Chapter 483 - The Day Approaches

Because it had previously won Best Picture, she had analyzed and studied it quite seriously. To be honest, she didn't think it was a movie outstanding enough to win Best Picture, especially given many other great films released during the same time. However, it had won, primarily due to the special circumstances of the time.

Thinking about this, Laila's body suddenly went cold.

She remembered! The special circumstances at the 75th Oscars... it was the anti-war sentiment!

At that time, due to 9/11, the United States had deployed troops to Afghanistan, which resulted in a significant domestic anti-war sentiment. To the extent that many people protested the Oscars being held during such times, and some even refused to attend the awards ceremony. Ironically, except for a few absent nominees, almost everyone who was supposed to attend was present.

Thinking about anti-war led her to 9/11, and thinking about 9/11, she couldn't help but glance at the calendar, her eyes fixated on the clear marking of July 20th. In less than two months, that day would arrive, and she had actually pushed it to the back of her mind because of other matters!

The impact of 9/11 on the United States and the world was enormous, and it had a particularly heavy blow on the financial industry. She didn't care how much money she made during this crisis, but she hoped not to be affected by it.

Seeing her face turn pale and then red, Louise, who had been watching her all this time, felt even more anxious. Her biggest regret now was why she didn't put that script in a place where Laila couldn't find it. Making her direct a musical... the image was too terrifying, she couldn't even bear to think about it.

At that moment, Roy knocked on the door and entered.

"Is something wrong?" He immediately sensed the unusual atmosphere in the office as soon as he stepped inside.

Seeing him enter, Louise couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, as if she had seen a savior. "Laila is reading a script, and you've come at just the right time. Stay here with her, and I'll go out for a while." After saying this, she hurriedly left the office. If she stayed any longer, she was afraid she would not be able to resist rushing over to snatch the script back!

Roy looked at Louise's retreating figure with confusion. It was the first time he had seen her rush around the company in such an unsteady manner. Was someone chasing her?

He turned around and saw no one, but instead, he saw something even scarier than a ghost – Laila, with a furrowed brow, pursed lips, and a serious expression.

He couldn't help but burst into laughter, finding her with that expression quite intimidating. No wonder even Louise was scared away.

"Laila, what are you looking at? Why the scary face?" He asked, still chuckling.

Laila only snapped out of her thoughts when she heard her name. "Roy? When did you arrive?"

Roy walked up to her and casually picked up the script she had been studying with such a serious expression. "Just now. Is this what you're going to shoot next? I didn't hear you mention it. Chicago? A new horror film?"

"It's a script Disney sent over," Laila pinched her forehead, "and I'm a little tempted."

Roy was unperturbed. "If you like it, go for it. What's holding you back?"

"This is a musical."

"Isn't it just a musical? Movie? You can make an action movie into a classic like "Kill Bill", and why are you afraid of just a musical?" Roy was suddenly stunned: "Did you just say... a musical?" 

Laila said expressionlessly Looking at him: "Yes, it's a musical."

"Haha!" Roy burst out laughing, laughing so hard that he banged the table. "They asked you to film a musical. What on earth were they thinking?"

Laila stretched out her hand to push him away in frustration: "I also want to know what they were thinking. Have you laughed enough? Do you want to go outside and finish laughing before coming in?"

Seeing that she was a little annoyed, Roy tried his best to hold back his laughter, wiped the tears from his eyes, and said, "Like "Moulin Rouge"? If so, I quite like it."

Moulin Rouge is a musical movie, starring Nicole Kidman, was just released in May this year and has received good reviews. Laila even knew that she would win the Best Actress statuette next year with this movie, and she would also achieve good results in other aspects, including winning several awards including Best Picture.

 "More or less, I don't know much about musicals."

Roy saw the confusion in her expression: "This is not like you. The Laila I know always keeps moving forward. What are you hesitating about? If you like it, just accept it."

"I'm actually a little interested." "Chicago" can help her win several Academy Awards, but it's a pity that Best Director is not among them. However, she also understands her shortcoming, which is that she has never been exposed to such a type. "I'm not good at singing and dancing, how can I shoot it?"

Roy raised an eyebrow. "So what? It's a musical. Are you worried about making an action movie as great as 'Kill Bill'? Or perhaps 'Pirates of the Caribbean'? Don't tell me you're a skilled pirate."

Laila was stunned. He was right. She was a director. All she needed to do was capture the story from the script through the lens. As for singing and dancing, the actors could be trained in choreography; she didn't need to be able to dance.

"Roy," she looked at him and realized he had been teasing her earlier. She couldn't help but smile and poke his shoulder, imitating his expression from earlier. "You've grown up." Actually, she wanted to poke his head, but he was too tall for her to reach.

"Grown up? Is that a compliment?" Roy's face darkened.

"You're right; I think I've figured out how to handle this. Thank you!" She suddenly hooked her arm around his neck, kissed him on the cheek, and then playfully tried to pull away. However, Roy grabbed her and deepened the previous kiss with an even sweeter one.

Not long after, Disney received the news that Laila had accepted the script. Yolanda sent the script to Laila through her friend Louise. At the time, she didn't have high expectations but brought it up during a discussion about director options. When she mentioned Laila's name, people laughed at her, and someone even joked that if they could get Laila to direct this, they'd bark like dogs in front of her. How could she tolerate such open disdain? So, she impulsively reached out to her good friend Louise, passing on the script.

This wasn't just a spur-of-the-moment decision; she had known Laila's personality for a long time. She knew that Laila was a person who could be easily moved by personal connections. For example, she had accepted the offer to direct "Rush Hour" because the lead actor had approached her through her grandmother. Her agreement to cooperate with Victoria's Secret was also due to a personal favor for her mother.

That's why she wanted to use Louise's relationship as an intermediary to test her, not expecting it to work. She didn't anticipate it would be a success!