The Best Director

Chapter 266: Can it Win an Oscar?

“A top villain supporting role? Do I still need to play supporting roles now?”

Hearing the words of his agent, Cynthia Pet Dante from the phone, Brad Pitt smiled, gazing at the beautiful seascape of Malibu, his eyes slightly squinted, Firefly… Brad asked into the phone, “What’s your take on it?” Cynthia hesitated briefly before giving her considered opinion, “It depends on your choice, but my advice to you is to turn it down.”

Cynthia Pet Dante is a top-tier agent, the vice president of the renowned entertainment agency Brillstein-Grey, representing a roster of big names including Brad Pitt, Jennifer Aniston, Orlando Bloom, Adam Sandler, Kate Beckinsale, and Courteney Cox. Cynthia is a regular in the top fifty power rankings for women in Hollywood, known for her keen insight and iron-fisted approach to the media.

Whenever an unjust report about one of her clients appears in gossip publications—those that craft stories from pictures—Cynthia would impose a ban, refusing all her clients’ interviews, cover shoots, etc., with the offending publication. This tactic proved very effective, sparing her clients much disturbance.

Brillstein-Grey and Brad Pitt’s own production company, Plan B Entertainment, had much business to do with each other. Aniston and Brad were introduced by Cynthia, and her opinions naturally carried significant weight.

“You’re at the pinnacle of your career now, and unless there’s the promise of an Oscar, there’s no need to take on Firefly. Moreover, your schedule can’t accommodate it.”

Listening to Cynthia’s continued advice, Brad Pitt nodded. Every actor has their principles and reasons for choosing roles at different stages of their careers, all boiling down to either a turning point or further advancement in their career—awards, paychecks, personal favor, or a role they particularly wish to play. Right now, Brad Pitt’s status as a top-tier superstar was unshakeable, just like Johnny Depp and Will Smith, not lacking in film offers, pay, or fame.

Personal favor? He had no particular relationship with the director; and he never had much enthusiasm for sci-fi movies, nor much interest in Firefly’s villain. If it were the lead role, he would have given it serious consideration, but as for a supporting role, it had been a long time since he had played one—the last was in 1996’s Twelve Monkeys, which earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor and a Golden Globe Award. Could Firefly do the same?

“My schedule is a bit tight,” Brad Pitt said, although he hadn’t read a page of the script and wasn’t too interested because he might well be in the running for an Oscar Best Actor, so why scatter his attention to a supporting role?

Plan B and Warner Brothers’ co-financed Troy had just wrapped up shooting, with a budget close to 200 million, a historical epic like Gladiator, poised to be a strong contender for the Oscars. Brad thought he should take some time off to rest and then support the promotion of Troy; after it was released next year, he had already agreed with Steven Soderbergh to take part in Ocean’s Twelve, and there would be Ocean’s Thirteen as well.

At the same time, he was interested in starring in the action blockbuster Mr. & Mrs. Smith, a joint venture between Weed Road Pictures, New Regency Pictures, and Regency Enterprises, all in development. Both were potential commercial blockbusters, and he saw no reason to give up his slot to Firefly.

“Is there a chance for me to play the lead, or to elevate that villain’s role to a co-leading man?” Brad Pitt suddenly thought of another possibility, as the allure of the “marvelous director” was indeed strong.

“No,” Cynthia immediately gave her response. She had asked Wang Yang this before, and he had said, “Although Blue Glove is a supporting role, he shines as brightly as the leading man.” Everyone knows that Marvelous Yang is known for his humor and mild temperament and that he is an easy person to get along with; but when it comes to movies and the business of investing and producing, he has always been a “king” who doesn’t change for anyone.

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After making Wang Yang’s reply clear, she added, “I know a lot of people are very interested in joining ‘Firefly’. It has a good chance of grossing 400 or 500 million worldwide, and it might even get some Oscar nominations. The dividends and trophies are both quite appealing. But now isn’t the time for you to take on supporting roles; this is the time to propel your career to new heights with leading roles. If you’re aiming for trophies, you might consider independent art films. Supporting roles don’t fit your stature, that’s up to your choice.”

“Turn it down!” Brad Pitt squinted his eyes even more because of the sunlight. Just as he was about to hang up, something suddenly occurred to him, and he had a new idea, “Wait, wait! Tell Wang Yang if there’s a possibility of collaborating like this…”

After a bit of conversation, they said their goodbyes and hung up the phone. Brad Pitt rose from his chair, turned, and glanced at his beautiful wife, Jennifer Aniston, in the room. He hummed to himself, not knowing why, but lately, he just couldn’t seem to muster up the enthusiasm, “Life is so boring… Maybe it’s time for a child?”

As soon as Wang Yang had sent out the invitation, news broke on the Hollywood Dynamics news saying that Marvelous Yang invited Brad Pitt to play the lead villain in ‘Firefly’. This was likely a rumor leaked by Brillstein-Grey because, regardless of the outcome, such news was positive exposure for both parties. Naturally, this excited the fans—a combination of Marvelous Yang and Brad Pitt made ‘Firefly’ even more promising!

