America 1987

Chapter 92 Governor

"Gentleness can manifest in many ways, you know, people just have a gentler appearance..." David went on and on explaining.

Compared to Nicole Kidman, Naomi Campbell has a rounder face, moderately wide cheekbones, and a more rounded chin without any sharpness. Overall, her facial contours are smooth but not very three-dimensional, giving her a "light-skinned" look.

In the original timeline, she debuted with the image of a "girl next door," and her approachability was her core weapon. Her smile was warm but not stunning, and she was the type that "becomes more comfortable to look at the more you look at her."

"But after listening to what you've said, I feel like Naomi doesn't have any particularly memorable qualities. And aren't actresses with a girl-next-door vibes often unsuitable for leading roles on the big screen?"

"Yes, you're right, she does have these problems..."

To sum up Naomi's face in one sentence: her styling is highly malleable but it's difficult to establish a strong stylistic imprint. She doesn't immediately catch the eye in a crowd; it takes a long time for the camera to appreciate her beauty.

Such physical characteristics make her more suited to different roles. Only roles with complex inner lives and delicate emotions can fully showcase her charm. For example, her portrayal of confusion and inner conflict in her breakthrough role in "Mulholland Drive" was incredibly captivating.

"But with me here, none of these problems will be problems."

"Oh, you have a new script again?"

"No, that's not it," David denied. "I feel like I've hardly had a break. I'm either making a movie or on my way to make one. After finishing 'Dances with Wolves,' I'll have to give myself a long vacation."

"What are you doing?"

"We'll see when the time comes. Maybe I'll go to the beach in Cannes with you again."

"Hmm, you're going to Cannes again?" Nicole asked, somewhat puzzled. "Didn't you just go last year? Are you going to compete this year with 'Dances with Wolves'?"

"No, 'Dances with Wolves' isn't suitable for a film festival with such a strong art film vibe. It's fine to just go there to watch a movie and sunbathe. What, you don't want to go? If you're not going, I'll go find Naomi."

"Yes, yes, of course I'll go," Nicole quickly replied. "It's rare that you have the time, so I have to make time for you."

"Has anything happened in Los Angeles lately?"

"News? You mean celebrity gossip?"

"Hmm, more or less, is it?"

"I don't usually pay much attention to this, but it seems like Schwarzenegger has run into some trouble recently." After a moment's thought, Nicole realized she had found a juicy story to follow.

"Arno? What happened to him?"

"It seems someone said his father was a Nazi."

Oh, I remember now, the governor in the original timeline did indeed encounter such a storm, supposedly orchestrated by Stallone.

The latter seems to have done this to avenge the previous "fellow travelers".

In 1985, while filming "On Her Majesty's Sword," the governor developed a secret affair with the lead actress, Brigitte Nelson. However, at the time, he was engaged to Maria Kennedy, the niece of the Kennedy family. So, if this affair were exposed, it could directly ruin his marriage to a wealthy family and his future political career.

However, Brigitte was unwilling to break up peacefully and continued to entangle herself with him. So the governor took advantage of the opportunity when Stallone was preparing to film "Rocky IV" and took the initiative to introduce her to the latter. He also used his connections to get her into the crew.

"And then?" Nicole asked curiously on the other end of the phone. "And then what happened to them? Did they get married?"

Sensing the slight anxiety in the other person's tone, David couldn't help but hum softly. It seems that reading more entertainment gossip is indeed useful; otherwise, one can't demonstrate their well-informed nature.

And then what? It is said that Stallone fell in love with her at first sight, not only giving her a lot more screen time in the film, but also divorcing his wife and marrying Brigitte at the end of 1985.

The governor successfully escaped the trouble and married Malia the following year, paving the way for his subsequent campaign to become governor of California.

If things ended here, the two would most likely have buried the hatchet, since they were "like-minded" and, in a way, brothers-in-law.

However, Brigitte did not settle down after marrying Sylvester Stallone. She had affairs with several people in the industry, and the hats she wore on him could be cut up and used as a green screen.

