Chapter 141: Past Grudges

Chapter 141: Chapter 141: Past Grudges

In her previous life, until the moment she left this world, only five female directors had ever been nominated for an Oscar, and one of them was her sister, Sophia Coppola.

That time, her sister was nominated for Lost in Translation, but ultimately fell short.

And in the entire history of the Oscars, the only woman to win Best Director was James Cameron’s ex-wife, Kathryn Bigelow, who broke the long silence with The Hurt Locker.

Female directors already had it tough in Hollywood. Wanting to gain recognition from the Oscars was even more difficult than ascending to heaven.

The rules here appeared fair, but were filled with invisible barriers everywhere: gender bias, genre restrictions, skewed industry resources... Every hurdle required several times the effort of a male director to overcome.

Being able to establish a foothold with an Oscar nomination and commercial film success was already lucky. Wanting to aim for Best Director was, for the next decade, nothing more than a pipe dream.

"What are you thinking about?" Shelly asked softly, seeing her lost in thought.

"Nothing." Irene snapped back to reality and withdrew her gaze. No wonder everyone yearned for the Oscars. Even someone like her, whose only ambition was making money, would yearn for such glory at certain moments.

"I just think Steven’s speech was very well said. A truly good director is never limited by genre." She paused, her tone becoming firm again. "Our Pirates of the Caribbean will also become a work that people remember."

Shelly thought she was just feeling sentimental and smiled in agreement. "That goes without saying. With you as an Oscar-nominated screenwriter with final cut rights, plus Jerry Bruckheimer steering the ship, it would be hard for Pirates of the Caribbean not to be a hit."

Irene didn’t say anything more, just quietly watched Steven Soderbergh on stage, her heart filled with mixed emotions.

At the celebratory banquet after the Oscar awards ceremony concluded, the Kodak Theatre ballroom was brilliantly lit, the champagne towers refracted dazzling light, and the air was filled with the sounds of clinking glasses amidst the scent of perfume and rustling gowns.

Shelly was chatting with Irene and a few Fox executives when Baird suddenly tapped her on the shoulder, his tone carrying a hint of an introduction. "Irene, let me introduce you to an old friend, this year’s Best Actress, Ms. Julia Roberts."

Irene followed his gaze and saw Julia Roberts, who had changed out of the pink-purple Valentino gown she wore at the awards ceremony and was now wearing a gold mermaid gown, her long hair pulled up, revealing her signature radiant smile as she was surrounded by a group of people.

She subconsciously exchanged a glance with Shelly, and a not-so-pleasant past flashed through her mind.

When Legally Blonde was released, it happened to clash with Runaway Bride, starring Julia. Both films were romantic comedies, leading to a direct head-to-head confrontation at the box office.

Although the total box office for Runaway Bride was slightly higher, Legally Blonde, with an investment of only $10 million, raked in nearly $136 million at the North America box office, with a return on investment several times higher than that of Runaway Bride.

This impressive performance left Julia, who was at the peak of her career, feeling quite bitter. After all, her salary per film was as high as $20 million, yet it failed to bring in a comparable commercial return.

If Julia had just accepted this disappointment, it would have been fine, but she went and teamed up with Ulysses Meyer of MGM to inflate the distribution costs when preparing for Mean Girls. Irene couldn’t tolerate this and directly refused a second collaboration with MGM.

Unexpectedly, things took a turn for the better, and everything went smoothly after hooking up with Fox.

As her thoughts drifted, Julia had already walked over under Baird’s guidance, wearing an impeccable smile, and took the initiative to extend her hand. "Irene Coppola, I’ve heard so much about you. Mean Girls is truly a wonderful work. Your talent is simply stunning."

Her smile was bright, her tone enthusiastic, and not a hint of displeasure could be seen.

Irene suppressed the waves in her heart and reached out to shake her hand gently, wearing a proper smile on her face. "Julia, congratulations on winning Best Actress. Your performance in Erin Brockovich was textbook quality. I have always admired you."

Julia patted her arm lightly, her gaze lingering for a moment on the black satin gown Irene was wearing, her tone carrying a deliberate intimacy.

"You’re too modest. I happen to know that not only are your screenwriting and directing skills impressive, but your ability to handle commercial films is even more astonishing. The return on investment for Legally Blonde and Mean Girls was so high it made people envious. At the time, I even told the people around me that this young person is not simple."

Irene maintained her smile. "I’m still young and just lucky. How could I compare to Ms. Roberts’ vision? Compared to your achievements in Hollywood, I still have a lot to learn."

Baird seemed not to notice the undercurrents between the two and smiled to smooth things over. "Julia, you don’t know this, but Irene is the darling of Fox right now. Even Jerry Bruckheimer has nothing but praise for the Pirates of the Caribbean project she has in her hands."

Mentioning Pirates of the Caribbean, a flicker of imperceptible surprise flashed in Julia’s eyes, then she immediately returned to her smile.

"Oh? A project Jerry has his eye on must not be simple. It seems you are not only good at comedies but also have great control over big productions. I am now looking forward to The Italian Job next month. It must be another masterpiece." She paused and changed the subject.

"Come to think of it, MGM must regret missing out on collaborating with you back then, right?"

This remark was like picking at a scab, and also like implying that her own tactics back then had been effective.

Irene picked up the champagne from a waiter’s tray nearby, took a light sip, and replied calmly, "Everything is about fate. I’m very fortunate to be able to work with Fox now, and I also believe that Pirates of the Caribbean will be a great work."

She didn’t take Julia’s bait, nor did she show any dissatisfaction. She just calmly stated the facts.

This composed attitude made Julia, whose mood was good because of winning the award, feel a bit stifled.

When Mean Girls was released, it wasn’t that she hadn’t thought about using some tactics to suppress this young, presumptuous female director, but due to strong opposition from Ella Walker at CAA, she couldn’t act recklessly.

Who would have known that her Mean Girls could achieve such results, even snagging an Oscar nomination, and in the future, she would be collaborating with Disney on a new film, rumored to have an investment of over $100 million. One had to know that among the projects she had filmed, those reaching a $100 million investment were very few.

This made her feel somewhat helpless. It was definitely too late to suppress the other party now. In fact, some people had already suggested she build a good relationship with Irene, as an outstanding female director’s status in Hollywood was much higher than that of an actress like her.