As James Cameron stood up from the director's chair, everyone burst into cheers. After a grueling 160 days of filming, Terminator 2 finally wrapped today.
Watching the bearded man embrace Linda Hamilton tightly, Ryan had the urge to pour molten iron from a steel furnace over his head — even though he knew that the supposed molten iron was just clear water under orange lighting.
Since returning to the crew, he hadn't left again, especially for the final scenes. Due to renovations in the steel mill, they were left until the end. Shooting in such a complex environment inevitably involved bumps and scrapes. Ryan ended up with a few surface wounds, but Linda Hamilton had fractured a bone in her leg some time ago.
"If possible, I'll never do action scenes again — too dangerous," Ryan had once complained, drawing a fierce glare from Cameron.
But was that really possible? According to his plans, action scenes were inevitable in the future. Could he really rely on pretentious, artsy films to chase the highest honors?
"Arnie, look at Jim. Even making a movie doesn't stop him from chasing women. You're so behind~" Ryan shook his head, looking at Schwarzenegger.
"Don't be fooled by how happy Jim is now — he'll have headaches soon," Schwarzenegger said with obvious schadenfreude. "Kathryn Bigelow is like a ferocious mother tiger." He changed the topic. "Have you finished your script?"
"We just wrapped up filming. Don't you think we deserve some rest?" Ryan pointed at Cameron. "Jim has agreed to take the script, but he said the earliest he can get to it is next year."
"I can rest and study the role at the same time. They're not mutually exclusive, are they?"
"Alright, the script's with Ms. Kingsley. I'll let her know to send you a copy."
Back in the trailer, Ryan took off his shirt, revealing a few healing scars. He was hesitant to return to Los Angeles. If Nicole saw these wounds, he was sure the Aussie woman would hunt down James Cameron and kill him with her own hands.
But skipping the trip was impossible — the Oscars were coming up, and there were still two major awards he was contending for.
Even though he had been hiding out in a remote steel mill, news about him was still everywhere. Major newspapers called him a super genius, while tabloids dubbed him the "weird boy." Especially after Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban was published, all kinds of rumors began to fly.
Thanks to the momentum of the first two books, his rising fame, and aggressive marketing from the publisher, the new book, released on March 10, shot to the top of the bestseller list within a week, knocking Jurassic Park from the number one spot.
After the Oscar nominations were announced, Jurassic Park briefly reclaimed the top position, surprising many.
Along with Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, the boosted sales of Chamber of Secrets led to an unprecedented feat on the national bestseller list — three books by the same author in the top ten. This stunned many and also attracted criticism.
Led by the New York Post, the tabloids cleverly shifted tactics. Instead of questioning the authorship, they criticized the more mature themes of Prisoner of Azkaban, arguing it was inappropriate for its primarily underage audience. They called on the National PTA to ban the book rather than recommend it.
Some even accused him of losing the childlike spirit that had earned him praise in the past, citing his latest work and Sleepless in Seattle.
"Childlike spirit? You used to call me weird and overly mature, never once said I had any childlike innocence." Ryan frowned at reporters. "People have to grow up."
As the Harry Potter series exploded in popularity and reached audiences of all ages, Ryan began to establish a unique status among American teens. A group of his fans even protested in front of the New York Post's office over their attacks on their idol.
The PTA spokesperson publicly declared that the Harry Potter series and The Ryan Stories were the best youth literature of recent years.
The tabloids quickly changed direction. The California Reader published a prominent article:
> "There's no doubt that Ryan Jenkins is a super genius. Unless someone's brain got hit by a car, it's obvious he and Nicole Kidman couldn't afford such a talented creative team. In our opinion, these works are 100% his own."
> "But we're not here to talk about his work. We want to discuss this dazzling boy's moral character. We've confirmed that ever since he left the orphanage where he spent seven years, he's never gone back — and over the past year, he's earned more than ten million dollars but hasn't donated a single cent to the orphanage that raised him."
