King of Hollywood
Chapter 328 - Chapter 328 Chapter 55 Fulfilling a Long-cherished Wish

Chapter 328: Chapter 55 Fulfilling a Long-cherished Wish Chapter 328: Chapter 55 Fulfilling a Long-cherished Wish “This should be the second time I’ve received this award,” Adrian said as he looked at the Oscar statuette in his hand with a contemplative expression. “I’m sorry that Winston couldn’t be here due to health reasons, so I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Film Academy on his behalf for awarding this trophy to both of us. Of course, I also want to thank Winston for writing a great novel and all my collaborators. Thank you!”

He didn’t say much, but elegantly bowed and then stepped down, his graceful demeanor garnering much applause. Most people knew that he would be back on stage later that night.

Indeed, just after two awards, Adrian returned to the stage, this time sharing it with Arthur Schmidt. “Forrest Gump” deservedly won Best Editing for its skillful blending of fiction and reality within historical contexts.

“…This is a tremendous encouragement,” said Schmidt during his acceptance speech, “I believe I can do even better in the future!” After all, his editing was primarily responsible for the win.

“Congratulations, Ed, it looks like you’re going to break the record,” Hanks said to Adrian after embracing and congratulating him when he returned to his seat.

Adrian initially thought Hanks was referring to him becoming the youngest Best Director winner, but upon further reflection, he realized what Hanks meant.

“Thank you, I probably wouldn’t have realized it until the end of the ceremony if you hadn’t mentioned it,” Adrian shrugged, speaking lightly but his excitement was evident.

One Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay, one for Best Editing, and presumably, one for Best Director to come–three Oscars in one night would be unprecedented. While others in the same edition of the Oscars had received multiple nominations, the most anyone had actually won was two, such as Kevin Costner four years prior or possibly Mel Gibson the following year–although Adrian’s presence had already made that impossible for Gibson.

While Costner and Gibson, aside from Best Director, also took home Best Picture, that award is somewhat given to the film companies. Each of the Seven Major Film Companies had several Best Picture Oscars, so strictly speaking, they only got one and a half each. Adrian’s three Oscars would belong solely to him and, considering “Forrest Gump” was almost certain to win Best Picture, it would total three and a half Oscars–overshadowing even giants like Costner or future winners like Cameron.

As for whether these Oscars might affect the remaining two big awards–since the Film Academy also loved to play a balancing game, though they played it well–Adrian wasn’t too concerned. Generally speaking, unless there was a very special circumstance, the Oscars for Best Director and Best Picture went to the same film. That’s why Costner had lost Best Actor; the Film Academy wouldn’t give the most significant awards to the same person.

Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Editing were not comparable to Best Actor in significance, and Best Original Screenplay was the most noticed among writing awards. Plus, Adrian’s accumulated experience over the years and “Forrest Gump’s” position as an unrivaled mainstream American film for the next decade were all factors the conservative yet intelligent Academy members would consider.

After a musical number, the Oscar ceremony was finally reaching its climax.

“I know a lot of you have been eagerly waiting, and as much as I want to keep you waiting a little longer, for my personal safety, I’d better get started,” Letterman sighed loudly on stage, pretending to regret his compromise, which elicited laughter from the audience.

“Alright, let me invite last year’s Best Actor winner to the stage,” Letterman said, making a welcoming gesture, then quickly added, “I must admit, the Film Academy did a great job arranging this, as if letting last year’s Best Actor award this year’s Best Actor, oh God.”

After his remark, he swiftly slipped away, causing another round of laughter.

“Well, all I want to say is, it’s an honor to present the Best Actress award,” Hanks said, shrugging as he passed by Letterman and approached the microphone.

He did not say much more and immediately started introducing the list of nominees–Jessica Lange, Susan Sarandon, Winona Ryder, and others appeared on the screen in turn. In the end, the trophy that countless actresses dream of was taken by Jessica Lange, the third actress from King Kong. Overwhelmed with emotion, she couldn’t even speak when she took the stage.

From his seat, Adrian couldn’t help but sigh internally; he had hoped to see some change, such as Susan Sarandon winning Best Actress. Among the five candidates, Winona’s age made her second least likely to win; Judi Foster, already a two-time Oscar winner, would likely only get nominated at this point in her life unless there was a special circumstance; as for Miranda Richardson, despite having played numerous roles, she didn’t stand out compared to the others and it was also her first nomination for Best Actress, making the real competition between Lange and Sarandon.

