Of course, there was another reason—the Lord of the Rings crew was working in China.
While China wasn't exactly closed off, staying in touch with North American public opinion in real-time still required some effort and wasn't that easy.
As for the protesting Lord of the Rings book fans, it was nearly impossible for them to come to China.
After all, traveling abroad was expensive. Organizing thousands of people to go to China would require an enormous budget. Unless someone was willing to foot the bill, such a venture was unlikely.
But so far, it seemed that no one was foolish enough to finance such a thing, and the protesting fans themselves probably didn't want to make the trip either.
This was the second benefit of filming in China—it shielded the production from unnecessary disruptions.
If they had been filming in New Zealand, the crew might have been besieged by Lord of the Rings book fans.
Beyond that, organizations like animal rights groups and environmental protection groups—ones that could interfere with the production—were nowhere to be seen.
Animal rights activists had already been hit hard by Gilbert's righteous counterattacks, and though they had recovered, their tactics had softened considerably.
Whenever animals appeared in Gilbert's productions, these organizations mostly turned a blind eye, pretending not to see.
The animal rights activists were also wary, afraid that Gilbert—who was known for holding grudges—might once again drag them down from their moral high ground.
This time, they simply didn't send anyone over, essentially signaling, Do whatever you want—we're not getting involved.
Perhaps in their minds, Chinese horses didn't count as animals and didn't need protection.
The same logic applied to environmental protection groups—apparently, in their view, China's environment wasn't an environment worth protecting.
However, while the ocean served as a barrier to die-hard book fans and activists, it didn't stop the media, which loved a spectacle.
From the moment filming began, Gilbert lifted the news blackout, and The Lord of the Rings entered an intensive promotional phase.
To enhance publicity, the Lord of the Rings team partnered with Watermelon to create an official Lord of the Rings website. The website provided a detailed introduction to the various races and cultures of Middle-earth.
The main goal of the site was to attract moviegoers who had never read the original books, giving them a basic understanding of Middle-earth.
Meanwhile, from the faraway filming location, the production team regularly sent back new materials—photos of props, set designs, and location shoots.
These updates fueled the curiosity of moviegoers, and it was evident that the crew was doing an exceptional job.
Several stills, in particular, caught the audience's attention.
The first was an image of the mammoth model that had amazed Naomi Watts and Jennifer Connelly.
The others were photographs taken by Annie Burton's second unit while scouting locations in Jiuzhaigou and Zhangjiajie. These breathtaking images sparked admiration among fans.
The comment section under the photos became lively. Aside from the protesting book fans, most moviegoers were discussing the scenery.
"My God, I can't believe such a beautiful place exists in this world."
"Just looking at the pictures makes me want to travel to China. It's absolutely stunning."
"I used to think China was all desert, but I never imagined it had such incredible landscapes."
"Dude, China has 1.3 billion people—there's no way they could all survive in a desert."
"1.3 billion people? My God, how do they manage to sustain such a massive population?"
These photos not only helped attract attention to The Lord of the Rings but also showcased China's stunning scenery to the world.
Naturally, they also piqued the media's interest.
However, the media quickly split into two camps.
On one side were outlets affiliated with Warner Bros. and Disney, along with those friendly to Gilbert—such as the Chicago Sun-Times—which supported him.
On the other side were media organizations opposed to Gilbert, such as The Washington Post, which naturally criticized him.
Although Gilbert had repeatedly tried to steer the publicity toward the promotion of Western culture, his detractors were not so easily fooled.
The Washington Post published a report stating:
"It is baffling that such a massive project as The Lord of the Rings was placed in China by Gilbert. We can clearly see how this high-budget franchise has injected vitality into the local economy."
"At the same time, let's look at the internet—how many young people are now expressing curiosity about that distant land across the Pacific?"
"For us, this is not a good thing."
The opposition media largely echoed The Washington Post's stance, arguing that by filming The Lord of the Rings in China, Gilbert was boosting the local tourism industry and economy.
Furthermore, they claimed that young people in North America were becoming increasingly intrigued by China, which might lead to a growing interest in Chinese culture.
In response, Chicago Sun-Times critic Roger Ebert issued a scathing rebuttal to these arguments.
He believed the situation was quite the opposite—over the years, Gilbert's contributions to Hollywood's globalization strategy had been unparalleled. That market across the ocean? Gilbert was the one who had opened it up.
