Made In Hollywood-Chapter 923: Hard to Accept

In the White House of Washington, D.C., the press room was packed with people. It was time for the White House’s weekly press briefing. However, this particular conference attracted even more reporters than usual, as it was the White House’s year-end press conference, and "Black Obama" would inevitably appear at the podium.

To tease the president a little, throw him some tricky questions, and make a few not-so-subtle sarcastic remarks—all of that was part of the fun for the journalists present.

Standing before the microphones, Black Obama was eloquently delivering his usual set of clichés, presenting his annual "work summary," and claiming that 2014 had achieved a series of "important accomplishments," leaving him "full of confidence" for the upcoming 2016.

Even though his term had little time remaining and the election year was fast approaching, Black Obama still stated that he would not "stand aside," but would "give it his all" and continue pushing toward the long-term goals of his administration.

All the reporters were waiting for the final open Q&A session, minds already turning on what kind of questions to throw at the president in front of them—how to make things difficult for him, and how to ridicule his policies with wit.

However, those reporters were disappointed. Black Obama clearly had no intention of accepting any interviews. He ended the press conference with a perfectly legitimate excuse.

"Ladies and gentlemen, perhaps this press conference isn’t the most important event today. The Star Wars: The Force Awakens screening prepared for the ’Home of the Peaceful Venus’ is."

Black Obama hastily wrapped up the briefing, saying to the shouting reporters below the stage, "I’ve got to go watch Star Wars."

The reporters froze for a moment, and suddenly remembered—today was the public release day of Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

"Forget the White House! Let’s go watch the movie. It’s Duke Rosenberg’s Star Wars!"

Someone in the crowd shouted, immediately sparking a wave of agreement among the others.

"Then hurry up, it’s probably starting soon!"

"To hell with the president! I’m going to see Duke Rosenberg’s movie."

In less than ten minutes, the once-crowded press room became completely empty. No one cared anymore about Black Obama or his policies. Even Black Obama himself had put all that aside and headed straight into a cinema to watch Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

On Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles, crowds of people had already flooded the streets. Countless fans had long awaited Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Those who had managed to reserve tickets stood in long queues outside the theaters, while those who hadn’t raised signs begging for tickets, hoping to get one at the last moment.

Inside the Dolby Theatre, Duke had already led the crew inside. The seating arrangement of the cast was clearly divided—young actors kept a respectful distance from Harrison Ford. As in every Hollywood production, the younger cast members didn’t actually like the most famous veteran actor in their group very much.

As for the idea that making a movie together could erase the gulf created by status and hierarchy—that was pure wishful thinking.

The divide between them stemmed partly from age and generational differences, and partly from the enormous disparity in pay.

Harrison Ford’s salary for appearing in Star Wars: The Force Awakens was as high as twenty million dollars—over seventy times higher than that of the two new lead actors. Even "Princess Leia" Carrie Fisher and "Luke Skywalker" Mark Hamill, who had both returned, were paid only one-fifteenth of what Harrison Ford received.

Moreover, because of a minor accident that occurred during shooting at the Black Forest set in Dublin, Ireland, Harrison Ford demanded and received an additional 1.5 million dollars in compensation.

If not for the constraints of time and the necessity of the Star Wars trilogy, Duke would never have used Harrison Ford and so, without hesitation, he killed off Ford’s character.

The film was about to begin screening.

In Hollywood’s Chinese Theatre, Harris Dunn, who had queued for several days just like the others, sat upright and alert, eyes fixed firmly on the large screen before him. After a long wait, he had finally secured a seat near the center of the theater—a good spot.

It had been thirty-one years since Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, and Harris Dunn had waited far too long for another Star Wars movie.

The familiar music, the familiar opening, the familiar words—"A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away..."

When the scene appeared of the heroine Rey scavenging for parts in the wreckage of a fallen Imperial Star Destroyer to make a living, Harris Dunn’s restless heart suddenly calmed. He loved this kind of detail—it not only echoed the tradition of A New Hope beginning with scavengers but also made him feel that everything familiar had returned.

Watching the images unfold on the big screen, Harris Dunn became completely immersed. Duke Rosenberg had done an equally outstanding job in another respect—he used the visual concepts of the old trilogy to the greatest extent possible, without letting them feel outdated.

That was an extremely difficult task, yet Duke Rosenberg had done it brilliantly.

Especially when the scene came where Rey and Finn ran toward the Millennium Falcon, Harris Dunn’s excitement soared even higher. The Falcon was still flying through space under the banner of the "fastest ship in the galaxy," and its exterior looked exactly the same as it had in the original trilogy.

