It has to be said, Michael Ovitz's judgment was quite accurate; excessive praise indeed makes it easy for people to lose themselves. Many young stars who achieved early fame in Hollywood ended up losing their way amidst media adoration.
However, he miscalculated one crucial thing: Gilbert. He wasn't like other young people. Although his twenty-third birthday hadn't passed yet, it was as if he had already lived for decades, mature beyond his years.
As the new week arrived, there had previously been a lot of criticism in the media regarding Speed and its director, Gilbert. Needless to say, this was the work of competitors. But this week, such critical voices greatly diminished, replaced by excessive praise.
Many tabloids hyped Gilbert as surpassing Spielberg and declared Speed the greatest action film in the world. Such exaggerated praise triggered a backlash among some viewers.
"What kind of trash movie dares to call itself the greatest action movie in the world? What about all the other action movies?"
"And how many movies have you even made? To say you've surpassed Spielberg, do you have any shame?"
This excessive praise, to some extent, affected Speed's box office performance during the weekdays of its second weekend. Influenced by the media hype, many viewers selectively chose not to watch Speed.
Naomi Watts saw so much media praise for Gilbert, much of it making even her blush. She told Gilbert about the media's reaction, but he remained remarkably calm.
"This is normal. Someone is definitely setting a trap for me, waiting for me to jump in," Gilbert said.
"How can that be? We didn't offend anyone!" Naomi Watts was very displeased. How dare they insult Gilbert, those jerks...
Gilbert gently stroked the petite woman's blonde hair and said with a smile, "In a competitive summer blockbuster season, you can't avoid offending people just because you don't intend to. I'm guessing this is CAA's doing, and other companies are seizing the opportunity to get involved too. Michael Ovitz has always wanted to poach me for CAA. Now, my Speed has successfully defeated Cliffhanger, which CAA represents, affecting CAA's foundation. Since I won't join, they might as well destroy me!"
If they can't have him, they'll destroy him...
Even a "set tyrant" would be targeted if it didn't align with CAA's interests. But often, set tyrants are hard to deal with; they might even turn on CAA themselves. While Gilbert had made a name for himself, he was still young, making him relatively easier to deal with.
The powerful CAA was like a giant to most small directors and actors, but Gilbert never cared about CAA. Don't be fooled by CAA's current swagger; it's a result of the major studios tolerating them. Once their core "packaging service" is no longer accepted by film companies, the current dominant position of Hollywood agencies in Hollywood will disappear.
As for using the media to flatter himself and make him arrogant, Gilbert had long been forewarned. His elder had warned Gilbert early on that with such high achievements at such a young age, he must maintain a clear mind and never lose himself. So, Gilbert constantly reminded himself not to be arrogant, but to be humble.
Fortunately, he had the experience of over a decade of ups and downs in the film and television industry on the other side of the Pacific in his previous life. He had endured all sorts of hardships and criticisms, and his mindset had long been tempered. Therefore, no matter what the situation, Gilbert could respond calmly.
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Facing the media's praise, Gilbert consistently chose not to respond, letting the media continue their adoration. During promotional events across the US, he maintained sufficient humility when interviewed by reporters.
When a reporter asked if he felt he had surpassed Spielberg, Gilbert humbly replied, "I am far from being as good as Uncle Steven. He is my guide in the film industry, my teacher. Many of my directing techniques I learned from him. No matter what, I am his student."
Gilbert claiming to be a student made Spielberg's fans happy.
"See? Gilbert is quite humble; he's not at all like the media reports."
"Exactly! He has such a good relationship with Spielberg; without Spielberg, he wouldn't be where he is today. How could he possibly say he's surpassed his teacher?"
"Perhaps decades from now, Gilbert will achieve something that surpasses Spielberg, but he's still young now."
