Such remarks would not have much impact on the film's box office performance; what truly matters are professional reviews and the choices of the Oscar judges. Once, Brokeback Mountain lost the Best Picture Oscar despite being a hot favorite, simply because it failed to respond effectively to criticism.
Though Duke's goal isn't Best Picture, negative reviews of the film could still affect individual awards. A film is closely tied to its director, actors, and every crew member involved.
The other party had brought in a retired former astronaut, while Duke directly contacted an active astronaut who had just returned from space with NASA.
This astronaut, named Garrett Reisman, spoke highly of Gravity during a Warner Bros. media interview.
"In the film, the only thing separating you from Earth is the glass of your helmet. That kind of visual shock was captured perfectly. The movements and postures during spacewalks were also portrayed with great accuracy. Scarlett Johansson's rookie astronaut character accurately closed the two valves when shutting off oxygen to the Soyuz capsule. When she attempted to control the orbital maneuvering engine CKD, the button she pressed was correct, and the labels on the buttons were accurate too. The interiors of both the Soyuz capsule and the International Space Station were also very realistic."
Additionally, Garrett Reisman jokingly remarked, "Scarlett Johansson really acted like a professional astronaut. It's just that there aren't many astronauts as beautiful as her."
Not only Garrett Reisman, but even NASA—one of the film's behind-the-scenes sponsors commented on Gravity at a press conference, stating that in terms of realism and actor professionalism, Gravity achieved the best of all space-themed films.
This was undoubtedly a powerful rebuttal. That retired astronaut named Scott Parazynski had been out of the field for years how could he possibly have more authority than a current astronaut or NASA itself?
And when necessary, Duke was never afraid to step into the spotlight himself.
"During the shoot, Scarlett Johansson put in unimaginable effort. She was suspended by 12 wires to simulate spacewalking and drifting, and she often had to perform rolling and upside-down actions that defied gravity, even lying flat in the air," Duke said in an interview with Vanity Fair while discussing the film's production challenges. "Creating a zero-gravity effect in a gravity-based environment is a source of pride for any actor. When I tried it myself, I couldn't last even a few seconds but Scarlett pulled through."
Moreover, Duke clearly understood that support and feedback from industry peers mattered far more than media commentary or a few unremarkable jabs from a former astronaut.
James Cameron had already praised the film, and Gravity naturally won over a segment of the technically-minded crowd. Duke himself frequently met with veteran Jewish insiders in the industry. Ever since the Mel Gibson incident, he had become a member of the Jewish club and quite a prominent one at that.
At the same time, Gravity's frame-by-frame screenings continued. Panny Kallis and several PR firms hired by Duke took turns launching a full-blown publicity campaign on Oscar judges who attended the screenings. Numerous small but memorable gifts were handed out like water from a tap.
Duke even managed to secure support from some of the industry's heavyweights.
Francis Ford Coppola mentioned Gravity during an interview, calling it an incredibly exciting masterpiece and praising Scarlett Johansson for delivering one of Hollywood's best performances in recent years.
After attending a test screening, George Lucas also didn't hold back his praise. "I called Cameron, and he said what Duke accomplished was five years ahead of its time. That kind of advancement is insane, but Duke pulled it off. I think this movie clearly pushed filmmaking technology forward by a huge margin."
"I believe the techniques and methods they used to film Gravity will forever change how movies are made. The machines Duke and his crew designed and built for the film were truly inventive. I love this film Duke completely transformed himself in it."
George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola's opinions undoubtedly carried a lot of weight. Though Lucas was no longer a member of the Academy, his Lucasfilm company housed many Oscar voters. Coppola, though long retired, was still a leading figure among Hollywood's Italian-American community.
"Although the situation isn't exactly in our favor..."
In the garden of the Duke Manor, Tina Fey was walking with Duke, saying as they strolled, "We'll still be one of the biggest frontrunners."
