CBS's 60 Minutes program contacted Ronald for the first time since he filmed Top Gun. Many of their viewers are fans of old Hollywood. They hope to see the US military appear on the screen in a positive image again.
be able to make him an interview subject.
After Ronald filmed Dirty Dancing, 60 Minutes invited him again. This time it was because the story of the film was about young women growing up in the 1960s, and it was once again perfectly in tune with the CBS audience.
Of course, Ronald refused them all. He was not very interested in this kind of personal interview. He would ask a lot of private questions, which is more suitable for a retired person's review.
But as Ronald becomes more and more important in Hollywood, just like other TV shows or well-known magazines, such interview invitations will be resent every 3-6 months in anticipation of the day when Ronald
Suddenly he figured it out. Or some news about him broke out, and he needed to go on a show to clarify himself.
This time, Ronald took the initiative to contact CBS's 60 Minutes program, which surprised the program team and asked Ronald to choose which host he wanted to be interviewed by.
This also surprised Richard, Pat Kingsley and others. Generally speaking, CBS's 60 Minutes program is a more serious and formal interview program. The guests have enough interview time and can talk in depth.
There are also some older and more mature viewers who support it, and the ratings rank first among television media.
You know, David Letterman's Late Show has an average audience of only 12 million to 15 million, while 60 Minutes, a serious interview media, has an average audience of more than 20 million.
Their interviewees include previous leaders, leaders of the House and Senate, business leaders, celebrities, foreign politicians, etc...
As a Hollywood person, being able to appear on this show shows that his influence has spread beyond the entertainment industry and has become a topical figure among the people. Hollywood has always been able to appear on this show, and they are all very famous stars, including Marlon Brando, Barbara
·Characters like Streisand and others are popular among all ages, women and children.
Everyone felt that CBS must be very eager for Ronald, so it set out conditions for selecting reporters for interviews.
"That's not necessarily the case, but it doesn't matter. Which reporter do you think is better to interview me? What about Connie Chung?"
The reporter appointed by Ronald was the second female reporter on CBS's 60 Minutes program, and the first Chinese female reporter in CBS and even in the television industry. She was given the position of producer leading the interview.
Her famous work on 60 Minutes was her interview with Marlon Brando, a famous Hollywood movie star who has always been unpretentious to journalists. Throughout the program, she had a good image, spoke in an organized manner, and was able to empathize with the interviewee.
Quietly allowed Marlon Brando to talk about many topics that everyone thought he didn't want to talk about.
Ronald had a favorable impression of her, especially considering her to be much better than another female CBS reporter and the first female reporter to appear on 60 Minutes, Barbara Waters.
"This..." No one expected Ronald to mention such an unpopular candidate. Everyone thought he would find Lesley Starr, who has interviewed the most Hollywood figures.
"She is a very good choice..." Pat Kingsley was very supportive of Ronald's choice. A reporter who can understand people and make a lot of preparations is better than those reporters who are famous but don't actually ask questions without preparation.
, reporters who play by stereotypes are much better. The one with the worst reputation is undoubtedly Barbara Waters.
"Very good, let's contact them."
Ronald knew that 60 Minutes magazine could also go to the subject's home to interview him. He also submitted this request to CBS. Being able to have some home footage would increase Ronald's sense of civilians and give him the final touch before the Oscars.
Public relations activities can be very helpful.
…
"How about this one? Doesn't it look like a Manhattan apartment in New York?" Ronald took out all his clothes and prepared to wear them for the 60 Minutes interview. At this time, he received a call from Richard.
Connie Zon has decided to switch to ABC. Although she will undoubtedly agree to interview Ronald, CBS will not let her snatch this peach before she leaves.
The candidates proposed by CBS happen to be Barbara Waters and Lesley Starr, who are both women.
"Neither of these two people are good..." Ronald looked down on Lesley Starr's interviewing skills. This person was a producer, and later he grabbed the microphone and went into battle personally. His skills were very limited, and he often asked questions.
Some of the issues irritated both the interview subjects and the audience. When she hosted, the show's ratings were the lowest.
As for Barbara Waters, Ronald excluded her from the beginning. This person's character was questionable. To be interviewed by her, one would have to be very brave or have a very tough background.
"Who are we looking for? Molly Safe?" Richard announced the name of another 60 Minutes host.
"Why can't I find the best reporter to interview me? I would rather let Mike Wallace interview me." Ronald replied with a smile. He should be one of the best directors in Hollywood at the moment, why can't he accept the best one?
What about interviews with exclusive reporters?
