"Man, believe me! Laila is yours; I haven't entertained any thoughts about her. You can trust me completely!"
With such a firm tone, Roy became displeased, "Laila is so great, how can you not have any feelings for her?"
Downey's mouth twitched. He really wanted to ask, "Man, what exactly do you want me to say? If I say I won't fall for her, you're not happy. Do I have to admit I like her? If I do, someone might go crazy, you know? I've just been in the police station for a fight; if Roy beats me up and throws me in again, I might as well drink myself to death here."
"Just by listening to you, I can tell you haven't had many relationships before," he patted him on the shoulder in a mentor-like manner. "Listen, everyone is like an angel with one wing. Only when you find the right partner can you embrace each other and fly back to heaven together. Laila's wing is the one you're missing; you two are the perfect match, understand?"
"Have you had many relationships?" Roy glanced at him skeptically.
"Of course! Don't be fooled by my later appearance; I was quite popular with women before. And, I've been married." Downey proudly patted his chest. "Women need to be pampered, you know? Say all sorts of sweet words; they love that the most!"
Roy took a sip of beer and looked at him indifferently, "Your wife is already someone else's."
Downey stiffened for a moment, awkwardly scratching his head. "Well, that's because I didn't pamper her for a while. So, women still need to be pampered." He sat next to Roy, stopping him with a hand on his shoulder. "Come on, let big brother teach you some tricks to pamper girls, guaranteed to be effective!"
"Really?" Roy became interested.
He hadn't had much experience in love before. Even having a meal was challenging for him, let alone spending time with women. Moreover, judging by his looks, the women around him were all attracted by his face. Having been abandoned by women who had left him and his brother, he had little fondness for women. Why invest time in pampering them?
On one side, after resolving the misunderstanding, Downey eagerly shared his tricks with the "innocent young man" Roy. On the other side, after returning home, Laila had already begun preparations for her new job.
Spread out before her were various landscape photos. From the shooting style, it could be deduced that these weren't taken by one person, but each one was exceptionally beautiful. These were the scenic references Yao Yingxia had prepared for her.
Laila had spent a month in the East, visiting many places and experiencing many dreamlike sceneries. However, in such a short time, it was insufficient to deeply understand the vast Eastern land. To compensate for this deficiency, Yao Yingxia enthusiastically arranged for many people to take these photos to showcase as much of her country's scenery as possible in Hollywood movies.
In 2003, the Western impression of the East remained stuck in the poverty and ignorance depicted in "Red Sorghum."
It must be said that Eastern directors were not doing well. They often made movies that denigrated the East to cater to Western tastes, such as "Raise the Red Lantern" and "To Live."
Laila had never liked these people in her previous life. Even if they won awards abroad, what did it matter? The East was an ancient country, but at the same time, it was a newly emerging nation. Why couldn't they be given some time for change?
Starting fresh on a blank canvas was much simpler than rebuilding on ruins. She didn't think there was anything wrong with the current state of the country. Perhaps difficulties and darkness would be encountered on the path of change, but growth always required sacrifices, even the United States had the Civil War, didn't it?
To insist on showcasing some ugly, long-abandoned things and presenting them on the international stage would not only give people a wrong impression of the East but also bring no benefits, in Laila's view.
So, she believed Yao Yingxia had created a good opportunity. Instead of degrading herself to please others, she wanted to find a way to showcase the best side through movies.
If Laila were not a highly respected director in Hollywood, if her films did not have a significant impact, and if she were not a person with goodwill towards the East, Yao Yingxia might not be so enthusiastic. However, because she possessed these qualities, Yao Yingxia considered the upcoming film as the best way to promote her country.
Perhaps there were factors related to Yao Yingxia's own future, but what did it matter?
Laila never disliked ambitious people, as long as what they did was a good thing and didn't involve compromising principles for personal gain.
After comparing many photos and the original "The Lord of the Rings" in her mind, she increasingly leaned toward filming the movie in the East.
The only thing that made her hesitate was not being able to find suitable actors.
As mentioned before, there were over a hundred speaking roles in "The Lord of the Rings," not counting some background extras. In some large scenes, thousands of people might be needed. While using special effects was an option, it was time-consuming and expensive, and the current technology was not as advanced as in the future, making the results less impressive than real people.
Don't forget, this novel is a Western fantasy story, and almost all the characters are played by Western actors. Many roles in the original were played by New Zealand actors, and even the extras were hired locally. If Laila wanted to move the film to the East, the problem of actors might not be so easily solved. Because it was impossible to hire Eastern extras for a film that told a Western story.
So, Laila had been thinking of a solution.
In fact, even Zhang Guorong (Leslie Cheung) shouldn't have been included in the film. But at that time, Laila was worried that if she didn't find something for him to do, he might follow the original trajectory of history and end his life. With a job, everything would be different. Given his seriousness about work, he would not think of ending his life halfway through.
Her new film plan had already been released, and preparations had been made in many aspects. It was impossible to abandon the plan for "The Lord of the Rings" and start another film more suitable for her brother. So, she decided to grit her teeth and put her "brother" into "The Lord of the Rings," a fantasy film.
Looking at the landscape photos in her hands, Laila sighed softly.
This was indeed a troublesome issue!
As long as this problem is solved, she can move the crew there. However, does she have a chance to move there?