novellhall Chapter 329 Confirmed Breakup
Chapter 329 Confirmed Breakup
Chapter 328 Breakup Confirmed (Seeking Monthly Tickets)
That afternoon, Disney Animation Studios' official account simultaneously released a major announcement on major social media platforms worldwide:
Welcome Chen Xun to the Zootopia family, lending his voice to the male lead, Nick Wilde! We look forward to this cunning yet gentle red fox embarking on an adventure in Zootopia alongside Officer Judy!
In the official poster, Chen Xun's profile silhouette perfectly overlaps with Nick Wilde's classic mischievous grin, accompanied by the concise and powerful caption: "Nick Wilde, arriving with a bang."
The news caused an instant uproar on the global internet.
No one expected that Chen Xun, having just finished filming "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" and won the Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival, would quietly land the lead role in Disney's top animated film of the year.
This is a genuine sweep across Hollywood's three major sectors: commercial, art-house, and animation.
On Instagram, Disney's official announcement garnered over a million likes within an hour, and the comment section was flooded with messages from fans: "OMG! Star-Lord is going to voice Nick Fury? Disney, you know how to pick actors! These two characters are practically identical!"
"I've listened to the audition clip a hundred times! Chen Xun's voice is such a perfect match for Nick! That lazy yet soothing smoky voice, that mischievous chuckle at the end, it's totally Nick Benk!"
"A Chinese actor lands a leading role in a top Disney animated film? Chen Xun is practically the pinnacle for Chinese actors breaking through Hollywood barriers!"
Weibo in China has been severely paralyzed.
#ChenXunNick from Zootopia#
#Chen Xun is going crazy in Hollywood#
The two terms topped the trending search list with overwhelming popularity, and related topics garnered over 2 billion views within half an hour.
Netizens went into a frenzy: "I'm stunned! Just a few days ago we were seeing leaked photos from the wrap party of Guardians of the Galaxy, and today they officially announced the Disney male lead? Chen Xun, how many more surprises do you have in store for us?!"
"Winning the Silver Bear at Berlin, starring in Marvel movies, and playing a lead role in Disney films—this resume is unique in the Chinese entertainment industry, right? I'll argue with anyone who says he's just a 'traffic star'!"
"Nick, my childhood idol! Chen Xun's voice is a perfect match! I've already started watching it on repeat and am really looking forward to the full movie!"
Even the author of the original Zootopia comic book made a point of sharing the official announcement:
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"This is Nick in my mind, perfectly capturing all the charm of the character."
The day after the official announcement, the official dubbing work for "Zootopia" officially began.
At Disney's Burbank Recording Studios, you can hear Chen Xun and Emma Stone's voices almost every day.
The scenes between Nick and Judy are the core of the entire film and also the part that tests the actors' chemistry the most.
The two had previously worked together on "La La Land," spending several months together and becoming intimately familiar with each other's performance rhythms, making dubbing a breeze for them.
The vast majority of scenes were filmed in one take.
Even director Byron couldn't help but remark that this was the smoothest voice acting he had ever done in his career.
On this day, the two were recording a classic scene where Nick and Judy were chasing a fugitive in the rainforest and accidentally fell into the water.
Judy was being chased by a crazed leopard and ran for her life in a panic. Nick muttered, "I shouldn't have gone crazy with you, you mad rabbit!"
But he still turned back and saved her without hesitation.
Chen Xun sat in front of the microphone, took a deep breath, and heard Emma's panicked voice through the earpiece: "Nick! Run! It's coming!"
A helpless yet indulgent smile played on his lips. His voice, though seemingly casual and sarcastic, trailed off with barely concealed concern: "Run? Little bunny, I've never run before. Oh well, let's start running now!"
One line perfectly captured Nick's stubbornness and soft heart.
Even without seeing the scene, just by hearing the sound, you can imagine the red fox rolling its eyes and complaining while protecting Judy behind it.
After the recording ended, director Byron immediately gave an OK sign from outside, laughing and shouting, "Perfect! One take! Chen, your control over the rhythm of the lines is even more precise than our original animation storyboard!"
Just then!
Two attribute orbs fell from his body:
[Voice rhythm compatibility with co-stars +12]
[Character's implicit emotional expression conveyed through voice +9]
"absorb!"
Chen Xun silently recited in his heart.
The unlock progress of "Loading History" on the system panel has steadily moved forward a little bit.
During a break, Emma brought two iced Americanos into the recording studio, handed one to Chen Xun, and sat down in the chair next to him with a smile: "Honestly, I didn't expect your voice control to have improved so much."
"When you were filming 'La La Land,' you were practicing your pronunciation of the musical lines until the early hours of the morning. Now you can portray Nick's nuances so well just by using your voice."
Chen Xun took the coffee and inadvertently touched her hand. They both paused for a moment, then casually looked away.
He took a sip of coffee and joked with a smile, "I can't just stay in one place forever. After all, my partner is an Oscar-winning actress. I can't fall behind your pace."
Emma looked at him, a glint of light in her eyes: "From the first moment I saw you at the La La Land audition, I knew you were a born actor."
The air conditioning in the recording studio blew gently, carrying the aroma of roasted coffee.
