The Best Actor award had been presented, and it was now time for the Best Director award.
As the previous year's Oscar Best Director winner, Gilbert was tasked with presenting this year's Best Director Oscar.
"Film is a journey of dream-making, and the director is undoubtedly the engineer of dreams. Today we are here, watching these outstanding dream-makers weave one beautiful dream after another.
Among them, the most exceptional dream-maker will receive this year's Oscar for Best Director."
In the audience, Sophia watched Gilbert recite the opening speech formally and thought, since Gilbert was presenting, maybe she had a chance?
But unfortunately, that wasn't the case. The name Gilbert announced was Peter Weir, the Australian director who had previously helmed The Truman Show.
He won this year's Best Director Oscar for Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, an epic naval warfare film. Since the Lord of the Rings series, epic films had become hugely popular.
Master and Commander winning Best Director at the Oscars undoubtedly added more fuel to the trend.
From Gilbert's understanding, this year also saw the release of Troy, starring Brad Pitt, with Orlando Bloom also participating.
By now, Orlando Bloom was almost becoming the go-to actor for epic films. Ridley Scott's new project Kingdom of Heaven also cast Orlando Bloom.
Having been "trained" by Gilbert, Orlando Bloom was highly favored by major directors—very useful indeed!
The Best Picture award ultimately went to Seabiscuit, starring Tobey Maguire. It seemed that besides Spider-Man, the Spider-Man actor's other films were also doing well.
This year's Oscars concluded successfully. If Gilbert were to describe this year's ceremony in one word, it would be "chaotic."
Why? Because The Return of the King, which should have swept the awards this year, had already swept them last year.
Thus, this year's Oscars had a sense of "when there are no tigers in the mountains, the monkeys call themselves kings."
Of course, some were happy and some were disappointed, but the winners were certainly joyous. Especially Nicole Kidman, who became the center of attention at the Vanity Fair after-party.
Finally, at the Vanity Fair after-party, Gilbert was able to speak with Naomi Watts.
Seeing Nicole Kidman being congratulated, Naomi Watts said to Gilbert, "It seems Mary has finally realized her dream and won the Oscar."
Gilbert was curious: "Naomi, aren't you jealous?"
"Jealous? Why would I be jealous?" Naomi Watts linked arms with Gilbert and said, "Without Mary, I would have left Hollywood long ago and would never have met you."
"True," Gilbert replied, taking two glasses of champagne from a waiter and gesturing to Naomi Watts, "Come, let's go congratulate her…"
The two walked over to Nicole Kidman. Seeing Gilbert and Naomi Watts approaching, everyone automatically cleared the way.
"Congratulations, Mary." Naomi Watts greeted Nicole Kidman as if she were her sister.
Nicole Kidman was very proud today but responded politely: "I was just lucky this time, Naomi."
"No, no, no. The Best Actress award you mean," Gilbert interjected. "I already told Tom, if the Oscars didn't recognize you, I would have taken action."
"Hahaha," Nicole Kidman laughed. "Gilbert, thank you, but I think I'll leave it to Naomi and the others!"
Nicole Kidman was indeed sensible. If there were films with Oscar potential, Gilbert would certainly prioritize his own women.
Chicago was such a case, although Nicole Kidman hadn't expected that Tom Cruise would also win an award.
After some socializing, Gilbert noticed the evening was late and excused himself.
Naomi Watts stayed behind to chat with Nicole Kidman and catch up.
Although both were in Hollywood, after becoming famous, they rarely had time to meet.
Gilbert then found Scarlett, who was sneaking cake, and Charlize Theron, who was discussing projects with several producers, and left together.
On the way, Gilbert asked Charlize Theron, "I see you were enjoying talking with those producers. Did the project go through?"
"I'm still considering," Charlize Theron said. Having already completed her awards, she now chose roles casually.
"If you see a good project, don't hesitate. Opportunities are rare. A work is an actor's enduring vitality, even when old," Gilbert shared his understanding.
Charlize Theron smiled at Gilbert and asked, "Does that mean you think I'm old?"
"No, no, you're not old—you're still young!"
"Oh, some people just like the young ones. Scarlett, isn't that right?"
Scarlett nodded quickly, like a pecking chick: "Yes, it is!"
"Uh, Scarlett, if you feel threatened, just blink."
"No…"
Gilbert held his forehead. Honestly, it was just a short chat with Emma Watson a few days ago. How did it turn into preferring the new over the old?
This was just a little playful interaction while spending time together. Occasional bickering also helped strengthen relationships.
After the Oscars, Gilbert didn't relax when promoting the film The False. He frequently appeared on talk shows and even brought Charlize Theron along to showcase their relationship.
