novellhall Chapter 148 Want to watch movies? Contact me! [5000]
Chapter 148 Want to watch movies? Contact me! [5000]
Chapter 148 Want to watch movies? Contact me! [5000]
Since Jennifer moved in, Chen Xun has been living a very regular life these past few days.
I'm usually woken up in the morning by the rock music playing from Jennifer's old alarm clock.
This woman has incredible energy.
No matter what time she went to bed the night before, she always appeared full of energy the next day.
As the saying goes, there are only oxen that die from exhaustion, not land that is over-plowed.
Chen Xun's case was validated at this moment.
Even though his physical attributes have been upgraded to level 5, it can still only be considered an evenly matched contest.
Chen Xun can only hope that his physical attributes will be upgraded again.
The reshoots were completed quickly.
The next step was voice-over and special effects production.
As a new actress, Jennifer had to participate in media training and public relations preparation.
Her agent arranged media handling training for her, red carpet etiquette, interview script guidance, and social media usage guidelines.
Jennifer complains every day that the words she hears most often are, "You can't say this, you can't say that!"
Chen Xun asked Robert curiously if he had any courses planned for this type of course.
Rob was taken aback at first, then complained to Chen Xun in an annoyed tone, "Bro, you still don't have a clear understanding of yourself!"
Chen Xun: "???"
Rob started counting on his fingers: "Since we met, which viral moment have you missed?"
He began to list all the trending topics that Chen Xun had made it onto during the year since he signed the contract!
Rob became increasingly agitated as he spoke: "Every time something goes wrong, before I even contact the PR team, you've already quietly taken care of everything!"
"Even I sometimes feel like I'm getting a hot potato when I'm taking your 8% commission!"
"I'll arrange media training for you? I think you should become a teacher and train those outspoken, idiotic celebrities."
"Just stay the way you are, do what you're supposed to do, as long as you don't actually take a bow and arrow and shoot reporters, I think there won't be a big problem."
Chen Xun listened to Robert's half-serious, half-joking complaints and was both amused and exasperated.
But upon closer reflection, it does seem to make sense.
Fragments of information from his past life, combined with the aid of the panel in this life, give him a composure that transcends his age and experience when dealing with the media and the public.
He knows where the bottom line is, and he also knows how to maximize his own interests and image within that line.
Post-production on The Hunger Games is nearing completion, and the marketing department has begun releasing materials in a planned manner.
First came character silhouette photos that created a sense of atmosphere, followed by concept posters that didn't involve the core plot.
Following an internal screening for theater managers, the first batch of official posters and stills were released to the market through partner entertainment media and magazines.
On the Hunger Games fan forum, related posts quickly grew to a huge number.
[Hot Post] Shocking! The Hunger Games has finished filming, and Peeta is actually Chen Xun, who played Green Lantern! Pictures included!
The original poster shared the official poster.
A solo poster featuring Chen Xun as Pita, dressed in a dark tribute uniform.
There's also a poster of him and Jennifer back-to-back, ready for battle.
1L (Original Poster): As the title says! I just bought a copy of Entertainment Weekly and scanned it! It really is him! I didn't believe it when I saw someone post photos of him on the street!
2L: I have mixed feelings. Peeta in the book has blond hair and blue eyes! This casting—
3L: It's him again? I already thought it was bizarre enough that Warner Bros. cast him as Green Lantern, and now Lionsgate is doing it too? Has the entertainment industry gone mad?
4L: I remember there was a Reuters post before, and someone commented below: "Scissors: If Chen Xun could play Peeta, I'd eat my keyboard on live stream!" (link)
5L: @ScissorsHands, bro, what brand is your keyboard? Is it tasty?
Similar controversies began to escalate online.
Some people directly tagged Lionsgate and Chen Xun to express their doubts.
Some people shared the poster to express their anticipation.
Most people are just watching the show.
Chen Xun scrolled through these forum posts and Twitter comments, his heart completely unmoved.
Having weathered the storm of controversy surrounding "Is it a joke for a Chinese person to play a superhero?" during the Green Lantern era, this current controversy is nothing more than a drizzle.
The ID that claimed it would "livestream eating a keyboard" has quietly deleted its post.
There's nothing new on the internet; the cycle of being proven wrong and being proven wrong never stops.
Jennifer leaned over to glance at his computer screen, then pouted, "See? There are quite a few people criticizing my casting, saying I'm too muscular, not delicate enough, and can't portray Katniss's slenderness!"
"Ignore them. Let the movie speak for itself."
After several days of torment, she seemed to have come to terms with it.
"You're right, let the performance speak for itself!"
