnant Catherine Zeta-Jones was taking photos in front of the statuette of the little golden man… At this moment, Wang Yang was also talking with none other than Robert Downey Jr. in a corner of the luncheon hall. For this traditional luncheon, the cast and crew of “MIT-21-TEAM,” with a few days left until wrap-up, had taken a day off.

“Robert, I’ll be right back.” Seeing Meryl Streep enter through the banquet hall door, Wang Yang excused himself from Downey and walked towards Streep who was dressed in a white V-neck suit. After she had taken her turn posing with the statue, Wang Yang went up to her with a smile and said, “Hello, Ms. Streep.” Meryl glanced at him, her face breaking into a mature and charming smile, and said, “Hello, the magical Yang.”

At previous award events, including the 60th Golden Globe Awards at the beginning of the year, they had already spoken several times, so they were acquainted.

Meryl Streep, born on June 22, 1949, holds a Master’s degree in Drama from Yale University. Since her big-screen debut with “Julia” in 1977, Meryl has continuously showcased her amazing acting talent in films such as “The Deer Hunter,” “Kramer vs. Kramer,” “The French Lieutenant’s Woman,” “Sophie’s Choice,” “The Bridges of Madison County”… She has received a record 13 Oscar nominations to date, 10 for Best Actress and 3 for Best Supporting Actress, winning one award in each category.

She also has 18 Golden Globe nominations, with 2 wins for Best Actress in a Drama and 2 for Best Supporting Actress; in addition to honors from the Screen Actors Guild, the British Academy Awards, Cannes film festival, and so on, she has nearly swept all the awards a female actor could win. Meryl is revered by many media and movie fans as the greatest actress in film history, her position as an evergreen in Hollywood and the global film industry is unshaken.

In her personal life, she is a beyond-reproach good woman. She met her first love, John Cazale, while filming “The Deer Hunter” and soon got engaged due to their strong feelings. However, Cazale was diagnosed with bone cancer during filming, and he passed away shortly after the completion of the film; after emerging from the shadow of grief, Meryl married the sculptor Don Gummer, and they have three daughters and one son. Their more than twenty years of marriage have remained scandal-free, a model of a wise wife and loving mother.

Yet despite this, she played the devilish Miranda in “The Devil Wears Prada” almost to perfection. Wang Yang came over to greet her precisely to invite her to play this role—and he was determined to convince her, unable to think of anyone who could play it better than Meryl.

“Ms. Streep, I recently acquired the film adaptation rights to a novel called ‘The Devil Wears Prada,\'” Wang Yang said with a beaming smile, his respect for Meryl sincere as he invited her, “I plan to direct and shoot it, and I really hope you will play the lead female role, Miranda.” He did not mention auditions because Meryl’s status meant she did not need to audition.

Too many films line up to cast this 53-year-old charming woman in a role, and she is capable of playing any character. However, to take care of her family, she adheres to the principle of not being separated from her family for more than two weeks at a time and only does 1-2 films a year. This year, she performed in “The Hours” and “Adaptation,” earning Golden Globe Best Supporting Actress and Oscar Best Supporting Actress nominations for the former, and a Golden Globe Best Actress in a Drama nomination for the latter.

“Oh?” Meryl was momentarily taken aback. “The Devil Wears Prada”? She immediately remembered the book and smiled, saying, “I’ve read that book, it’s quite interesting.”

Wang Yang couldn’t help but exclaim, which saved a lot of effort; however, he was not worried—Meryl choosing to play Miranda in the future showed her great interest in the story and the role. He said, laughing, “It does not seem quite appropriate to discuss these matters on this occasion; actually, I just wanted to mention it now, as the script is not yet finalized, which is why I haven’t formally invited you.”

“But I believe the role of Miranda is perfect for you to showcase your talent,” Wang Yang added with a nod, observing the unchanging demeanor of Meryl, who remained inscrutable, and continued, “You know, in the novel, Miranda’s inner world is not fully explored. Undoubtedly, she is a queen-like figure. Andrea says she is a cruel, ugly demon, but in fact, she also wants to manage both her family and her job well…”

Listening to his brief explanation, Meryl hummed in agreement. Indeed, the character and story had attracted her; when reading the book, she had tried acting it out. And the Magical Yang, as the youngest Best Director with six successful films, was proven capable of handling such material with “The Pursuit of Happyness,” so she had no concerns about the directorial aspect of the invitation.

