"What kind of person is Duke Rosenberg?"
While the cameraman, assisted by the staff of Duke Studio, busied himself setting up cameras and spotlights, Gao Fangfang had nothing to do for the moment. Sitting in the reception room, she naturally thought of this question. She took out a pen and a small notebook from her bag, which contained plenty of notes she had collected. Although all of it was publicly available information, it still reflected certain aspects of Duke Rosenberg's real situation.
As a woman with a relatively strong sense of curiosity and gossip, the first thing Gao Fangfang thought about was his romantic life.
In the country she came from, there were countless rumors circulating online about Duke Rosenberg's love affairs. According to those rumors, numerous top actresses—Naomi Watts, Charlize Theron, and Catherine Zeta-Jones among them—had once been his girlfriends. Some people even swore that almost every major Hollywood actress active in the late 1990s and at the turn of the century had been entangled with him in one way or another.
Whether those rumors were true or not, Gao Fangfang had no way of knowing. However, judging from the many posters and images hanging in Duke Studio, it seemed that Duke Rosenberg placed great importance on his current girlfriend, Scarlett Johansson.
She knew that in Hollywood and across North America, no one had said anything negative about their relationship. But in the country she came from, many people called it an improper romance. Especially Scarlett Johansson's most devoted fans and admirers—they cursed Duke Rosenberg, accusing him of seducing his god-sister through disgraceful means...
Was that the truth? Originally, Gao Fangfang had prepared questions on this topic, but when she communicated with Duke Rosenberg's public relations manager, they were immediately rejected.
Although she was backed by a national television network from across the ocean, Gao Fangfang knew very well that no matter what one did, there were always certain rules to follow. This was not a world where one could act recklessly.
Shaking her head, Gao Fangfang temporarily set aside those unreliable questions.
After all, other aspects of Duke Rosenberg were far more captivating.
She flipped through her notes again. Among them, one number stood out sharply—17.5 billion U.S. dollars.
That was the total box office revenue Gao Fangfang had calculated from all of Duke Rosenberg's films. Due to incomplete data from the Chinese market, the figure might not be perfectly accurate, but she was certain it wouldn't differ by much.
Seventeen point five billion dollars! What an astonishing number! Even the entire Chinese film market's cumulative box office revenue since commercialization couldn't compare.
And this—this came from just one man, Duke Rosenberg!
Thinking of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which Duke Rosenberg was currently producing, Gao Fangfang realized that by next year, this figure would likely soar even higher—perhaps even surpass the twenty-billion-dollar mark.
The first twenty-billion-dollar director in history? The thought made Gao Fangfang feel dizzy. How could other directors possibly compete with that? How could they ever catch up?
In this respect, Duke Rosenberg was undoubtedly the most outstanding and greatest director since the birth of cinema.
Seventeen or even twenty billion dollars was an astonishing number, but when Gao Fangfang looked at Duke Rosenberg's other identities, she began to feel that even such a figure was not particularly surprising.
Although he was often grouped together with "technical" directors, Duke Rosenberg was completely different from James Cameron. He resembled George Lucas and Steven Spielberg far more. Beyond being a director, he was also a businessman.
"Behind the camera, he's a great director…" Gao Fangfang murmured softly. "Once he puts it down, he's a successful businessman."
A shareholder of Apple. The largest shareholder of Time Warner. A major shareholder of Google. The controlling owner of Marvel Comics. The proprietor of Lucasfilm…
Gao Fangfang had no idea how many famous companies Duke Rosenberg held shares in. She only knew that for the past several years, he had consistently ranked among the top five on the Forbes Global Billionaires List.
Moreover, many financial media outlets believed that his hidden wealth beneath the surface was likely even greater.
In addition, Duke Rosenberg was also a renowned philanthropist. He managed multiple charitable foundations and worked with the UN Refugee Agency and UNICEF, donating over a hundred million dollars to charitable causes every year.
For someone like him, Gao Fangfang couldn't find suitable words to describe his accomplishments. Being able to interview such a legendary figure felt like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
The door of the reception room was knocked once again. Tina Fey, who had been in charge of hosting her earlier, entered once more. But this time, she wasn't alone—following behind her was a man who looked to be a little over thirty years old.
His facial lines were sharp, his black eyes strikingly bright, his short dark-brown hair standing upright. His tall, slightly lean frame was held perfectly straight.