Chen Xun shut down the computer: "But before that, you need to learn to speak in a way that they can accept."
He pointed to the media training materials spread out on the table.
Jennifer rolled her eyes dramatically, grabbed a cushion, and threw it at him: "Shut up!"
The online public opinion will clearly not be calmed by Chen Xun and Jennifer's composure.
On the contrary, it has only gotten worse.
With the continued release of official promotional materials for "The Hunger Games".
The controversy, which originally circulated only in niche fan forums and Twitter circles, was quickly amplified to the attention of the entire media.
The first issue that sparked controversy was the criticism leveled at the lead actress, Jennifer Lawrence.
#Jennifer Lawrence is too old to play Katniss#
The topic quickly climbed to the top of Twitter's trending list.
Clicking through, all I saw were reasoned and well-founded criticisms from fans of the original book: "Katnis is only 16 in the book! A frail girl struggling between life and death! Jennifer Lawrence is 21! Where is the trace of youthfulness on her face?"
"She looks like she could kill a wild boar with one punch, instead of being chased by one!"
"I'm not being harsh, but look at her in 'Winter's Bone,' and then look at this poster now—"
Even Hollywood lights and makeup can't hide that maturity, okay?
"I want hungry young girls, not muscular Amazonian warriors!"
"Blonde hair! Fair skin! My God, Susan Collins' Katniss is a hunter with dark hair, olive skin, and a body as thin as a reed!"
"Was this casting done blindly? Just because she's somewhat famous in the independent film scene?"
Following that, #NotMyKatness also became a trending hashtag.
This scene inevitably reminded Chen Xun of his previous hashtag #NotMyGreenLantern#.
There are similarities in the same way.
Many netizens who claim to be die-hard book fans shared their ideal casting choices.
Most of them are photos of new models or actors.
Compared to the official poster, the mockery is overwhelming.
Entertainment media naturally wouldn't miss out on such a topic that generates its own buzz.
Entertainment Weekly published an analysis article titled "A Mismatch Between Age and Image: The Casting Adventure of 'The Hunger Games'".
It objectively lists several key complaints from book fans:
He is older than expected, his appearance does not match the description in the original work, and his temperament is too healthy and strong rather than hungry and fragile.
The article concludes by quoting an anonymous industry insider: "Lionsgate's gamble on Jennifer Lawrence is a risky move. Her acting skills may be fine, but whether the audience can accept an over-aged and out-of-place Katniss is a big question mark."
Jennifer was surrounded and attacked, and Chen Xun was not spared either.
Those haters and extreme purists who had been lying dormant during the casting controversy for "Green Lantern" have resurfaced.
An account called "The Real Hunger Games Alliance" suddenly became active, and its speaking style was exactly the same as that of the "Real Green Lantern Alliance" back then.
Chen Xun strongly suspected that it was the same group of people who had changed their identities.
They focused their attacks on Chen Xun's skin color and the culture he represented.
They deliberately brought up the racial settings that the original work tried to avoid, claiming that casting a Chinese actor as the core character Peeta Mellark was a disruption of the original world.
"The Kingdom of Panem is based on a post-apocalyptic North American world, and its main population composition follows a logical progression. Arbitrarily changing the races of the main characters is disrespectful to the world-building of Susan Collins!"
"First it was Green Lantern, now it's Peeta. Do you guys think that as long as you cast an Asian person in a traditional white role, you can open up the Asian market? This kind of calculation is disgusting!"
Many netizens have begun to confuse the public.
They grouped Chen Xun with the Black actors in the film.
The topic "Why are good roles always given to people of color?" quickly became a hot topic on Twitter.
These statements were quickly challenged and refuted by more rational fans of the original work.
However, some uninformed netizens believed this to be true and poured a lot of dirty water on Chen Xun.
Mainstream media reports on Chen Xun used increasingly sensational headlines: "From Green Lantern to The Hunger Games: Chinese-American Actor Chen Xun Embroiled in Casting Controversy Again."
"The Hunger Games is generating buzz even before its release; the casting of Peeta sparks racial debate."
Lionsgate's high-stakes gamble: Can they tap into the teenage market with a controversial Chinese-American actor?
Chen Xun scrolled through his phone and occasionally saw familiar comments.
His level 5 emotional attribute minimized the impact of these negative evaluations on him.
"Look at this real-life Hunger Games! It's an old acquaintance of mine!"
Jennifer leaned over for a look, then scoffed, "How much free time do these people have?"
She took a big bite of apple and mumbled, "The charges they've leveled against me are quite novel—too strong? Come on, how could Katniss draw a bow and arrow, or survive in the jungle, if she didn't have some muscles?"
