"If you try other transformations and fail halfway, you still have your base. I think having your own movie franchise will be one of the key standards for first-class movie stars in the future."
Hathaway was persuaded by Kai and returned to the United States to start competing for the role.
Paramount initially thought it was hopeless to invite Hathaway and had already begun in-depth discussions with Angelina Jolie about the role and the crew. However, Hathaway suddenly changed her mind.
Then Paramount had no choice but to say sorry to Angelina Jolie.
In the entertainment industry, popularity is everything.
Coincidentally, Angelina Jolie won the Best Supporting Actress award at the 72nd Academy Awards for her outstanding performance in Girl, Interrupted.
And at that same ceremony, Anne Hathaway won Best Actress for her role in The Princess Diaries, sparking a wave of contemporary female popularity in North America!
With the two competing for the same role, Angelina Jolie really didn't stand much of a chance.
Of course, after learning that Angelina Jolie had already entered deep negotiations with the crew and was pushed out because of her, Hathaway personally called Jolie to apologize.
She said she had hesitated for too long and initially felt she wasn't suitable for the role, but after her boyfriend Kai's persuasion, she decided to give it a try—unfortunately causing Jolie trouble in the process.
Even though Jolie was unhappy deep down, she remained graceful on the surface.
In fact, she did admire the wave of modern North American female influence brought by Hathaway.
Jolie might not accept being overshadowed by just anyone—but if it was Hathaway, she could only accept it.
Naturally, Hollywood reporters couldn't let this go.
A reporter interviewed Jolie and deliberately tried to stir things up.
But Jolie responded generously: "Of course this won't create any conflict between Hathaway and me. We hadn't interacted much before, but she called me specifically about this. We talked everything through—and we even became good friends because of it."
"Of course, I do think Hathaway's boyfriend should make decisions a bit faster next time when helping her choose a movie. That would save everyone a lot of trouble."
Kai, who was far away at the European Cup, also responded through a pre-match interview: "I did give Hathaway some suggestions about taking the role, and I'm very glad she seriously considered them. It feels good to be taken seriously."
"Of course, I'd also like to thank Angelina Jolie for her generosity in this matter. If you ever have trouble choosing a movie in the future, feel free to ask me for advice."
Kai's reply left North American entertainment reporters both amused and speechless.
You're a footballer—what the hell do you know about movies?
Helping Hathaway make random choices is one thing, but now you want to "advise" Angelina Jolie too?
She's not your naïve little girlfriend.
It has to be said—whether it was the supporting role in The Lord of the Rings that Kai helped Hathaway choose, or this Tomb Raider, the media remained very pessimistic.
Hathaway should be doing youth romance films now. After a few years, she should transition to pure romance films—the kind with proper intimate scenes—and eventually move on to large-scale productions.
That's the typical path for actresses in chick films.
After all, Kai is of Chinese descent and too conservative. His "selfishness" will definitely affect Hathaway's development.
At the very least, her role in The Lord of the Rings won't be remembered, and Tomb Raider will definitely bomb at the box office!
Affirm!
…
Hathaway's role was finalized, and she quickly joined the cast.
Meanwhile, the European Cup group stage came to an end, and the powerful teams England and Germany were both eliminated.
They went home.
Portugal and Romania, who were in the same group, successfully advanced to the knockout stage and became part of the top eight. The latter reached the knockout stage of the European Cup for the first time in history!
On the day of their elimination, both David Beckham and Lothar Matthäus made shocking statements.
Lothar Matthäus: "Actually, I had a bad feeling when I called Kai dozens of times and couldn't get through. I even resented him before, thinking he was avoiding me."
"But now it seems he just didn't want to hurt me in advance. I must apologize for cursing him in my heart. I feel lost about my future now. It seems I can't bring victory to any team—whether it's Bayern, the MetroStars, or the German national team."
David Beckham: "I'm really sad, but I understand Victoria. Kai told her the England team might not get out of the group stage. She was afraid I'd feel bad, so she told me we'd reach the semifinals no matter what."
"I made a mistake. I shouldn't have asked Kai in the first place. It caused trouble for him, Victoria, and myself. Next time there's a major event, I won't call Kai."
"Because sure, it's exciting if he tells you you'll win—but if he tells you you'll get eliminated, I don't think anyone can handle that well."
"Still… I have to say, Kai is incredibly smart."
At the same time, Pep Guardiola also said: "Kai is insanely smart! Kai is a god! The luckiest thing in my life was attending the Portuguese Diamond Generation Invitational—that's when I discovered this treasure!"
"Some people say his ability is prophecy, but I think he just truly understands football. His understanding is in his bones. He can tell who is genuinely strong and who is fake—who will advance and who will go home in the group stage!"
Reporter: "Are you saying Kai thinks Spain can win the championship?"
Pep Guardiola: "I probably shouldn't say this, but I trust Kai will understand me. Yes—Kai believes Spain has a very high chance of winning this European Cup!"
Reporter: "That's unbelievable. Bigger than England and Germany going home! Did he say anything else?"
Pep Guardiola: "He's very concerned about the players' health. He told us to avoid eating foie gras, macarons, baked snails, baguettes…"
Reporter: "Have you noticed? Those foods… are all French."
Guardiola froze. The smile he'd been wearing for over a month finally faded: "So… you mean Kai is warning us not to face France? That as long as we avoid France, we can win the tournament?"
After analysis, many reporters agreed this was the perfect interpretation: "That's probably what he meant."
France had also reached the quarterfinals.
Guardiola shook his head: "France is indeed very strong. If we meet them in the final, our chances are lower—but we're still confident. As for meeting them earlier… there are so many teams, it's not that easy to run into them."
The next day, the knockout bracket was announced.
The Netherlands vs. the Blue Slavs.
Italy vs. Romania.
Portugal vs. Türkiye.
Spain… drew France.
For a moment, all of Europe was in an uproar.
France. It really was France.
Spanish fans suddenly felt a chill.
June 25.
The match between France and Spain begins.
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