The reporter asked Laila again, "Why do you think an Eastern actor is suitable to play a role in that work?"
"I don't think there's a specific reason," Laila gave an example, "Look at Picasso's abstract paintings, are the nose and eyes where they should be? But those kinds of paintings are highly praised by later generations. When a director uses the words 'suitable' to assess his film, it indicates that his thinking has been constrained. In such a situation, even if a work is produced, it is at most a qualified piece, not a groundbreaking one."
The reporter found it hard to understand, but upon reflection, it seemed to make sense. That's why there's only one genius director in the history of film. Her thoughts are incomparable to other directors.
Little did he know that Laila was just deceiving him. What is suitable, what is a breakthrough, all sounded impressive, but only she knew what was really going on. Her luck lay in no one being able to expose her words because, in the eyes of others, everything she said made perfect sense. Whenever someone understood, that's when she could become a great director.
This interview mainly focused on Leslie Cheung. After being led astray by Laila and unable to find his bearings, the reporter directed most of the questions towards him.
"Mr. Leslie, do you think there are any differences between the East and the West in film production?"
"Many. There are systemic issues, as well as issues of experience and investment. In our region, it's not possible to come up with several hundred million dollars in investment to shoot a film all at once."
Speaking of this, Leslie Cheung smiled with a hint of helplessness. Money comes in when there is profit, investment improves the quality of films, and funds are available for the development of various technologies. However, Eastern films have not yet gained significant profits, making it impossible to use large investments in film production.
But Hollywood is different. Not to mention that Laila invested over $300 million to shoot "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy this time; just look at the other major film companies, which did not allocate one or two hundred million dollars, producing one film after another.
To make a good movie, you must first ensure profitability. During the golden age of Hong Kong cinema, how many excellent films were produced? The whole of Asia was attracted by Hong Kong films and actors. At that time, funds invested in films were very abundant, making it easy to produce good movies.
"In your opinion, what kind of director is Director Moran?" The reporter asked a question unrelated to the film.
Leslie Cheung smiled warmly, "She is a very serious director. You can never associate her usual self with her on set."
"Someone once said she is a tyrant on set. Do you think so too?"
Leslie Cheung looked at Laila with a strange expression. Seeing her shrug, he smiled lightly, "I don't think so. To lead a large crew, you have to be somewhat powerful. If a director can't control the crew, how can they make a good movie?"
After the interview, the reporter shook hands seriously with Leslie Cheung. "Mr. Leslie, although I'm not an entertainment reporter, I believe you can carve out your own path."
In the short interview time, he was deeply impressed by the Eastern film emperor. He somewhat understood why Laila chose such an Eastern person for her film. The words and insights of this Eastern man were admirable. Under Laila's direction, he believed that Leslie Cheung would have a great career.
"Thank you." Leslie Cheung accepted his goodwill with a smile.
Without coming to the United States, one could not experience the difficulties faced by Easterners. Fortunately, there were many kind Americans, like Laila, the crew, and the reporter in front of him.
Hong Kong is also a place that breeds paparazzi culture. He can be said to be a person who came out of being chased, so he can easily discern whether a question is friendly or malicious. The questions from this reporter may sound sharp, but they all came from friendly inquiries, making readers feel favorable towards them after reading.
After the reporter left, Laila asked Demi to bring in tea.
"Tired?" An hour and a half of interview time is not considered long, but it's definitely not short. Laila was worried about tiring her idol.
"It's okay, I'm used to it." Leslie Cheung took a sip of tea to moisten his throat. Only when the tea entered his mouth did he realize it was his favorite tea, making his impression of Laila even better.
Seeing his idol drink the specially prepared tea, Laila was extremely happy in her heart. "There will be some similar interviews later. If you don't mind, we can also arrange some TV programs. There's no talk show in the East; I don't know if you can adapt to that kind of occasion, so I haven't arranged it for now."
"No problem, just tell me what to do." Leslie Cheung readily agreed, then asked, "About the boycott..."
"Oh, that?" Laila looked regretful, "It's not gaining momentum for now."
"..." Leslie Cheung was a bit confused. Isn't it a good thing that it's not gaining momentum? Why does she look so disappointed?
Seeing his confusion, Laila sighed, "Mainly because it started too early. If it could continue until a week or two before the premiere, then it would have the best hype effect. Now, with over a month until the release, people will probably have forgotten about boycotting our movie by the time it premieres."
Leslie Cheung felt that their thoughts might not be on the same channel. Otherwise, why can he understand each word she says individually, but when they are combined, it becomes so subtle? However, he didn't dwell on it, thinking it might be a common thing in the United States. So he asked, "What should we do next?"
"What else can we do? Publicity, publicity, and more publicity." Free publicity can't be relied on for now, so they can only invest money into it. "Next, our cast will start a global tour of promotion. You will be responsible for the Asian part, and Roy and the others will start with me in the United States and then meet you in Asia."
After thinking about it, she added, "I haven't included you in the promotion here not because you're Eastern, but because I have other arrangements. After the premiere in the East is over, I hope you can come back with the crew and participate in a few programs."
"I understand." Leslie Cheung could see that she wasn't intentionally evading the question and smiled in agreement.
When arranging the promotion tasks earlier, the people around him were a bit unhappy when they saw that he wasn't included in the Western promotional activities. They thought that the people here looked down on them or disliked their Eastern identity. However, since Laila specially explained it, they believed that she did have other arrangements.