Sarandon had been nominated several times before and had always left empty-handed, her accumulated experience along with Lange having already won Best Supporting Actress, made it likely that she would clinch Best Actress at this ceremony.

Unfortunately, The Client wasn’t the type of movie the Film Academy typically favored, and although the judges’ perception of the film didn’t significantly impact the acting awards, it was not entirely irrelevant. Moreover, Lange’s former label as just a pretty face had now become an advantage–imagine the headline: a pretty face finally gains full recognition from the Film Academy through hard work. All these factors combined, and the public relations efforts were neck and neck on both sides, leaving luck to play the deciding factor.

Adrian subtly shook his head again and turned his attention to Little Women, just in time to see Dennis comforting Winona. It was unclear if it was intentional by the organizers or not, but as Lange walked off stage, the camera unintentionally swept over the other nominees, capturing a few seconds of Dennis and Winona’s intimate exchange. Adrian wondered what Depp, also present in the Holy Grand Hall, thought of this.

“Are you ready, Tom?” Shrugging off these thoughts, Adrian looked toward Hanks, who was coming down after presenting Best Actress, and smiled as he asked.

“And you?” Hanks did not answer directly but responded with a smile. He was clearly evading the question.

Understanding his mixed emotions, Adrian shrugged and then looked toward the stage, where Holly Hunter, the previous year’s Best Actress, had stepped up to present Best Actor.

“I believe everyone has been looking forward to this, each of the nominated candidates has shown exceptional acting in the films, but sadly only one can take the trophy. So, who will the lucky one be?” Holly Hunter said with a smile.

Watching the candidates appear on the big screen as their names were called, Adrian’s lips slightly curled up. He was not as outwardly calm yet tense as Hanks; he was relaxed. Because of his influence, this year’s Oscars were missing The Shawshank Redemption, Pulp Fiction, and Four Weddings and a Funeral, leaving key nominations such as Best Actor, Best Director, and Best Picture in disarray.

For instance, in the Best Actor category, without Morgan Freeman and John Travolta, two very average actors had been included. In Adrian’s view, these two were nowhere near Freeman and Travolta, making them unlikely threats to Hanks.

“Alright, let me see…” Hunter on stage had opened the envelope. The five nominees all held their breath, and Hanks, sitting in front of Adrian, was breathing notably heavier, his wife swiftly grabbing his hand.

“My God!” Hunter exclaimed, her eyes widening as she looked at the paper in her hand and then at the audience, whether she was deliberately stirring up suspense or truly surprised.

“This is incredible… I really didn’t expect… God, this is so…” she stammered, “Alright, let me announce it. The Best Actor goes to Tom Hanks for Forrest Gump!”

The final declaration was almost a shout. Then, there was silence for two seconds before a thunderous applause erupted, so vigorous it seemed as if it could lift the ceiling. When Hanks heard his name, he first froze, then his eyes widened, and he stood up somewhat bewildered.

“Is it me?” he asked his wife beside him.

“Yes, it’s you, my dear, you heard right, you’ve won best actor again!” Rita Wilson exclaimed excitedly to her husband as she hugged him tightly and kissed his cheek.

“Congratulations, Tommy, you’ve won best actor again,” Adrian chimed in just in time as the entire crew stood up at his gesture,applauding to the theme of Forrest Gump.

“Thank you, Ed, thank you,” Hanks finally regained his composure after responding to his wife and immediately gave Adrian a bear hug, his face full of gratitude. His hand was still shaking; it wasn’t surprising, considering he had just won best actor again, an honor not everyone could achieve.

“Go on up, don’t keep everyone waiting,” Adrian gently patted him, reminding him.

Having calmed down, Hanks straightened his clothes and walked up to the stage amidst the dying applause. Taking the award from Holly Hunter, he rubbed the trophy for a moment before starting, “Frankly, I hadn’t expected to win this award again. Although when Jessica was awarded best actress earlier, I did wonder if I might stand here again, but I wasn’t sure. Unexpectedly, a few minutes later, my dream came true, and I still can’t believe it until now, fearing I might suddenly hear Rita telling me to wake up.”

Laughter broke out immediately.

“Fortunately, Rita has just proven with her actions that this is definitely not a dream of mine, thank you, Rita, thank you,” a completely adjusted Hanks joked, “I want to thank my wife, who has been supportive all the way, and then I want to thank Adrian, for giving me two chances…”

Hearing this, Adrian raised an eyebrow. Although Hanks looked somewhat simple and honest, akin to an honest man, particularly with the role of Forrest adding points in becoming an American icon, it didn’t mean he was truly naive or simple, like how he subtly promoted Adrian right now.