She thought for a moment and added, "Those negative reviews probably came from William Morris..."
Duke slowed down and raised a hand to cut her off. "Where those remarks came from doesn't matter. What matters is knowing who our main competitor is."
Tina Fey clearly understood Duke's meaning and tentatively asked, "Shall we have Nancy and Panny launch the plan now? They're ready."
"Go ahead," Duke replied without hesitation. "No need to hold back!"
On the second weekend of January, The National Enquirer published a shocking news piece involving Hollywood star Natalie Portman. The actress, who had been riding high during awards season, was now being linked to terms like "homewrecker" and "shameless manipulator."
The magazine had interviewed the ex-girlfriend of Natalie Portman's fiancé, Benjamin Millepied. The woman claimed that Natalie had not only inserted herself as a third party into their relationship but that the three of them had even shared a bizarre entanglement for nearly six months. In the end, Natalie allegedly got pregnant on purpose to force Benjamin to leave her.
According to the ex-girlfriend, Natalie Portman's pregnancy was not an expression of maternal instinct, but a calculated move to achieve a number of hidden, selfish goals.
It wasn't just The National Enquirer. Gossip entertainment shows on Fox and viral online videos also featured related interviews and reports.
Suddenly, many people's impression of Natalie Portman began to change—especially because the phrase "used pregnancy to achieve a series of undisclosed objectives" was highlighted and repeated across media coverage, raising alarm bells for many viewers.
"I told you, she's not a simple woman."
Inside an apartment building in Beverly Hills, Frank Pearson said to several of his old friends, "Her personal life is none of our business. But think about it she actually tried to use pregnancy to mislead us and cloud our judgment. That kind of behavior is just too despicable!"
Another elderly man with white hair, a rotating member of the Academy Committee, nodded heavily. "To achieve her goal by any means necessary she has seriously underestimated people like us."
"She's treating us like idiots!"
An old man who recently participated in Duke's screening session said angrily, "We're not senile yet!"
"That's right!"
"That's right!"
A chorus of agreement rose all around.
These people might each only hold a single vote, but every one of them was close to or over seventy years old and had extensive networks within this fame- and power-driven industry.
What Duke aimed to do wasn't necessarily win their Support just leveraging them to cancel out part of the sympathy votes the judges might have for Natalie Portman would be enough.
If both sides stood on equal footing, then even though Natalie Portman's role and film type were more Oscar-friendly, how hard would it be for her to defeat Scarlett Johansson?
As for what Natalie Portman might think, or whether she would go crazy that was not within Duke's consideration. In the face of enough interest, she wasn't the only former idol or celebrity he had blackened.
Of course, this was merely to make the competition appear more fair. If everyone used standard means to campaign for Best Actress, then who the ultimate winner would be could only be known once the award was officially announced.
That said, Duke still had a bit of admiration for that Jewish actress. Her former reputation as the most intelligent actress in Hollywood wasn't an exaggeration. It's likely that her previous Oscar win had a lot to do with her being pregnant at the time. While the specific details were no longer accessible, based on American society and her own behavior, it was highly probable that it had been a meticulously designed and smoothly executed Oscar campaign.
With the intellect she was rumored to have, coming up with such a plan wouldn't have been difficult.
It could be said that Natalie Portman was indeed very smart. Hollywood had too many "bad girl" actresses like Angelina Jolie—countless, really but Portman had used things like studying at Harvard, interning in Jerusalem, and maintaining a semi-detached relationship with Hollywood to successfully rebrand herself as a different kind of star, one who stood apart from the rest, with almost no second example to be found.
There was nothing wrong with this kind of packaging everyone in Hollywood had a public persona. Duke and Scarlett Johansson were no exceptions. It's just that Natalie Portman's persona was too thickly layered and too dazzlingly polished. It always made people want to peel it back and see what was really inside.
Maybe it was just as dazzling inside or maybe it was completely different from the wrapping. Who's to say?