One has to admit, Michael Ovitz's judgment was quite accurate. Excessive flattery can indeed cause people to lose themselves.
Hollywood has seen many young stars who got lost in the media's praise.
But he misjudged one thing, and that was Gilbert.
He's different from other young people. Although he hasn't even turned twenty-three, he seems as if he's lived for decades, wise beyond his years.
As the new week arrived, there were still some criticisms in the media about *Speed* and its director, Gilbert. Needless to say, these were orchestrated by competitors.
But this week, the criticisms significantly decreased, replaced by excessive praise.
Some tabloids even hailed Gilbert as surpassing Spielberg, calling *Speed* the greatest action movie ever.
Such exaggerated praise sparked a backlash from some of the audience.
"What kind of trash movie is this? How dare they call it the greatest action movie in the world? Where does that leave other action films?"
"Plus, how many movies have you made? And now you're claiming to surpass Spielberg? Do you have no shame?"
This over-the-top flattery impacted the box office during *Speed's* second weekend.
Due to the media's praise, many viewers chose not to see *Speed*.
Naomi Watts, seeing how much praise the media was giving Gilbert—so much that it made even her blush—told him about it. But Gilbert remained calm.
"This is normal. Clearly, someone is trying to set me up, waiting for me to fall into the trap!" Gilbert said.
"How could that be? We haven't offended anyone!" Naomi was furious. These people had the nerve to criticize Gilbert! Jerks...
Gilbert gently stroked her blonde hair and smiled, "In the highly competitive summer box office season, it's not about who you offend or don't offend.
"I guess this is CAA's doing, with other companies seizing the opportunity.
"Michael Ovitz has always wanted to lure me into CAA. Now that my *Speed* has outperformed *Cliffhanger,* which CAA represents, it has shaken CAA's foundation.
"Since I'm not joining them, they'd rather destroy me."
If they can't have me, they'll ruin me...
Even the tyrants of film sets aren't safe if they don't align with CAA's interests—they'll take them down.
But many times, it's not easy to bring down a set tyrant; they might fight back. Gilbert, though rising in fame, is still young, making him an easier target.
For most small directors and actors, CAA is a giant, but Gilbert never cared about CAA.
Even though CAA is currently powerful, it's only because the major studios tolerate them.
Once studios no longer rely on CAA's package deals, their dominance in Hollywood's talent agency scene will vanish.
As for the media praise trap, Gilbert had been cautious about that for a long time.
The old man had warned Gilbert early on: "Achieving so much at such a young age, you must keep a clear head and never lose yourself."
So Gilbert constantly reminded himself to stay humble and not become arrogant.
Luckily, his many years of ups and downs in the entertainment industry across the Pacific had hardened him. He had endured all sorts of hardships and criticisms, developing a resilient mindset.
Thus, no matter what situation he faced, Gilbert could respond calmly.
When faced with media praise, Gilbert never responded, allowing it to run its course.
Even during nationwide promotional events and interviews with the media, he remained humble.
When a reporter asked if he thought he had surpassed Spielberg, Gilbert modestly replied:
"I'm far from being at Uncle Steven's level. He is my guide in the film industry, my teacher.
"I've learned many of my directing techniques from him. No matter what happens, I will always be his student."
By positioning himself as a student, Gilbert pleased Spielberg's fans.
"See? Gilbert is actually quite humble, not at all like the media portrays."
"Exactly! He and Spielberg have such a good relationship. Without Spielberg, Gilbert wouldn't be where he is today. How could he possibly claim to surpass his own mentor?"
"Maybe decades from now, Gilbert will achieve more than Spielberg. But for now, he's still young."
While promoting *Jurassic Park,* Spielberg was also asked about Gilbert in an interview.
Spielberg said, "Gilbert is a genius. I realized this a long time ago.
"What's rare about him is that he has always maintained a calm mindset and a passion for filmmaking. I believe he'll achieve great things in the future."
This statement provided a different angle to the recent media praise of Gilbert. What made Gilbert truly remarkable wasn't his current achievements, but the fact that he had achieved so much at such a young age. What the future held for him was unimaginable.
In any society, geniuses are always admired.
In North America, the society has directly benefited from the contributions of geniuses. Especially for capitalists, they tirelessly seek out talents.
As long as you have talent, connections and background will only serve as aids. Even without them, the pursuit of capital will still likely help you realize your potential.
The relentless pursuit of geniuses is fundamentally about the pursuit of profits. This is one reason North American society has been so dynamic over the past few decades.
But that's outside the realm of filmmaking.
Within it, Gilbert has already made achievements that no one can ignore.
Michael Ovitz's plan was essentially to destroy Gilbert through excessive praise.
By hyping him up, Ovitz hoped to provoke public resentment against Gilbert, and if Gilbert let it get to his head and said something foolish, all the better.
But Ovitz overlooked the fact that North America is a society that idolizes geniuses. After a brief dip in public opinion, Gilbert quickly regained even more support.
And Gilbert himself never fell into arrogance, remaining humble, calm, and polite, showing no signs of getting carried away.
Within the rules, Ovitz had done all he could. But with Gilbert not taking the bait, there was nothing more he could do.
Fortunately for Ovitz, he had a backup plan: starting a feud between Sylvester Stallone and Keanu Reeves.
Before Reeves, most North American action stars were muscle-bound men. Reeves, with his different appearance, was a novelty.
However, some people felt that Reeves looked too lean, and that the movie would have been better with a more muscular star.
This upset Reeves's growing fanbase, especially his female fans, who adored his performance in the film.
"He's handsome, masculine, and responsible! I've fallen for him!"
Stallone, during his promotion for *Cliffhanger,* called Reeves a "sissy hero."
Unlike in Asian societies, where the delicate "pretty boy" look is often admired, calling someone "sissy" in North American culture is not a compliment—at least not at this time.
Even the male heartthrobs of the 80s and 90s, like Tom Cruise, who epitomized male beauty, still exuded masculinity.
No one ever called Cruise "sissy" because, despite his looks, he embodied masculine appeal.
So calling Reeves a "sissy" was essentially saying he wasn't a man.
Of course, Reeves couldn't stand for that.
During a promotional event in Chicago, Reeves took off his shirt to reveal six-pack abs, proving he wasn't a "sissy."
His hard training had paid off.
He even performed some martial arts moves, reinforcing his masculine image.
Reeves wasn't all smiles either. He fired back at Stallone, calling him a "muscle-bound idiot with no brains."
Looking at Stallone's film roles, it did seem like he had brawn but no brains.
In contrast, Reeves's character in *Speed* was both agile and intelligent.
This hit Stallone's sore spot, and with his short temper, he retaliated immediately through the media.
Reeves, not backing down, fired back in kind.
Stallone accused Reeves of disrespecting his elders, while Reeves claimed Stallone discriminated against the younger generation. Stallone boasted about his popularity with audiences, while Reeves countered with box office numbers.
Directors rarely attract as much media attention, but the feud between the rising star Reeves and the veteran Stallone captured the media's focus.
Meanwhile, as the feud escalated, the box office for both *Speed* and *Cliffhanger* saw a boost.
.....
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