Meanwhile, Warner and Disney media, along with gossip tabloids, began hyping a "ship" between the two Toms.
In short, they fabricated small stories—rumors of mutual admiration, supporting each other during acting, from disliking each other to seeing one another as confidants.
These stories even had detailed visuals, paired with leaked photos, making them appear very real.
For an original film without adaptations or sequels, strong promotion is essential. Using the stars' popularity for promotion is undoubtedly the simplest way.
In this regard, The False was undoubtedly outstanding. It had three major stars and a highly talked-about director, Gilbert.
Compared to Van Helsing, released in the same period, even as an adaptation, it lacked the same level of attention.
"That's because Van Helsing is essentially a mixed bag of films. Despite having many well-known legendary characters, it isn't very appealing."
On the plane to the UK, Tom Hanks, Tom Cruise, and Gilbert discussed Van Helsing.
Gilbert remarked, "I think it's because both of you participated, so no one paid attention to Van Helsing."
Tom Cruise nodded in agreement: "Michael Ovitz did put in a lot of effort, but David Ellison is too arrogant. He thinks his work can collide with ours."
Tom Cruise had enjoyed smooth sailing in recent years, without encountering the setbacks of his previous life, so his temper had grown more extreme and volatile.
Fortunately, his agent and Nicole Kidman could still rein him in. Now that he had children, he could also listen to Gilbert's advice. So luckily, he hadn't offended too many people.
However, he wasn't so polite with David Ellison.
Before traveling to the UK with Gilbert, Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman attended a charity gala, where they happened to encounter David Ellison.
Their meeting was seen as the first battle between The False and Van Helsing, but the inexperienced David Ellison was no match for Tom Cruise, who had spent years navigating Hollywood.
After a few sharp exchanges, David Ellison retreated.
Upon hearing about this, Gilbert asked Tom Cruise, "Aren't you afraid David Ellison might make a move on you?"
Tom Cruise replied confidently, "Let him try? I'll have him crying back to Larry Ellison."
David Ellison was an outsider. Unlike Gilbert, who was naturally part of the Hollywood circle, he was rejected by many.
If he got beaten up by Tom Cruise, many people would probably be very happy.
And such matters usually weren't reported to the police—they were handled privately. Calling the police would break the rules and result in even greater rejection.
Tom Hanks agreed: "Indeed, compared to fighting Ethan Hunt, David isn't ready yet."
Ethan Hunt is the character Tom Cruise played in Mission: Impossible, which had become one of his signature roles.
Hearing this, Tom Cruise was indeed very pleased.
Gilbert couldn't help secretly giving Tom Hanks a thumbs-up. In terms of emotional intelligence, Tom Hanks was undoubtedly very high.
The fact that the two Toms could shoot on set without arguing owed much to Tom Hanks, who calmed Tom Cruise like a child.
The three of them were going to the UK to watch a Premier League match.
Gilbert had long said he would use football to promote his film brand. Now, in the UK and across Europe, rumors of him acquiring Arsenal were spreading like wildfire.
This was a perfect opportunity to capitalize on the hype. The three went to watch an Arsenal match, simultaneously promoting the film and the potential acquisition.
Arsenal's performance this season was excellent. By late March, with the season nearing its end, Arsenal led second-place Manchester United by twelve points, making the Premier League title look very secure.
Additionally, the team had advanced to the FA Cup final with consecutive wins, holding hope of defending the FA Cup and achieving a double.
More importantly, rumors of a Hollywood romance between Arsenal and famous director Gilbert had been circulating for months, growing more sensational over time.
Initially, the British public didn't believe it, but seeing continuous media hype, it seemed the acquisition might actually happen.
Even more importantly, Arsenal's manager, Arsène Wenger, gave his first comments on the acquisition after a match.
He said the team was united and prepared to fight for the championship.
He also hoped that while building a new stadium, the club would not forget to invest more in transfers, ensuring Arsenal could make moves in the transfer market.
These remarks were immediately interpreted by the media as Professor Wenger expressing hope that Gilbert would take over Arsenal, hence making these statements.
Arsenal wasn't short of funds, but with numerous shareholders, dividends were still required.
Now, building a stadium cost a huge amount, meaning the transfer budget had to be restricted.
But if Gilbert took over Arsenal, he certainly wouldn't be stingy with transfer fees. Professor Wenger could freely spend on players.
To find out Gilbert's intentions as quickly as possible, journalists tracked the arrival time of Gilbert's private jet in London.
As soon as Gilbert disembarked, reporters on Fleet Street surrounded him.
.....
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