LightReader

Chapter 1290 - Chapter 1290 – The Foundation Stone

Not far away, Robert Downey Jr., who had served as an awards presenter that night, overheard the conversation and burst into laughter as he walked over.

"You got beat too, didn't you?"

Leonardo grinned. "That's not the same! I already knew I was just here to make up the numbers. Just look at this year's nominees—it's terrifying, okay?"

"Oh, come on. You're still an Oscar-winning actor. Don't tell me you've lost all your competitive spirit." Downey poked fun without mercy.

But speaking of the Oscars… he couldn't help but have some thoughts of his own.

Turning to Laila, he said with a mock-serious face:

"Laila, those two have their little golden statues already. When are you going to get me one?"

Laila facepalmed. "You think I just hand those out like party favors?"

"You're Laila Moran!" Downey declared dramatically, spreading his arms in an operatic pose. "If you want it, of course you can make it happen!"

Laila laughed at his exaggerated antics. "If I were really that powerful, I'd just sweep all the awards myself."

"Well, I don't care. Out of the three of us, I'm the only one without a statue. You have to help me out here!" Downey said, acting like a sulking child, entirely unashamed.

Unfortunately for him, Roy wasn't about to let this "childish man" monopolize his wife's attention—even if that man happened to be his good friend. He calmly pulled Downey to the side and shooed him away.

That little interlude lightened Laila's mood significantly.

She glanced once more at Leslie, who was surrounded by a crowd and chatting warmly.

She smiled.

This outcome wasn't bad at all, was it?

But just because she had accepted the Golden Globe results gracefully didn't mean the outside world would do the same.

The next morning, the headlines were everywhere.

To grab attention, every media outlet had a different angle—unless something truly exceptional had happened.

And this time, the most talked-about event was undoubtedly Leslie's historic win.

It was the first time an Eastern actor had won Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama at the Golden Globes—not just a milestone for the Eastern world, but a point of pride for all of Asia.

"If an East Asian actor can win, then maybe actors from our country aren't far behind either!"

This moment shattered long-standing biases in the West.

More importantly, it opened the eyes of Hollywood producers and studios:

Asian actors aren't lacking in talent or charisma.

Audiences are ready to embrace them.

And from a business standpoint? They're cost-effective.

One film—Silence—had pulled in nearly $600 million at the box office. That alone was impressive.

But on top of that?

Eastern actors are cheap.

Hollywood A-listers, even the slightly well-known ones, didn't come cheap.

And if they were top-tier stars, they demanded not just a paycheck, but profit-sharing percentages too.

Take Robert Downey Jr., for example—his later Iron Man films reportedly earned him over $80 million per movie.

And that's in USD.

In comparison, even someone like Jackie Chan, a global martial arts icon, had only just passed the $10 million mark per film at his peak.

As for the newly risen Leslie Cheung—

Even with the Golden Globe win boosting his asking price, it would still be far less than a Hollywood star of equivalent stature.

And with his performance and box office draw in Silence, no one would dare say he wasn't a high-value investment.

It was clear that in the coming months, Leslie's desk would be overflowing with Hollywood scripts.

Strangely, Leslie's win didn't stir much controversy.

On the contrary, it was praised for being bold and innovative.

Aside from the usual rants from a few racists—which were quickly drowned out—most people supported the decision.

The Best Screenplay award for Silence also went relatively unchallenged.

After all, its release had already triggered intense public debate.

Any film capable of sparking that kind of discussion deserved recognition.

Just on that merit alone, the win felt justified.

But for Laila's fans?

That's where the outrage began.

"What do you mean Silence didn't win Best Picture?"

"What's wrong with Laila's directing? Doesn't she deserve Best Director?"

And so, the trending topic #GoldenGlobesDiscriminateAgainstLailaMoran resurfaced once again.

Part of this came from fans expressing genuine frustration,

But a much larger part came from media manipulation.

These outlets hadn't forgotten how much money they made stirring the pot two years ago.

Now that another "injustice" had occurred?

They pounced, eager to cash in.

Free drama? Easy views? Say no more.

But Laila…

She wasn't a dollar bill—not everyone was going to like her.

The more success she achieved, the more haters she gained.

Some envied her accomplishments.

Some were sick of seeing her name in the headlines.

Some just wanted to be part of the noise.

So ironically, her not winning brought a certain kind of satisfaction to those detractors.

To make things worse, the other nominated directors and films had huge fan bases too.

Some of their fans actually liked Laila's work—

But even they grew annoyed when the media framed her as the "victim" of discrimination.

"So what, not giving her the award is now called discrimination? Only one of five can win—are the other four always being discriminated against?"

"I liked Silence, but in my opinion, it doesn't reach the depth of The Descendants. The storytelling still has room to grow."

"There'll be plenty more awards in the future. Do we really have to make a media circus out of one loss? It's getting kind of embarrassing."

The truth was, Moran Media Group, the powerhouse backing Laila, was both a blessing and a curse.

On the one hand, they gave her great support.

On the other…

They also made her the easy target of any related controversy.

Take this media firestorm, for example:

It was clearly stirred up by opportunistic outlets.

But in the eyes of the general public?

It looked like Laila herself was behind the drama—like she was being petty about losing.

Laila had always kept an eye on public discourse online.

Reading some of the comments… she couldn't help but feel a bit bitter.

But then again, in her past life, she'd seen far worse.

If she had let those kinds of remarks break her down, she'd have been dead a dozen times by now—figuratively and literally.

Still, letting people throw mud on her name without responding at all?

That felt… wrong.

So, Laila logged into her official Facebook account and posted a single, poignant message:

"Director Scorsese is an outstanding filmmaker, and the other nominated directors all earned their place.

Every award winner stands atop the shoulders of others—they reach the peak because of their own strength.

But please, don't forget the existence of those 'shoulders' beneath them.

If the foundation isn't solid, then standing at the top becomes nothing but a joke."

More Chapters