Chapter 692: Best Science Fiction Film

Although it wasn't broadcast live on television, the number of reporters waiting outside the Shrine Civic Auditorium rivaled the press line at the Oscar Awards Ceremony. The crowd of fans gathered by the red carpet far exceeded those at the Oscars, giving the ceremony a massive, imposing scale.

No awards ceremony in Hollywood carried the same weight as the Oscars, but when it came to the sheer number of fans on-site, the Oscars didn't necessarily draw the biggest crowd.

The films nominated for the Saturn Awards boasted an audience far larger than those nominated for an Oscar. Coupled with the lack of a live broadcast, many fans made special trips to the venue just to support their favorite movies.

In terms of market share and audience size, the sci-fi, fantasy, and action films dominating the Saturn Awards nomination list were the true mainstream.

When Duke pushed a scaled-down model of Optimus Prime onto the red carpet, the atmosphere verged on madness. Having secured a Saturn Award nomination at the very last minute, the film was undoubtedly the strongest contender across numerous categories this year.

Duke couldn't even remember how many times he had been nominated for Best Director at the Saturn Awards. Pushing the Optimus Prime model down the red carpet this time wasn't just to promote a film that was still in theaters—it was also because the leader of the Autobots had been nominated for Best Actor!

Since the main cast and crew of Transformers were still traveling the world for promotional events, only Duke and Anna Printz attended the ceremony.

Compared to the Oscars, the Saturn Awards ceremony was much more lighthearted. The films featured here belonged to genres that fans knew and loved, avoiding the Oscar trap where industry professionals cheered while the general audience cared little.

"We're going to be the biggest winners!"

Sitting in her seat, Anna Printz turned to Duke. "Since you came to the ceremony in person as the director, the organizers will definitely reserve a few heavyweight awards for Transformers."

Just like the Oscars and the Three Major European Film Festivals, there was no such thing as absolute fairness at the Saturn Awards. The organizers always prioritized big-name stars and directors who were willing to attend in person. Given Duke's current status, since he had agreed to show up, the jury would certainly take that into consideration.

This was a completely normal practice for film awards worldwide.

The awards ceremony hadn't been going on for long, yet Anna Printz, representing the crew, had already taken the stage several times.

Transformers had already won three major awards: Best Editing, Best Visual Effects, and Best Film Music. A representative from Hasbro also took home the Best Actor trophy on behalf of Optimus Prime.

Of course, the most significant awards were Best Director and the best film categories for mainstream genres.

With almost no suspense, Duke smoothly took home the Best Director trophy. He didn't say much—since he had only prepared one acceptance speech—and simply expressed his thanks before stepping off the stage.

He had just circled back to the front from backstage when he saw a brunette actress standing on the stage.

"And the award for Best Science Fiction Film goes to... Transformers!" she announced.

Amidst a round of applause, Duke once again stepped onto the stage of the Shrine Civic Auditorium and gently hugged the brunette actress presenting the award.

"Thank you, Miss Portman," he said.

Natalie Portman didn't speak. Maintaining her smile, she handed the trophy to Duke.

After offering that polite greeting, Duke paid no more attention to the former idol. He stepped up to the microphone.

"As the representative of Optimus Prime and Megatron on Earth, I thank the fans for their support!" he said.

He raised the trophy in his hand.

"This award is the best validation for the hard work the entire crew and I have put in over the past year. We work hard and pour our hearts into making movies exactly to earn your appreciation! The audience's love will always be my greatest motivation!"

"Thank you!" Duke waved in all directions.

Enthusiastic applause erupted in the auditorium once more. Natalie Portman stood on one side of the stage, also smiling and clapping, but inwardly she was scoffing. 'His eyes are always glued to the audience's wallets!' she thought.

Although they hadn't dated for long, she knew very well that they shared many similarities. For instance, both worked hard to cultivate excellent public images, and neither ever voiced their true motives.

Both she and he wore a thick layer of disguise on the outside!

Even after not seeing him for several years, Natalie Portman remained absolutely certain of this.

As the applause died down, Natalie turned and walked backstage first, though her brown eyes still drifted back and to the side. That tall figure was walking just a little behind her on the left.

Carrying his trophy, Duke watched her petite back. He hadn't seen her in years, but Natalie Portman looked more and more like the version of her in his memories.

He had witnessed this girl's scheming years ago and had no intention of getting involved with her again now.

Just as they entered the backstage area, Martin Miller walked over. He first nodded at Natalie Portman, then greeted Duke warmly.

"To think Nat was your award presenter," Martin Miller said, leading Natalie Portman to stand in front of Duke. "That's incredible."