> "Ms. Macy, director of the Northston Orphanage, told us in an interview that Nicole Kidman used disgraceful means to wrest custody of Ryan from the orphanage. Ryan, she says, is an ungrateful boy. She helped him a lot back then, and he's never even said thank you!"
The article drew some attention, but mainstream society largely ignored it. For one, people generally knew the realities of orphanages, and two, Ms. Macy was a very dark-skinned Black woman attacking a now-famous white boy — the result was predictable.
"I've been generous enough not to settle scores with her — and she dares jump back out," Ryan said as he handed a copy of The California Reader to Pat Kingsley inside the RV heading to the Shrine Auditorium. "That old debt needs to be settled."
"What are you planning now?" Nicole asked, a little worried.
"Ryan, you're a public figure now. Some things…"
"No, no, Pat, Nicole, you've misunderstood. I'm not going to drag us into this." Ryan thought for a moment and decided to consult Kingsley — she was the professional, after all.
After Ryan explained, Kingsley nodded lightly. It was indeed a good idea — let the reporters dig up the past without getting any mud on themselves.
But there was still a hole in the plan. She asked, "Ryan, what if you don't make it to the podium?"
"No worries. I'll find another fitting occasion." Ryan shrugged. Even if he didn't get a golden statuette or a chance to deliver his prepared acceptance speech, he could always go on a talk show later — though the effect wouldn't be quite the same.
The long red carpet seemed to stretch endlessly. Handsome men and beautiful women filled the scene, with plunging necklines, deep V-cuts, strapless and backless gowns in all styles dazzling the eye. Even if someone wore the same dress, actresses would do everything to stand out. This was the ultimate runway — about to host the most extravagant show of the year: the Oscars.
Nicole Kidman wore a form-fitting, off-shoulder evening gown that accentuated her tall and slender figure perfectly. Ryan held her hand as they stepped onto the Oscars red carpet for the first time in their lives.
With the success of Sleepless in Seattle, Nicole had risen to the ranks of Hollywood's top actresses. Meanwhile, Ryan had become the center of media attention. The moment they stepped onto the red carpet, they drew all eyes.
Camera shutters clicked furiously, film rolls were sacrificed en masse, and fans screamed nonstop. Just like the couple holding hands on the red carpet, Ryan and Nicole had become a unit.
When they passed the interview area, despite a barrage of questions from reporters, Ryan simply smiled and ignored them. Those who had dealt with him before knew well — this boy was no pushover. He was as cunning as a fox and extremely good at leveraging his status as a minor.
After Nicole had her fill of striking poses, Ryan simply waved and pulled her into the Shrine Auditorium. The red carpet was, in many ways, a battlefield for actresses. What came next was the battlefield for the entire The Sixth Sense crew.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences had strict rules forbidding contact with Oscar voters after nominations were announced. Though Harvey Weinstein had connections in the Academy, he was still early in his career and far from the future "PR god." He had no confidence in The Sixth Sense bringing home any statuettes.
In times like this, stingy folks might as well kiss the Oscars goodbye. After nominations were announced, Ryan and Nicole each put up $1 million, joining forces with Miramax to launch a massive promotional blitz.
They bought fifteen pages in Vanity Fair and The Hollywood Reporter, and hired ghostwriters to publish articles in major outlets commenting on The Sixth Sense — mostly positive, some critical. As long as the debate continued, the film would stay in the public eye.
It wasn't just The Sixth Sense. Every film nominated for major awards threw around cash for PR battles. During this time, the ones laughing the hardest were the PR firms.
"All this — the publicity, the hype, the debates — is just to make sure every voter sees the movie, or at least some key scenes," Harvey Weinstein had said during a PR strategy meeting.
Ryan responded with an eye roll. Weinstein was still restrained now, but no one knew better than him what he would become — the mastermind behind the biggest scandal in Oscar history.