The Greatest Showman #839 - Push the Boat

Three years ago, during the race for Best Actress, Julie Christie earned her fourth Oscar nomination for her brilliant performance in The Willows and Flowers. Her voice was striking, and the competition was fierce. However, at the ceremony, Marion Cotillard unexpectedly stole the spotlight with her unforgettable portrayal of the legendary singer Edith Piaf in La Vie en Rose. Though she was relatively unknown in Hollywood at the time, Marion's mesmerizing performance as the tragic French icon won her the golden statue.

At that point, Marion was virtually invisible in Hollywood, with few aware of her existence. La Vie en Rose was a French film, which made her win even more unexpected. Historically, only Sophia Loren (for Two Women) and Roberto Benigni (for Life Is Beautiful) had won Oscars for non-English language films.

In France, however, Marion had already earned recognition. La Vie en Rose was met with tremendous success in Europe, racking up prestigious accolades such as the César Award, the European Film Award, and the BAFTA. This ultimately led to a stunning victory that shocked the world, a triumph from a virtually unknown actress.

The scene from that year feels eerily familiar. Now, Jean Dujardin seems to be following in Marion's footsteps, inching closer to the pinnacle of his career. Throughout his journey, Renly has merely been a stepping stone in his path.

Roy chuckled and said with a wry smile, "Should we be happy or angry? At least it shows they consider Renly their biggest rival, not Brad Pitt or Gary Oldman."

"That's the truth," Andy replied, his tone matter-of-fact. "After Crazy Love won at Sundance last year, Focus Pictures has been pushing hard. They're now calling it the best romantic film since When Harry Met Sally and the best performance since The Bridge."

Focus Pictures is one of only two distributors that can compete with Weinstein Pictures during awards season, the other being Fox Searchlight. Incidentally, Fox Searchlight is also behind this year's contender, The Descendants.

The battle for Best Actor this year is shaping up to be a showdown between Focus Pictures, Fox Searchlight, and Weinstein Pictures.

At the start of the season, Focus Pictures held the advantage. Apart from Crazy Love, they also distributed Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, which received a Best Picture nomination. Two of the top five movie stars are represented by Focus, with Gary Oldman's nomination being especially valuable as he clinched his spot at the last minute.

Fox Searchlight, however, has a powerhouse in George Clooney this year. They had to drop Michael Fassbender to make room for him. Additionally, The Tree of Life has emerged as a major dark horse and is attracting attention during the nomination phase.

As for Weinstein Pictures, they began to turn the tide after the nominations were released. They decided to abandon My Week with Marilyn and instead focused on pushing Meryl Streep's performance in The Iron Lady, leveraging her status as an Oscar-winning actress. In addition, all their resources are now behind The Artist, which has begun to gather momentum.

"The reason the Weinsteins are so aggressive is that they're trying to force Focus Pictures to abandon Renly," Andy observed. "But I won't let them succeed."

Every distributor has limited public relations resources. After the nominations, they're forced to make choices on where to allocate their efforts. For Focus Pictures, it's a delicate balancing act. They have two films in contention: Crazy Love and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. The former has only a Best Actor nomination, while the latter is up for Best Picture. How they allocate their PR resources is critical.

This is the central challenge Andy is facing right now.

Before Roy called, Andy had been strategizing. Now, a new idea had emerged in his mind. "Perfect timing," Andy said, "With Renly staying in Berlin, we'll focus on both fronts."

"On one hand, Renly will attend industry events and engage with media in Europe. Dieter Kosslick seems to be quite optimistic about him, so we can explore that. On the other hand, I'll continue negotiations with Focus Pictures. We still have three weeks before the Oscars, and there's plenty of time to work things out."

Roy had concerns. "But if Renly stays in Berlin, he'll miss some scheduled PR events. Are you sure that's okay? Can we manage?"

"Are you worried about me?" Andy's answer was casual, almost teasing. "That's impossible, even in your dreams."

It was a brief joke, but Andy quickly returned to business. "Renly's absence from some of the PR events will have some negative effects. But in the grand scheme, it's less damaging than his presence would be. After all, he's missed most of the season's events anyway."

"If we don't confirm anything, rumors will remain rumors. People will keep speculating but won't make any concrete judgments." Andy's mind worked quickly, and within moments, he had a solid plan. "Renly staying in Berlin is the better option right now. After hanging up, I'm heading straight to Focus Pictures."

Roy didn't continue to question him. Instead, he shifted the focus to his own responsibilities. "I'm here working. Do you need anything from me?"

Andy knew that, even in their competitive roles, agents and managers had one shared goal: the artist's best interests. And if needed, they could work together to ensure those interests were met.

"Yes," Andy said, "Can you get a list of the attendees for the industry event? Fax it to me. I'll take a look and let you know if anything stands out."

He didn't waste time. "I'll also have my assistant call you later with a list of media outlets. You should schedule a round of interviews, not about Transcendence, but about Les Misérables auditions."

As a seasoned agent, Andy's mind raced with possibilities. A new plan was quickly coming into place, one that would catch the Weinstein brothers off-guard. Renly's desire to return to the stage for Les Misérables could be the perfect way to shift attention away from the gossip.

In the face of the Weinsteins' attacks, the long-term impact on Renly's career would likely be minimal, as time would reveal the truth. However, with the Oscars fast approaching, they couldn't afford to wait. Les Misérables and Renly's stage aspirations were now more important than ever.

Andy was relieved that he had supported Renly's decision to pursue the audition for Les Misérables. Without it, they'd be in an even worse position now.

Roy quickly pieced together the outline of Andy's plan, then focused on Renly and Berlin. This was critical for turning the tide in Los Angeles.

"Got it," Roy said. After a pause, he added, "Should we tell Renly about the situation in Los Angeles?"

"We will," Andy replied after a moment's thought. "Renly's not one to be fazed by gossip. Knowing the situation might actually give him more clarity on how to proceed."

"I don't think Renly will be too concerned about the rumors," Andy said with a calm expression. "It's the same as when he worked on Fighting Cancer — back then, and now."

"Fear and anxiety, that's part of the job," Roy muttered, though it was unclear whether he was sympathizing with Renly or complaining about him.

Without further words, the call ended. Roy looked up and saw Nathan standing nearby, a nervous expression on his face.

Nathan hadn't heard the full conversation but had caught the last part. His expression turned tense. "What happened? Is everything okay?"

Roy didn't answer but glanced past Nathan. "Didn't you say you were going to the movies with Renly?"

"Renly picked a documentary, and I wasn't interested, so I came back," Nathan explained with a shrug.