novellhall Chapter 382 Chen Xun Clause
Chapter 382 Chen Xun Clause
Chapter 381 Chen Xun Clause
Jennifer was so angry at the increasingly vicious comments online that she smashed her phone.
She turned to Chen Xun, her eyes red-rimmed, and said, "We clearly have evidence, but they just won't look at it. I'm going to hire a lawyer and sue all these people who are spreading rumors!"
Chen Xun was much calmer than her.
He leaned back on the sofa, scrolling through the tweets spreading rumors, his face expressionless.
Warner has already released the evidence; all we need to do now is wait and see. We shouldn't panic now.
Chen Xun pulled the still sulking Jennifer into his arms.
Jennifer had tears on her face, as if she herself was the one being criticized online, not Chen Xun.
Chen Xun's heart softened: "What do you want to eat? I'll make it for you!"
Jennifer's eyes lit up: "Stir-fried pork with chili peppers~"
Chen Xun didn't have to wait long.
The morning after Warner issued the statement.
A wave of voices supporting Chen Xun began to appear online.
The first to speak out was Marcus, a black extra who was trapped in the subway car at the time.
He posted a long message on Twitter, along with his extra contract, the filming schedule for that day, and even a video he filmed in the subway car: "I was one of the extras trapped in the subway car that day. Seeing Chen Xun being unfairly treated, I have to stand up and speak out!"
"The person who locked the train doors that day and scolded us for not doing our jobs after we got paid was Tom, the on-site production manager of the film crew. He had absolutely nothing to do with Mr. Chen Xun."
"Mr. Chen Xun and Ms. Jennifer had already left the set at noon on the day of the shoot. He didn't even know there was a subway reshoot in the afternoon. When we started making a scene in the carriage, he was in a meeting at Warner Bros. headquarters in Manhattan. This was something the whole crew knew."
"The even more ridiculous claim that Mr. Chen Xun is a racist is simply a huge joke."
"We lowly extras are always the least valued people on Hollywood film sets. Many big stars won't even give us a second glance. Only Mr. Chen Xun would greet us with a smile every time he met us on set, asking if we were cold or if we had eaten a hot meal."
"A few days ago, it got cold in New York, and we were shivering from the cold while filming night scenes. Mr. Chen Xun and Ms. Jennifer arranged two top-of-the-line catering trucks at their own expense to provide us with hot coffee, hot hamburgers, and even authentic Chinese food 24 hours a day, all free of charge and unlimited."
"I've been filming ensemble pieces for four years, and no lead actor has ever treated us lowly extras like human beings. Mr. Chen Xun is the first!"
"Those who spread rumors that he discriminated against us, you have no idea what you're talking about. We who have truly been wronged hate the negligent on-set producer, not the only lead actor who genuinely respects us."
He not only posted pictures and videos, but also appeared on camera himself to explain the cause and effect.
This tweet was instantly trending on social media by Chen Xun's fans.
In just one hour, the number of reposts exceeded 50 and the number of likes exceeded one million!
Countless netizens who had previously joined in the criticism fell silent after reading this long post.
Following this, more and more people who had experienced the events firsthand came forward.
Sandra, a white extra who was also trapped in the train carriage that day, also posted a video.
In the video, she holds up her extra badge and says excitedly, "I have to stand up and tell the truth! Everything Marcus said is true! Tom was the one who locked the door that day. He not only wouldn't let us use the toilet, but he also called us old folks troublemakers. It had nothing to do with Chen Xun!"
"I'm 58 this year, and I've been an extra in Hollywood for 20 years. I've seen too many arrogant stars, but only Chen Xun knows how to act like a big shot—"
During night shoots, he would have his assistant bring us older folks hot drinks, and he would even greet the cleaning lady with a smile. How could he possibly discriminate against us?
"Those spreading rumors weren't even there; you just want to ruin a great actor!"
Diego, a Latino extra, posted photos of the food truck and a picture of himself with Chen Xun: "This is the food truck Chen Xun arranged for us. We extras filmed all day in the cold wind, and we were able to eat hot burgers and drink hot coffee all because of him. To say he discriminated against us? That's utterly ridiculous! The responsibility for what happened that day lies entirely with the production company's on-set management; Chen Xun is innocent!"
