On Sunday, Dunn and Alessandra Ambrosio showed up at Columbia University in Harlem.
Dunn had spent two wild nights with a couple of Brazilian supermodels and was feeling refreshed. Adriana Lima, though, had to skip out—she was up early for her first Victoria's Secret show and couldn't join them.
That day, the famous British physicist Stephen Hawking was set to give a popular science lecture in the auditorium of the General Studies School. It was a big deal. Ever since A Brief History of Time hit the shelves, Hawking had become the greatest physicist in the public's eyes. Especially in a place like America, where the "American Dream" reigns supreme, his inspiring story made him a beloved figure.
Dunn, now a big shot himself, was seated in the front row of the auditorium, surrounded by politicians and celebrities. Meanwhile, the actual physics scholars were stuck in the back. Right next to Dunn? None other than New York City's mayor, Rudolph Giuliani!
Ambrosio, sitting among all these VIPs, was so nervous she could barely breathe. She'd tagged along with Dunn to get some exposure and boost her name, but this scene? It was overwhelming. She felt out of place and was on the verge of tears, worried she'd embarrass herself any second.
Dunn, on the other hand, was cool as a cucumber. He flashed a grin and said, "Mr. Mayor, thanks for all the help you gave us during the filming of Mr. & Mrs. Smith."
Facing this legendary mayor—who'd taken down the five major Italian mafia families in New York, cleaned up the city, and later saved the day during the 9/11 crisis—Dunn had nothing but respect.
Rudolph Giuliani chuckled and quipped, "If you really want to thank me, how about filming every movie in New York from now on?"
"Haha!" Dunn burst out laughing. "Mr. Mayor, that's not exactly up to me. If I had the power, I'd move all of Hollywood to New York. Compared to L.A., this place is more international, more vibrant, and way better for getting Hollywood movies out to the world."
Hawking hadn't arrived yet, and Giuliani seemed eager to chat more with Dunn. He had big political ambitions, and Hollywood was a force he couldn't ignore. He wanted Dunn on his side. "If we could get more films like Spider-Man, I'd be proud as mayor. Speaking of which, you're shooting a sequel soon, right?"
Dunn smiled. "Yep, the sequel's kicking off next spring. Filming's definitely happening in New York."
"Great to hear. Last time with Spider-Man, the city didn't do enough to support you—that's on me. But this time, we won't drop the ball."
"That means a lot. Thank you!"
Giuliani gave Dunn a long, meaningful look and lowered his voice. "Marvel's superheroes… a lot of them live in New York, don't they? You're not just sticking to Spider-Man, are you? Got other projects in mind?"
Dunn couldn't help but grin. This mayor—ex-tough-as-nails prosecutor—didn't beat around the bush. "I've definitely got some ideas."
"Oh?" Giuliani's eyes lit up. "Really? Care to share?"
Dunn smirked. "What, Mr. Mayor's a Marvel comics fan too?"
Giuliani coughed lightly. "My son's into comics. But if it's a trade secret, no need to—"
Dunn waved him off and leaned in. "Since you're curious, it's no big deal. Beyond Spider-Man, the next superhero series I'm planning is Daredevil."
"Daredevil?"
"Yep. He's a total champion of justice. A Columbia Law grad turned lawyer, fighting New York's crime and corruption every day."
Giuliani sucked in a breath, his expression shifting slightly. Dunn's words hit close to home. After college, Giuliani had been a lawyer and prosecutor himself. Using his Italian heritage, he'd gathered insider info and single-handedly taken down New York's five big Italian mafia families—the Gambinos, Genoveses, Colombos, Luccheses, and Bonannos.
"Dunn," Giuliani said earnestly, "I'll make you a promise. Even if I retire someday, I'll still back you up to make sure Daredevil gets filmed in New York without a hitch."
Dunn smiled. "Mr. Mayor, that's awesome. Thank you!"
Soon, Hawking arrived. Seeing him slumped in his chair, completely still, tugged at everyone's heartstrings.
Dunn wasn't really here for Hawking's theories—he wasn't an astronomy buff. He'd come to pay respects to a legend. Forget Hawking's massive contributions to cosmology; just the fact that he'd fought ALS for decades with sheer willpower and kept going was enough to earn anyone's admiration.
The speech setup was a hassle—some signal issues delayed things, and the staff scrambled to fix the circuits. The host, a sharp senior from Columbia's journalism school, jumped in to save the moment. She crouched next to Hawking and said, "Professor, I'm a huge Linkin Park fan, but my favorite, Kyle Christian, left the band last year, and I'm so bummed. What kind of cosmic impact could that have?"
It was clearly a goofy question, and soft laughter rippled through the auditorium.
Dunn thought it was hilarious too. American college kids—they're fearless.
Hawking couldn't speak directly. He typed slowly with his fingers, letting a computer voice out his words:
"I hope heartbroken girls like you will turn to theoretical physics. One day, we might prove the multiverse exists.
"According to quantum physics, beyond our universe, there are countless others. In one of them, he's still in the band.
"And you might even like knowing that in another possible universe, you're married to him, living happily together."
Those three short answers left the host stunned—Dunn could see her eyes sparkling from a distance. The auditorium erupted in thunderous applause!
Even Mayor Giuliani clapped hard, visibly moved.
Hawking—a man who'd been wheelchair-bound with ALS for decades—used such warm words to lift up a student. It was profound.
Ambrosio clapped too, whispering to Dunn, "Mr. Hawking's incredible!"
Dunn nodded. "Yeah. He might not hit Nobel-level in his field, but in the public eye? He's the one who brought astrophysics into everyone's homes."
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