"If she really acted like the character in the book, starving to the point of being skin and bones, she should have been eliminated before the first episode even started!"
"As expected!"
Chen Xun walked to the window and looked at the swimming pool outside: "The Hunger Games book fanbase is younger and more active than the Green Lantern comic book fanbase, and they are also more prone to emotional reactions. Lionsgate's marketing team is probably having a headache while secretly rejoicing."
"Controversy generates buzz, which is key to a film's box office success!"
"I reckon Lionsgate will add fuel to the fire!"
Sure enough, Lionsgate's public relations team launched a counterattack that afternoon.
Director Gary Ross and author Susan Collins issued a joint statement through Entertainment Weekly.
Director Gary emphasizes that acting skills come first in casting, and that a good match in temperament is far more important than a perfect physical replica.
They also praised Jennifer and Chen Xun for their amazing professionalism during filming!
Susan Collins's words carry more weight.
"Jennifer is Katniss. She has all the power and soul that the character needs. Chen Xun's understanding and portrayal of Peeta's inner world deeply moved me. They are my Katniss and Peeta."
Lionsgate's official social media matrix has been fully launched.
The official Twitter account for the movie, @TheHungerGames, and the account that plays the "Capitol District," @TheCapitol, have begun releasing new behind-the-scenes tidbits in a steady stream.
A video of Jennifer practicing archery under the guidance of a professional Olympic athlete, persevering despite arm pain, and a behind-the-scenes shot of Chen Xun quietly studying the script and discussing Peeta's psychological state with the director on set, were carefully edited and released.
Instead of directly addressing the controversy, they softened the difference in image through hard work and focus.
Despite Lionsgate's active public relations efforts, the inertia of online public opinion is immense.
It is difficult to change netizens' attitudes in a short period of time.
Negative topics continue to dominate the trending topics list.
Chen Xun and Jennifer's names were tightly bound together in a way they never expected.
Jennifer's agent called eight times in one day, reminding her not to accidentally like or reply to any related tweets.
On Chen Xun's side, Rob was much calmer: "Stay calm, bro. Saying anything now will be wrong, so it's better to say nothing. Lionsgate's marketing campaign is pretty clever, let them do what they want."
Meanwhile, on the domestic internet across the ocean...
Chen Xun's Baidu Tieba (forum).
This forum was actually created by a few fans as early as when Chen Xun's role in "Green Lantern" attracted attention.
At the time, it wasn't very popular, with only a few dozen posts a day, mostly just reposting scattered reports from foreign websites or discussing the plot of "Green Lantern".
But ever since the casting news for "The Hunger Games" first broke, and then the official poster was released recently, sparking a huge controversy on foreign websites, this forum has become incredibly lively.
The few tech-savvy and information-obsessed individuals in the forum who were skilled at circumventing internet censorship became the busiest people.
[Pinned Featured Post][Real-time Update] A Storm on the Internet! Chen Xun's Character in "The Hunger Games" Sparks Huge Controversy! Twitter Trends + Media Reports Compilation (Continuously Updated)
Original poster @North American Transporter:
Brothers! Something big has happened! Xun Ge is being targeted by those people on the internet again! It's the same tactic he used when he played Green Lantern, but this time it's even worse, dragging in fans of the original comics and racial issues! I'll post screenshots and links in separate threads below, data usage warning!
1L (OP): First, here's a Twitter trending chart. [Screenshot] #NotMyPeeta #HungerGamesRacism #are all on the list! The top comments are a bunch of disgusting ones.
2L (Original Poster): The link to the Entertainment Weekly report (requires a VPN), the title alone is sarcastic.
3L: Holy crap! Here we go again? Is this never going to end? Did Brother Xun eat their rice?
4L: I'm furious after seeing the screenshots! Saying that Brother Xun doesn't fit the original story? Is the original author God? Does movie adaptation not require actors' acting skills?
5L@TimeDifferencePartyK: I'm arguing with those people on Twitter!
6L: Sisters! That's not the point! The point is that Xun Ge has landed another big production! *The Hunger Games*
Wow! The original novel is a huge hit. If this movie becomes a success, Brother Xun will truly have a foothold in Hollywood!
7L: The comment above is correct! Let them bark, results speak for themselves! Is the Green Lantern box office data fake?
8L@VPN expert Lao A: Breaking news! The female lead who co-starred with Xun Ge is also being heavily criticized, with people saying she's too old and doesn't look like the character. This is the Ling Troupe being smeared! Lionsgate's official Twitter account is no longer accessible.
9L: Damn! I can't stand this! Are there any overseas friends here? Lingdui, go control the comments on Twitter and Instagram!
