Chapter 138: No Award

Chapter 138: No Award

After "Chivalrous Fragrance" concluded, "Reversal City" still hadn't notified Lu Xu to join the crew, and Xu Wen hadn't arranged any new work for him either. Lu Xu found himself unusually idle.

Completely idle.

So much so that Lu Xu secretly suspected that his manager might be planning something big for him.

Xu Wen quickly denied it: "Am I that kind of person?"

"Aren't you?" Lu Xu raised an eyebrow.

Previously, he could still arrange to go cycling with Zheng Xiao and Shao Yao, but recently, both of them had joined new projects and their schedules didn't align. Lu Xu had no choice but to become a couch potato.

It must be said, the days without work were really relaxing, and it was easy to get hooked on just lounging around.

Although—the upcoming Golden Flame Awards ceremony soon interrupted his leisure.

For this year's Golden Flame Awards, Lu Xu had long prepared himself to just be a nominee.

Whether it was the influence of his work or his performance as an actor in "Feather of Youth," he couldn't match up to the other nominees.

But being nominated was already a success.

Although Lu Xu didn't make a big fuss about marketing, as the awards season approached, the industry and the audience inevitably turned their attention to various awards.

After all, the Golden Flame Awards are one of the top three awards in the film industry, and Lu Xu's Best Actor nomination was not insignificant.

In fact, since Lu Xu was new to the film industry, he didn't realize that a Golden Flame Best Actor nomination was much more important than he imagined.

Not to mention Qi Di secretly seething with resentment, even G brand, which had been responsible for Lu Xu's formal wear and casual styling for years, prepared with as much effort as they did for the Star Awards ceremony.

Even though during the Star Awards when "The Year I Was 18" was nominated, Lu Xu was highly favored to win Best Actor in a Television Series, this year at the Golden Flame Awards, his chances of winning were practically zero.

The divide between the film and TV worlds is evident in almost every aspect.

...

The record-breaking popularity of "Chivalrous Fragrance" shifted some public attention away from the Golden Flame Awards. However, once "Chivalrous Fragrance" concluded, debates over whether Lu Xu 'deserved a Golden Flame Award nomination' resurfaced.

"The movie 'Feather of Youth' is alright, but isn't it too hasty to nominate it for the Golden Flame Awards?"

"Is it because 'Feather of Youth' is too wholesome, or does the Golden Flame Awards want to promote young actors? With the label of 'young actor,' has anyone tallied how much Lu Xu has gained from it?"

It is said that a traditionalist in the film industry remarked that TV actors 'lack skill,' and while the Star Awards, as a TV award, can 'tolerate' non-professionals, the Golden Flame Awards should not lower its standards.

This well-known figure was even more stunned to learn that Lu Xu had started out in an idol group.

"Speechless, did he have a stroke?"

Xu Wen glanced at Lu Xu calmly.

"I really am a troublemaker," Lu Xu scratched his head. "But his psychological resilience is quite poor. Why doesn't he just wear a helmet and not breathe the same air as TV actors?"

The manager: "...Don't say that during interviews."

Lu Xu agreed readily: "I'm not stupid."

Indeed, a reporter asked Lu Xu for his opinion on the comments made by this well-known industry figure.

During the interview, Lu Xu harshly criticized a foreigner named John Logie Baird, the inventor of television. The reporter was baffled by the complex foreign name and couldn't help but ask, "Who is he?"

Lu Xu sighed, "It's all John Logie Baird's doing. If he hadn't invented the television, there wouldn't be television dramas, and there wouldn't be television actors. Then there wouldn't be the tragic situation of television actors being nominated for film awards. John Logie Baird must take responsibility for this!"

The reporters were speechless: "..."

Xu Wen, who saw the interview content: "..."

He knew it! He just knew it!

Regardless, the next day, "John Logie Baird Must Take Full Responsibility" topped the entertainment headlines and became the gossip of the day.

"LOL, never considered this perspective before."

"If Lu Xu's trying to kill me with laughter, he must take full responsibility!"