However, unknown to the media and the public, despite Marvelous Yang’s usual success, as he had never faced any refusals over his eight films, and despite numerous actors being eager to accept his invitations, the potential collaboration this time was not smooth sailing.

“No, no, I think it’s best to keep a movie’s matters confined to that one movie; I don’t do bundling deals,” said Wang Yang, furrowing his brows slightly as he stood by the window in his elegant, spacious office, listening to Cynthia Pet Dante’s proposal on the phone—without hesitating, he declined, “I understand Brad’s fondness for ‘Infernal Affairs,’ but as for who plays ‘Chan Wing Yan,’ let’s leave that to the future director.”

Wang Yang wasn’t surprised by Brad Pitt’s rejection. With Brad’s standing in the industry, this was indeed a typical response for a supporting role. He had considered inviting Will Smith to play Blue Glove, but that seemed a bit like “calling in a favor,” which he didn’t want to do, as it might affect their friendship, so he dropped the idea.

The actor for Blue Glove should be of Samuel L. Jackson’s caliber. Now, Brad’s intentions were clear; unless it was a leading role, or a co-leading role with an equal share of the limelight, he wouldn’t consider it. Of course, there was another plan—Pitt knew that the overseas rights for ‘Infernal Affairs’ were held by Flame Entertainment. If the contract included Plan B and Flame co-financing and co-producing the American version of ‘Infernal Affairs,’ with Brad Pitt playing the lead role “Chan Wing Yan,” then he would agree to act in ‘Firefly’, also demanding a share of the box office revenue.

Brad Pitt had a liking for Hong Kong action flicks, like the proclaimed homage ‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith’; his love at first sight with ‘Infernal Affairs’ had him coveting the role for a long time.

Wang Yang knew that in the world of his mind, the distribution rights of ‘Infernal Affairs’ in America originally went to Miramax Films, while the international adaptation rights were purchased by Brad Pitt’s Plan B company. Later, Pitt teamed up with Warner Brothers to produce and invested in finding Martin Scorsese to direct, planning to play the American Chan Wing Yan. However, during later auditions, Pitt wasn’t up to Martin Scorsese’s standards and was removed; Scorsese decided to cast his favorite, Leonardo DiCaprio, for the role.

Flame Film Distribution had acquired the adaptation rights for “Infernal Affairs,” and the invitation to “Firefly” gave Brad Pitt a chance to “take on the role of Chan Wing Yan.”

This practice of “buy one, buy another” originated from CAA’s package selling, which completely changed the relationship between talent agencies, production companies, artists, and investors, making CAA the most influential agency.

What is package selling? Matt Damon and his childhood friend Ben Affleck wrote the screenplay for “Good Will Hunting,” and handed it over to CAA, which then found Miramax interested in investing and producing it, but with one condition—Matt Damon and Ben Affleck had to star in it. Thus, the two instantly became Hollywood’s sought-after young stars.

This was a case of bundling the screenplay with the male leads; and CAA, with a wide range of talent, often sold packages that began with a screenplay and included appropriate producers, directors, actors, and even cinematographers, prop masters, and a complete line-up, before pulling in investors and producers. Due to antitrust laws limiting agencies from possessing core production businesses, this was the only option. Another agent giant, ICM, sold “Friends” to NBC ten years ago in a package deal.

But Wang Yang never accepted such sales tactics, despite the arrangements from CAA often being quite suitable—only with credibility and success would production companies continue to invest, allowing CAA to expand. It can be said that to this day, Wang Yang has not been asked to accept any package deals, as he almost always discovered new talents and employed unknown or less successful veteran actors, with Natalie Portman and Meryl Streep being the exceptions.

Now, trying to invite top-tier actors who weren’t familiar proved to be quite challenging. Looking at the street view outside, Wang Yang thought for a moment, then asked, “Are you really not willing to try an audition? Trust me, the ‘Blue Glove’ is a character that could be very suitable for Brad—calm, maniacal, gloomy, yet also showing kindness and justice. There’s a lot of room to perform.”

“Yang, we really do regret it, but you know Brad’s schedule is limited; he can’t possibly agree to every good opportunity,” Cynthia Pet Dante said with regret in her tone. She was tough with the media, but very polite and respectful toward Wang Yang, a rapidly rising figure.

Listening to Wang Yang say “I know, I know,” on the other side, Cynthia added, “Brad was busy with ‘Troy’ for a year, and he didn’t get to spend quality time with Jennifer. ‘Firefly’s filming schedule is next March and April, which conflicts with ‘Troy’s’ promotional period. If it weren’t for ‘Infernal Affairs’… Yang, the offer just isn’t equitable, and we truly regret it…”

“It’s alright, I too am quite regretful. Well then! Tell Brad that we welcome him to audition for ‘Chan Wing Yan’ in the future,” Wang Yang said.

After exchanging a few parting words with Cynthia, the supporting role invitation fizzled out before it could reach the interviewing stage. This was the first time Wang Yang had been so explicitly rejected. Facing a buoyant Brad Pitt, there wasn’t the room for persuasion like there had been with Will Smith initially. But ‘Blue Glove’ wasn’t an exclusive role for Brad Pitt; there could be even better choices, so he didn’t push further.