Then he called Pat Kingsley and asked her opinion, then contacted CBS to express his wish.
CBS agreed immediately. Mike Wallace is known for asking tough questions, so it was a perfect choice for Ronald to be interviewed by him. It would be a great boost to the ratings.
…
"I'm curious, Ronald, can I call you Ronald? I have a question for you in advance."
Mike Wallace wore a light brown suit with vertical stripes and showed up at Ronald's home elegantly. While the staff was preparing the equipment, Wallace and Ronald chatted.
"Of course, I will never miss the 60 minutes you host. Even if I can't watch the live broadcast, I will ask Diane to record it for me and watch the video." Ronald made him a cup of black tea and handed it to him.
Friendly, "What do you want to ask me?"
"It's not on the record..." Wallace pointed to the camera and tape recorder that were not working yet. "I'm just curious why you don't want to be interviewed by Barbara Waters. She is known to be friendly to Hollywood people.
Famously, because you originally designated Connie Zong, I didn’t even want to compete with them..."
Ronald did not dare to neglect. Mike Wallace was talking about the tough reporter who dared to say that Ruhollah Mousavi, the strongman of the Middle East at that time, was a madman to his face. It is difficult to say that this kind of small talk before a formal interview was serious.
It's not a test.
"Can I be honest with you, Mike?"
"Of course..." Wallace put down his tea cup and his expression quickly adjusted to a listening state. Although this man is famous for being ruthless to his interviewees, when meeting face to face, it is difficult for you not to feel sorry for such a sincere person.
People feel good.
"I don't like her because she once tortured my friends in interviews, and I was very unhappy. I would rather face you, a reporter with a reputation for toughness, than face a poisonous snake like her... I'm sorry.
I said it vulgarly."
"Hahaha, it doesn't matter. We CBS reporters also compete for interview subjects with each other. You don't have to worry about my friendship with her and be more tactful. I can ask about your friend who was treated unfairly by Barbara.
Who is it?"
Mike Wallace told some industry insider secrets. In such a program, reporters also poach and undermine each other. His relationship with Barbara Waters may not be as good as the two Hollywood actors competing for good scripts.
How much better is the star of the role.
"Can I believe you? Mike, this is our private conversation, you can't air this."
"Of course, hey, Luke..." Mike Wallace called to the engineer who was playing with the equipment and confirmed that there were no microphones or camera lenses and they were on.
"It's Brooke Shields...Barbara Waters' interview with her was very unreasonable, and also..." Ronald told the past, when Barbara Waters' interview with Brooke Shields was almost like an interrogation.
, and forced Brooke Shields to say in public that she had no feelings for men like herself. The two later fell out of love, which has to be said to be an objective reason.
"Oh, God, you and Brooke Shields..." Mike Wallace exclaimed.
"I hope nothing about her will appear in the interview. This is not a good topic. I have to consider the impact on others and my own family..."
"OK, I respect your choice, Ronald. You are really a difficult interview subject. I rarely get taken advantage of before I start." Mike Wallace seemed to be concerned about not being able to mention it in the interview.
And Brooke Shields seems to be very concerned about Ronald's ex-girlfriend.
…
"Ronald Lee, a famous Hollywood director, has had many commercially and artistically successful works. He is also a successful producer and founded his own media company. But at the same time, he is also
A man who was very protective of his privacy, he was known to rarely grant interviews, even when a film he was directing was to be released.
So why did he open up to 60 Minutes about his own experiences over the years? We've asked him this question every few months for the past five years, but he refused to accept 60 Minutes every time.
Minutes of interviews, until the most recent one, his movie Forrest Gump, while being loved by audiences across the United States, was also criticized and attacked by film critics..."
Mike Wallace is indeed a leading reporter. The advantage of being straightforward is that he can quickly gain the audience's attention during his opening remarks.
"Ronald had to pay the price of having part of his private life revealed in order to express his response to the various opinions surrounding Forrest Gump all at once."
The two sat on the sofa in the study room and began the interview.
"You're from New York? But you started your film career in Los Angeles?"
"Yes, after I graduated from high school, I started to earn money by taking pictures for my classmates' graduation albums. After I had enough money, I bought a second-hand car and drove to Los Angeles. Here I was lucky enough to work at Roger Co.
Got a job reading scripts at Mann's New World Pictures."
"It's hard to imagine that a young man who graduated from high school could become the current...Ronald Lee after just fifteen years of struggle..." Mike Wallace showed the audience some Ronald Lee
De found a photo of the Volkswagen he drove back then...
