America achieves both fame and fortune

Chapter 440 Interpreting with Life

As soon as the helicopter entered the Los Angeles area, Bruce nudged Martin with his finger and pointed out the window.

Martin held his earpiece with one hand and turned to look over there. In the distance, a helicopter marked with the word "TV" followed and flew alongside at a safe distance. People and cameras could be vaguely seen.

This is the kind of media treatment only superstars get!

Of course, it's also possible that Nolan prepared this in advance, since the current goal is to create a huge enough buzz.

Martin's helicopter flew to Beverly Hills and landed on the helipad of his newly purchased estate.

Thomas, who was waiting there, immediately put Martin in the car, and Bruce drove straight to the psychological clinic on Sunset Boulevard, with the helicopter following behind.

More than twenty entertainment reporters and paparazzi, who had already received word of the situation, were already waiting in front of the psychological clinic.

Ivan leaked the information before the helicopter took off from San Diego.

Several male staff members at the clinic maintained a clear path, and as soon as Bruce arrived in his Cadillac, they blocked the surging crowd of reporters, allowing Martin to enter the clinic immediately.

The entrance was flooded with camera flashes.

In the office on the third floor facing the street, the clinic's largest partner couldn't stop smiling. Could there be a better way to promote the clinic?

Hollywood stars are under immense pressure, and they're all high-quality clients!

The partner picked up the phone and dialed Martin's personal doctor's number. Once connected, he said, "Lola, whatever Martin asks of you, you have to accept it, understand? Even if he asks you to do a striptease to relax, you have to cooperate!"

"But..." came the hesitation on the other end.

"That's it!" The partner hung up the phone immediately.

In the downstairs consultation room, Laura saw Martin enter and said, "Make yourself at home. Is there anything I can help you with?"

Martin pointed to the cabinet behind her: "Where's my blanket?"

Laura opened the closet, took out a blanket, and handed it to Martin: "Don't you need therapy?"

Martin lay down next to the long-haired woman and said, "Unless you're willing to help me assemble an army of beauties to storm Washington, take over the White House, and dissolve the United States."

Seeing that Martin didn't do anything excessive, Laura felt relieved and said with a smile, "Aren't you the leader of the Cola Cult? Call your followers to go with you."

Martin made up a story: "We're missing a saint who can brainwash people."

Laura asked curiously, "Besides brainwashing, does the saintess do anything else?"

Martin casually remarked, "If you'd like to do something else, I wouldn't mind."

"What about the saintess's salary?" Laura was very curious. Actually, if the salary was high enough, changing careers was not out of the question.

After all, it's just a job, a way to make money.

Martin laughed: "Of course it's free. You have to understand one thing: the saint is engaged in the great cause of dissolving the United States. It shouldn't be measured in money. Many people are even willing to give up their entire fortune to join this great cause."

Laura shrugged: "Your brainwashing skills are poor; you lack persuasiveness."

"That's why I need a professional like you." Martin stopped rambling and pulled the blanket over himself to sleep.

Laura sat back down at the examination table, picked up a book, and began to read slowly.

Forty minutes later, Martin woke up from his light sleep, folded the blanket and handed it to Laura, then went to the adjacent bathroom, quickly washed up, and prepared to leave.

Laura suddenly said, "Remember to come on time every week."

Martin replied, "No problem."

The phone on the table rang, and the partner asked Laura to go to the meeting room.

Martin had already coordinated with the Dark Knight production team to have Thomas hold a press conference about him, with Laura attending as his therapist.

Because Martin was generous and offered a good reward, Laura agreed without much hesitation.

The following morning, Thomas, on behalf of Martin, held a press conference in the Warner Building press room.

Wearing a black suit, Laura Noodles seemed somewhat insecure in front of numerous media cameras, but she still had basic composure, especially since all she had to do was introduce Martin's "illness".

According to Laura, Martin's condition wasn't particularly serious, but it couldn't be ignored and needed to be resolved as soon as possible.

Thomas, on behalf of Martin, announced that Martin would not accept any new roles or film any new movies for the remainder of 2008.

In the second half of the year, Martin will be involved in the post-production of "Benjamin" and "John Wick," discuss new projects and new characters with Nolan, and has a lot of work to do.

With the North American premiere of The Dark Knight drawing ever closer, Warner Bros. and the production team are doing everything they can to generate buzz and attract the attention of casual viewers.

To promote The Dark Knight, Warner Bros. designed nearly 30 websites related to the film's plot, covering various aspects of Gotham City, including the police department, railroad company, taxi company, bank, church, newspaper, and television station.

