According to their usual routine when inviting guests, the hosts would typically pull a few pranks for laughs. But this time, they decided to skip it—mainly out of respect. After all, their guest wasn't just a top-tier Hollywood director, but also a woman. It wouldn't look good if things got too out of hand.
In her previous life, Laila had only watched their show during breaks at work, using those lighthearted, humorous episodes to unwind from her tense routine. She never imagined that in this lifetime, she'd actually have the chance to appear on the show. Before going on, she'd felt a real sense of anticipation.
Before Laila arrived, the host had done his homework—digging deep into her story. When it came to Hollywood directors familiar to Eastern audiences, she was unquestionably among the most recognized. After all, she'd even appeared on the Spring Festival Gala, and her fame wasn't far behind that of major Hollywood stars.
But the more one learned about this director, the more admirable she became. Her past accomplishments had earned her a place at the very top of Hollywood—an arena where even seasoned men struggled to stay afloat, let alone someone as young and female as her.
She made brilliant films, brought in massive box office revenue, had stunning looks and a great figure, and not only founded Hollywood's most profitable film studio with her own hands, but also stood to inherit the massive media empire of the Moran Media Group.
What does it mean to be a winner at life?
This is exactly what it looks like!
In the end, the host summed her up with one phrase—
"A life on cheat mode!"
And wasn't it true? With the massive golden finger of reincarnation, if she still couldn't make her life spectacular, even the heavens would be speechless.
When Laila heard the host describe her that way during their chat, she couldn't help but laugh.
"Maybe it really is," she said with a smile.
The host asked, "Why do you think your films resonate with so many people?"
"That's a complicated question," Laila said after some thought. "Many people have asked me that before, and my answer is always pretty much the same—before trying to please others, I have to please myself. If I can't even enjoy my own work, how can I expect others to?"
"So it's because you're young that you understand what younger audiences want?"
"That might really be part of it." Laila smiled and nodded, feeling her impression of the host improve slightly—didn't you hear him call her a 'young person'?
The host continued, "Many directors claim that their films are labors of love, crafted through the hard work of many, but then the film flops miserably after release. Why do you think that happens?"
"Well…" Laila shifted into a more comfortable position as she organized her thoughts. "Actually, it's easy to understand. If even the director doesn't like their own movie, do you think anyone else will want to watch it?" Even if you're trying to "trick" people into theaters, you at least have to sound confident, right?
"..."
The host had expected a more technical or insightful answer—not something so blunt. But she had a point. If the people behind a film don't believe in it, how could the audience?
Of course, Laila was joking. So she continued, "Every film, good or bad, is the result of many people's hard work. It's all made bit by bit."
"But effort alone isn't the key to success. There's a saying in the East: 'The clumsy bird flies early.' Why does it fly early? Because it knows that if it flies with the smarter birds, it'll fall behind. It works hard, it's diligent, but that doesn't necessarily mean it'll become outstanding."
"So does that mean people who aren't excellent can't make good films?"
Laila frowned slightly. She wanted to agree, but she also knew that saying something like that would invite endless controversy. While she didn't mind sparking conversation around her films, she had no interest in getting caught up in pointless public drama.
"What you said isn't entirely wrong, but it's not the whole truth either. There are many kinds of excellence. Sometimes, even a person doesn't know what it is about them that makes them excellent. For example, someone might fail at making commercial films but gain critical acclaim when making arthouse films. Can we really say they aren't excellent?"
"Or take another example: a director might fail using a certain technique in modern films, but succeed when applying that same technique to a historical drama. So are they successful or not?"
The host was starting to get a little dizzy from her explanation.
Yeah… so which is it? Successful or not?
Caught up in the philosophical debate, he didn't realize he had been completely led off-track. Nor did he notice that Laila's answer was basically a non-answer.
After all, between her past and current lives, Laila had dealt with more reporters than she could count. She was a master at interviews. When she wanted to answer seriously, she would. And when she didn't, she could talk in circles until her words said nothing at all.
She knew full well that if she were to publicly say, "People who aren't excellent can't make good movies," she'd be attacked en masse—even if it were true.
That kind of controversy was not the kind she was looking for. She had no interest in getting swept up in unnecessary public debates.
The host, not as quick-witted or sharp-tongued as his future counterparts, couldn't come up with a rebuttal and simply continued with the interview as planned, moving on to more film-related questions.
"I remember that during the film's promotion, a lot of American critics were skeptical. One common criticism was that ensemble films are hard to pull off—every hero is brilliant, and if you focus on one too much, others get overshadowed. But after seeing the film, there wasn't a single hero who stood out too much or faded into the background. How did you balance that?"
Laila was more than happy to answer questions like this—it was great publicity, after all. So she smiled and explained:
"When people say ensemble scenes are hard to shoot, they're usually referring to scenes with lots of extras, not necessarily multiple leads. But multi-lead films indeed require careful planning. I prefer letting the characters interact more—small circles within big circles, and these small circles either complement or oppose each other."
"More interaction helps highlight each character's personality and ensures no one gets forgotten. As for how to distribute screen time, it really comes down to understanding the story. That's where both talent and experience matter. Talent tells you what kind of scene to shoot, and experience helps you master the pacing. You need both."