Every detail from the old trilogy was there again, but this time, the interior walls, instruments, and control panels were much more finely crafted. The fleeting shot of Luke’s Jedi training remote especially filled Harris Dunn with delight.

Compared to ordinary fans, Steven Spielberg understood that making a spacecraft designed more than thirty years ago look both identical to the original and still the coolest thing in the universe meant that it absolutely could not be exactly the same as before.

It was still a model, but Duke Rosenberg used modern technology with perfect precision.

Not only the Millennium Falcon—Spielberg noticed that the same applied to everything else, from small trashcan-like droids to large X-wing fighters and TIE fighters. The original concepts were all preserved, enhanced subtly by modern technology that never stole the spotlight. It was like renovating an old building and adding new wings—preserving the original style while expanding it, not damaging the old structure but equipping both the old and new with modern plumbing, cable TV, and Wi-Fi.

Such work required all the wisdom and imagination one could muster—and Duke Rosenberg had achieved it, doing so with exceptional brilliance.

The effort to blend the old and new extended not only to visuals but also to characters and plot.

At first, Harris Dunn thought Han Solo and Leia would merely make cameo appearances, but unexpectedly, the two had significant screen time and were key to driving the story forward. Duke’s explanation and handling of their relationship were also perfectly natural.

Their love was real, and their inability to live together was also real. Once a princess and a smuggler come together, there are still many more stories to be told.

The chemistry between the two veteran actors remained as seamless as it was thirty years ago. Their personalities and appearances fit perfectly, with not the slightest sense of dissonance. Even if this film had nothing else going for it, just seeing Han, Leia, and Chewbacca reunite on screen was enough to fulfill many of the fans’ long-held wishes.

"Chewie, we’re home."

When that line was spoken, Harris Dunn felt his nose sting and his eyes moistened. Looking around, he noticed that some people were already wiping their eyes unconsciously.

Inside the Dolby Theatre, George Lucas let out a faint sigh. Although the plot and settings of the film had been adjusted toward a more family-friendly direction to please mainstream audiences, Duke’s grasp of the details and overall control far surpassed his own Star Wars prequel trilogy.

George Lucas had to admit that he was truly getting old—Hollywood was now Duke Rosenberg’s world.

Especially when it came to the characters—compared to his own much-criticized Anakin Skywalker, Duke’s portrayals were outstanding.

Among the new characters, the female lead Rey performed brilliantly—resolute, independent, clever, and loyal.

As for the introduction of Finn, the former stormtrooper, Lucas regarded it as a bold and risky move. After all, stormtroopers had long been the butt of jokes.

Moreover, he was played by an Asian-American actor, tasked with both comedic relief and heroic rescue. The role crossed several boundaries and yet it had clearly succeeded.

The character was both hot-blooded and reckless, yet also sharp and courageous. He controlled many of the film’s comedic moments, even standing shoulder to shoulder with Han Solo. Now, he had successfully inherited Han Solo’s archetype while developing his own distinct personality. Duke had done an excellent job, and Lucas personally admired his choice to tell part of the story from a stormtrooper’s perspective.

In the TCL Chinese Theatre, Harris Dunn, who had originally resisted the idea of an Asian-American protagonist, found himself with no such resistance after seeing Finn on screen. Duke’s handling was so deft that when Finn rushed to rescue the female lead, Harris Dunn realized he had grown fond of both main characters.

He liked them because, as characters, they were detailed, fleshed out, and convincing. He liked them just as he once liked Luke, Leia, and Han Solo—because they brought him back into the Star Wars universe once more.

Like the original trilogy, this film was full of small comedic touches here and there. For instance, when Rey tried to use the Force to influence the stormtrooper guard, it was absolutely hilarious. Harris Dunn had heard that the stormtrooper in that scene was played by Charlize Theron—just like in the prequels, many big stars were willing to make uncredited cameos without even showing their faces.

Although the film had not yet ended, when Han Solo was killed by his own son, some fans expressed dissatisfaction. But when Finn ran out to rescue Rey, nearly every fan formed a similar thought in their hearts—this was the authentic Star Wars spirit.

However, just as that thought appeared, Finn raised a lightsaber on the screen, and countless fans began to grumble again—an Asian-American Jedi? That was really hard to accept...

Although there had been countless speculations beforehand, it had to be said that the production team had done an excellent job keeping it all secret.

Yet soon, that initial complaint among the fans turned into a quiet anticipation—because it was clear Finn had no Force power at all. After just a few moves, he was defeated by Kylo Ren. Then, the previously fallen Rey reached out her hand toward the lightsaber once made by Anakin and once wielded by Luke.

....

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