Hollywood Immortal

[Chapter 347: Harvey's Tactics, the Unrestrained Oscar PR]

Time had quietly moved into February, and amidst the intense Oscar publicity activities, an obscure tabloid suddenly began sensational rumors.

"Shocking reveal: Robert Zemeckis, the director of Forrest Gump, is a severe racist..."

The article claimed that, according to insiders, Robert Zemeckis had displayed multiple discriminatory behaviors towards the black crew members and actors during the filming of Forrest Gump, even using the N-word publicly several times.

The article even described specific scenes, making it obvious that the source was someone from inside the production crew, lending it high credibility.

Once the piece came out, it was immediately picked up by most media outlets, all harshly condemning Robert Zemeckis.

Hollywood's African American community, with Spike Lee at its forefront, was incensed, vocally attacking Robert across various media platforms.

Spike Lee even loudly condemned Robert on the influential Saturday Night Live program, declaring that such a racist didn't deserve an Oscar and should be removed from the Oscar nominee list, calling on all judges to withhold their votes.

---

At Paramount's marketing department meeting room, the Oscar PR team for Forrest Gump gathered. Producers Wendy Finerman, Steve Tisch, and Steve Starkey looked at the bolt-faced Robert Zemeckis and sighed softly. What had been a promising awards trajectory was now rapidly sinking due to this little article.

With Forrest Gump's performance, the Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor Oscars seemed almost guaranteed to the team.

Who would have thought such a scandal would erupt suddenly?

"Robert, how do you think we should handle this?"

"Fuck, how should I know? This is all slander. I never did any of that!" Robert pounded his fists on the table, his hoarse voice filled with uncontrollable rage.

"Angela, you're the PR expert. What's your take?"

"Robert, the problem now is that whether or not you did it, the audience already believes it, as do thousands of Oscar voters. Unless..."

"Unless what?" Robert clutched at this lifeline eagerly.

"Unless you can bring out nearly all black crew members and actors from the production to publicly clear your name and vouch for you."

"All black crew and actors? That's a lot. Can't we just get a few?"

"No, even if we can't get every single one, most of them must come forward. Otherwise, the public won't believe it, and it could snowball into an even bigger risk."

"A bigger risk?"

"Yes, suppose we hold a press conference to clarify things, but some absent black actors go on another media outlet to accuse you by name or provide stronger evidence. What then? It wouldn't just hurt you, the whole production -- including Best Picture and Best Actor ballots -- might be jeopardized."

Everyone's face changed. No way could just Robert suffer, the entire crew dragging him down was unthinkable.

In fact, most present, including Angela, had already privately started to believe the media reports. Robert Zemeckis wasn't known as someone friendly toward African Americans. They were simply shocked he'd been careless enough to reveal such flaws publicly.

Producer Steve Tisch and lead actor Tom Hanks exchanged looks, both filled with frustration and anger.

Steve finally asked, "Robert, can you do what Angela just suggested?"

Robert, like an enraged bull, panted heavily. "I can't do that. But you have to trust me -- someone is out to get me. It must be a competitor deliberately smearing me."

Everyone exchanged glances and shook their heads silently. Of course, in such a critical moment for the Oscars, a scandal like this was clearly targeted at the awards, but the problem was that he was caught with a real scandal.

---

Back then, Oscar PR was relatively mild and less costly; each team spent only about $200,000 to $300,000 max.

It wasn't like the new millennium, where you needed $20 to $30 million to even have a seat at the Oscar game.

PR strategies hadn't yet sunk to slandering each other and playing dirty.

The first time such black ops were used in Oscar campaigning was only in early 1999, when Harvey Weinstein launched a brutal media smear campaign against the Best Picture favorite Saving Private Ryan, causing its early exit and allowing Shakespeare in Love to grab Best Picture.

Now, Harvey preemptively used this tactic, striking Robert Zemeckis at his weakest point, forcing him to step down and even causing the production to sacrifice him to avoid collateral damage.

Whether Robert had really used racial slurs publicly was beside the point.

---

Soon, another tabloid claimed, "Jessica Lange, star of Blue Sky, is a confirmed lesbian."

In the mid-90s America, mainstream society had not yet accepted homosexuality -- it was not the LGBTQ-accepting era of later years. And Oscar voters were predominantly "old white men."

The Academy was mostly white (95%), male (80%), and the average age was around 61.

This conservative crowd would likely shun an openly lesbian actress.

---

Next, media repeatedly reminded audiences that Bullets Over Broadway was a comedy and Diane Wiest's role was comedic.

The Academy had long held biases against comedies, doubting their seriousness and emotional depth.

Being tagged as a comedy reduced chances of winning drastically.

---

Facing Linton's carrot-and-stick Oscar PR approach, Harvey wielded every weapon. He carefully analyzed that Robert Zemeckis, Jessica Lange, and Diane Wiest were his biggest obstacles.

They were the strongest contenders for Best Director, Best Actress, and Best Supporting Actress respectively. Under normal PR tactics, even Quentin Tarantino, Sophie Marceau, or Winona Ryder would struggle to compete against them.

Since direct competition was futile, to fulfill Linton's mission, Harvey had to unleash devastating strikes, eliminating them early to clear the path for his favorites.

Moreover, he managed this unprecedented smear campaign without exposing himself or provoking counterattacks.

Of course, nobody was naive. After the dust settled, debriefings would uncover hints. Even if the proof couldn't be found, the beneficiaries' identities would reveal the truth. Next time, trying such a dirty trick would be much harder.

Meanwhile, his own PR stayed aggressive. Events came one after another, even Linton was tracked down and made to attend multiple PR affairs.

Sophie Marceau and Winona Ryder juggled endless parties, often rushing between two events, like spinning tops exhausted to the point they needed nightly help from Linton to replenish their energy...

*****

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