In any industry, those who rise to high positions are meticulous thinkers. Adrian thought to himself while clapping, and then laughed asking Hanks when he returned, “How does it feel to break the record, Tommy?”

“You’ll know soon enough,” Hanks didn’t answer directly.

Only two awards remained, best director and best picture, and the ceremony had reached its final moments.

“I know the importance of a director to a film, many scripts that aren’t so outstanding initially, in the right hands, can shine differently. Today’s five nominees are all such cases…,” David Letterman used this opportunity to liven up the atmosphere again.

Adrian immediately sat up straighter, although he was quite aware he had done his best and some things were unlikely to change, but he still felt a touch of nervousness and excitement; after all, it was the Oscar for best director.

Soon, the presenter appeared on stage, the familiar figure instantly turning most eyes in the venue towards the Forrest Gump crew, because the man introducing the nominees was none other than Jonathan Demme!

Having Jonathan as the presenter, could you be more obvious? Adrian laughed softly to himself shaking his head. Of course, he knew that the organizers didn’t know who would win when inviting someone to present, but it didn’t stop people from speculating. Besides, from the release of Forrest Gump, there had been a strong call for Adrian to win best director.

“… Robert Redford, Quiz Show; Woody Allen, Bullets Over Broadway; Adrian Cowell, Forrest Gump.” Following Demme’s voice, the big screen listed the candidates’ images again.

This time, unlike the previous ceremonies, it wasn’t listed one by one; rather, it was split into four blocks, with one placed in the center–a curious setup since the central spot was exactly where Adrian was.

On the screen, the four candidates, apart from Woody Allen, all maintained a semblance of calm, at least on the surface. As for Woody Allen, he didn’t attend the Oscar ceremony, so the organizers casually used a picture instead. It was well-known that Woody Allen never attended the Oscar ceremonies, not even when he won Best Director, since he believed any competition concerning art was merely dull–what a vexing thought.

But now, even if he changed his mind, it wouldn’t be good to show up at the Holy Grand Hall. Despite the scandal with his adopted daughter having blown over two years ago, the tabloids still wanted to dig up some fresh news.

“Now, let’s see who will win Best Director,” Jonathan Demme said as he opened the envelope and glanced at the name inside. He raised his eyebrows, “Without any suspense, ‘Forrest Gump,’ Adrian Cowell!”

The other three candidates on screen immediately showed their disappointment. Robert Redford goes without saying; having switched from acting to directing, he’d been nominated several times but had never clinched the award; Krzysztof Kieslowski was slightly better off–he was, after all, a European director and didn’t take the Oscars too seriously; the most relaxed one was Neil Harris, who was just there for presence, so any disappointment passed quickly.

Adrian let out a long breath and stood up with a smile amidst the applause. Although he had finally obtained the award every director dreams of, his joy was quite limited. After all, it was just the “track of history,” mostly just a change in the executor.

However, he didn’t dwell on it much, as his goal wasn’t exactly the Best Director. This way, he wasn’t as overwhelmed as either Hanks or Kirsten, needing a good while to regain composure.

“Congratulations, Ed.”

“Congratulations.”

“Fantastic, you finally got it.”

After hugging each familiar person and saying “thank you,” Adrian finally walked onto the stage.

“Long-deserved,” Demme handed the Oscar statuette to him.

“Long-deserved,” Adrian smiled as he received it, then lifted it over his head to wave to the audience.

As the laughter and clapping gradually subsided, he then touched the statuette, showing a reflective expression–every time, Adrian’s acting was not much less than that of the best actors.

“Two years ago, when I first received the Best Director nomination, the thrill was akin to receiving a hot cocoa while advancing through icy, snowy terrain, and losing felt like having that cocoa knocked over midway. So, I told myself that I must come back–it certainly won’t be like the T-800 coming back.”

This remark immediately caused a burst of laughter.

“Fortunately, my efforts weren’t in vain, and today I finally won approval from the judges and everyone here. I managed not to spill the cocoa again, and at this moment, I just want to say, I will do even better. Although ‘Forrest Gump’ is an outstanding film, I will do better. As long as I keep pushing forward without stopping, I am sure I will do better!” (To be continued. If you like this work, we welcome you to support it with recommendation tickets and monthly tickets on . Your support is my greatest motivation.)

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