“I’ll wait to see your script before making a decision,” Meryl said, smiling at the young director in his smart suit, “But Yang, if I work with you, my daughter Mamie would be thrilled. She loves your movies and is the most ordinary kind of fan.”

“Ah! Then I must thank her,” Wang Yang smiled too. He hadn’t heard Meryl mention this before, but gaining another fan was certainly nice.

Wang Yang and Meryl Streep chatted for a while before moving on separately—the matter of “The Devil Wears Prada” would obviously be formally discussed later. Wang Yang then exchanged a few words with Jack Nicholson, Nicole Kidman, and others, as the luncheon officially began; the nominees took their seats, savored the wine and dishes, and listened to Gil Gates speak on the small stage up front.

Gil Gates, the producer for ABC who secured the broadcast rights for this year’s Oscars ceremony, was responsible for the production of the event. Under the gaze of numerous journalists and guests, the white-haired elder said with a serious expression, “Regardless of whether war breaks out or not, the broadcast of the award ceremony will not be affected. ABC will persist with the live broadcast! We also hope that everyone can attend. War is war, the Oscars are the Oscars; let’s not allow war to interfere with all we have.”

He addressed the media’s most pressing concern: Will the 75th Oscars proceed as scheduled? And if so, will there be a live television broadcast?

Following the 9/11 incident, American President George Bush declared war on terrorism and labeled Iraq, Iran, and North Korea as “Axis of Evil” countries, suggesting that if these rogue nations acquired weapons of mass destruction, global turmoil would ensue. Starting in the second half of 2002, the Bush administration claimed Iraq was developing weapons of mass destruction to support terrorists and said they had evidence, demanding the Saddam government step down.

However, after months of investigations by the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission and the International Atomic Energy Agency, three reports showed no evidence that Iraq was developing weapons of mass destruction. The United Nations Security Council also rejected the United States’ proposal for military action, but America still obstinately amassed troops in the Persian Gulf, continuing to demand that Saddam’s government disarm. By March, as the third report was released, the situation became increasingly tense, with war on the brink of erupting at any moment.

March 23rd was the scheduled date for the Oscars ceremony. If war truly broke out, every newspaper’s front page would be about the war, and television channels would be broadcasting the conflict live. Temporarily, no one would pay attention to entertainment, which would also seem inappropriate. Therefore, public and media opinions on the ultimate fate of this year’s Oscars were as varied as those on the foreseeable war itself.

Ever since the Bush administration hinted at an attack on Iraq, anti-war currents surged both in America and across the globe, with calls to action, protests, demonstrations, and so on; a large portion of the public chose to believe the Bush administration. Regardless, the entire country was now enveloped in a tense atmosphere of impending war.

“Yang, if war breaks out, will you still attend?” asked Donny, frowning nearby. Wang Yang, with an indifferent expression, watched Gil Gates on stage, lifted his glass, took a big gulp, and said, “Yes, I will, but I won’t walk the red carpet.” He had three opportunities to go on stage to accept awards, and he had long decided that if he got the chance to ascend the stage, it would be great to call for peace and curse George Bush in front of the global live broadcast cameras, right?

But truly, he hoped war would not break out—for many reasons, especially because it was an illegal war, a wrong war.

“We shouldn’t give up this traditional cinematic event because of war; it is strong, independent,” Gil Gates continued to speak on the small stage, soothing the nominees’ emotions. After all, if war happened and the stars didn’t attend, the Oscars, already at risk of losing attention, would surely suffer abysmal viewership. He went on, “Movies are what make us forget the sorrow of war…”

Gil Gates spoke for a long time before stepping down from the stage. Then, nominees like Nicole Kidman and Catherine Zeta-Jones took turns to express their expectations for the Oscars, temporarily avoiding the oppressive topic of war; everyone was talking and laughing. Catherine joked about her pregnant belly becoming a unique accessory on the Oscars red carpet, saying, “I’m not just carrying a handbag, but also something else.” Julianne Moore, with nominations for both lead and supporting actress, humorously remarked, “When you have two nominations, you might face double loss.” …

Wang Yang didn’t go up to say anything, simply focusing on eating and drinking with a smile.