The atmosphere suddenly became somewhat subtle.
The two looked at each other without saying a word.
In La La Land, the love between Sebastian and Mia is so unforgettable.
So much so that after filming wrapped, audiences around the world hoped they would get together in real life.
The two had a very good relationship in private, but they always maintained a boundary of friendship, and neither of them dared to break through that barrier.
Emma was the first to look away, and she lowered her head to stir the ice in her coffee.
In the days that followed, the dubbing work progressed exceptionally smoothly.
Chen Xun's understanding of the character Nick is becoming increasingly profound.
From initially fitting the character design to later secondary creations, he added many subtle tone designs to Nick.
The flippant tone at the end of his teasing of Judy, the slight pause in his breath when his childhood scars are touched, even his laughter has several layers.
The perfunctory smile, the calculating smirk, the helpless laugh, and the genuine laugh of letting down one's guard—each one perfectly captures the character's current emotions.
Director Byron has expressed his feelings on set more than once.
Chen Xun's addition brought the character Nick to life, even exceeding the original script's expectations.
As the voice-over work progresses, the attribute orbs continue to fall:
[Detailed voice design for animated characters +11]
[Accurate control of comedic rhythm and vocal tone +16]
Each absorption steadily advances the progress of unlocking [that will go down in history].
Chen Xun's control over vocal performance has become increasingly masterful.
He can even convey a character's emotional fluctuations with just a very light breath, truly making his voice resonate with the audience.
His rapport with Emma is growing stronger.
Even if you improvise a line or change your tone, the other person can catch it perfectly.
The two actors' scenes together became increasingly natural, just like a stubborn but soft-hearted fox and a persistent and brave rabbit experiencing one adventure after another in Zootopia.
During breaks, the two would sit together at the monitor, watching the playback of dubbed clips and chatting about everything from acting to life, from the current state of the Hollywood industry to the funny stories of dancing on set when they were freezing cold while filming "La La Land".
The atmosphere was always just the right amount of ambiguity, yet they always maintained the proper boundaries of friendship.
That subtle, lingering pull is like a glass of iced Americano with sugar, its bittersweet flavor concealing a rich sweetness that makes you want to indulge.
The dubbing work for the entire film is nearing completion.
Everyone was filled with anticipation for a successful wrap-up of filming.
A sudden media storm swept across the global internet without warning.
It's 3 a.m. Los Angeles time.
A long post was suddenly published by DefNoodles, a top North American paparazzi account.
[Shocking twist! Chen Xun and Kristen Stewart's secret relationship revealed; they broke up amicably over a year ago, and both are now single!]
In the lengthy post, the paparazzi team released a complete timeline and high-definition, irrefutable photos.
The photos show Chen Xun and Christine walking in and out of an apartment side by side, holding hands while strolling on Malibu Beach, and chatting and laughing in a supermarket. The timestamps are all concentrated between the beginning and end of 2015.
The most recent photo of them together was taken a year ago backstage at the Oscars.
From the beginning of 2016 to the present, for a full year, the two have had no public interaction whatsoever.
They liked each other's posts on social media at midnight, and even avoided each other at gatherings with mutual friends, so there was never a single record of them being seen together.
The long post also included insider information: "The two broke up peacefully at the end of 2015 and completely returned to being just friends. They have remained single ever since."
The paparazzi team bluntly stated at the end of the article: "We originally wanted to dig up a big secret romance between current top celebrities, but what we dug up was a past relationship that had already ended. The two parties broke up a year ago and are still single, with no signs of reconciliation."
As soon as the news broke, the entire internet went from initial shock to massive discussion.
The trending topics on Instagram and Twitter were completely dominated by it.
#ChenXunChristineBreakup#
#ChenXunIsSingle#
The two terms topped the global trending searches by a wide margin, with related topics generating over 100 million discussions within an hour.
The comments section was a rollercoaster of reactions: "I was all ready to go, and this is what you show me? Turns out it's a breakup announcement? Or did they break up a year ago?"
"Help! I thought the dimensional barrier had been broken, but it turns out it was a relationship that ended a long time ago?"
"To be fair, those two had quite a presence when they stood together back then."
"Isn't the point that Chen Xun is single? He's handsome and a great actor, and he's still single? I'm going to call him my husband!"
"Just a few days ago I was shipping Chen Xun and Emma from La La Land, and now look, they're both single! And they're doing voice acting together every day, doesn't that just kill the angst? Go for it!"
Weibo, a domestic microblogging platform, has also been completely compromised.
Related terms dominated half of the top ten trending topics.
"So it was just rehashing old news? They broke up a long time ago, it wouldn't have affected my brother's career!"
"Hilarious! The paparazzi were trying to create a big scoop, but they ended up digging up that my brother has been single for a year, quietly doing big things, sweeping through the three major Hollywood tracks. That's what a top star should be like!"
"Single! This is important! Chen Xun is single now! Does that mean my brother and I can start planning our wedding? (Isn't this just me shipping Chen Xun and Chen Xun? The unresolved feelings from La La Land! Now they're both single, and they're even paired up in Zootopia—the love story of a fox and a rabbit, isn't this just a reality?)"