So less than two years after their marriage, Stallone divorced his wife, who took more than $600 million in alimony. He lost both his wife and his money, and became a laughing stock in Hollywood.

"So you're concluding that Stallone orchestrated Schwarzenegger's current public relations crisis?"

"It's almost certainly true. I don't believe he can swallow such a huge grudge. To label Schwarzenegger as an anti-Semite, I don't think anyone else in Hollywood would do that."

In Hollywood, saying someone is a descendant of Nazis is equivalent to saying someone is a descendant of a landlord during that period; the impact is immeasurable.

Hollywood's entertainment industry has long been dominated by Jewish professionals who control capital, distribution, and core resources. Anti-Semitism is widely recognized as the most politically incorrect stance within the industry. Once an artist is proven to be anti-Semitic, they face devastating career setbacks such as the withdrawal of resources, being blacklisted, and having their works removed from circulation.

Mel Gibson directed a film called "The Passion of the Christ" in 2004, which sparked a boycott and discussion across the industry because of its anti-Semitic content. Many industry insiders predicted that his career would be severely damaged.

In 2006, when he was arrested for drunk driving, he openly made extreme remarks to a Jewish police officer, such as "Jews are responsible for all wars in the world." After the relevant records were exposed by the media, they completely ignited a public opinion storm.

The six major film studios collectively cut off all cooperation with him, and his access to top-tier film and television resources was completely wiped out. He fell directly from his position as an Oscar-winning director and a top action star, and for a full decade, he received almost no offers to star in mainstream blockbusters.

Faced with this situation, Mel Gibson did not continue to maintain his "unruly" attitude. He immediately slid to his knees and subsequently apologized to the Jewish community multiple times in public. He even took the initiative to communicate one-on-one with Jewish leaders to make amends for the damage.

However, although the capital that blacklisted him didn't seem to like his original rebellious image as much as Wang Duoyu, they still kept him out of the spotlight for a few years until he barely made a comeback by directing "Hacksaw Ridge" and receiving an Oscar nomination. But he never managed to get the top leading roles he had back then, and could only take on supporting roles or move behind the scenes.

Therefore, in Hollywood, you can be anti-anything, except anti-Semitism.

"Any form of racial discrimination is unacceptable in Hollywood movies."

"But your movie portrays white people as villains, isn't that a form of discrimination?"

The hotel lobby bar is small and dimly lit, but the soothing saxophone music adds a touch of charm.

David and Naomi sat in the innermost booth, each ordered a drink, and then began to chat casually.

“It’s different,” David explained. “White people are used to playing villains in movies, so they won’t be touched on that sensitive nerve.”

Of course, the most important reason is that David himself is white, so making this kind of movie won't be interpreted as racial discrimination.

While there have indeed been individuals in history who betrayed their own class, they were extremely rare and generally not taken into consideration.

Just like the treatment a Black person receives when they say "nigger" in their own community versus a non-Black person.

The former can be understood as closeness between peers or self-deprecation, while the latter will be seen as a blatant racial provocation, which is very likely to trigger fierce conflicts and strong public condemnation.

Jackie Chan's "Rush Hour" features a particularly interesting plot and action sequence specifically designed around this.

"Is your movie almost finished filming?"

Naomi glanced at the other person's skin tone and compared it to her own, deciding it was best not to discuss this issue.

"Nicole asked you to ask her, right?" David laughed. "It'll be done soon, in about two more weeks."

He took the glasses from the waiter who brought them and pushed one of them towards her. "You don't need to call her anymore. I already told her last night."

Naomi remained silent, took the glass, took a small sip, and then said, "We've filmed for so long, how many minutes do you plan to cut out for the main feature?"

"The theatrical version is about three hours long, while the DVD version is about four hours."

"Ahem," Naomi simply asked a casual question to change the subject, but she didn't expect it to almost make her lose her composure. "Three hours? Are you that confident in 'Dances with Wolves'?"