From Flower Vase to Film Emperor in Hollywood

Originally, Focus Features had no objections to Kate Winslet.

Similar to Leonardo, the film company still believed in the residual market effect of "Titanic." Even if there was little left, their names were still familiar and approachable to the general public, which could still be a significant factor in audiences choosing to go to the cinema.

Then, awards season began.

With the Golden Globe Awards concluded, Nicole Kidman's Best Actress buzz was steadily rising, vaguely becoming the biggest favorite to win the Best Actress Oscar this year.

Currently, the Oscar nominations have not yet been announced, but Nicole's buzz is indeed leading the pack, which has given Focus Features a different idea—

What about Nicole Kidman as the female lead?

If Nicole actually wins Best Actress at the upcoming Academy Awards ceremony, then "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" would be her first film after receiving the golden statuette. This would be the best free publicity resource.

Moreover, and this is very important, whether the male lead is Jim Carrey or Anson, the Academy has reason to resist or even reject them. The only person in the entire crew who might enter the Academy's radar is Charlie Kaufman, making it difficult to open up the awards season campaign.

Obviously, Kate Winslet would be unable to help reverse this predicament and might even exacerbate the Academy's prejudice, leading to more obstacles during awards season, which is definitely something they don't want to see.

However, the addition of a newly crowned Oscar-winning actress could easily solve the crew's dilemma.

Things suddenly entered a new phase.

Not only could Jim Carrey not be the male lead, but Kate Winslet also couldn't be the female lead. Michelle's conceived cast was completely overturned. Although he threatened to quit the crew, he couldn't win against the higher-ups—

Focus Features seized the lifeline. They knew that Michelle had spent countless efforts on this project, exceeding seven years in total. Now, it wasn't Focus Features trying to take the project away from Michelle, but Michelle threatening to leave the crew, which allowed the film company to refuse to compromise with complete peace of mind.

A key point was that Charlie Kaufman did not threaten to leave the crew.

As a result.

A complex and volatile situation was deadlocked here.

The most absurd and interesting thing was that none of the actors here were finalized, let alone signed on paper, but the internal strife and disagreements within the film company brought the project to a standstill.

Then?

Michelle found Charlie.

And Charlie's solution was—

Anson.

The whole situation was a bit convoluted, mainly because Charlie and Michelle's narrative was relatively fragmented. Anson needed to piece together the overall picture from fragmented clues.

And Anson's first thought was, "Who is the producer? Are they sure they've figured out the positioning of the entire project?"

Charlie was puzzled, "What do you mean?"

Anson shrugged lightly, "As far as I know, when this project was considering me, the main consideration was the market. Hey, I don't have two golden statuettes in my hand."

"But now, considering Nicole, the focus has shifted to awards season."

"Of course, I know that if a work can balance box office and awards, it would be perfect; but we're not preparing to make a second 'Titanic,' are we? So, we need to stay calm, stay clear-headed, and define our goals."

"What do you know will happen when you lean towards this actor for box office and that actor for awards?"

"A disaster."

Light, cheerful, humorous, without any pretense of complaining or mocking. Although they were discussing things, there was no seriousness or heaviness, and the atmosphere suddenly relaxed.

Involuntarily, Michelle looked at Anson a few more times, with a slight change in her eyes, but it didn't last long, "That's just theory. It's easy to say, but the actual operation is not that simple. Do you think you're the only smart person in Hollywood?"

Obviously, Michelle still couldn't let go of the estrangement.

In Michelle's view, he still believed that Jim Carrey was the best choice. However, there were two problems.

First, the eight million dollar salary was still unaffordable.

Second, Jim Carrey agreed to Nicole Kidman's proposal. Obviously, if it could increase the chances of the work entering awards season, he wouldn't refuse.

Michelle felt somewhat stifled.

Therefore, when Charlie suggested coming to find Anson, Michelle had no way to refuse, but also no way to fully accept, still feeling a bit awkward.

However, time was running out—

Once the Oscar nominations came out, not to mention what Nicole would think, Focus Features might be eager to contact Nicole.

Imagine, what if Nicole nodded?

Focus Features would not be able to refuse Nicole, and Charlie and Michelle probably wouldn't be able to refuse either. That would be a real dilemma.

They had to find Anson, and they had to race against time.

The two of them took a six-hour flight across the entire North American continent, and before they could even take a sip of water, they directly knocked on Anson's apartment door.

Michelle also knew his own contradictions, but still couldn't control himself.

Facing Michelle's attack, Anson laughed directly, "Ha, thanks for the compliment. There are so many smart people in Hollywood, I don't think I'm one of them; otherwise, things shouldn't be so tortuous, and should proceed according to my wishes, what do you say, director?"

Charlie: Haha.

Michelle was stunned, not knowing how to respond, and could only glare at Charlie fiercely.

Anson continued, "All I have is theoretical knowledge. In fact, even the theory is half-baked. But I know that not knowing how to make trade-offs is a big taboo in any industry or project. Wanting everything may end up with nothing."

"Box office? Of course."

"Awards? Warmly welcome."

"But, what is the root of all this?"

Anson's gaze turned to Charlie.

Charlie rarely kept up with the rhythm, still immersed in mocking Michelle.

Anson was slightly helpless.

"Project. We should return to the project itself."

"Charlie, your script is imaginative, whimsical, and often difficult for ordinary people to understand; therefore, your script often fails to gain market recognition, and also does not have a deliberate tendency to please the Academy."

Charlie finally understood, "You can be more honest, I don't mind. I know the box office numbers of my works."

Anson smiled, "But that's exactly what makes you so special, at least in my opinion."

"You won't actively cater to others. Regardless of whether the 'others' are the audience buying tickets or the judges voting for the Oscars, your starting point for creation is not here."

"Therefore, your script is so unique."

"Then, when we choose actors, any box office or awards should be temporarily put aside, and concentrate on focusing on the script and focusing on the role."