Chapter 931 - Acting Awards

The technical awards have mostly been handed out, leaving the Laila crew with only Best Picture and Best Director to look forward to.

Considering Laila's age and the success of "The Lord of the Rings" at this year's Oscars, the hearts of everyone present, as well as the fans watching from home, were on edge.

Could she win the award and break the age record? 

Could she set a new record by winning ten or even eleven Oscars in a single ceremony? 

How far would she go? 

No one could answer that question at the moment. Fortunately, even without speculation, the answer was about to be revealed.

But before that, the most anticipated acting awards were yet to be presented.

Humans are creatures who appreciate beauty. Some, like Laila, are drawn to aesthetics, while others value acting skills. Regardless of which camp one belongs to, everyone would pay attention to the upcoming acting awards.

The first to be presented was the Best Supporting Actress. Cate Blanchett, who had previously worked with Laila, was nominated for her role in "I'm Not There." Unfortunately, she lost to Tilda Swinton, who delivered a remarkable performance in "Michael Clayton."

In Laila's opinion, Tilda's win wasn't solely due to her acting surpassing others but more because of the film's content. The character she portrayed was more likely to resonate with the judges.

Of course, this was just her internal critique. Voicing it publicly would have caused quite a stir.

However, what happened next left Laila so shocked that she forgot to close her mouth. Whether out of excitement or something else, Tilda Swinton's acceptance speech included some extremely risqué language.

Words like "ass" were relatively mild, but some terms that were sure to be censored during the broadcast were also uttered one after another.

"Oh my god, does she even know what she's saying?" Janet couldn't believe such an outrageous speech was happening at such an event.

Laila was equally stunned: "I think she has no idea what she's saying."

One wonders if, after returning home, she might feel so ashamed of her speech that she'd throw her freshly won, still-warm trophy into the trash.

The backstage crew realized they couldn't let this continue and quickly played music to cut her off before she could say anything more inappropriate.

Thankfully, most of the attendees were well-versed in such situations and wouldn't comment on it. However, the audience watching at home was a different story. They could freely express their opinions online. It's safe to say that the newly crowned Best Supporting Actress would have no shortage of topics to discuss the next day.

Next, the Best Supporting Actor award went to Javier Bardem for "No Country for Old Men." He played a cold-blooded killer in the film, earning widespread acclaim and being hailed as a "chillingly memorable villain." This marked the first time a Spaniard had won an Oscar, making the victory even more significant.

Speaking of "No Country for Old Men," it was somewhat tragic. At this year's Oscars, it was second only to "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" in terms of buzz, receiving eight nominations.

In a previous life, this film had won four awards, including Best Picture and Best Director. However, due to Laila's influence, the Best Adapted Screenplay award, which should have gone to them, was instead won by Laila. As for whether they would still take home the two most important awards, that was up to fate.

Finally, the Oscars reached one of the most anticipated moments—the Best Actress award, also known as the Oscar for Best Leading Actress.

In the past, Laila's films often had several nominees for acting awards, and they rarely left empty-handed. This time, however, she found herself as a mere spectator, which gave her a sense of detachment and freedom.

As the presenters on stage read out the list of nominees, Laila was surprised to see that Cate Blanchett, who had just missed out on Best Supporting Actress, had received the Best Actress nomination for her role in "Elizabeth: The Golden Age."

Among the five nominees, Laila was most interested in Ellen Page, who starred in "Juno." This young actress, born in 1987, was only in her early twenties but had already left a lasting impression with her roles.

"Juno" was one such role, and "Hard Candy" was another. Laila could never forget the impact of watching "Hard Candy" for the first time. At just sixteen or seventeen years old, Ellen portrayed a seemingly fragile yet cunning and ruthless girl, sending chills down the audience's spines.

Unfortunately, neither of the two actresses Laila was rooting for won. The Best Actress crown was ultimately claimed by French actress Marion Cotillard.

This was a major upset, defying most people's expectations. Even Cotillard herself was so overwhelmed with emotion that she struggled to speak after taking the stage.

Cate Blanchett's situation was particularly unfortunate. She had received nominations for both Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress for two different films but left empty-handed despite attending the ceremony while heavily pregnant. However, this also highlighted her excellent taste in scripts. Ever since her breakthrough role in one of Laila's films, she had been inundated with offers.

A less discerning actress might have opted for high-paying commercial films to cash in, but Cate stayed true to her artistic path.

This isn't to say that commercial films are bad, but the roles of leading actresses in such films are often limited to being eye candy, with little room for acting prowess or growth.

Cate's career trajectory shows that she knows exactly what she wants. She's a very intelligent person, and she has a savvy agent helping her navigate the industry.

Compared to the Best Actress award, the Best Actor category garnered even more attention. In Hollywood, it's common knowledge that male stars of the same caliber earn at least twice as much as their female counterparts.

Films led by male actors also tend to outperform those led by female actors, both in terms of box office revenue and other metrics. Audiences, regardless of gender, seem to prefer male-led films, while female-led films have historically struggled to gain the same level of acclaim.

There are exceptions, of course, but they are few and far between compared to male-led films.

As a result, the audience paying attention to the Best Actor award far outnumbered those following the Best Actress category. The latter only gained more attention afterward due to the so-called "Oscar Best Actress Curse," which had claimed several past winners.

Roy leaned over to Laila and whispered, "This year's Best Actor will probably go to Daniel Day-Lewis."

"You're so sure?" she asked curiously. "He played a villain, and from what I know, villains rarely win that award."

"Hard Candy" was truly impressive. That girl's performance was phenomenal. But I wouldn't recommend it for male viewers (￢_￢). It might leave them with some psychological scars.