Chapter 217: As Expected

Chapter 217: Chapter 217: As Expected

After reading the final name, Irene turned slightly, gesturing toward the big screen with a poised and brilliant smile.

The lights in the venue spotlighted on the faces of the five nominees, while she stood quietly to the side, waiting for that moment which was already destined, yet still held the entire world in suspense.

Clips of the five nominees’ brilliant performances flashed across the big screen, and the venue was so quiet that only the background music and the faint breathing of the audience could be heard.

Irene stood by the microphone, sweeping her calm gaze over every tense and expectant face in the audience:

Nicole Kidman sat elegantly but with slightly tight fingertips, Renée Zellweger maintained a professional smile, Judi Dench looked indifferent, Sissy Spacek appeared calm and composed, while Halle Berry slightly lowered her eyes, seemingly trying to calm the waves in her heart.

She slowly picked up the gold envelope, and the moment her fingertips touched the gold-stamped patterns, the entire venue fell into absolute silence.

Irene opened the envelope and cast a gentle glance. The result was exactly as it was in her memories from her rebirth.

She looked up, her smile remaining gentle, but her voice carried clearly through the microphone to every corner of the Dolby Theatre, piercing through the screens of hundreds of millions of viewers worldwide: "The winner of the 74th Oscar for Best Actress is—Halle Berry, for Monster’s Ball."

The moment the words fell, the venue was briefly stunned before erupting into thunderous applause and cheers, the lights suddenly locking onto Halle Berry.

She suddenly covered her mouth, tears instantly welling up in her eyes, her body trembling uncontrollably. Friends around her stepped forward to hug her, congratulating the first Black Best Actress in Oscar history.

The smile on Nicole Kidman’s face stiffened almost imperceptibly for a moment, then quickly returned to being poised as she joined in the applause, though she could not hide the disappointment in her eyes.

Renée Zellweger also sighed softly, but still sincerely cheered for the winner.

They all understood that from the moment the awards began to tilt tonight, the outcome of this competition had already been decided.

Halle Berry, with the help of others, walked up to the stage step by step, so excited that she could barely stand steady.

Irene stepped forward, gently took her hand, and steadily placed the heavy Oscar statuette into her hands, whispering, "You deserve it."

Halle Berry choked up, thanking her repeatedly, tears blurring her makeup.

She stood before the microphone, trembling as she delivered her acceptance speech, her voice filled with historic emotion and sobs, mentioning the hardships Black actors had faced along the way and the countless unseen efforts. The entire venue was moved, and the applause lasted for a long time.

Irene stood quietly to the side, watching this scene that would go down in film history, with not a ripple in her heart.

She had long known the outcome and had long seen through the trade-offs and choices behind this grand honor.

After Halle Berry finished her speech, Irene accompanied her off the stage, the lights slowly fading behind them.

Returning to her seat, Shelly looked at her with understanding and admiration, while Henry Cavill was filled with shock, not yet having recovered from the historic moment just now.

Irene sat down gently, her expression indifferent.

To her, this was just a part of the night’s work.

The real battlefield that belonged to her was not on the Oscar stage, but on the Caribbean Sea, which had yet to be released but was destined to overturn Hollywood.

After the historic moment for Best Actress, the Best Actor award was soon won by the famous Black actor, Denzel Washington. The news that both the Oscar Best Actor and Best Actress had been won by Black people for the first time quickly spread, and regarding this historic moment, some were speechless, some were dissatisfied, but the Oscars continued to go its own way.

Although the subsequent awards continued to captivate, they could not stir the same waves as before.

When the name for Best Picture was announced by the presenter, the venue erupted in enthusiastic applause again, with A Beautiful Mind, with an overwhelming advantage of 4 wins out of 8 nominations, sweeping the four core awards of Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Adapted Screenplay, becoming the undisputed biggest winner of the night.

This biopic that spotlighted the genius mathematician Nash, with its profound humanistic core and exquisite production, pushed the heat of the awards season to its peak, its momentum so strong that it almost made other winning films seem dull by comparison.

Irene sat in her seat, clapping calmly, with no ripples in her eyes.

She was clear about the strength of A Beautiful Mind, and understood that the Academy had always favored works that combined depth of thought with emotional warmth. Most people should have known what to expect from such a result.

By the time the ceremony ended, it was already late at night.

The night in Los Angeles was lit up by starlight and neon lights, and the crowds on both sides of the red carpet remained enthusiastic. Irene, with Henry Cavill and Shelly Ovitze, avoided the swarming reporters and fans and took a car back to her residence in a low-key manner.

After freshening up, she changed into comfortable loungewear and sat at her desk.

The desk lamp cast a warm yellow light, illuminating two thick scripts clearly:

Brokeback Mountain and Million Dollar Baby. After acquiring the rights, she had found professionals to write the scripts, and it was only recently that she had received the formal drafts. Although there were some differences from the final films, they were enough to launch the projects.

Irene’s fingertips gently brushed over the script covers, but her thoughts drifted far away.

The post-production of the first Pirates of the Caribbean was proceeding slowly, and there was no way to rush it.

The release date was set for around the end of the year, and the framework for the trilogy had already been built. As long as she waited for it to be released, the foundation of Irene’s commercial empire would be solid.

Now, the Oscar invitation had added a bit more weight to her influence in the industry, and it seemed like the perfect time to launch her "Oscar-bait" projects.

However, these two films were huge challenges for her. From a plot perspective, the subject matter of Brokeback Mountain was sensitive, and "gay cowboys" were still "a laughingstock" in current American culture, or even a "super taboo subject" that could not be touched.

Otherwise, why would the author Annie Proulx have agreed almost without hesitation when she heard that a film production company wanted to adapt her novel?

And the story of Million Dollar Baby was neither a love story nor a popular sports theme, and it lacked handsome men and beautiful women.

Furthermore, for the sake of the film’s authenticity, the lead actress had to undergo long-term and intensive boxing training to fit the role, which carried high risks and uncertain returns.

These were the difficulties of pre-production, and the difficulties of actual filming were also very painful.

The challenge of Million Dollar Baby was external and physiological, testing execution and physical willpower, but as long as the pre-production work was arranged properly, it should go very smoothly once filming started.

Although she could not have the skilled technique and clear control of Clint Eastwood, she could spend twice as much time to complete this film.

The challenge of Brokeback Mountain, on the other hand, was internal and psychological, testing how the director and actors could push themselves to the limits of emotion to touch those unspeakable pains.

Not only did the actors need extreme dedication to their roles and a deep emptying of their souls, but even the director needed two hundred percent effort to perfectly present such delicate emotions.

After all, Ang Lee had once admitted that filming Brokeback Mountain was "the one in the worst condition" among all the films he had ever made, leaving him physically and mentally exhausted, to the point where he didn’t even want to get up in the morning and just wanted to avoid filming.