In just half a day, more than 30 extras who were on site that day publicly spoke out to clarify the situation.
Some of them were Black, some were White, and some were Latino.
People from different races told the exact same truth:
The production team locked the door; they were the ones who were wronged.
Chen Xun was the only lead actor in the entire cast who truly treated them like human beings and respected them.
Even more damagingly, it was discovered that the IP addresses of the anonymous accounts that initially started spreading rumors all originated from the same Hollywood PR firm.
This company happens to be a long-term partner of a white male actor who is competing with Chen Xun for resources.
The truth became clear instantly!
This so-called "racial discrimination" controversy was, from beginning to end, a malicious smear campaign meticulously planned by rivals who were jealous of Chen Xun.
Public opinion has completely reversed.
The previous hashtag #ChenXunRacism# was instantly overtaken by #ChenXunFramed#Returning the Truth to ChenXun#, which pushed it off the trending list.
Two new terms shot to the top of the global trending search list at lightning speed.
Those who had previously joined in the insults deleted their posts and apologized in the comments: "It was actually a fabrication? I'm sorry, Chen Xun, I shouldn't have joined in the insults without checking the truth."
"This is disgusting! To smear an actor like this, just because he's Chinese and climbed too high in Hollywood?"
"The voices of these extras are such a slap in the face! It's incredibly ironic that those who truly respect working-class actors are being slandered and discriminated against!"
"I thought it was outrageous at first—how could a Golden Globe-winning actor do something so stupid? Turns out he was framed."
'
The anonymous accounts that spread the rumors deleted their accounts and fled overnight, while the rest were restricted and banned by Twitter.
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Even the PR firm behind it was thoroughly exposed by netizens, causing its reputation to completely collapse.
The people who had previously protested downstairs at Warner Bros. also slunk away. After all, even the person involved had come forward to say that Chen Xun was innocent. If they continued to make a scene, they would only make themselves look like a joke.
Following this, the Screen Actors Guild officially released its investigation results: "The investigation revealed that the incident involving the infringement of the rights of extras on the set of 'Joker' was entirely due to the improper actions of the on-site production manager, and had nothing to do with the lead actor, Chen Xun. It has been verified that Mr. Chen Xun, as a co-producer, explicitly requested the production team to strictly protect the legal rights of all actors, including extras, before filming; relevant meeting minutes have been archived. We have penalized the production company involved and have required Warner Bros. to improve its system for protecting the rights of extras."
The official investigation results were conclusive, completely clearing Chen Xun of all his stigma.
It is regrettable that the official investigation report was delayed in being released when Chen Xun was falsely accused.
As soon as the wind shifted, the announcement was issued with lightning speed.
Warner also took this opportunity to officially announce a brand-new system to protect extras.
Raise the hourly wage standard for extras, strictly control the duration of continuous filming, establish a 24-hour complaint channel for rights and interests, and require each filming location to be equipped with a dedicated extras coordinator.
This system is known in the industry as the Chen Xun Clause!
After all, it was this controversy targeting him that propelled the progress of the rights of Hollywood's underprivileged extras.
In her New York apartment, Jennifer scrolled through the twists and turns on Twitter, jumping up and down excitedly while hugging Chen Xun: "These extras were amazing! Those who spread rumors are now thoroughly humiliated!"
Looking at the clarification tweets posted by the extras on his phone, Chen Xun felt a surge of warmth in his heart.
He looked at Jennifer, who was sitting beside him with a beaming expression: "Thank you. Without your food truck, the impact wouldn't be this great!"
"Why are we even saying thank you?"
Jennifer leaned forward, wrapped her arms around Chen Xun's neck, and breathed softly, "I just wanted you to eat properly~"
The two never expected that their public display of affection would inadvertently become the most powerful evidence to expose their lies.
He picked up his phone and posted a simple tweet: "Thank you to all the friends who stood up to tell the truth, and thank you to everyone who was willing to believe the truth."
