Hollywood Director 1992

"Boss, the people from CBS are here."

Liu Xiaoli reminded him at the office door.

"They're here!"

Link put on his suit and walked out of the office. As he reached the door, he suddenly stopped, raised his chin, and asked, "Assistant Liu, don't you think I look handsome?"

"Show off! Hurry up!"

Liu Xiaoli rolled her eyes at him, smiling as she patted him on the back.

After the release of the *Forbes* Rich List and *The Hollywood Reporter*'s annual box office rankings, he successively received interview requests from dozens of media outlets.

The media wanted to ask him how it felt to go from being a penniless nobody to a billionaire, and from a small-time director to the director of the year's top-grossing film.

After communication and selection, he temporarily accepted interviews from 13 media organizations.

These included major newspapers such as *The New York Times*, *The Washington Post*, and *The Wall Street Journal*, as well as television stations such as NBC, ABC, and CBS.

Previously, when participating in television interviews, he had to rush to the television station for live recording. Now, the television stations would prioritize him. If he had time, he would go to the television station's recording studio; if he didn't have time, he could arrange for people to come to Guess \u0026 See Pictures to record the program.

Today, the venue for the program recording was in the large conference room of Guess \u0026 See Pictures.

The person who came to interview him was Leslie Stahl, a famous host from the news department of the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS).

Ms. Leslie Stahl is a senior journalist and host, 52 years old this year, with more than thirty years of experience in the media industry.

The news program *60 Minutes*, which she hosts, is one of the highest-rated news programs in the United States. In addition to inviting domestic and foreign political figures, the program sometimes invites popular figures from the entertainment industry to learn about new developments in the entertainment industry.

Out of courtesy, Link arrived at the venue first to greet Ms. Leslie Stahl at the door.

"Ms. Stahl, welcome!"

"Mr. Link, you look younger and more handsome in person than in the photos."

Ms. Leslie Stahl shook his hand and smiled.

"Mr. Bill Kristol also said this, so I'll take it as true."

"Haha, you may not believe Mr. Kristol, but you must believe me. I am a journalist and will only state the facts."

"I like media that tells the truth, and I respect media people who speak with facts. Ms. Stahl, welcome again."

After a few pleasantries, Link and Ms. Stahl went to the sofa area and sat down.

After the on-site director and cameraman adjusted the lighting and camera positions, the interview officially began.

"Link, there's a recent anecdote about you in Utah, saying that after you made it onto the *Forbes* Rich List, a motel in Park City, Utah, suddenly became popular. The motel manager claimed that billionaire Link had stayed here before.

People who stay here will have good luck like you, and their careers will become more and more successful, becoming billionaires. Local media reported that many tourists have gone to Park City specifically to stay in that motel, causing the motel to become very popular, with reservations booked until next year. Take a look, is this the motel you stayed at?"

Ms. Stahl handed him a photo.

The photo showed a very ordinary motel with red walls and yellow door frames, and a sign at the entrance that read 'King Hotel'.

It was the small motel he had stayed at in Park City, where he had a big dream, and later had a conflict with the staff when returning the deposit, which was not a very pleasant experience.

Link took the photo and smiled. He didn't mind the motel owner using his name to attract customers, but he hoped they wouldn't reveal the fact that he had wet the bed in his dream.

If that were exposed, it would be too embarrassing.

"Yes, I stayed there for a week during the Sundance Film Festival last year. I was very poor at the time, and this motel was very cheap, only $10 a night."

Link shrugged.

"I heard you went to the Sundance Film Festival again at the beginning of the year. Did you go back to that motel for a nostalgic visit?"

"No, it doesn't have any special meaning for me. I wouldn't go there specifically to visit."

"Does the Sundance Film Festival have any special meaning for you?"

"Yes, it's considered the starting point of my career, or rather, a turning point. If *Buried* had been a great success at Sundance last year, my career and life might have been very different."

Link smiled.

"Would it be better than now?"

"No. Everything now is the best arrangement."

Link said.

Ms. Stahl smiled and said, "Yes, before last year, you could only afford to stay in $10 motels, but this year you're on the *Forbes* Rich List, becoming a billionaire. Link, what's your biggest feeling about the sudden elevation in status and position from an ordinary person to a billionaire celebrity?"

"I have a better mindset. Before, when walking down the street and seeing other people's luxury cars, I would be quite envious. Now, when I drive my high-end sedan, people call me a nouveau riche."

"Haha, anything else?"

"A lot. For example, I used to worry about the price increase of hamburger meals, but now I worry about how to control the cost of film production, prevent it from exceeding the budget, and try to choose places with tax incentives when filming, to save costs as much as possible.

Also, in the past, I paid more attention to entertainment news, reading *Playboy* and *Sports Illustrated*. Now, I also regularly watch *60 Minutes* to understand the domestic and international situation."

"Haha, hearing you say that, I should hope that everyone becomes a billionaire, so that my program will have more audience members."

Ms. Stahl joked and continued to ask, "Link, do these changes make you feel disconnected from your past life? There are many cases in the past where people suddenly become wealthy and then become confused. Do you have this feeling?"

"No. The confusion you're talking about is losing your goals, but I have too many goals. I have several film projects in preparation, and the company has many things that need me to do every day. I also hope that my films will continue to be popular and receive better box office results and recognition from professionals. These are all my goals and my motivation to keep moving forward.

In addition, I have many friends who I met before I became a director. They are all very excellent and promising guys. We have regular gatherings to talk about work and ideals. Confusion, definitely not."

Link said frankly.

During the period when he first came to the United States, he was occasionally confused, hesitating whether to return to China to work hard.

After seeing the glamorous world of Hollywood, all that remained in his heart was struggle and greed.

"Link, your film has already won the annual box office champion, and you are still working hard to do your best. Does this mean that you have greater ambitions for the film industry?"

Ms. Stahl asked.

"Of course, my agent told me that Hollywood is an arena. People without ambition cannot survive in Hollywood. We must maintain ambition and fighting spirit so that we will not be eliminated."

"What is your ambition?"

"Would winning the Oscar for Best Director or winning another annual box office champion count as ambition?"

Link smiled.

"Yes, a very big ambition."

After a few minutes of the interview, Link and Ms. Stahl took a break, and the crew restarted the camera to continue recording the program.

In the second part of the interview, Ms. Stahl began to ask more formal questions.

She asked him whether, as a Chinese director, he would encounter more difficulties and obstacles than others after entering Hollywood.

Regarding this question, Link took it seriously. He would not say that having a Chinese face makes it easy to be discriminated against and suppressed. This belongs to the internal scandals of the entertainment industry and is not suitable for public speaking.

He would only say that the Hollywood film industry is relatively diverse and can accommodate more differences and characteristics. As long as it is a good film, the audience will accept it.

For example, *Paranormal Activity* became the annual box office champion. This is the result of the audience casting their votes with movie tickets, and it is also the best proof that Hollywood is inclusive.

Ms. Stahl asked him that after *Paranormal Activity* became a big hit, many film critics criticized the film for its poor quality, calling him 'Ed Wood II'. Some media also said that he was a filmmaker who simply pursued box office revenue rather than film art. What did he think of this statement?