Domination in America, Starting from being a Boxing Champion

Clap! Clap! Clap!

The movie screening ended, and lively applause erupted on the scene.

Seeing everyone clapping, Link thought the box office for this movie should be pretty good.

"Link, congratulations, you were fantastic in a great movie."

Actress Lindsay Lohan approached with an enticing look and congratulated Link.

"Thank you!"

Link said, smiling.

The woman had once been a Hollywood A-lister, famed for her roles in "Mean Girls" and "Perfect Match," but her reputation had plummeted in recent years due to alcohol and drug abuse. Last year, she even won the Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actress for her role in "Double Jeopardy."

"Hey, Link, let me introduce you to someone."

Paul Walker, putting his arm around Link’s shoulder, gestured to a strikingly attractive woman with a caramel complexion and said, "Jessica Alba, I’m sure you need no introduction."

"Of course, Miss Alba, hello, I’m a big fan of yours."

Link shook hands with Jessica Alba, who had once been one of Hollywood’s top beauties, famed for her roles in "Dark Angel," "Sin City," and "Fantastic Four." Unfortunately, she had married and had children early in the last couple of years.

"Mr. Link Baker, congratulations on starring in a decent movie. I wish you blockbuster sales."

Jessica Alba said with a sweet smile.

"Thank you!"

After a brief greeting, Jessica left.

With his arm still around Link’s shoulder, Paul Walker watched Jessica walk away and remarked, "How about that, she’s really beautiful, isn’t she? I’ve done a kissing scene with her, are you jealous?"

"Why didn’t you date her then?" Link asked.

"Are you crazy? I’m from the industry; having another girlfriend from the industry would make life a total mess. Oh—sorry, I forgot Taylor is from the industry too, but you guys are different. I believe your love will last."

Paul Walker quickly added.

Link shook his head, feeling it was better not to explain.

"Come on, let me buy you a drink!"

—

On its opening day, "Deep Sea Quest 2" grossed $8.85 million in 2,605 theaters across North America, slightly below the expected $10 million.

The media’s reviews of the movie were more critical than complimentary, describing it as a rough commercial film with significant flaws in the script. The supporting male, Link, had far too much screen time, making the plot disjointed and substantially lowering the quality compared to the first installment—it wasn’t recommended for viewing.

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film had only a 65% freshness rating, with 24,127 people reviewing it and an IMDb rating of 6.7.

However, many media outlets reported it as a decent summer movie, full of sun, beach, sea, cruise ships, bikini-clad women, and exciting action and explosion scenes.

The addition of the world champion boxer and popular singer Link made the movie even more spectacular, making it definitely worth watching.

The film’s distributor took the opportunity to release a third promotional clip, mostly featuring Link and the lead actors walking on the beach in swimsuits and swimming in the sea, which looked quite appealing.

According to the film reviews on the movie websites, female viewers rated the movie higher than male viewers.

In its first three days, the film grossed $16.72 million in North America and was projected to reach around $40 million at the box office.

Compared to a production cost of $12 million and marketing expenses of $10 million, the movie was not going to incur losses but was expected to make a small profit.

From this perspective, the movie was deemed passable.

However, movie critics remained largely negative, especially critical of Link, labeling him a "vase" actor who relied on his handsome looks and muscular physique as selling points and was not skilled in acting.

"The Hollywood Reporter" commented that Link had high talent in boxing and music but virtually no gift for acting, advising him to spend more time on boxing and music rather than meddling in other fields, "Mr. Baker, you are not a superman capable of excelling in every field."

"The New Yorker" bluntly told Link to go back to school, advising him not to waste time in the entertainment industry, or he might fail his courses!

"Look at this, I’m a rookie actor, and yet they expect me to display Oscar Best Actor level skills; their expectations of me are too high."

In a café on Sixth Avenue in the Manhattan District, Link put down the newspaper and said.

"Link, don’t mind those reviews. You’re a star, and the media only criticizes you to stir controversy and attract readers. If it were news praising you, how many people do you think would buy their news?"

Woody Allen, the director, persuaded.

Link nodded, feeling that he was right. "First praise, then bash" was a standard media hype technique; it wasn’t something to take too seriously.