Suppress those negative comments!
10L: Support! Even if we are few in number, we must let Brother Xun see that there are people in China who support him!
11L: I've already bypassed the Great Firewall. I'm seriously learning English swear words for Twitter. Could you please provide templates?
12L: If you want to watch movies, find me at W1B1G1.com (remove Chinese characters).
13L: Attention, moderators! We suggest creating a thread to compile positive reviews from overseas and highlighting Xun Ge's acting moments, translating them into both Chinese and English, and sending it back! We need to have solid evidence!
Soon, a post titled "Chen Xun Global Support Command Center" was highlighted and pinned to the top.
It is divided into categories.
Zone 1 is the link to the external network battlefield.
Responsible for related Twitter topics, Lionsgate's official Twitter account, and mainstream media comment sections.
Section Two is the ammunition depot.
A GIF clip of Chen Xun's acting in "Green Lantern," official materials from "The Hunger Games," and English-Chinese comparisons of the director's and author's praise.
Zone 3 provides technical support.
A simple tutorial on bypassing internet censorship, a Twitter registration guide, and a collection of commonly used supportive English phrases.
The fourth district reports on the results of the battle.
Which positive comments were liked, and which malicious attacks were reported?
This spontaneously organized expeditionary force operation is a spectacle on the internet.
They didn't have a professional public relations team or an online army; they relied entirely on their own spirit that they couldn't let outsiders bully them.
The atmosphere in the forum was more about excitement and pride than anger.
[Hot Topic] Rational Discussion: Why are we so supportive of Chen Xun?
OP: These past few days, the forum has been like a battlefield, no, like a war zone. I'm wondering, besides the fans' mentality, what other reasons are there?
1L: Is this even a discussion? We're on the same side! A Chinese person, in a place like Hollywood, after playing a DC superhero, is now playing the male lead in a hit IP. That's really impressive!
2L: Compare it to the domestic entertainment industry — never mind, I'm too lazy to compare.
Every day, she's either trending on social media for cheating, for her terrible acting, or for selling a persona on variety shows.
Look at Brother Xun, his works are truly impressive, that's what you call a true pioneer!
3L: The comment above perfectly expresses my thoughts!
What kind of monsters and demons are currently lurking in the Chinese entertainment industry?
Traffic is king, and capital feeds the filth.
It's rare to find someone who's even remotely promising, but they either get swayed by their fans or ruin their own career.
Finding Brothers is a Hollywood affair, at least the environment is relatively dependent on professional ability, and the fact that he was able to make it out of Hollywood shows that he really has something!
8L: It's not just his work, haven't you guys noticed? Xun Ge has almost no domestic marketing, he doesn't buy trending searches, he doesn't do any CP hype, he just focuses on filming. This kind of focus is so rare in the Chinese entertainment industry.
12L: Exactly! And he has a great eye for scripts! Green Lantern was controversial, but its box office success was phenomenal!
The Hunger Games is a promising film.
This shows that he not only acts well, but also has brains. How many actors in the Chinese entertainment industry have this kind of vision? Aren't they all just living off what their companies and sponsors give them?
15L: To put it bluntly, what we support is not just an actor, but a symbol of the Chinese people. We want people from our side to be able to go to the highest stage of the world, use the rules of the world, get good roles, and make a name for themselves!
20L: I'm moved to tears — this is exactly how I feel! I feel so proud to be a part of it!
Someone created beautiful pictures and short videos with the words "Chen Xun—Pride of Chinese Actors".
He paired the clips with highlights of his portrayal of Hal Jordan in "Green Lantern" and a poster for "The Hunger Games," and streamed them on Twitter and YouTube via VPN.
Although the number of clicks can't compare to those official materials that easily reach millions, these voices of support with names written in pinyin stand out and are particularly sincere under related topics.
Some Chinese fans who were studying or working overseas even participated directly in the front-line efforts.
They used more authentic English to refute those extreme remarks from the perspectives of acting skills, diversity in the film industry, and suitability for roles.
Their statements are often more rational and more easily accepted by neutral, casual viewers.
The news quickly reached Chen Xun through Robert.
"Bro! Zhang's domestic fans are incredibly powerful!"
Robert's voice on the phone was filled with excitement: "They actually managed to circumvent the Great Firewall to post positive topics about my husband on Twitter and Instagram, and even argued with those haters!"
""
Chen Xun was somewhat surprised.
In both his past and present lives, he has been somewhat detached from the individualistic aspects of the domestic fandom.
I never expected that my struggles in Hollywood would garner such passionate support from my hometown in this way.