After the banquet, everyone took to the stage, standing in neat rows under the banner of “The 75th Academy Awards Oscars,” with four rows arranged by height and a nearly two-meter-tall Oscar statuette in the middle, for the traditional group photo. Then, the nominated actors and directors were awarded honorary certificates by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences before moving on to the backstage press conference.

In the dimly lit press room, chairs were filled with reporters from all walks, armed with telephoto cameras, microphones, and the like, with recording camera crews in the back; a spotlight shone on the central black microphone podium on the small stage, flanked by two Oscar statuettes wielding swords. After Martin Scorsese left, Wang Yang entered from the right side of the stage. Immediately, the sound of camera shutters filled the air, and flashes burst into life.

Wang Yang blinked his eyes dazzled by the lights, a hint of inebriation in his eyes. He approached the center, leaning on the podium, and smiling at the people below, said, “HELLO, GUYS!”

“Yang, this is your first Oscar nomination for Best Director, are you confident about winning?” Before he was fully settled, a Caucasian male reporter had already stood up to ask the question; Wang Yang gave him a frowning glance, noticed his plump, cotton candy-like face, and chuckled, “That’s pretty much a standard question, OK, I’m confident about it! Didn’t I already say that two years ago? I remember someone saying back then, ‘Kid, go to sleep!\'”

Light laughter erupted from the reporters below, and Wang Yang also laughed heartily for a moment before suddenly asking, “What’s so funny? It was you guys who said it.” Now the reporters laughed even louder, and a female reporter with golden long hair and a black suit stood up. She asked into the microphone, “Yang, if the war really happens, will you attend? What’s your stance?”

Although the Oscars organizers had made it clear that they did not support nominees discussing wartime affairs or letting movies get caught up in political situations, such questions were still a hot topic of the moment.

“Hmm? I’ll attend, but if war breaks out, I will not participate in things like the red carpet or the celebration dinner,” Wang Yang replied to the female reporter. Through the dim light, he could vaguely see some freckles on her face, which reminded him of Annie Darren. Hearing the question about the war, his head was flooded with a torrent of thoughts; after all, he had been following this issue closely over the past year.

But he wouldn’t let it bother him: life goes on, and work must continue. It’s not possible to spend every day with a furrowed brow because of a possible outbreak of war; and Saddam probably wouldn’t do that either. He had been asked about such issues before, and he had not expressed his opinions much, merely stating that he did not want war to break out, because speaking too much could easily lead to trouble, especially considering he was of Chinese descent.

However, now, fueled by the effects of alcohol, he felt a sudden clarity. Why couldn’t he even talk about his true stance? Because he was concerned about the feelings of those lunatics clamoring for war? Or was it because of their movie tickets?…FUCK!

“I oppose this war!” Wang Yang took a deep breath, a hint of anger slowly rising in his eyes as he said, “I oppose this war. If there’s evidence that Iraq has weapons of mass destruction or is secretly supporting terrorists, then war is necessary; but there isn’t, no nuclear weapons, no biological weapons, nothing! If it starts, this will be an illegal war, this will be an invasion.”

He laughed scornfully several times, pounded the podium, and said loudly under the astonished eyes of the reporters, “America is everywhere accusing other countries of their actions, yet runs off to the Persian Gulf to invade Iraq. Don’t you find that embarrassing?”

“Oh…” A low murmur spread among the reporters below the stage. They hadn’t expected the miraculous Yang to be so intense in his words. They were recording this! The blonde female reporter, a chubby Caucasian male reporter, a bald African American reporter… Their eyes lit up, they had found their news!

Before the organizers could object, the blonde reporter hastily asked a pointed question, “Many people say that Hollywood artists should not get involved in politics. You all don’t understand, are ignorant, and yet you use your fame to spout nonsense. Richard Schickel from TIME said, ‘When it comes to political and social issues, you are no more knowledgeable than the average person.’ What’s your view on this?”

