Chapter 444: Beginning

Chapter 444: Chapter 444: Beginning

After sidestepping Harvey Weinstein, Irene walked straight through the crowd, stepped into the inner grounds of the Kodak Theatre, and proceeded to her exclusive seat to sit down.

The seats reserved for the creative team of Brokeback Mountain at this year’s Oscar were all located in the core area of the front row of the auditorium, belonging to the golden seats with the highest camera coverage and best view in the entire venue, which was enough to show the Academy’s high regard for this film.

Closely adjacent to her right hand side was none other than Ang Lee.

Compared to his usual composure tonight, Ang Lee always had a trace of faint tension and anticipation hidden deep in his eyes. As the core director of Brokeback Mountain, his inner apprehension was far greater than it appeared on the surface.

Leonardo was not far from her either, separated by only three seats. He had come early and witnessed the entire brief confrontation in the aisle just now.

He clearly saw Harvey taking the initiative to step forward and stop Irene for a chat, and also accurately captured the scene at the end where Irene calmly left while Harvey stood frozen in place with a gloomy and ugly expression.

Having mixed in Hollywood for many years, he was very clear about the methods and disposition of Harvey Weinstein. This behind-the-scenes bigwig of the awards season had a very narrow mind and an incomparably strong desire for revenge, so a bit of worry instantly rose in the bottom of his heart.

He asked in a sincere and earnest tone if Irene needed any help.

Hearing this, Irene slightly turned her head, looked at the serious-looking Leonardo, and gently shook her head to pacify him:

"Rest assured, it is fine. This is the widely watched public scene of the Oscar, with media lenses spread all over the venue and real-time live broadcasting across the entire network.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, even if Weinstein is arrogant, overbearing, and consumed by power and desire, he would not dare to openly flare up or deliberately make things difficult for me on such an occasion. He is best at disguising decency and will not self-destruct his foundation."

Hearing this, Leonardo nodded slightly, but still did not completely let go of his heart.

He cautiously scanned around to the left and right, confirming that the surrounding guests were all taking their seats, tidying their attire, and chatting, with no one paying attention to their low-voiced dialogue here, before lowering his voice again and solemnly and earnestly reminding:

"You still need to be more careful of him. Weinstein is really not someone to be trifled with. Outsiders only see his glorious decency, discerning eyes for talent, and invincible manipulation, but do not know how sinister his private methods are.

Relying on the power and connections of his own Jewish circle, he has run amok in Hollywood for many years without restraint. Suppressing competitors, snatching resources, and backstage operations have long been the norm, and he seeks revenge for the smallest grievance and will never easily swallow the breath of being rejected. You must never be careless, lest you suffer losses in the future."

This exhortation was very sincere, being the blood-and-tear experience and kind reminder of an experienced person who had mixed in the circle for many years.

Leonardo had seen too many filmmakers who offended Harvey being silently banned, suppressed, losing all resources, and disappearing from the public eye. Although he knew that with Irene’s current status she would not easily fall into Harvey’s underhanded schemes, these were troublesome matters nonetheless.

A warmth stirred slightly in the bottom of Irene’s heart, and she nodded gently:

"I know what I am doing. You do not need to worry. I am different from most actresses in the circle. First, I do not need to rely on others for promotion; second, I do not need to rely on resource accumulation; third, I do not need to rely on circle protection to establish myself.

I am a creator and Producer, holding projects, copyrights, and the right to speak on works. I have almost no interest intersection with him, nor do I have any place where I need to rely on him. No matter how arrogant and domineering he is, he can find no reasonable excuse to target me, let alone dare to easily touch me."

A few simple words laid bare the source of her confidence.

Looking at her clear, calm, and confident appearance in her eyes, Leonardo knew that she was adept at planning before moving and that her mentality was far more calm and seasoned than her face appeared. Only then did he completely let go of his worry, nodded gently, straightened his posture, and quietly awaited the opening of the ceremony.

Half an hour before the award ceremony officially began, the atmosphere in the inner field grew increasingly lively.

Filmmakers, directors, Producers, and actors from all walks of life successively recognised Irene. Whether familiar or not, they all stepped forward to nod and say hello, shake hands, exchange pleasantries, and chat politely.

There were veteran filmmakers who had collaborated with her sincerely congratulating her and praising the invincible momentum of Brokeback Mountain this year; there were newly-acquainted cutting-edge directors taking the initiative to show goodwill, wanting to build a bridge for future cooperation; and there were industry seniors with deep qualifications chatting mildly, wishing her a full return tonight.

For a time, the area where Irene was located had instantly become a small social centre, with a constant stream of people coming and going, endless greetings and laughter, and extraordinary liveliness.

Irene always maintained a proper and composed posture, patiently responding to everyone’s greetings, neither servile nor overbearing, gentle and polite, grasping the sense of propriety just right.

Half an hour passed in a flash, the lights in the venue slowly dimmed, the noisy human voices gradually subsided, all guests were seated without exception, and thousands of gazes throughout the venue completely focused on the centre of the stage. The grand 77th Academy Awards ceremony was about to officially kick off.

Sitting upright in her seat, Irene looked at the brilliant lights lighting up the stage, a trace of fragmented boredom and melancholy suddenly suffusing the bottom of her heart.

The last time she attended the Oscar, she had her cousin Nicholas to accompany her. The two could quietly chat in low voices, complain about the process, and pass the long, boring waiting time, making the lengthy ceremony process much easier.

This year, her cousin did not participate in any nominated works and failed to attend. In this huge top-tier grand ceremony, she could only sit upright alone, quietly enduring this official process that was already thoroughly familiar, cumbersome, and boring.

The ceremony officially opened. After host Chris Rock took the stage for a brief opening speech, they entered the official memorial segment.

The lights throughout the venue turned into gentle and solemn warm light, and the big screen on the stage slowly lit up with images, dedicated to paying tribute to and commemorating the legendary talk show host Johnny Carson.

Johnny Carson hosted The Tonight Show for up to thirty years, accompanying the growth of generations of audiences across the United States.

With ultimate linguistic wisdom, unique personal charm, and a relaxed and humorous hosting style, he healed the emotions of countless people and was evaluated by the industry as "America’s national emotional regulator," making him one of the most nationalistic and far-reaching screen legends in the United States in the 1950s and 1960s.

But for the vast majority of Hollywood filmmakers present at the moment, Johnny Carson’s The Best Years of Our Lives had long since passed away, separated from the present by decades, with a strong sense of generational fault lines.

Whether new-generation filmmakers or mid-generation practitioners, most had only heard of his legendary name and had never truly deeply understood his works and influence, and Irene was no exception.

She had only seen his figure in some public video materials and industry documentaries, knowing very little about his life and style, and could not speak of familiarity and empathy.

Because of this, this tribute segment was concise and restrained, with an extremely short duration and no lengthy reiterations. It soon smoothly concluded, and officially entered the first round of awards presentation segments—short film awards.