Chapter 487: The Most Notorious Ex-Girlfriend

Since her debut, Taylor Swift has been accompanied by a string of rumored ex-boyfriends that she can barely count on both hands, as well as numerous songs written about these exes. This model has been extremely successful, and Taylor Swift continues to replicate it.

As she rose to fame, her rumored boyfriends transitioned from third- and fourth-tier celebrities and small-time singers to first- and second-tier stars.

This approach not only created media buzz but also sparked inspiration. Taylor Swift never considered abandoning it.

Moreover, her management team and record company subtly encouraged this model.

After a noteworthy romantic entanglement earlier this year, one worthy of a new song, Taylor Swift and her production team struggled to find a suitable lead single for her album set to release in December. Possibly due to a long dry spell in her love life, lacking the stimulation of male hormones, her creativity had also stalled.

With the upcoming album in mind and the need for a hit single, Taylor Swift was eager to start a new relationship. Now that she had become a country-pop princess, if she could find someone even more famous and have a brief but intense romance, her new album...

In a short time, a string of thoughts flashed through Taylor Swift's mind. No matter how she looked at it, Murphy, walking ahead, was the best target.

From another perspective, his appearance was quite decent. In Hollywood and across the USA, he had a great reputation. Having a PR relationship with such a person seemed advantageous.

Taylor Swift quickened her steps and caught up with Murphy before he entered the banquet hall.

"Murphy, I'm very interested in film production," targeting her goal, Taylor Swift chose to strike first, "Could I visit the set and watch you film?"

If it were someone else, Murphy might have casually agreed and let an assistant show her around. But not Taylor Swift. From her previous behavior, Murphy could see that this young girl was very purposeful. From the news he had read, it was clear that she and her team were masters at generating hype.

Knowing she wanted to use him as a pawn and still falling for it would be foolish, bordering on idiotic.

Murphy smiled politely, "The film has already finished shooting."

Taylor Swift tried to say more, but Murphy stopped her, saying, "Sorry, Miss Swift, we'll talk another day. I have something to handle now."

"Alright!"

Taylor Swift nodded quickly. Just as she was about to ask for his contact information, Murphy had already turned away, joining a group of Robert Downey Jr.'s friends and engaging in friendly conversation.

Though he didn't mind his reputation, Murphy had no interest in becoming the subject of someone's song. Relationships belong to personal life, and others have no right to judge. However, using a boyfriend to write songs...

In this era, Taylor Swift had a great reputation as the country princess and a pop princess, with fans widely circulating titles like "little pure." But her reputation had worsened over time, even earning the nickname "Public Transport Mold."

This might be an exaggeration, but Murphy saw Taylor Swift as one of the world's most notorious ex-girlfriends.

After Robert Downey Jr.'s party, Murphy returned to Fox's studio to continue working on "The Wolf of Wall Street." To his surprise, Taylor Swift somehow found out and showed up again.

Murphy was deeply involved in the critical phase of fine-tuning the film, barely paying attention to even Gal Gadot, let alone the impressionable Taylor Swift. He claimed to be busy and had an assistant handle her.

The post-production of "The Wolf of Wall Street" continued until the end of August. With the film set to release in November, Murphy finished the fine cut and added special effects. Fox and Stanton Studios then gathered a considerable number of viewers and media journalists for a test screening.

For a film of this genre and subject matter, the audience was naturally thrilled. Post-screening, Fox collected feedback, revealing a 95% approval rating, which was an excellent response.

Media reviews were also favorable, especially praising Robert Downey Jr.'s performance. Some online media reported that his performance was stunning.

Most media outlets involved in the screening gave positive reviews.

Rolling Stone magazine stated, "Murphy Stanton brings an excellent script and completely lets loose in his direction. The film has no dull moments, with powerful scenes and plot."

The Los Angeles Times commented, "The Wolf of Wall Street is a modern epic black comedy, showcasing Murphy Stanton's playful genius."

The Hollywood Reporter praised, "The film's depiction of greed and excess is grand and magnificent, with a blend of operatic and comedic styles."

Variety highlighted Robert Downey Jr.'s performance, stating, "Robert Downey Jr.'s performance is electrifying, enough to wake the dead from their graves."

These reviews were excellent promotional material, drawing public attention. Many test screening viewers also shared strong opinions on their social media accounts. In this age of near-transparent entertainment information, good or bad word-of-mouth spreads rapidly.

Word-of-mouth marketing was just part of "The Wolf of Wall Street's" promotional strategy. Murphy and Fox had prepared a major revelation before the film's release.

However, there were negative reviews from a few media outlets.

The New Yorker claimed, "The Wolf of Wall Street is an entertaining, occasionally amusing film, but it's bloated, redundant, vulgar, and meaningless."

Yahoo Entertainment said, "Murphy Stanton is off his game. The film feels disjointed and far below his usual standards."

No film can receive unanimous praise. Even in the homogenized world of Hollywood, where Murphy's unique style made him a media and critic darling, not every film could gain universal acclaim.

A few negative reviews were not troubling. The real issue came from Jordan Belfort himself. Since the promotion of "The Wolf of Wall Street," he had loudly claimed that the film was unauthorized and that the content was wildly fabricated, unrelated to his actual experiences.

However, Murphy had a signed contract, with 20th Century Fox's full backing. Jordan Belfort's complaints posed little threat, if any, actually benefiting the film by increasing its notoriety.

Leonardo DiCaprio, who initially supported Belfort, backed off when he saw no potential success. The subsequent actions were entirely Belfort's, failing to create much of a stir.

As the release date for "The Wolf of Wall Street" approached, Murphy focused on final touches. More stills, promotional clips, and trailers were gradually released by Fox. In line with previous promotional efforts, these materials were filled with explicit scenes.

Murphy's past films never shied away from violence and sex scenes. With the increasing exposure of such content, many media outlets speculated that this film might represent a significant breakthrough in eroticism for him.

Such hype would intrigue many fans but also attract some criticism.

In America, there's never a shortage of people who enjoy moral grandstanding. These people naturally targeted "The Wolf of Wall Street," criticizing Murphy and Robert Downey Jr. for being indecent and morally corrupt.

With critics emerging to attack, Murphy saw an opportunity for a public spat. Robert Downey Jr. was the best candidate for this.

"All my explicit scenes in 'The Wolf of Wall Street' were done personally, without a body double," Robert Downey Jr. stated in an interview. Responding to accusations of indecency, he said, "When portraying Jordan Belfort, my goal was to accurately convey the essence of the character. I'm acting out someone else's life, not mine."

A public spat needs to be escalated step by step. Direct name-calling from the start would quickly lose audience interest. Robert Downey Jr. was a top expert in this area.

With the public spat handled by Robert Downey Jr., Murphy submitted the film to the MPAA for rating after adding the opening and closing credits. His goal was, of course, an R rating, as only films rated R or lower could achieve wide release.

With the Gatlin Collins incident managed by Bill Rossis, Robert, and Kara Faith, and the public spat by Robert Downey Jr., Fox oversaw the rating process. After completing post-production, Murphy entered a relatively relaxed phase.

He gave himself a five-day break, borrowed a yacht from David Ellison, and took Gal Gadot out to sea for a few days, even trying the sensations of sea and boat movements. Having a tall, slender, and beautiful girlfriend like Gal Gadot accompany him to explore various new "movements" was indeed a blessing.

After returning from the sea, Bill Rossis brought Murphy plane tickets and two formal invitations. Murphy and Gal Gadot boarded an international flight to China to attend the upcoming Sino-American Film Forum across the Pacific.

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