This issue had been a long-standing one, starting from the end of last year. As the situation grew increasingly tense, Hollywood stars’ anti-war activities became more intense. The most common were participating in street marches and demonstrations, and there was also an “Artists United to Win Without War” group organizing press conferences, releasing a series of anti-war TV commercials they had funded, and bombarding the White House with a massive amount of emails, phone calls, and faxes…

Shawn Penn had even visited Baghdad in Iraq for three days last Christmas, becoming the number one anti-war fighter; Jessica Lange, the 67th Academy Award Best Actress, Ethan Hawke, and other anti-war figures went to the United Nations Security Council headquartered in New York. They submitted a petition signed by over a million people collected online against the war over five days and condemned at a press conference George Bush’s disregard for the massive anti-war public opinion. They pleaded with the United Nations to prevent America’s atrocities, along with various other anti-war rallies…

However, they did not receive widespread support from the public. Many media outlets mocked these actions with a sarcastic tone, describing them as ignorant and full of bluster; meanwhile, many stars received a great deal of criticism on the internet or through actual letters. Pro-war fans accused them of being unpatriotic, neglecting their proper business, meddling in affairs they shouldn’t, and even threatened to boycott their films and television works. For a time, these anti-war figures became the target of widespread criticism.

“What?!” Wang Yang’s eyebrows knitted together in an instant, his anger flaring up when he heard her mention this. He didn’t care about others, but a few days ago when Jessica was asked about the war at a charity event, she had said, “I do not support war, I don’t want to see innocent people die because of it.”

Normally, such a statement would be considered kind and reasonable, but it was also mocked by some newspapers for feigning understanding. That’s why he was prepared to attend the Oscars even if the war broke out, to feign understanding on the stage—unless there was no chance to do so. But now he might as well take this opportunity to speak!

“What’s wrong with this country? Everyone has the freedom of speech!” Wang Yang glanced at the reporters scribbling notes below him and then cast a glance toward the camera, saying, “Hollywood does have some influence, but now it’s not supporting violence or killing. Instead, it supports peace. Is that also wrong? Should I be jailed for that? Please, come and arrest me first!”

The reporters gave a mild chuckle. Several of the organizers standing at the side of the stage held serious discussions, wondering whether they should remove the agitated miraculous Yang from the stage. The stars lined up waiting for their interviews exchanged surprised looks. The miraculous Yang was turning into an anti-war fighter! Nicole Kidman let out a soft “oh” sound, Robert Downey Jr. smiled and gave a thumbs up. Then they heard the sound of the podium being struck again, “There are plenty of reasons to oppose this war. Civilian casualties, including children, women, and the elderly; military casualties, illegality, mistakes…”

Wang Yang paused as he spoke, scanning the reporters’ faces, each with a different expression. He suddenly smiled, twisted the microphone stand, and resumed with a deeper voice, “I don’t know if I am ignorant, but let this high school dropout tell you the outcome of this war.”

Goodness! What else was he going to say? The freckled blonde reporter and others were genuinely surprised. Discussing the outcome of the war, like a military analyst? But they were also intrigued. What could the youngest Best Director have to say? Surely it would differ from the usual slogan-shouting celebrities, right?

“First, I want to state my position, so no one can accuse me of being a terrorist or of hiding weapons of mass destruction in my home.” Despite the serious topic, the reporters below and the work crew and stars in the stage aisle couldn’t help but laugh at his sarcasm. Wang Yang continued to speak solemnly and loudly, “I absolutely dislike Saddam’s government, and I dislike any dictator regime. They all should be kicked out!”

He roared out, then quieted down and said in a heavy tone, “If I saw God, I would truly ask him to resolve all the dictatorships and authoritarian countries in the world so that the whole world could enjoy democracy and freedom. Good, right? But America is not God, although many of us seem to think it is.”

As people listened to his words, many also began to ponder, and Wang Yang slightly organized his thoughts, recalling the military situations he had come to understand, and said, “Undoubtedly, there wouldn’t be much difficulty in the war itself. I think it would take less than a month before Saddam’s statue in Baghdad is toppled, and the casualties wouldn’t be too high, because in terms of military technology, the allies are at 99, Iraq is at 1.”

“I think the Allies will definitely adopt a blitzkrieg strategy, using bombs and missiles to gain air superiority, and then the ground troops will divide into several routes to launch strong attacks on those important cities, encircle Baghdad, and then push forward in one go! The Allies have air superiority, cyber and electronic warfare capabilities, aircraft carriers, heavy firepower, and armored units… How could Iraq fight back? They can’t!”

Suddenly, some journalists showed a smile, appearing quite proud. This was also why many people supported the Bush administration. Overthrowing a regime like Saddam’s was not only just but also maintained America’s interests in the Middle East. Wasn’t that good?