With people constantly coming and going backstage, Duke wasn't going to be impolite enough to ignore Natalie Portman again.

"I didn't expect it either," he said with a smile.

He extended a hand. "It's been a while, Nat."

"Hi, Duke," Natalie replied, shaking his hand lightly and offering a somewhat stiff, reserved smile.

Unlike her, Duke acted no differently than usual.

"It's been a few years," he greeted her casually. "You've grown up."

Martin Miller knew a little about the history between the two. He remembered that Duke and Natalie used to have a pretty good relationship, though for some unknown reason, they had eventually stopped keeping in touch.

"When are you prepping your next movie?" Martin Miller asked naturally. "I heard a rumor that your new film will feature an extraordinary female character."

Duke didn't deny it, simply giving a slight nod.

Martin Miller's eyes fell on Natalie. "What do you think of Nat?"

"Sorry," Duke replied, not bothering to beat around the bush as he rejected her outright. "I already have someone in mind for the female lead."

Off to the side, a trace of disappointment flickered in Natalie's eyes.

Since the Star Wars Series ended, her career had stalled. Everything seemed stuck at the Padme Amidala phase. The few films she had starred in were extremely mediocre in both box office and influence, completely different from what she had imagined.

Although the Jewish Influence in Hollywood recognized her as one of their own and would give her priority under equal conditions, without good projects and good roles, that support alone wasn't nearly enough for her to realize her dreams.

Natalie knew very well that the success of the Star Wars Prequel Series had little to do with her, and neither the industry nor the public would credit her for it. If she wanted to become an A-list star in Hollywood, she had to prove herself.

But there were simply too many actors in Hollywood desperate to prove themselves. How many of them actually ended up as the lucky ones?

The most typical example was Hayden Christensen, who had starred alongside her in the Star Wars Prequel. Once an insanely popular idol, he was now stuck scraping by in second-rate films.

This wasn't the life she wanted. Becoming a winner was far more difficult than she had imagined.

She looked over at Duke. If he wanted to, turning an actor into a massive star would be an absolute breeze.

If she had been as mature back then as she was now, she wouldn't have made such an amateur mistake.

To succeed in Hollywood, one couldn't afford to care about things like saving face. This was especially true for an agent. Showing no intention of giving up, Martin Miller pressed on.

"What about other female roles?" he asked. "Are there any other heavyweight female characters?"

Duke wasn't going to waste too much time here.

"They're all just eye-candy roles," he said bluntly. "Martin, if Natalie is interested, she can contact Tina for an audition when the time comes. You should have her number."

With that, Duke checked his watch. "I have other things to attend to, so I'll take my leave now."

Watching Duke turn and walk away, Martin Miller frowned slightly. He turned his head and looked at Natalie.

"Nat, I don't know what kind of conflict you had with him, but I imagine it couldn't have been sharper than the one between him and Tom Cruise back in the day," he said. "In this industry, there is no conflict that can't be resolved."

He sighed. "I saw the script for the female lead over at Warner Brothers. Even though it's an action movie, this role is truly rare. As long as the film achieves even a third of the success of Transformers, it will be enough to overturn the rigid image you've been boxed into by Padme Amidala."

Patting Natalie lightly on the arm, Martin Miller didn't say anything more. He knew the person standing across from him was an incredibly realistic and smart woman.

After walking out of the backstage area and finishing a routine interview in the press zone, Duke returned to the auditorium. He had already automatically pushed the recent encounter to the back of his mind. He had made a mistake a few years ago and had no desire to repeat it. A former idol was exactly that—former. He absolutely could not view her through the lens of the past anymore, much like how he loved several of Sean Connery's later films but had still ruthlessly used every method at his disposal to deal with him without hesitation.

Natalie Portman was nothing but the past.

Compared to Charlize Theron, her image simply didn't fit the female lead of the new project. As for the other eye-candy roles, putting aside whether she was suitable or not, with Natalie Portman's personality, would she even stoop to play such a dispensable part?

The most suitable candidates for those roles were still the Victoria's Secret Angels.

The awards continued to be handed out one after another. Regardless of whether the Saturn Awards were truly fair, all the winning films shared one characteristic—they were all huge winners in the movie market with extremely broad audiences.

Films that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences disliked, such as Sweeney Todd and I Am Legend, consecutively walked away with the Saturn Awards' heavyweight prizes.

The biggest winner of this year's Saturn Awards was still Transformers, which had claimed the most trophies. This became the latest promotional hype point for Warner Brothers, once again injecting full horsepower into the film's gradually slowing box-office momentum.