"I completely agree with Lu Xu's logic. He's absolutely right. But personally, I think everything should be blamed on Pan Gu, the creator of the world. If Pan Gu hadn't created the world, John Logie Baird wouldn't have appeared after so many years..."

"HAHAHAHA, what a madman!"

Lu Xu was once again slammed for disrespecting his seniors. So, he posted a photo of John Logie Baird on Weibo, expressing deep remorse for offending him.

This time, all the major domestic TV manufacturers shared Lu Xu's Weibo post.

"Boo hoo, what did the TV ever do wrong?"

"TVs are just big, thin, and affordable! You don't have to watch TV, but don't hate on it! XX brand is the first domestic manufacturer to independently develop TVs, producing XX brand in 195X..."

Lu Xu's Weibo post turned into a TV commercial.

Several television drama actors also quietly supported Lu Xu, posting photos of themselves lying on the couch watching dramas at home.

Whether it was the outright discrimination against television actors like Qi Di or the tacit agreement among some film industry insiders that television actors lack acting skills, it was all too much for them to bear.

However, people like Lu Xu who dared to push back were extremely rare, almost like endangered species.

Lu Xu certainly had the confidence to do so. He was one of the rare actors who excelled in both television dramas and films.

Plus... Lu Xu's performance in "Feather of Youth" was pretty solid.

It was the Golden Flame Awards that gave Lu Xu the nomination, not Lu Xu trying to cling to the Golden Flame Awards. This so-called big shot didn't dare to question the Golden Flame Awards but only went after Lu Xu. His intentions were crystal clear.

...

After this, there were still voices from the film industry questioning Lu Xu's nomination for the Golden Flame Awards.

One of them was Zhang Zhizhen.

Lu Xu didn't even respond, as Zhang Zhizhen was already criticized by netizens: "Oh yes yes, not as good as 'The Swordsman.'"

Some marketers also lamented the absence of "Song of Tears," believing that its lack of nomination for this year's Golden Flame Awards was a pity.

Netizens: "...Didn't they say the Golden Flame Awards are less discerning than international A-list film festivals?"

If the Golden Flame Awards are so clueless, why even care?

Of course, apart from the criticism, there were also voices supporting Lu Xu's nomination.

The renowned film critic "Movie Diary" published a long article stating, "'Feather of Youth' is a simple film, but that doesn't mean Yin Pei is a simple character."

"A tragic story does not necessarily mean the film's theme is profound. Similarly, 'Feather of Youth' is indeed a simple and pure youth film, but it doesn't imply the film lacks depth. Lu Xu's portrayal of the character Yin Pei is also not simple."

Next, "The Movie Diary" analyzed the character Yin Pei from several angles and concluded that it was Lu Xu's performance that made the character seem easy to handle. Any other actor would not have been able to achieve this effect.

"A character can be sad, uplifting, or full of youthful energy and brightness."

"In recent years, tears, breakdowns, grief, and madness... these elements have become the criteria for judging an actor's performance. But in my opinion, expressing these emotions is harder than expressing their opposites."

As soon as "The Movie Diary" published this long article, many supportive voices emerged online.

In the eyes of many netizens, the reason why Lu Xu's nomination for the Golden Flame Award has attracted so much attention and criticism is not due to his acting skills, but because the subject matter of 'Feather of Youth' is not conventional enough. In traditional views, 'Feather of Youth' simply doesn't fit the highbrow category.

Lu Xu didn't participate in the subsequent discussions about his acting skills. Whether people praised or criticized him, he didn't feel compelled to defend himself or engage in arguments.

Lu Xu's mindset is simple—he delivered a strong performance as Yin Pei, and he did not let the character down.

Any character will have people who like it, and naturally, there will be those who don't.

Having people who like it is enough.

...

The Golden Flame Award ceremony is indeed more grand than the Star Award, with many attending actors being of top-tier status. Many actors have cut back on public appearances in recent years but are still willing to give face to the Golden Flame Award.

Lu Xu's nomination this time didn't significantly boost his status. For male actors, achieving a rise in status depends more on box office performance.