"Oh, it's completely different from what I thought. You seem to be a child from a civilian family..." Mike Wallace looked at Ronald with a sly look. This is a possible entry point.
Let Ronald get emotional.
"I don't know if you're right, but for a kid who spent his high school years on Staten Island, it seems fair." Ronald responded with a smile.
"As far as we know, you are an orphan."
"Yes, my parents died in a traffic accident when I was young. However, I have a very good aunt. She took me to Staten Island, where my mother grew up, and I spent the rest of my life there.
My teenage years..."
"It sounds like you have an aunt who treats you very well, and you lived quite happily during that time."
"Oh, yes, she's really nice to me."
"But she was also a war widow. Your uncle died in Vietnam?"
This chapter is not over, please click on the next page to continue reading! "Yes, you seem to know my history quite well?"
Ronald adjusted his body posture and began to wonder if he had made a mistake by asking Mike Wallace. This man was obviously very well prepared. I wonder what tough questions he was going to ask next?
"Of course, this is the basic skill of interviewing reporters. Your father is also a Vietnam veteran? Did he and your uncle serve together?"
"Yes, my uncle died in Vietnam very unfortunately..."
"So, let's make a hypothesis. If your father and your uncle were still alive, what would they think of the plot of Forrest Gump and Babu in Vietnam in Forrest Gump directed by you?" Mike
Wallace crossed his legs and seemed to be getting better.
"I don't know much about them. I was still very young at that time. But in order to film Forrest Gump, I got to know many veterans. I think they may have the same idea as these veterans. The Vietnam battlefield in their memories is
so……"
"So what would they think if they saw the footage of you cutting out Forrest Gump's speech at an anti-war rally? They would blame you for not being able to reflect the cruelty and senselessness of the Vietnam War, and for not speaking out that conversation.
?”
Mike Wallace's eyes suddenly changed, and he stared firmly into Ronald's eyes. The camera behind also zoomed in, showing Ronald's face in a close-up...
"You!..." Ronald was so excited that he hunched forward. Asking such a question at the beginning was indeed very invasive. Fortunately, his years of training and knowledge allowed Ronald to stop him immediately.
I felt the urge to stand up.
"I think you asked a good question. Many of our views on social events are shaped by movies. When many people hear the name of the Vietnam War, they will think of it as an unjust war. But as veterans, their
Many of my feelings are actually very similar to Forrest Gump.
They were drafted into the army, then received training, and were stationed in Vietnam. They followed the regulations to advance or retreat, and then boom, artillery shells came to hit them. The lucky ones escaped, the unfortunate ones were killed. They had no time to think about those noble or derogatory things.
Words and everything suddenly came to them. They were so speechless. In the end, they just wanted to go home and reunite with their relatives and loved ones, just like Forrest Gump's speech..."
"Is this a response to those who criticized Forrest Gump for not being anti-war? Do you think they are too shallow and do not really understand the feelings of the soldiers on the battlefield?" Mike Wallace is pervasive, and then he
A more realistic question was raised, but overall his toughness was fair, and he listened carefully to what Ronald had to say.
Ronald was silent for a few seconds, then looked at Wallace and his camera again, "How I want to evaluate this war is a matter for politicians and political commentators. As a film director, my task is to be truthful
React to the real reactions of different people to the war...
As you said, Forrest Gump in the movie has an attitude. The female college students who are anti-war also have an attitude. The general who unplugged the microphone also has an attitude. I have no intention of evaluating their moral standards. The movie
All we can do is recreate that period of history on the screen
...I think after the movie was released, many veterans said to me that this was the most realistic Vietnam War movie they had ever seen, and many anti-war people at the time told me that this was the most realistic movie they had seen that reflected anti-war activities.
, I think that is the highest compliment for my movie..."
"So you value their reviews more than the film critics?" Wallace continued to ask.
"The opinions of film critics are very insightful, but I am even more moved by the comments of people who have experienced that period of history. They told me that it was like this on the battlefield in the Vietnam War. One moment it was drizzling, and the next moment it was raining.
After the rain, the sky cleared up, and then I was immediately exposed to the opponent's artillery fire..."
"Oh, this is definitely an experience that only those who have witnessed the battlefield know. I just heard that your first job in Hollywood was working for Roger Corman. For people outside of Hollywood, the first reaction
That is, who is he?"
"Well, that's a fair question... He was the master of low-budget Hollywood production, and it was at his place that I first met my good friend James Cameron."
Gradually, the interview got better and better, and Ronald also gained an insight. Here is Mike Wallace's skill, and there will definitely be many problems that are difficult for him to deal with next.