"'North Korea is the enemy' remains a form of political correctness in American society. Even the traditionally left-leaning and powerful film industry is no exception. In fact, North Korea's protests often become the very reason some American producers are eager to bring such topics to the big screen — not to mention, for a commercial entertainment film, such a controversy is the cheapest possible form of publicity and promotion."
The ideology and propaganda of "everything about the enemy country is evil" are by no means unique to the United States. Across the Pacific, the popularity of certain "patriotic dramas" also relies heavily on the premise of national hatred between two countries. North Korean films, for their part, also include plenty of "American characters," who are inevitably portrayed as villains.
According to the plan devised by Duke and Warner Bros., the next step was to stage a self-directed and self-acted "hacker farce" to further expand The Interview's public influence.
However, things always have a way of developing in unexpected directions.
The sun had already sunk beneath the ocean, and the sea breeze drifting in carried less humidity and more of a refreshing coolness, relieving the muggy atmosphere along the Malibu coast. Occasionally, a few seagulls would fly above the yacht, letting out a few cheerful cries. But once the deck lights flicked on, shining brightly in every direction, those birds quickly flapped their wings and fled into the night.
The Duke yacht, stretching nearly four hundred feet, slowly pulled away from the dock and drifted farther from the coastline. Several paparazzi in speedboats passed by from a distance but dared not get too close. They could only raise their cameras with telephoto lenses, frantically pressing their shutters toward the yacht before leaving in disappointment.
"Damn laser anti-photography devices!"
That was the paparazzi's shared complaint, but there was nothing they could do. The yacht's owner was wealthy enough to install the most advanced equipment available — and powerful enough that none of them dared to get too close.
The director's friendly public image might have lingered from yesterday, but years of experience constantly reminded the paparazzi of the truth: if they angered the yacht's owner, the consequences could be extremely serious — even terrifying.
Indeed, North America was a land of freedom, where they possessed the right to film and report freely. Yet the paparazzi knew very well that freedom always came with double standards. If they pushed their "freedom" too far, the price to pay might be unbearable.
The yacht was ablaze with lights, and through binoculars, one could faintly see people moving about — it was the celebration party for The Dark Knight Rises, attended by countless stars and celebrities. The paparazzi were reluctant to leave and instead drifted at a safe distance, circling aimlessly.
On the spacious top deck, more than a dozen waiters moved among the guests carrying all kinds of drinks, occasionally adding new and delicate dishes to the long tables at the center. Along both sides of the deck near the railings, two rows of white tables and chairs were arranged neatly. Many guests sat chatting, bursts of hearty or polite laughter echoing through the sea breeze.
Whatever these people might be like in private, on this ship and at this party, they all presented the best versions of themselves.
"Duke…"
On the top deck of the yacht, Anne Hathaway approached Duke, raising her glass. "It's such a pity my character died in the second film — really such a shame. Working with you has been one of the happiest experiences of my career."
"I'm sure we'll have the chance to work together again," Duke replied politely.
Of course, it was only a polite response. Even if there were a suitable role for Anne Hathaway, Duke had no plans to use the New York-born actress again anytime soon.
The reason was simple: Anne Hathaway had now surpassed Gwyneth Paltrow to become the most hated actress in America — and without any real competition.
She had once been widely beloved. To American audiences, she could sing beautifully, her movies were charming, and she appeared open and spontaneous. On talk shows, she was quick-witted — practically a ball of energy.
But over the past few years, that perception had shifted drastically. It had become an undeniable reality — Anne Hathaway had become one of the most disliked actresses in America, perhaps the most disliked.
What truly resonated with the public's distaste — even hatred — toward her were The Dark Knight Rises and her Italian ex-boyfriend's fraud scandal. Then came last year's New York Times article titled "Do We Really Hate Anne Hathaway?" which struck a chord across the nation. Like every star-making and star-destroying — campaign before it, numerous media outlets joined the chorus of criticism against her.
Many publications analyzed in detail the reasons behind the American public's aversion to Hathaway, calling her "fake." But the real issue was that when outlets like The New York Times began seriously analyzing why people hated a Hollywood actress, it became something much more troublesome.
Not only The New York Times, but also The New Republic, The New Yorker, and The Hollywood Reporter — all major and influential outlets — treated the public's dislike for Hathaway as a serious social topic.