Objectively speaking, Lu Xu has long been a leading actor in the TV drama industry. Although his development in the film industry is not as deep, in terms of box office alone, he is not inferior to other nominated actors.

Lu Xu had already positioned himself as an also-ran. After walking the red carpet, he exchanged brief pleasantries with acquaintances like Yue Hui and then quietly returned to his seat.

Yue Hui did introduce him to a few actors.

"Lu Xu, come here." Yue Hui smiled and waved at Lu Xu. "I've been meaning to introduce you to them, and finally got the chance."

"Li Yan, actor." Yue Hui pointed to a male actor around 36 or 37 years old and introduced him.

"This is Lu Xu, also an actor."

The introduced Li Yan said helplessly, "Brother Yue, is that all? Can't you say a bit more?"

"Everything is on Baidu Encyclopedia, no need for me to say more." Yue Hui laughed. "But let me formally introduce, you two are competing this year."

Li Yan is also one of the nominees for Best Actor at this year's Golden Flame Award.

In addition, he starred in a film last year that earned 4 billion at the box office, making him a rising star in the film industry.

Like Lu Xu, he also started in TV dramas.

In the film industry, Li Yan is naturally more sought after than Lu Xu, but according to Lu Xu's understanding, like him, Li Yan is also not particularly favored.

He is also an outsider in the film industry, not an actor nurtured by traditional directors or supported by traditional factions—but with extremely high box office.

In other words, the film industry needs his box office, but tends to overlook him when it comes to awards.

Li Yan is already accustomed to this treatment. As soon as Yue Hui mentioned that he and Lu Xu were competitors, he couldn't help but laugh: "Competitors? Hardly, there's no real competition."

"Don't lose hope."

Lu Xu and Li Yan swapped contact details. Although they currently have no chance to collaborate, that could change in the future.

Once the awards ceremony started, the results were pretty much as Lu Xu had anticipated. Whether it was for Best Supporting Actor/Actress or Best Actor/Actress, neither he nor Li Yan, actors who are somewhat peripheral to the film industry, were in the running.

Although the Golden Flame Awards committee had built up a lot of suspense before the ceremony, using the possibility of Li Yan or Lu Xu winning as a hook to draw in a large audience.

As they exited, Lu Xu happened to run into Li Yan again.

The 'Feather of Youth' team fared somewhat better, with only Lu Xu receiving a nomination. In contrast, Li Yan's team from 'Memory Backtrack' had five or six nominations but only won one award, and it was a technical award that the audience barely noticed.

On Weibo and film forums, many netizens were voicing their discontent for Li Yan.

Li Yan gave Lu Xu a resigned smile and suggested they catch up when they both had some free time.

Both Li Yan and Lu Xu were prepared for this outcome, so their expressions remained calm. Reporters and marketers, having watched the live broadcast all night, couldn't spot any signs of 'regret' or 'disappointment' on their faces.

"What's there to feel bad about? With box office earnings of 4 billion and 1.5 billion yuan, if I were to feel bad about my 8,000 yuan salary, wouldn't I have to jump off a building?"

"Are you really not bothered?" Xu Wen also looked at Lu Xu.

Lu Xu waved his hand: "What's there to feel bad about?"

These awards don't favor commercial films; it's already good that 'Feather of Youth' was nominated.

Lu Xu has always thought that, both domestically and internationally, awards tend to favor artistic films more. But over time, this will only lessen the awards' influence.

Of course, this is also because the film industry is increasingly losing its ability to tell stories. Often, a film's plot and artistic value cannot achieve a balance.

Lu Xu's failure to win any awards was criticized by several marketers, saying that 'Feather of Youth' clearly had no luck with awards, that the film industry is tough, and that awards aren't given out as easily as the Star Awards, and so on.

Lu Xu joked, it's all John Logie Baird's fault.

He had nothing better to do than invent the television!

Anyway, Lu Xu not winning the Golden Flame Award relieved the actors who were worried he might use it as a stepping stone to rise in the film industry.

Lu Xu's mystique, you can't ignore it.

At this moment, Lu Xu finally received a notice from the 'Reversal City' crew that 'Reversal City' is about to start filming.