"There is no distinction between main and secondary roles for actors, and no distinction between high and low professions. Everyone who contributes to the work deserves respect. In the future, I will continue to do my part to protect the rights of grassroots actors."
This tweet instantly garnered millions of likes.
Countless directors and actors in Hollywood have shared and liked the post.
Even several members of the Oscar committee, who had previously remained silent, publicly retweeted the post, praising Chen Xun: "His sense of responsibility towards the industry is a role model for actors!"
This unwarranted controversy not only failed to ruin Chen Xun, but actually boosted his public image and reputation in Hollywood.
Everyone can see that this Chinese actor not only has top-notch acting skills, but also rare character and vision.
On Weibo in China, fans were even more jubilant.
"I told you justice will prevail! Don't we know who Chen Xun is? How could he possibly be racist!"
"The rivals went to great lengths to cause trouble, but it actually boosted Chen Xun's public image. They tried to steal a chicken but lost the rice instead!"
"There's no such thing as a minor or major role in acting, and no profession is inherently superior or inferior—that's such a profound statement! No wonder so many extras were willing to stand up for him; it's true sincerity begets sincerity!"
"Before, when foreign websites said he was discriminatory, I felt both happy and panicked. Now that the truth is out, I can only say Chen Xun is awesome! He's established himself in Hollywood and even promoted the protection of extras' rights. That's so inspiring!"
This public opinion storm, which was stirred up by malicious rumors, eventually ended with the truth coming to light.
But no one expected that the biggest surprise of this controversy was that it caused the popularity of "Joker," which was still in production, to surge dramatically.
The ceiling of Hollywood.
Prior to this, Joker was seen by the public as just a low-budget independent R-rated film.
Even with Golden Globe-winning actor Chen Xun in the lead role and the support of DC's Joker IP, it remains a niche film in the mainstream Hollywood view.
There are no superhero battles, no intergalactic crossovers, and no family-friendly ending.
Even its rating is destined to be R (restricted).
The audience is inherently limited!
It is nowhere near comparable to Marvel and DC's commercial superhero blockbusters.
But everything changed after this incident.
On Twitter, the hashtag #Joker# saw its views surge to 62 billion in a week, even boosting the popularity of "Spider-Man: Homecoming," which was being promoted at the same time.
Spider-Man: Homecoming continues to dominate the top of the film and television topic charts.
Joker quickly climbed the rankings and soon reached second place.
A 30-second behind-the-scenes preview clip of "Joker" has now gone viral on YouTube, garnering over 380 million views and 10 million likes!
The comments section is full of messages from netizens urging for an update and a release date.
The scheduling departments of major North American theater chains bombarded Warner Bros. with calls.
Even knowing it was an R-rated film, they still intended to screen it in over 3500 theaters during its opening weekend.
This number has already matched the opening scale of top commercial superhero films.
Even more surprisingly, the bidding for overseas distribution rights has become extremely fierce.
Warner Bros. originally expected its overseas distribution rights to fetch only $2000 million, but now distributors in Europe, Asia Pacific, and Latin America have raised the price to $8000 million, and they are still scrambling to get them.
Everyone understands.
This independent R-rated film, which was initially not well-received, has become one of the most anticipated Hollywood productions of 2017.
Even though it's still being filmed, global audiences' expectations have already reached their peak.
This sudden surge in popularity has made Warner Bros. executives extremely uneasy.
Just three days after the storm of public opinion subsided, Warner Bros. headquarters urgently convened a special meeting on the Joker project. Almost all senior executives, from the CEO to the president of the production department, and the heads of the publicity and distribution departments, were present.
Chen Xun and director Todd Phillips were also specially invited to attend the meeting.
In the conference room.
Warner Bros. Pictures President Jeff Jones spoke first, pushing a data report in front of the two men, his tone full of excitement: "Chen, Todd, as you can see, the popularity of 'Joker' has exceeded all of our expectations. We originally thought it was just an award-contending film aimed at a niche audience, but now it has the potential to become a global box office blockbuster."