Spielberg, who was promoting Jurassic Park, was also caught by the media for an interview, and the questions were still related to Gilbert. Spielberg said, "Gilbert is a genius, and I realized that a long time ago. What's rare is that he always maintains a calm mindset and a passion for film. I believe he will achieve great things in the future."
This statement offered a new perspective on the recent media hype surrounding Gilbert: the truly formidable aspect of Gilbert isn't what he has achieved now, but that he has achieved it at such a young age. What his future holds is beyond imagination.
In any country or society, geniuses are always sought after. In ancient China, the concept of child prodigies was prevalent, seen as auspicious omens. North American society, on the other hand, has tangible benefits from geniuses, especially capitalists who tirelessly search for one genius after another. As long as you have talent, connections and background will be your stepping stones. Even without them, the pursuit of capital will make it highly likely for you to realize your life's value. The fervent pursuit of genius is essentially a passionate pursuit of profit, which is one of the reasons for the relatively high vitality of North American society in recent decades.
Of course, that's beyond the scope of film.
However, within the film industry, Gilbert had already achieved results that no one could ignore.
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Michael Ovitz's tactic was originally meant to "praise to kill." By subtly denigrating others, he aimed to provoke public resentment towards Gilbert. If Gilbert became arrogant and said something foolish, even better.
But he overlooked that this is a society that chases after genius. After a brief dip in public opinion, Gilbert immediately received even more praise. And Gilbert himself showed no signs of arrogance, remaining humble, calm, and polite, without any hint of being carried away.
Within the rules, Michael Ovitz could only do so much. If Gilbert didn't fall for the trap, there was nothing he could do.
Fortunately, he had a backup plan: pitting Stallone and Keanu Reeves against each other in a war of words.
Before Keanu Reeves, most North American action film actors were muscular tough guys. It was rare for an actor with Keanu Reeves' physique to star in action films. This subversion of the typical action hero image was very eye-catching.
However, some people felt that Keanu Reeves was indeed a bit too thin, and that the effect would have been better with a muscular tough guy. This sparked dissatisfaction among Keanu Reeves' fans, especially his female fans, who loved his performance in the film. He was handsome, masculine, and responsible; they were already in love with him!
Following instructions, Stallone, while promoting Cliffhanger, incidentally called Keanu Reeves a "sissy protagonist." Unlike Asian societies which generally appreciate delicate "flower boys," the term "sissy" in North American society isn't a compliment, at least not now. Even "pretty boys" or "male eye candy" typically possess muscular physiques and strong masculine aesthetics. Tom Cruise in the 80s and 90s is a prime example of the pinnacle of male eye candy, but no one would call him "sissy," because while being eye candy, Tom Cruise's masculine aesthetic was no less than that of muscular tough guys.
Therefore, calling Keanu Reeves a "sissy" was practically calling him "not a man" to his face. Could he tolerate this? Of course not.
Consequently, during promotions in Chicago, Keanu Reeves took off his shirt in front of fans, revealing his six-pack abs to demonstrate that he was not a "sissy." This was the result of his hard training, and it didn't go to waste. At the same time, he performed a few martial arts moves to reinforce the impression of his strong masculine appeal.
Keanu Reeves was not one to be outdone. He immediately turned around and criticized Stallone as a brainless tough guy with only muscles and no intelligence. Judging from most of the film roles Stallone had played, it seemed he indeed had muscles but no brains. In contrast, Jack in Speed was skilled and intelligent.
This instantly hit a nerve with Stallone, and the hot-tempered actor immediately started a media war of words. Keanu Reeves was not to be outdone and also lashed out in the media. One side accused the other of disrespecting elders, while the other accused them of discriminating against young people. One side claimed their film was popular with audiences, while the other countered with box office data.
Directors, after all, couldn't extensively attract media attention. The surging new star Keanu Reeves and Sylvester Stallone, who had become popular in recent months, attracted a great deal of media attention. And in an unnoticed corner, as the war of words escalated, so did the box office of Speed and Cliffhanger.
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