December 19th.
Before Christmas.
Los Angeles, Chinese Grand Theatre.
"Hey, everyone! Long time no see."
Martin, arm-in-arm with Liv Tyler, swiftly walked through the interview area, greeting the other members of the "Fellowship of the Ring."
Before anyone could react, Liv Tyler shot Martin a big, exaggerated eye-roll.
To be fair, for this red carpet event, she had been eating only fruits and salads for a week just to fit into the tight dress, hoping to get some flattering photos from the reporters. But Martin, this insensitive guy, only took thirty seconds to walk through the red carpet, walking briskly as if nothing mattered, completely ignoring her struggle.
Martin noticed Liv Tyler's displeasure, but he didn't mind. He planned to make it up to her after the premiere.
For now, it was time for brotherhood!
Martin reached the large poster at the end of the red carpet, quickly signing his name, then went over to greet Elijah Wood, Sean Austin, Orlando Bloom, Ian McKellen, and the others who had gathered there.
"Ha-ha! The Fellowship is reunited, what a celebration!"
"Oh, the beautiful Elven Prince and Princess, please accept the greetings from the Hobbits," Elijah Wood said, pretending to bow to Martin and Liv Tyler with a mock elven salute.
Then, teasingly, he added, "Princess Arwen doesn't seem happy—could it be because King Elessar is not standing beside her?"
Viggo Mortensen, who played Aragorn, joined in, "King Elessar is here, what are your commands, Princess Arwen?"
The actors from The Lord of the Rings had spent a year in New Zealand together. Even though Martin often disappeared, he had spent over six months with the group, and their relationships were very good.
In fact, after filming, all eight members of the "Fellowship," excluding Martin, had gotten tattoos in Elvish, each with the word "nine" to commemorate the experience.
Unfortunately, Martin had firmly refused to get any tattoos on his body, so the "nine" was a bit misleading!
But no one could force Martin to do something he didn't want to.
Amid everyone's playful banter, Liv Tyler started to lighten up. She pointed at Martin and said, "Drag this traitor out and have him executed!"
Viggo Mortensen immediately put on a frightened expression and said, "Sorry, Princess Arwen, I'm afraid of being torn apart by his female fans, I refuse the order!"
The group laughed and joked in front of the poster, attracting a lot of photographers, with the sound of camera shutters filling the air.
Finally, Liv Tyler was able to strike a pose, visibly happier now.
To attract even more attention, she pulled Martin over and struck some intimate poses, hoping to capture the attention of the photographers.
It worked. The photographers went wild.
Afterward, the group prepared to enter the venue.
However, the host grabbed Martin's attention. "Martin, may I ask you a few questions?"
"Okay, just don't ask too many."
"Sure."
The host then turned to face the interview area.
The host asked, "Martin, what's your opinion on the box office predictions for The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring? According to the forecast from Eagle Mountain Studios, the North American box office is projected to be between $200 million and $250 million, with a global total of $650 million to $700 million. What do you think?"
"Too low!" Martin confidently replied to the cameras and microphones. "I think Eagle Mountain's predictions are too conservative. I believe The Fellowship of the Ring will surpass $300 million at the North American box office and gross over $900 million globally."
Martin's statement caused a stir in the interview area.
But Martin was confident.
In the original timeline, The Fellowship of the Ring earned $316 million in North America and $898 million globally, even with less investment, a tighter schedule, and without him being involved.
Now that he was part of it, the box office would only go higher, not lower.
The host asked the second question.
"Martin, your portrayal of the Elven Prince Legolas in The Fellowship of the Ring has sparked a lot of discussion both in North America and around the world. Are you concerned that such a role might cause you to become typecast, leading people to only see you as Legolas?"
Martin subtly glanced toward the entrance of the venue.
In the original timeline, Orlando Bloom had the same problem. Even ten years after The Lord of the Rings was released, people still referred to him as the Elven Prince, and the other roles he played, except for the blacksmith in Pirates of the Caribbean, didn't stand out or achieve much success.
He could say that the "Elven Prince" was both his greatest success and his downfall.
Thinking about it, stealing Orlando's role had indirectly helped him!
As for whether Martin would encounter the same issue, he smiled and answered.
"I'm not worried! I believe that in the future, I can use more impressive roles to show people that I am more than just Legolas. Martin is Martin, and Legolas is just one moment in my many remarkable experiences!"
The host nodded and asked the third question.
This one made Martin frown.
"Martin, what's your opinion on the U.S. declaring war on Afghanistan after September 11th? Do you support the war, or are you against it?"
After September 11th, the U.S. announced its intention to wage war on Afghanistan to target the Taliban and other terrorist organizations.
Although it was framed as an anti-terrorism operation, it was clear to anyone that it was part of the U.S.'s strategy to control Central Asia, with an underlying aggressive motive aimed at China and Russia.
Additionally, both the Taliban and Osama bin Laden repeatedly denied involvement in the September 11th attacks.
This is one reason why conspiracy theories about September 11th continue to proliferate.
After the U.S. declared war, many Hollywood celebrities took a pro-war stance, publicly condemning Afghanistan and the Al-Qaeda network.
This issue became a hot topic in Hollywood.
In his past life, Martin had witnessed much violence and war, but both the succubus and the elves were pacifists—perhaps this was a common trait among artists.
Even in this life, he still disliked war.
Moreover, through the memories of the 2nd sould Martin, he knew how this war would turn out.
The U.S.'s so-called quick victory was impossible. This once-feared country would be bogged down for twenty years by Afghanistan, overspending $800 billion in military costs, and eventually withdrew in disgrace.
The war also changed the world's perception of U.S. military strength.
If the Iraq War had elevated the global image of the U.S. military, the Afghanistan War showed everyone that the U.S. military was just ordinary people after all.
In the end, the U.S. military's exit from Afghanistan was marked by farcical scenes.
The U.S. government had set a "no negotiations with terrorists" stance, but during the Afghanistan War, it broke that very promise.
Because the losses were too great, the U.S. military was busy withdrawing while sending representatives to Qatar to negotiate with the Taliban, hoping they wouldn't use large-scale weapons like rocket-propelled grenades and car bombs. It was a desperate situation.
At the war's conclusion, although the White House declared that they had defeated the Taliban and that only a thousand remained, they claimed victory.
In reality, the Taliban simply scattered and regrouped. Once the U.S. military withdrew, they quickly returned.
This twenty-year war ended up as a joke!