"Discuss the technical awards with 20th Century Fox," Murphy instructed. These types of awards weren't particularly crucial, and Murphy wasn't going to spend much effort on them. "Best Picture and Best Director are musts!"
Bill Rossis nodded. "What about the acting awards?"
"I've already talked to Maggie and James," Murphy's words surprised Bill Rossis a bit. "We'll be submitting them for Best Actress and Best Actor, respectively."
"Best Actress and Best Actor?" Bill Rossis was taken aback.
"Yes, Best Actress and Best Actor," Murphy confirmed. "James' role is the protagonist of the film, so there's no issue submitting him for Best Actor. Maggie's role is the only major female character in the film, and she performed exceptionally well."
Bill Rossis thought for a moment and asked, "What about 20th Century Fox?"
Murphy replied, "This was the result of discussions with Kara Faith."
They had reached a consensus on this long ago. On the surface, Chris Dain seemed to be the only protagonist of "Dark City," with everyone else as his supporting cast. However, anyone who watched the film knew that James Franco's magician stole the show, completely dominating the plot. Henry Cavill, compared to James Franco, was even overshadowed by Margot Robbie.
This led to a slight imbalance in the film's characters, but fortunately, the plot covered up Henry Cavill's less-than-stellar performance, and no one paid much attention to him.
As for submitting what were conventionally considered supporting roles for Best Actor and Best Actress, there was no issue. The Oscars had a history of such occurrences. The most representative case was Hannibal Lecter; Anthony Hopkins won the Best Actor Oscar for what was essentially a supporting role with just a few minutes of screen time.
The strategy for contending at the Oscars wasn't fixed; it had to be flexible. For instance, when Catherine Zeta-Jones was vying for an Oscar for "Chicago," she realized she had no advantage in the Best Actress category due to strong competition and a loss at the Golden Globes. Just before the Oscar voting, she switched her submission from Best Actress to Best Supporting Actress. As a result, her co-star Renée Zellweger went home empty-handed, while Zeta-Jones won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar.
With the operations of CAA and 20th Century Fox, plus the outstanding performances of Margot Robbie and James Franco, Murphy believed they had a good chance of getting nominated for Best Actress and Best Actor.
Winning, however, was never guaranteed, as the Oscars were often swayed by external factors.
For example, in the last Oscars Murphy watched, the previous year's lack of significant nominations for black actors led to calls for a boycott. In response, the next year's Oscars saw a surge in nominations and wins for black actors, with a predominantly black film winning Best Picture...
Anyone with a clear mind could see that the Best Picture award for that film had little to do with its quality.
In a politically correct Hollywood environment, blacks had become a special group, sometimes treated as privileged.
Even within Hollywood, many acknowledged that white people could be a disadvantaged group in certain contexts.
Black actors had used their victory at the Oscars to make a statement, but over time, certain films would inevitably become laughable, similar to "Shakespeare in Love."
Even Murphy had to admit that many external factors could influence or even determine the outcomes at the Oscars.
To make an impact during awards season, it wasn't just about their own efforts but also about their competitors.
"Many awards season films have already premiered at Cannes and Venice," Bill Rossis said, having been keeping an eye on potential competitors for a while. "Based on media and critical reception, this year might be a big year for the Oscars."
Murphy nodded slightly.
Bill Rossis continued, "Jean-Marc Vallée's 'Dallas Buyers Club,' directed by Woody Allen, starring Matthew McConaughey, Woody Allen's 'Blue Jasmine,' Leonardo DiCaprio's 'The Great Gatsby,' Tom Hanks in 'Captain Phillips,' David O. Russell's 'American Hustle,' and Steve McQueen's '12 Years a Slave.'"
"I heard..." Murphy reminded, "Alfonso Cuarón's 'Gravity' is also eyeing the awards season."
"Yes," Bill Rossis nodded, "I'll keep an eye on their movements."
Murphy stood up and sighed lightly. "Our competition is fierce and formidable."
"Gravity," "Dallas Buyers Club," "American Hustle," and "12 Years a Slave" were all strong contenders. Especially "Gravity" and "12 Years a Slave," with Alfonso Cuarón and Steve McQueen being strong candidates for Best Director.
Cuarón, a Latino director, had previously won Best Director at the Oscars. "12 Years a Slave," a typical black film, represented Hollywood's political correctness and could strongly compete for awards.
On the surface, Murphy might seem to have a better chance in terms of ethnicity, but in today's Hollywood environment, Latino and black films had become advantageous.
This year's Oscars competition was even fiercer than when Murphy won before.
Not to mention Best Director and Best Picture, James Franco and Margot Robbie had tough competition for Best Actor and Best Actress.
Heath Ledger's posthumous Oscar was mainly due to his death's impact, which was powerful and uncontested. Franco didn't have such an advantage, but his film was now a critically acclaimed noir crime drama, not a comic book adaptation.
This would help Franco secure a nomination, though winning against Matthew McConaughey and Leonardo DiCaprio was unlikely.
Margot Robbie's situation was similar. Her role's psychological transformation was highly praised, making a nomination likely but winning would be tough against Cate Blanchett, Sandra Bullock, and Amy Adams.
While the situation for "Dark City" seemed unfavorable, Murphy had planned to provoke the hardline Archbishop Marcus Costello closer to the awards season. However, the events at the Chinese Theatre in Hollywood accelerated his plan, putting him and "Dark City" at the forefront of the Catholic Church's attacks.
This was bad for public opinion but advantageous within Hollywood.
CAA and 20th Century Fox's priority was to secure nominations for Best Director and Best Picture.
Amidst the media frenzy over the Catholic Church scandal, Murphy planned to add more fuel to the fire.
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