“But what’s terrifying about this war is not during the war, but after it,” said Wang Yang, the corners of his mouth curling into a sneer as he shook his head and sighed, “Do you think it’s all over once you enter Baghdad? A country like Iraq is very complicated. It’s not just about setting up a new government and shouting ‘freedom’ to have freedom. Many people completely do not understand how many tribes and religious factions there are within Iraq?”

As people began to lose interest, rubbing noses and touching cheeks, Wang Yang spread his hands and asked blankly, “Who will govern the new government in the future? Shia Sect or Sunni Sect? Don’t underestimate the situation. We haven’t even handled the problems in Afghanistan properly, so what makes us think that by opening a new battlefield, we can handle it? The factional struggles, Saddam’s old guard… they will create a multitude of suicide terrorist attacks, countless innocent people will die, Iraq will have a large number of refugees, and the entire country’s economy will collapse!”

“I also have to say this, America’s economy will also decline and collapse.”

The reporters looked at each other and frowned. Wang Yang chuckled, leaning forward on the podium, looked at them, and laughed, “I’ve read a lot of newspapers these days, and those people whom you think are knowledgeable have been saying, what, military expenses of 200 billion, 500 billion… too optimistic, at least a trillion! And that’s without even settling the situation in Iraq. America will always withdraw its troops, because it cannot sustain such a huge military expense. In the end, it will only leave a mess for the Iraqi people.”

“But have you thought about this? Without that trillion dollars, what will the Bush administration use to fill the deficit? Either raise taxes or cut domestic spending; can you imagine what it is? Doesn’t he want to be President anymore?”

Wang Yang pounded the podium with his fist, looked at the somewhat stunned reporters, and said, “Guys, there is another way! Borrow money! America will issue a large amount of national debt, then let the whole world foot the bill, thereby dragging down and destroying the entire world’s economy; don’t forget about Iraq, if George Bush is doing this for oil, then he is mistaken. Perhaps by then, Iraq’s oil production will collapse, causing oil prices to skyrocket, inflation to soar, and the global economy will be dragged into the mire.”

“Ultimately, the Bush administration will roll down from their position amid curses. But first, since this war is too easy to fight, many people will think he is a superhero, and the Democrats are in trouble for the election next year; but after a few years, when the negative consequences emerge, the new government will make promises to withdraw from Iraq, rebuild the economy, lower unemployment rates, and improve the welfare of the people as its campaign platform. Just watch!”

“Are you guys ready?” Wang Yang, looking towards the direction of the camera, with a hint of drunkenness and anger in his eyes, gritted his teeth and said, “To spend one trillion, two trillion, three trillion dollars on military expenses to fight a terrible war that causes countless civilians to die, turning the world into chaos, that is what George Bush is preparing to do! They either oversimplify Iraq, or they want a third World War, or they are manipulated by the oil companies.”

“Because in this war, the only people who benefit are the oil companies! The price of oil will soar to a record high.” Wang Yang adjusted the microphone, looking at the silent crowd below, and laughed heartily, “Do I understand? I don’t know, these are just deductions made with common sense. I don’t understand why Mr. Bush can’t see it? Bush, if you want oil, go buy it at the gas station, stock up now at home! I guarantee you’ll make enough for retirement later.”

The reporters were stunned, not knowing how to react. Applaud? What he said seemed to make sense, almost like he was some sort of international scholar. No star or artist could speak like this on the spot; indeed, it was the amazing Yang… boos? Everything he said was just pessimistic speculation and had no foundation. The crowd just made a discordant noise of “Oh, uh, hmm…”

The stars standing by the side of the stage were also taken aback. The media says that artists are uneducated. What would they say about the intense remarks made by the amazing Yang once they were published? But they knew that the amazing Yang might surpass Shawn Penn as the leading anti-war fighter.

The organizers’ staff finally did not allow this Best Director nominee to continue speaking. He politicized the Oscars too much, and as one of the key attractions for viewership, the audience might become angry with him now… Two security guards hurried out to pull the amazing Yang back to the corridor.

“You don’t need to!” Wang Yang violently shook off their hands, suddenly feeling a bit dizzy; he took a deep breath, thinking it seemed like he’d said too much, but it didn’t matter… He pondered this as he walked towards the corridor.

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PS: Wow, I really need the votes, it’s hard to climb back up the recommendation chart, and even fell out of the top ten in the monthly votes. I’m really crying here, I don’t know what else to say. Everybody, give me some energy, please, thank you!