He paused, then stated the core issue of the meeting: "So, after an emergency discussion, we made a decision to adjust the film's production direction, abandoning some overly gory and violent restricted scenes, revising the script's overly dark psychological thriller sections, and changing the film's rating from R to PG—"
Rating 13 (suitable for all ages), allowing audiences of all ages to enjoy the film.
The meeting room fell silent instantly upon hearing this.
Todd Phillips' face instantly darkened. He was about to speak when Jeff raised his hand to interrupt him, adding, "We've done the math. A PG-13 film's global box office ceiling is at least $4 million higher than an R-rated film. We can even add some DC Universe crossover content to the script, connecting it to the Batman storyline, and leveraging the DC Universe's reach to take it to the next level."
"This is good for everyone. If the box office goes up, your share of the revenue will also increase, and the chances of winning awards will not be affected."
His words sounded grand and dignified, but everyone present knew what Warner was really up to.
Initially, they had no confidence in "Joker" and only provided a very small production budget, leaving the entire process to its own devices.
Seeing the film's potential to become a hit, they want to immediately get involved and turn it into a commercially viable, assembly-line superhero movie.
Make quick money, make more money!
"I object!"
Todd Phillips stood up almost immediately, his voice filled with anger: "Jeff, you have no idea what you're talking about. What's the core of Joker? It's confronting the absurdity of society, dissecting the dark side of human nature, and telling the story of an ordinary person being crushed by society and ultimately going insane."
"Those R-rated scenes you wanted to cut, those dark psychological descriptions—they weren't just unnecessary gimmicks; they were the soul of the character, the core of the film!"
He pointed to the report on the table, his voice growing increasingly agitated: "Delete all of this, change it to PG-13, and this movie will be nothing!"
"It will become a mediocre, empty, soulless assembly-line superhero film, losing all its uniqueness and the very reason why audiences are looking forward to it!"
"Do you want to ruin this movie?"
Jeff's face darkened, and he was about to retort when Chen Xun, who had been silent all along, finally spoke up: "Todd and I agree that we oppose changing the rating, cutting scenes, and adjusting the core of the script."
Chen Xun immediately raised three objections!
He immediately captivated the entire audience.
He continued to insist on his position: "This film must be R-rated and must fully preserve our original creative expression."
Jeff frowned, looked at Chen Xun, and said with a hint of pressure in his tone: "Chen, I know you have feelings for this role, but we are in the business of making movies. A PG-13 rating can double the box office, which is a real benefit. As a co-producer, you shouldn't refuse such a proposal."
"Business?"
Chen Xun looked up at him: "Then let's talk business first, Jeff. What do you think is driving the current popularity of 'Joker'? Is it the crossover with the DC Universe? Or the family-friendly storyline?"
"Neither!"
He swept his gaze across all the Warner Bros. executives in the conference room: "The reason audiences are looking forward to this movie is precisely because it's unlike any other superhero blockbuster on the market!"
"They're tired of the world-destroying hero saviors and the happy family endings. They want to see a real, broken, even dark story, and they want to see how an ordinary person gradually becomes the Joker. This is the core competitiveness of this movie, and the fundamental reason why it became a hit even before it was finished filming."
"You want to change it to PG-13, cut out the restricted scenes, smooth out its edges, and make it exactly like other superhero movies. Then why would the audience still want to watch 'Joker'? They might as well watch the Avengers or the Justice League, where there are more exciting fights and grander scenes."
Chen Xun's words struck Warner's top management like a hammer blow.
The meeting room was completely silent; no one could refute his words.
They only saw the higher box office ceiling of the PG-13 rating, but forgot that the film's success was never due to a general audience, but rather its unique and special characteristics.
Chen Xun paused for a moment, then continued, "Besides, do you really think an R rating necessarily means lower box office returns? Deadpool is also an R."
"It's rated R, and it grossed over $7.8 million worldwide, proving that R-rated films can also become global box office hits."
"Joker's depth and topicality are unmatched by Deadpool. As long as we make the content the best it can be, the R rating will not only not limit its box office, but will become its biggest boost to its popularity."
His tone was filled with absolute confidence.