Even on the Gotham City TV website set up by Warner Bros., netizens can see a series of programs made around the main characters of the movies, such as Batman and the Joker, which are so realistic that it is like running a real TV channel.

Martin calls Nolan at least once a day to discuss marketing and hype matters.

The Dark Knight is of guaranteed quality, but there are too many examples of good movies failing to achieve their potential. A good movie needs good marketing and promotion to become a huge hit.

Nolan went to great lengths to generate buzz.

He even claimed that he initially didn't want to make a sequel to the Batman movie, but rather wanted to create an original crime thriller, but the script captivated him.

…………

Over the weekend, Jack Nicholson was on set for WarnerMedia's "The Helen Show."

Helen initially rose to fame by bravely filming behind Martin, and later used that popularity to create this show, which is now just as popular as The Ellen Show.

The two chatted for a while about Nicholson's glorious past, and the conversation quickly turned to the trio of bastards, especially Martin.

Helen came with a mission, and her question was very direct: "Last year, you publicly declared that Martin shouldn't have taken on the Joker role, and you two had a public argument in the media. Many people said you had a falling out?"

"It's normal to have a few arguments, it's not like we'll fall apart." Nicholson seemed to be thinking of Martin's best interests: "I said those things back then because I know Martin. He takes every role very seriously, he always does a lot of work, and he gets very deeply involved. The Joker is dark and crazy, and once you get into it, it's hard to get out."

Playing around is one thing, joking around is another, but the leader of the trio never makes a mistake.

Nicholson first affirmed his own correctness: "I wasn't wrong, Martin is in trouble now. His hostility towards Bell has even carried over from fantasy into reality... Ugh, that idiot won't listen to my advice!"

Helen asked, "Do you think there's something wrong with the character Martin is playing?"

"No, the role is fine, even better than I expected!" Nicholson declared, establishing his own conviction before getting to the point: "I went to an internal screening of 'The Dark Knight' held by Warner Bros., and Martin's Joker terrified me, left a lasting impression. This Joker is realistic yet breathtaking!"

Without Helen even asking, he continued, "Martin's performance is absolutely top-notch. You can't ask him to do any better. Every look, every movement, even every breath he makes in his portrayal of the Joker is perfect for the character, without the slightest bit of unnecessary detail."

Helen asked aptly, "Is it really that good?"

Nicholson said, "It's better than I described it, because I can't find a more suitable way to put it right now."

He gestured wildly with his hands, but his expression was incredibly serious: "Martin's portrayal of the Joker will subvert all previous Hollywood villainous characters, making it difficult to surpass, because Martin is interpreting this role with his life and soul!"

Helen readily added, "His agent announced that Martin will not be taking on any roles this year."

"I went to see Martin yesterday," Nicholson sighed. "He really needs a good rest, especially to completely break free from the role; he's gotten too deeply involved."

He asked, "Have you seen the Dark Knight trailer?"

Helen nodded repeatedly: "Yes, it's very special."

Nicholson added, "Don't you get the feeling that Martin's Joker, while chilling, is also irresistibly charming? The character's charisma is undeniable!"

Helen considered it carefully: "That's true."

Nicholson then brought up another matter: "I watched the San Diego Comic-Con, the battle between Martin and Bale, or rather, the Joker and Batman, that has continued into reality. Although I'm completely on Martin's side, there's something Bale said that I think makes a lot of sense."

Helen asked again, "Which sentence?"

Nicholson concluded by saying, "Martin traded his soul to the devil." He only used the first half of Bale's statement, changing the second half: "In exchange, he delivered such a stunning performance!"

After a few routine little interactions, this episode of The Helen Show came to an end.

The program will be broadcast on television and then, as agreed with the Dark Knight production team, uploaded to several major websites so that more viewers can see it.

Before Nicholson had even left WarnerTV, the phone started ringing off the hook.

"Hey, old chap, is that kid's role really as good as you say?"

"Even better than I can say." Nicholson, who had been having a great time these past two years, didn't mind helping his underling out: "The Dark Knight will be released soon. Go to the theater and see for yourself whether I'm exaggerating or not."

He had barely put his phone down when another old friend called, asking similar questions.

Nicholson said, "I guarantee with my forty-year acting career that you will see one of the most charismatic movie villains of all time."

On his way from the TV station to the parking lot, Nicholson received six phone calls, all from old friends who had watched The Helen Show.

Because very few characters have received such high praise from Nicholson, they are all very curious.

Nicholson got into the stretch Lincoln and received a call from Martin. He said directly, "Did you see that? I told you so, didn't I? Kid, you owe me a good show!"

"Let's watch a short play first," Martin said on the phone. "I've lost something."

(End of this chapter)