Actually, the intern program wasn't arranged by the Beijing Film Academy—it doesn't have the clout or connections for something like that.
This initiative was driven by Minister Tian. He had seen how talented the crew involved with The Lord of the Rings turned out to be—they had become the backbone of the Chinese film and TV industry—and that gave him the idea.
In short, the plan was split into two parts. The first was to send some young directors to Hollywood to learn.
Though they were labeled "young," most were actually in their thirties—not exactly fresh. But for directors just starting out, that counts as early career.
The second part was to train comparable industry talent—teaching them advanced Hollywood production methods.
But to be honest, many professionals later realized that those who'd "gilded themselves" working on The Lord of the Rings didn't actually elevate their Chinese crews that much.
The reason was simple: Chinese film is dominated by small workshops where the director's personal ability truly matters. It doesn't depend on one or two experienced crew members.
Hollywood's industrial model—well-organized and systematic—is something Chinese film crews simply can't adopt easily.
Even Chinese staff who worked on The Lord of the Rings were, in effect, just another screw in the Hollywood machine—if one was missing, another screw could take its place.
In other words—they were replaceable, because there were plenty of others with equal or even higher qualifications who could fill the spot.
Once those who had wrapped up The Lord of the Rings returned to Chinese crews, they realized just how unsuitable they were to the usual working methods there.
Hollywood is methodical, industrial—everyone has a clear role and knows their tasks each day.
But Chinese crews often follow wherever the director's whim takes them.
The assistant directors and others under a Chinese director may not even be given clear tasks. One day you might be doing logistics, the next handling lights, the day after running props.
If you crossed someone important on set, you might even find yourself sweeping the floor.
Basically, it was a makeshift, unprofessional setup.
If even the National Master's crew works like that, it's no wonder most Chinese directors' crews are worse.
This situation necessitated a change across the entire industry. Relying on a few hundred people with Western training simply wouldn't make a real difference.
Gilbert, as an insider, understood this well. But when Minister Tian proposed the plan, he didn't elaborate on this point.
Right now, action was more important—let them try it, and when they see it doesn't work, they'll drop it themselves.
It wasn't wasted effort either. At least the Chinese film industry would open its eyes and gain insight into how advanced the global film industry has become.
This training and internship opportunity wasn't only open to industry professionals—it also included students from the three major Chinese arts universities: BFA, CAA, and Shanghai Theatre Academy. Altogether, there were just over twenty slots.
Even with the inclusion of industry practitioners, the total didn't exceed fifty people—small scale compared to the nearly thousand-member film crew Gilbert was planning for The Jakie Chan Adventures. It wouldn't affect production schedules.
So after discussing with Disney and Warner, Gilbert agreed—but he insisted on conducting a selection assessment at the Shanghai Film Festival.
Gilbert wanted candidates who actually had ability, were willing to learn, and had a positive attitude—not just people riding coattails.
He knew if he wasn't involved in choosing, the slots would go to those buying their way in or using connections to gild themselves.
Make no mistake—Hollywood isn't immune to such practices. Even areas the director doesn't oversee—like background actors—leave room for manipulation.
But since this was supposed to be a learning opportunity, Gilbert wanted to ensure they selected people who would actually learn, not just go through the motions.
Minister Tian agreed immediately. After all his years in the industry, he knew exactly who did what. He just couldn't interfere too much.
Having Gilbert do the selection was perfect. No matter how troublesome someone might be, they couldn't mess with a world-class director.
With that, the plan was happily finalized, and now it was just a matter of waiting for Gilbert to come to Shanghai.
Meanwhile, as factions in China were battling over those coveted training slots, Gilbert stayed busy in North America. He attended the premiere of Bruce Almighty, standing by Jennifer Connelly.
"Thank you so much for coming..." Jennifer Connelly clung to Gilbert's arm, showing off their closeness to the onlookers.
"You star in the film; I had to support you," Gilbert said with a smile. "You feel confident?"
Jennifer nodded. "Of course. With you here supporting me, I'm brimming with confidence."
Gilbert said, "Jim Carrey has been the hottest comedy star in Hollywood these past two years. He brings massive box office traction. With a normal performance, the film should sell itself."
"That's absolutely guaranteed," Jennifer Connelly said, pulling Gilbert forward. "Let me introduce you—this is Tom Shadyac, the director of the film."