A vast market of 1.3 billion people—if fully developed, what kind of scene would that be?
Gilbert held a significant place in the hearts of Chinese moviegoers. Many Chinese students studying in North America were fans of his films.
It was precisely because of his movies that these students developed a longing for North America.
If Gilbert's films could captivate audiences there and make them admire Western civilization, wouldn't that perfectly align with the strategy of peaceful transformation?
Though Roger Ebert's arguments were well-reasoned, debates like this never had a definitive conclusion.
Gilbert wanted films to remain pure, free from any additional baggage—but that was merely wishful thinking.
As a famous saying in Hollywood went, Politics has never been far from Hollywood. Washington exerted immense influence over the film industry, infusing it with political undertones.
Moreover, as an essential part of cultural exports, films were deeply tied to cultural strategies—something that was never taken lightly.
While foolish individuals existed, those who reached elite positions were rarely ignorant; they could see both sides of the issue.
Simply put, Gilbert was playing with fire.
These debates were relayed to Gilbert by Naomi Watts and Jennifer Connelly when they visited the set.
Naomi Watts was visibly concerned. "I'm worried that the media coverage will be very unfavorable to us. Right now, support and opposition are split about fifty-fifty.
With those protesting book fans added in, the opposition might even be the majority."
Gilbert, however, was indifferent. "Don't worry, Naomi. Once the film is released, everyone will shut their mouths and start cheering for it."
"It's not that simple, is it? I'm afraid this will have long-term consequences," Naomi Watts said.
"Consequences?" Gilbert remained unfazed. "I'm just making movies. It's not like I'm handing over blueprints for the Raptor fighter jet or something.
Besides, even if you gave them the blueprints, at their current level, they'd probably need another decade to build one."
In North America, there were two major forces one could never offend—one was the military-industrial complex, and the other was a certain powerful financial group. If anything, the military-industrial complex was the most dangerous of all.
It was an enormous entity, and a certain famous leader from the Kennedy family had paid the ultimate price for crossing them.
But Gilbert wasn't involved in anything related to that sector, so while the opposition media was making a lot of noise, it wouldn't affect him.
Besides, Gilbert himself was part of that powerful financial group. The media conglomerates that controlled public opinion wouldn't allow things to spiral out of control.
Gilbert was a valuable asset—they wouldn't let the media smear him without limits.
At the moment, however, the situation hadn't escalated to a level where intervention was necessary.
According to the higher-ups, Gilbert needed to experience some storms and undergo some trials.
No pain, no gain.
North American media wasn't just engaged in a war of words domestically—several major outlets, sensing the buzz and potential traffic, sent reporters to China to dig for information.
As a result, more and more journalists with cameras began gathering around the Qingdao studio, trying to get inside scoops.
Anne Hathaway, while entering and exiting the set, was caught by reporters and interviewed.
Thanks to the studio's media training, Anne Hathaway handled the tricky journalists with poise.
When asked about working with Gilbert, she lit up with excitement.
"It's incredible. It's absolutely incredible!
When I found out I'd be working with Gilbert, the thrill and excitement washed over me like a tidal wave.
I was overwhelmed. I grew up watching Gilbert's films—I've been his fan since childhood."
Chronologically, this wasn't inaccurate. When Gilbert's first film, The Shallows, was released in 1991, Anne Hathaway was only nine years old.
Anne Hathaway also spoke about playing Arwen, calling it a unique experience.
"We went through extensive preparation. The director even required me to learn Elvish. I have a lot of lines in the film that I have to deliver in Elvish."
The reporters gasped in surprise.
Elvish was a language J.R.R. Tolkien had created for The Lord of the Rings, and many had described it as practically unspeakable for humans.
Yet, the production team had actually required actors to learn it and use it for dialogue.
This made the journalists even more curious about how Elvish sounded.
One of them immediately requested Hathaway to say a few lines.
After receiving permission from the studio's press officer, Anne Hathaway recited a passage in Elvish. The reporters, of course, couldn't understand a word.
But that didn't matter—the footage was recorded.
In the following days, Anne Hathaway's interview appeared in North American newspapers, while her Elvish lines were broadcast on television.
It wasn't hard to imagine the impact—seeing Anne Hathaway, with a radiant expression, recite a beautiful yet incomprehensible passage in Elvish must have been an electrifying experience for viewers.
That feeling?
Like a shiver running straight up the spine.
....
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