"Director Allen, then give me an objective assessment, how was my performance in Deep Sea Quest?"

"It was fantastic, you might even win a film award."

Woody Allen praised, giving a thumbs up.

"Really?"

"Yes, I think you could win... the 2009 Golden Raspberry Award for Best Actor, hahaha~"

Director Woody Allen burst into laughter, laughing so hard that his glasses fell onto the table. He scrambled to pick them up, put them back on, and continued laughing.

Link frowned at the old man who was over seventy, realizing that all this was just a way to mock him, which was in poor taste.

Continue your journey on empire

"Haha, just kidding, don’t take it seriously. But indeed, you have a great chance of being nominated for the Golden Raspberry Award this year."

Director Woody Allen laughed.

Link shook his head, stirring his coffee with a spoon a couple of times.

"The Golden Raspberry Award isn’t bad either. If they dare to give it to me, I’ll go and accept it."

To win a Golden Raspberry Award, not only does one need terrible acting skills, but also a big enough reputation, including having seen Regan, Stallone, Madonna, Thomp, Bridget Fonda, Marlon Brando, Halle Berry, Sandra Bullock, and others receive it.

"Good mindset, now let’s get to the point. Here’s my new script, take a look."

Woody Allen pushed a script across.

Link opened it and saw a familiar name, "Midnight in Paris," a sibling story to "Midnight in Barcelona."

It told the story of an aspiring American writer who, while touring Paris with his fiancée and her family, accidentally travels back in time to Paris of the past, where he meets celebrities like Hemingway, Picasso, and Dalymore, experiences the historic charms of Paris, and ultimately finds true love.

The script wasn’t long, a little over eight thousand words. He read it in half an hour, like completing a reading comprehension exercise.

"Director Allen, why isn’t it the story about the Boxer you talked about?"

Link set down the script and asked.

Director Allen, smoking a cigarette, waved his hand and said, "That script is still in the conceptual stage. I wrote about a top-level boxer who, at the peak of his career, accidentally kills his girlfriend and gets sentenced to three years in prison.

After being released, he becomes an ordinary person and in his average life, he rediscovers his true self, finds love again, and returns to being a strong figure in life.

Although the script is completed, you’re too young and your acting is not deep enough, so I’ve decided to shoot this movie first and wait a few more years for that one."

"That sounds good, but is it suitable for me, a boxer, to play a writer?" Link hesitated.

Director Allen glanced at him and laughed, "Why, would it be appropriate to have a writer play a writer? A good director will use the plot to construct the protagonist’s identity. A good actor will also immerse themselves in the character they are playing, so a boxer playing a writer isn’t a big issue. Besides, you’re also a singer-songwriter, which makes you a writer too."

Link considered this and thought it made sense.

"When do we start shooting?"

"Don’t rush, it’s still in preparation. Filmmaking is not a simple matter; it requires fundraising, budgeting, building sets, props, casting, and more. You thought we could start shooting just because we have a script?"

Director Allen shook his head, "I just wanted you to see the script so you would read more and get into your role earlier."

Link didn’t understand this aspect much, so he didn’t make any judgments.

He continued discussing the script with Director Allen, and casually mentioned that he also owned a film company, which could participate in the investment if needed.

"Director Allen? I didn’t expect to find you here."

While they were chatting, a young man and woman came over and greeted Director Woody Allen.

Link looked up and recognized them; they were the film stars Ryan Reynolds and his wife Scarlett Johansson.

Scarlett wore a ponytail and jeans and carried a shopping bag, apparently out shopping. She had worked with Director Allen on three films: Match Point in ’05, Scoop in ’06, and Midnight in Barcelona in ’08.

Upon seeing Director Allen, Scarlett Johansson was very enthusiastic and full of smiles.

Director Allen chatted with the couple for a few moments, introduced Link, and Link politely shook hands with them, exchanging pleasantries.

After the couple excused themselves and left, Director Allen, watching their backs, said with admiration, "Both of them are fine actors, Link. If you want to win the Oscars, you should learn from them. Start with arthouse films to refine your acting, then move on to commercial films."

Link nodded. Although the couple hadn’t won the Oscars, their acting was indeed commendable.

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