A man with long hair, glasses, and an artfully disheveled vibe shook Gilbert's hand. "Hello, Director Gilbert."
"Hi, hi—wish your film huge success at the box office."
"Thank you..." Tom Shadyac replied.
Before working on this film, Tom Shadyac and Jim Carrey had already collaborated on Ace Ventura: Pet Detective and Liar Liar.
After a moment's small talk, Jennifer Connelly led Gilbert to meet another actor—a Black actor this time.
"This is Morgan Freeman—an industry veteran," she said.
Morgan Freeman greeted Gilbert with a simple handshake—no overt flattery for the younger director.
Gilbert replied, "Mr. Freeman, I've always admired your performances. Impressive work. I hope one day we can work on a film together."
Collaborating with a high-profile director was the dream of any actor—and Morgan Freeman was no exception.
"If the need arises," Freeman said, "Gilbert, just have me or my agent contacted. There's no obstacle to collaboration."
Morgan Freeman was signed with International Artists Management—Michael Ovitz's agency.
Though Ovitz and Gilbert were known to be competitive and not on the best terms, that didn't stop Ovitz's actors from working with Gilbert.
Who would do that? Suppose Gilbert discovered the next Orlando Bloom or Keira Knightley—they'd regret it!
Gilbert had already met Bruce Almighty's male star, Jim Carrey: in recent years, Carrey had been seeking to transform his image, and a versatile director like Gilbert was the type he'd want to work with.
But unless the role was very specific, Gilbert wasn't considering Jim Carrey—his image was already firmly established, like a fixed typecast.
Carrey, torn between holding onto his comedic legacy and wanting to evolve, wasn't in an easy position.
After watching the film at the premiere, Gilbert interacted with the cast and crew, lavishing them with praise.
"Jim is truly a genius performer. On paper, this movie isn't anything special—but Jim's charisma makes it endlessly charming and hilarious.
Of course, Jennifer's performance is great too—especially because she's beautiful."
Everyone shared a knowing smile—Gilbert's compliment to Jennifer wasn't surprising given their relationship.
Gilbert finished on a high note: "I think this film will do well during the summer season. It's absolutely worth people going to see."
And the facts backed him up: though Bruce Almighty differed from the typical summer sci-fi or action fare, Jim Carrey's powerful box office pull drove a stunning result.
Thanks to Jim Carrey's immense box office appeal, the film raked in $67.953 million in its opening weekend, successfully taking the top spot at the box office.
Crucially, the movie also earned a strong reception from audiences. While it was slammed by critics, viewers genuinely enjoyed it.
Jennifer Connelly, the lead actress in this film, gave a solid performance. She was already the dream girl of countless fans.
After appearing in this movie, Jennifer Connelly's beauty won over many more people, and her name began appearing frequently in the media that summer.
Gilbert also arranged some publicity for Jennifer Connelly—for example, getting photographed while shopping together, or during a promotional trip to Miami, flaunting her enviable figure on the beach.
This was somewhat similar to the trending tactics on Weibo in a past life—any casual street photo could hit the hot search list. Then a few paid commenters would hype it up, drawing massive attention.
Unfortunately, Bruce Almighty only held the top spot for one week. The good times didn't last long, as Disney released Pixar's latest animated film Finding Nemo at the end of May.
In its debut weekend, Finding Nemo grossed $70.251 million, successfully taking the number-one position for the weekend.
Bruce Almighty dropped to second with $40.526 million, but at least it had crossed the $100 million mark in North America, so profitability wasn't an issue.
In third place was Pirates of the Caribbean, now in its fifth week of release, pulling in $15.372 million that weekend and bringing its total North American gross to $233 million.
Fourth place went to X-Men 2, which had been in theaters for four weeks. It earned $12.694 million that weekend, with a cumulative North American box office of $193 million.
The rest were negligible—not strong competitors.
On the second weekend of Finding Nemo's release, June 6 to be exact, 2 Fast 2 Furious, produced by Melon Studio and distributed by Warner Bros. and Disney, officially hit theaters.
The film held a grand premiere to mark the occasion—but Gilbert didn't have time to attend.
A few days before the 2 Fast 2 Furious premiere, Gilbert boarded his private jet with Scarlett, a few staff members, and Johnny Depp, and flew to Shanghai.
Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley didn't come along—they were still busy on the global promotional tour for Pirates of the Caribbean!
...
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