Political correctness has a significant influence on the Academy, and Spike Lee was very certain of this. There were countless examples to support it. In recent years, it has become a common saying during award seasons: if you don't know what to prepare for the next awards season, then think about racial discrimination.
If he could become an exposer of racial issues and a fighter for equality and freedom just before this award season, combined with the acclaim of his film "Inside Man," given the style of those old men in the Academy...
Indeed, he disliked Matthew Horner. He even despised him, especially after seeing Matthew Horner walk into the Four Seasons Hotel hand-in-hand with Sofia Coppola.
But it wasn't just about revenge against Matthew Horner. There was a huge potential benefit. An Oscar for Best Director... How many directors in Hollywood didn't want to touch that golden statue? It wasn't just an honor; it could directly double their paycheck.
Additionally, it was a chance to be immortalized in history!
So far, no African-American director had won the Oscar for Best Director.
After the successful release and acclaim of "Inside Man" earlier this year, Spike Lee started aiming for the Oscar for Best Director. That was why he humbled himself to try and win back Sofia Coppola, hoping to leverage the influence and connections of the Coppola family to become the first African-American to win Best Director.
After his hopes with Sofia Coppola were dashed, he quickly found another breakthrough. While maintaining conventional award-chasing strategies, he used public opinion and the industry's climate to add as many advantages for himself as possible.
This endeavor carried some risks, but the potential rewards were enormous. Even if it failed, apart from wasted resources, it wouldn't cause him much harm.
He would definitely leave a shining mark in American history, become a leader among Hollywood's African-American community, a representative of all African-Americans in the USA, and possibly one of the most renowned African-Americans worldwide.
With such fame, would he ever worry about money?
Compared to the benefits, the risks were insignificant.
If Spike Lee could see this, so could his agent, which is why he fully supported the plan.
James Jackson continued to explain some details. "Spike, remember not to target individuals directly at first. Start with the movie, then let others take the forefront, especially Naomi Harris. She recently parted ways with her agent and has no agency backing her. She's struggling in Hollywood and agreed to come forward because of that. She's not very sharp."
"I understand," Spike Lee said calmly. "My target is the movie first. Once the public opinion builds, then we can shift towards individuals. That way, we have room to maneuver."
James Jackson had great confidence in Spike Lee. The confidence didn't come from Spike Lee being an exceptional director, but because as an agent, he knew Spike Lee was a long-time activist, even among Hollywood's African-American community.
Many debates regarding African-Americans in the past had actually started with Spike Lee.
Although James Jackson wasn't a leftist or a staunch supporter of African-American rights, he was closely tied to Spike Lee, and their interests were intertwined. Spike Lee's success would bring him more benefits.
He kept some honest thoughts to himself.
For instance, he believed Spike Lee's fame wasn't much related to his films. He'd gotten to his mid-tier director status in Hollywood partly due to the Coppola family's care, and partly due to over a decade of activism.
If he had to evaluate, Spike Lee's small fame wasn't because his movies were great, but because he loved stirring things up. Apart from "Inside Man," his other works were awful, akin to dog shit. He was more of an activist than a director, specializing in race issues.
This time, he had finally seized a good opportunity.
To be honest, James Jackson didn't agree with it, but that didn't mean he wouldn't do it.
After all, in Hollywood, the squeaky wheel gets the grease.
Most NBA players are African-American, table tennis champions are mostly Chinese, badminton players are mostly Asian, many swimmers are white, many American university professors are Asian, many in IT are Indian and Chinese, most classical musicians are white, and most rappers are African-American. Is there something wrong with these?
Of course, as long as he was Spike Lee's agent, he would never say these things.
Instead, he would do everything to help Spike Lee achieve his goals.
So, James Jackson reminded Spike Lee, "Matthew Horner and '300 Spartans' are perfect targets. The Academy's core members have long agreed that Matthew Horner is someone with no ambition, no artistic pursuit, and no respect for the Oscars. They all dislike actors like Matthew Horner."
Matthew Horner earned a lot of money but never contributed to the Academy or the Oscars. No wonder they disliked him.
James Jackson continued, "A film like '300 Spartans' is naturally not well-received by the Academy. Attacking the film and Matthew Horner will align us with the Academy's old guards."
Spike Lee suddenly said, "One Matthew Horner and one '300 Spartans' are not enough."
"Hmm?" James Jackson was puzzled.
"I'll drag in someone heavier," Spike Lee had clearly thought it through. "I've disliked him for a long time."
He explained briefly to his agent. James Jackson considered it and expressed opposition, but ultimately could only reluctantly agree under Spike Lee's insistence.
With Jada Smith's career being tepid, primarily known as Mrs. Smith, James Jackson's main hope rested on Spike Lee, the freedom fighter.
James Jackson discussed more details with Spike Lee and then left the studio to continue working on the plan.
Spike Lee put away the newspapers, asked his assistant to make another cup of coffee, and sat in front of his computer.
Despite being nearly fifty, he had been learning to use computers and the internet to better carry out his work. He quickly looked up some news on "300 Spartans." The film had a polarizing reputation: critics panned it, while general audiences were inexplicably excited.
He stayed in the studio until the afternoon, when a reporter from the online edition of The Hollywood Reporter arrived.
"Hello, Director Lee."
The reporter, an African-American in his early thirties, shook hands with Spike Lee. "Shall we start?"
Like many who had made a name for themselves in Hollywood, Spike Lee had a network of contacts in the media. Plus, his tendency to stir up trouble made him a favorite among entertainment media.
Spike Lee handed a prepared document to the reporter across the desk. "Let's begin."
With Spike Lee's approval, the reporter first placed a recording device on the desk, then took out a pen and notebook. He glanced at the document, which had only a few questions.
These questions were the main focus today, but the reporter started with some general questions about Spike Lee's experiences filming "Inside Man" and his future projects.
After about ten minutes, they got to the main topic.
"Director Lee, I noticed you attended the premiere of '300 Spartans.'"
The reporter, looking at the document, asked, "The film grossed over $100 million in its first weekend and set several records. What do you think about this phenomenon?"
The answer had been prepared in advance. Spike Lee feigned a thoughtful expression and said, "The special effects were okay. But in other aspects..."
He shook his head, continuing, "At a glance, '300 Spartans' is a commercial blockbuster. Up close, it's an extremist propaganda film. It has strong elements of Social Darwinism, including eugenics and racism, and glorifies male physique while showing disdain for homosexuality."
The reporter, caught off guard, asked instinctively, "Could you elaborate?"
Spike Lee was ready to explain, "The heroes are a group of white men who discard weak infants. They're tall, handsome, muscular, and invincible, almost flawless. Their traitor is severely deformed. Then look at the dark-skinned Middle Easterners. They're ignorant, ugly, mysterious, and evil. Their king is possibly intersex."
The reporter realized he was on to a big story.
"And..." Spike Lee struggled to hold back from naming names directly, "Many people the protagonist kills, why are they specifically black? Are blacks meant to die? Or do they have a bias against blacks?"
Actually, the document contained only this one question. The rest was Spike Lee's improvisation, "Recently, some troubling trends have been emerging in Hollywood. Not just '300 Spartans,' but also Clint Eastwood's 'Flags of Our Fathers,' released at the end of October, shows this trend."
Adjusting his glasses, he solemnly stated, "In Eastwood's film, not only are there no black soldiers raising the flag, but there are no important black characters at all. In his movie, black soldiers simply don't exist. Not a single black face can be seen. This isn't the era of slavery anymore, does he know that? How dare he erase the contributions of black soldiers in World War II?"
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