Laila had forgotten to notify him, which, on a normal day, wouldn't have been a big deal. But she overlooked one crucial fact: the teaser trailer for the film was scheduled to drop today.
At this very moment, anyone who frequently browses the internet has likely already seen the first trailer for Silence.
Previously, there had been some posters released, but in order to maintain secrecy, Laila had kept the details to a minimum. What viewers could see was Roy and another man navigating a perilous environment. Roy's face was shown clearly, but the other man was only shown from the back.
When fans analyzed the poster, some speculated that the silhouette might belong to an Asian man. Compared to Western men, Asian male physiques tended to be leaner and more proportionate, with smaller bone structure overall. Not that all Asians were small, but that particular silhouette resembled an Asian build more than a slim Western figure.
To everyone's surprise, this theory actually gained traction and support.
After that seed was planted, the more people looked at the poster, the more convinced they became that it was an Asian man.
But who could it be?
It wasn't just American fans wondering. After the poster's release, online communities across various Asian countries began speculating among themselves. Many assumed that someone from their own country had caught Laila's eye and landed a role in her film. But after cross-referencing timelines, most fans ended up ruling their guesses out. Scheduling conflicts made it impossible — during the supposed filming period, many of those stars had very public appearances elsewhere.
After all, Asia and Hollywood are literally half a world apart — it's not like someone could fly out in the morning and be home by dinner.
Besides, the background in the poster clearly wasn't a typical location; it looked like a very specific, remote shooting site. Factoring in the filming time, most of the speculated actors were eliminated one by one.
Even within East Asia, the discussion went in circles — no one could figure out who the mystery man was. In the end, most people just assumed it was probably a Western actor with a slighter build. After all, if it were an Asian actor playing such an important lead role in a Laila film, wouldn't the production be shouting it from the rooftops?
Even people who didn't follow film closely knew what it meant to be cast as a male lead in a Laila film. Just look at how many Best Actor and Best Actress award-winners her movies have launched. If an Asian actor really had been chosen, this could potentially lead to the first-ever Asian Best Actor Oscar — an exciting thought all on its own.
Ever since the poster dropped, speculation over the identity of the second lead had never let up. Practically every A-lister with a similar build had been guessed at least once. But no matter how many times the media asked, Laila's side never gave a definitive answer.
This only made people more desperate to see the trailer.
They simply didn't believe Laila could keep the identity of the second male lead hidden once the teaser came out.
And they were right.
In editing the trailer, Laila no longer played coy — she revealed Leslie Cheung's face for the first time.
So, the moment the teaser dropped, movie fans swarmed in droves to watch it.
Whether she was editing a full-length film or a trailer, Laila's technical skills were always top-tier. She knew exactly how to cut a trailer to hook her audience.
If it weren't for the presence of an Asian — or rather, an East Asian — lead, this teaser for Silence would've been universally praised.
However, the fact that one of the two male leads was an East Asian actor changed the tone of the conversation.
In the minds of many Hollywood insiders, the East was still a cinematic wasteland, a cultural backwater. If not, why had so few of their billion-strong population managed to break into Hollywood over the years?
Asian Americans fared a bit better — at least they were born and raised in the States, educated in Western systems, and trained in American methods. Maybe some of them had potential.
But this man standing next to Roy? He was a real East Asian, through and through. And that left many people baffled.
What kept the backlash from getting too loud was the fact that Leslie Cheung had previously played a major supporting role in one of Laila's films. Some viewers even remembered him for it — his character had been compelling, which had left a modest impression in certain circles.
But only a modest one. Most people still equated "East Asian actors" with "kung fu stars." The moment an Asian man appeared in a film, they assumed it had to be action or martial arts. And on top of that, Leslie Cheung was a singer, which made many dismiss him as unprofessional.
In America, there was no such thing as "an actor who also sings and becomes more famous for it." Even those who had a real interest in music rarely made it part of their public careers. Over there, movie stars sat at the top of the celebrity food chain, followed by TV stars, then pop singers. And after reality talent shows emerged, those winners became the lowest rung — at most, famous nobodies. Even TV networks often refused to give them airtime.
So when some people who thought they understood Laila took to the media to question her casting decision, they all asked the same thing:
Why an East Asian man?
Did this film involve kung fu scenes?
That was the only plausible explanation they could come up with.
As for the idea that Laila cast him for his acting… that was considered a joke.
Laila knew this. That's why she had hidden him at first — to prevent public bias from damaging audience expectations. Now that it was October, with just over two months until the film's official release, it was the perfect time to start building hype. That way, when the film hit theaters, curiosity would bring viewers in.
If she had revealed this too early, and the topic had been picked apart and forgotten, how many people would still care by release day? On the contrary, it might have killed interest altogether — a disaster for box office numbers.
In the U.S., debate over the casting choice had reached a fever pitch. No one could understand what Laila was trying to pull. Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, in East Asia, night owls who had accessed the trailer from overseas video sites were collectively stunned when they saw the face of the other male lead — the man standing alongside Roy.
"Holy shit! It's Leslie Cheung! Isn't that Cheung the King?!"
"When did he go to the U.S. to shoot a movie? And a Laila Moran film, no less!"
"He's going to the damn moon at this rate! Just yesterday I was listening to his new song and complaining that it's been ages since he was in a movie — and now this drops?"
"Every one of Moran's films is a masterpiece. Now our Cheung-ge is one of her leads — could he be up for a Golden Globe or even Best Actor at the Oscars?"
"Very possible! She's already launched multiple Best Actor and Best Actress winners. Helping our brother win one, too, shouldn't be hard for her!"