Just from his appearance, Gao Fangfang could tell immediately that this was a man of unshakable will.
Anyone with even a passing interest in the film industry or economic media would recognize this man—none other than the legendary Duke Rosenberg himself, a figure so extraordinary that words like "miraculous" and "great" could not truly define him.
At the first sight of Duke, Gao Fangfang instinctively stood up.
"Duke…" Tina Fey introduced, "This is Miss Gao, a reporter from China's National Television Network."
"Hello," Duke said, extending his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you."
"Hello, Director Rosenberg." Gao Fangfang quickly shook his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you as well."
Tina Fey turned around and closed the door of the reception room. Thus began an exclusive interview promoting the Star Wars: The Force Awakens theatrical tour in China.
As always, Duke spared no effort in promoting his films. He never believed that his fame as a renowned director automatically guaranteed success. If a film could sell well based solely on a director's reputation, there wouldn't be so many high-investment, low-return blockbusters in the world.
Sitting opposite each other in two single sofas before the camera, Gao Fangfang knew Duke's time was tight. Without any small talk, she went straight to her first question.
"Director Rosenberg, when did you first think about launching a brand-new chapter in the Star Wars saga?"
"It was actually George Lucas," Duke replied, showing a hint of nostalgia. "He was the one who invited me to join the series, and he was the first to propose making new Star Wars films."
A faint look of recollection crossed Duke's face. "Back in the mid-1990s, George Lucas invited me to direct the series. That was our first formal discussion about it. I was incredibly excited. Unfortunately, due to scheduling conflicts, I missed the opportunity back then. But now, this project is full of potential. The opportunity is rare—and there's no way I'd refuse it."
As Gao Fangfang rapidly took notes in her notebook, she asked, "How did you handle the coexistence of old and new characters in the film?"
"The Star Wars saga has left behind many iconic characters," Duke explained. "While introducing new ones, we also ensured that the spirit of the familiar ones continues through the next generation. Audiences don't need to have seen the previous six films to enjoy this one—they can start right here. The Force Awakens marks a new beginning for Star Wars—in China and across the entire world."
When China was mentioned, Duke deliberately added another comment. "Last night before I went to sleep, I was thinking that in many ways, this film resembles its Chinese premiere city—Shanghai. I've been there many times. It's an incredible city, one that always amazes you with its grandeur and energy. At the same time, it has a magnificent history, yet it's so vibrant and modern. So in a sense, it's very much like this movie—it's a brand-new story set against the backdrop of a long-existing world."
Hearing those words, Gao Fangfang couldn't help but smile. The director's friendliness toward China was well known across the Pacific, and that was one of the major reasons both he and his films enjoyed such immense success in her home country.
In that sense, Gao Fangfang, like many movie fans in her homeland, was genuinely fond of Duke Rosenberg.
However, as a professional journalist, she wouldn't let those feelings influence her work. Continuing with the prearranged questions, she asked, "Daisy Ridley and Daniel Wu are two important new characters in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. What made you choose them for such crucial roles? What qualities about them appealed to you?"
Compared with his sometimes vague responses to Western media, Duke's answer this time was much more detailed.
"There were many factors," he said. "When we started discussing the story for this film, the biggest challenge we faced was narrowing its scope. The Star Wars universe is vast, with endless possibilities to explore—so vast that it's hard to know where to begin. Where do we start?"
Duke spread his hands, his smile warm and approachable. "We began by asking ourselves what truly interested us—what each of us most wanted to see."
He waited for the reporter to finish writing before continuing. "Then my associate, Anna Prinz, suddenly asked me, 'Who is Luke Skywalker?' That question really struck a nerve. It made me realize that there could be a whole new generation of viewers who don't know Luke Skywalker at all. Even if they've heard of him, how do they know him? How do they see him? Is he a hero—or someone to be feared? What do people think of Darth Vader? When he saved his son and removed his mask, who was there to witness it? Only the two of them. So how could anyone else truly know? People's understanding of Luke Skywalker might not be what you expect."
The spotlights were a bit dazzling, but Duke had long grown accustomed to such interviews. "I think that idea is both startling and exciting. For this new generation of audiences, Star Wars might mean something entirely different. So when casting, we needed actors capable of embodying and expressing that feeling. When they take on the right roles, they can deliver the right performances."
"Daisy Ridley and Daniel Wu are exactly the kind of actors we needed!"
....
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