“I’ve decided, I’ll take the role myself!” In the cozy living room, Wang Yang held Jessica on the sofa as they watched TV. After recounting the failed negotiation with Brad Pitt, he let out a fierce roar. Jessica chuckled, but Wang Yang looked at her seriously, “I mean it. My urge to act is bursting. ‘Blue Glove’ fits a handsome and charming man like me to a tee.” Jessica glanced at him skeptically, half-laughing, “You’re joking, right?”

Seeing her lack of excitement, Wang Yang patted her shoulder, asking with a smile, “Do you want to see me act?” Jessica tilted her head, “No, I’d rather you didn’t. A cameo would suffice.” Interested in her response, Wang Yang probed, “Why’s that?” Jessica rolled her eyes upward, holding back a smile, “It would make me seem too incompetent. The best director in our house is you, and the best actor too. How can I tell our baby in the future? Mommy’s an actress, but she ranks second in the house.”

“At least Danny is ranked third, isn’t he?” Wang Yang comforted her as he stroked her. Danny, who was lying there and also caught in the crossfire, twitched his ears. Jessica, however, pitifully clutched her forehead, “Oh Danny, I’m sorry, Mommy forgot about you. That puts me in third place.”

Wang Yang looked at her playful demeanor and couldn’t help but plant a kiss on her cheek, “That won’t happen, my acting is too terrible.” Jessica shrugged, “Your acting isn’t terrible at all, I cried like a faucet that time in New York.” Wang Yang laughed, “GOOD, WELL-DONE! It looks like we’ve found a way to save water without worrying about conservation, just make your woman cry!” Jessica glared at him and said in broken Chinese, “Say that again? I ‘GOOD’ your ‘DONE’. I-SWEAR!”

“I wouldn’t dare, I wouldn’t dare!” Wang Yang raised his hands in surrender, wiping the sweat from his forehead. They both couldn’t help laughing out loud, shared a long kiss, and then Wang Yang finally said with a smile, “Seriously, I don’t have the skill or the interest to play Blue Glove, but I’ve got someone else in mind.” Jessica nodded, “I will always support you.”

It only took a few days, from the initial news of the magical Wang Yang + Brad Pitt collaboration to the shattering of that hope. In less than a few days, Pitt’s agent Cynthia Pet Dante confirmed the news in her Los Angeles office, saying, “It was just a preliminary interest, we discussed the possibility of cooperation, but our schedules didn’t align, so that’s that.” She declined to comment further on the matter.

It’s such a pity; we won’t see a powerful collaboration! Following dynamic reports from online media like Yahoo Entertainment, fans who were interested in this matter knew the latest developments and immediately split into factions after their disappointment. Now, it was obviously Brad Pitt’s side who had rejected Wang Yang, which caused the fans of the magical Wang Yang to feel some anger. Given his miraculous record of victories and the thumbs up from every actor he worked with, why the rejection?

Brad Pitt had just finished filming “Troy” and currently had no film contracts! Even though he’s a top celebrity and together with Jennifer Aniston they are seen as a symbol of a happy household, many young fans who had followed Wang Yang for years experienced “rejection for the first time” and openly criticized the heartthrob, “Too disappointed, this is Brad Pitt’s stupidest decision!” “He will surely regret it!”…

“I just feel so sorry for Brad Pitt. One day in 2005, he will regret today’s decision immensely,” a Yahoo user named Aks commented, “There’s no doubt ‘Firefly’ will create miracles; maybe it’s a new ‘Star Wars’. Pitt could have shared this glory, isn’t being the number one villain enough? But he gave up on it! I believe in the magic of Wang Yang, he wouldn’t pay twenty million dollars to hire a superstar to play a pointless role. I’m looking forward to seeing the final choice for ‘Blue Glove’.”

Brad Pitt’s die-hard fans naturally supported their idol. What’s Wang Yang? What’s ‘Firefly’? If he doesn’t act, then so be it! There were also many who took up arms against Wang Yang’s fans. Christie wrote, “Let’s get this straight, Wang Yang wanted Brad to play a supporting role, which is an invitation without any sincerity or respect! Brad shouldn’t waste his time on a ‘Firefly’ supporting role. Yang is deluding himself, and the refusal was the right move!”

“This is too funny. Brad rejects so many film offers a year, why would he regret ‘Firefly’? What can it amount to?” User Fleming D said sarcastically. He wrote, “I’m not saying that Wang Yang and ‘Firefly’ are doomed to fail, but please, those who are crazy about him, take a moment to think calmly. Magic Yang is still just a human being. ‘Firefly’ might just be another ordinary science fiction movie trying to imitate ‘Star Wars’ or ‘Star Trek’, the kind we see every year.”

He finally wrote, “Even if it turns out to be a great success, Brad won’t lose anything. He would still be Hollywood’s top star, and next year ‘Troy’ will bring him an Oscar.” Edmund followed up with a comment, “Pitt won’t get it, he just missed out on an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.” Fleming followed up with, “You’re crazy.”…

No matter how the outside world reacts to this casting news, Wang Yang did not respond, but the search for the actor to play Blue Glove continued.

“Hi! I’m Wang Yang…” (