As The New York Times put it, several mainstream media outlets named Anne Hathaway the "Most Disliked Celebrity of 2012." On Instant Share, there was even a trending tag called #hathahaters.
By 2013, her haters had reached peak activity. On Instant Share, nearly twenty thousand posts per minute were bashing her. Even her past award acceptance speeches were dissected line by line by critics.
"She called the Oscar her 'weapon against self-doubt.' That's just disgusting."
"I hate her so much I want to throw a pizza at my TV."
The American public accused her of "acting even while eating and drinking — rehearsing dozens of times in front of the mirror before any talk show appearance, and scripting every casual joke in advance."
They disliked her behavior — "she forgot to thank someone at the Golden Globes, and when her film won Best Picture, she rushed onstage before the producers to deliver her own add-on acceptance speech."
In stark contrast stood another actress — Jennifer Lawrence. In the public eye, Lawrence was natural, cute, and genuine. Even when she said something wrong, she didn't seem to care.
Of course, Jennifer Lawrence was also performing. A person who keeps tripping at major award ceremonies — once could be an accident, but several times in a row certainly wasn't coincidence. Still, the media needed a new star to attract attention, Hollywood needed a new idol to showcase its glamorous side, and the public wanted a unique celebrity to project their fantasies onto. Thus, Jennifer Lawrence appeared at the perfect time and place — with the right instincts and team — becoming one of the fastest-rising stars in the industry.
In fact, on Instant Share, a poll titled "Why Do So Many People Hate Anne Hathaway?" had the second most popular response starting with: "Because she's not Jennifer Lawrence."
After exchanging a few polite words with Anne Hathaway, Duke continued to greet other guests while absentmindedly turning over various thoughts in his mind. It wasn't until Tina Fey hurried over, holding her phone, that his attention sharpened.
"Mr. Jamie Johnson called — he'll call again in three minutes."
Duke nodded. Tina Fey intercepted a few people approaching him. When the phone began to vibrate, Duke walked to a quiet corner at the bow of the ship.
"What? A hacker invasion? It's not us?"
After giving Tina Fey a few brief instructions, Duke headed toward the helipad at the stern of the yacht, immediately boarded a helicopter, and returned to Los Angeles. He made several consecutive calls, and almost every member of Warner Brothers' board of directors received the notification. Doug Walter also called an emergency high-level meeting.
The situation wasn't complicated. According to Warner Brothers' plan, after trading enough verbal blows with North Korea, they would launch a new publicity and marketing strategy — playing the trick of "self-theft under supervision," then framing the North Koreans for it, to increase media hype.
However, before the plan could even begin, a hacker group infiltrated Warner Brothers' servers. Fortunately, Warner had long been prepared for this. The compromised servers didn't contain anything truly valuable. The only thing actually related to the movie was the newest poster and trailer for The Interview. If the hackers leaked them, it would only serve as free promotion.
Since the hackers failed to achieve their goal, they naturally wouldn't give up easily. They left a message on Warner Brothers' servers.
This hacker group, calling itself "Guardians of Peace," issued a formal warning to Warner Brothers: if the company did not stop the promotion and screening of The Interview, they would take further action.
"My suggestion…"
Inside the Warner Brothers conference room, Duke said without hesitation, "Report it to the Los Angeles Police Department, the FBI, and the CIA. At the same time, hold a press conference and make the hacking incident public."
Jamie Johnson nodded in agreement. "I agree as well."
Abandoning the film was absolutely impossible — taking advantage of the hacking incident was clearly the best option.
Although some of Warner Brothers' executives had reservations, they ultimately supported this course of action.
Soon after, the hackers anonymously sent another warning email to the public mailboxes of Duke and Doug Walter, stating that Warner Brothers would suffer "tremendous damage." If Warner Brothers did not withdraw all plans related to The Interview, the company would face a "complete bombardment."
After Warner Brothers refused, the hackers did indeed launch attacks. But against the well-prepared Warner Brothers, backed by the FBI and CIA, they failed to cause any substantial damage. Instead, once Warner publicly disclosed the incident, the hacking case became the center of attention across the United States.
Especially during Warner Brothers' second press conference, when the attending CIA representative directly declared North Korea the primary suspect, the world was in uproar. The level of attention this event received even surpassed that of The Dark Knight Rises shooting case, spreading across the globe at record speed.
At the same time, The Interview became a worldwide sensation. Countless people eagerly awaited it, curious to see just what kind of movie it truly was.
...
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