Although hes virtually unknown in the West, the Chinese pop star-turned-screen neophyte Lu Han has emerged as the defacto face of Hollywood in China.
In his capacity as Star Wars:The Force Awakens “ambassador”, Han served as an honorary member of the “Jedi Order” in China, appearing in local advertising spots and at promotional events, while a special remix and music video for his single “The Inner Force” was the official Chinese promotional theme song for Force Awakens.
Han also put his personal brand to work on behalf of DreamWorks Animation. He released “Deep”, a music video promoting Kung Fu Panda 3, the US-China co-production from the Oriental DreamWorks joint venture. The video, in Mandarin and English, was directed by Raman Hui, the filmmaker behind Monster Hunt, which became the highest-grossing pic ever in China over the summer in 2015.
Next, Han will appear opposite Matt Damon and Willem Defoe in director Zhang Yimous period epic The Great Wall, from Thomas Tulls Legendary Pictures—arguably the second most-anticipated US-China collaboration of 2016 behind the Kung Fu Panda sequel.
So, who is this Chinese pop phenom, and why are so many Hollywood heavyweights banking on him?
Han features boyish looks and messy mop of hair and he has legions of young female fans spanning Asia. Born and raised in Beijing, he pursued university studies abroad in South Korea, where he was scouted to become a founding member of South Korean-Chinese boy band EXO. In October 2014, Han broke from the group and began a solo career, as well as a transition into film acting, starring in 20 Once Again and The Witness. Both films became sizable hits in China.
Perhaps more valuable to Disney and DreamWorks, Han has cultivated an influential celebrity brand on Chinese social media. He holds the Guinness World Record for most comments on a single Weibo post. His post announcing his Star Wars gig—“I am honored to be the Star Wars ambassador to China. May the Force be with you!”—has been retweeted some 1.5 million times.
Hans appeal among young female filmgoers may also have been a decisive factor for Disney, as young Chinese women have emerged as an increasingly vital demographic for movie marketers.
盡管中國的流行明星鹿晗在西方的知名度并不高,但作為歌手出身的演員新秀,他成功地成為好萊塢影片在中國的代言人。
作為《星球大戰(zhàn):原力覺醒》的中國代言人,鹿晗以中國“絕地武士團(tuán)”榮譽(yù)成員的身份出席了該片在中國當(dāng)?shù)氐膹V告和宣傳活動,而鹿晗發(fā)行的單曲《原動力》的特殊混音版MV也成為宣傳《原力覺醒》的中文官方主題曲。
同時,作為夢工廠動畫公司的代言人,鹿晗充分發(fā)揮了他的個人品牌作用?!豆Ψ蛐茇?》是一部中美合拍片,由中美合資企業(yè)上海東方夢工廠影業(yè)負(fù)責(zé)制作。鹿晗為該片推出了中英文歌曲MV《海底》,該 MV的導(dǎo)演是許誠毅,后者也是2015年暑期中國最賣座的電影《捉妖記》的制作人。
接下來,鹿晗將出現(xiàn)在張藝謀執(zhí)導(dǎo)的史詩大片《長城》中,他將在片中跟馬特·達(dá)蒙、威廉·達(dá)福飆戲。托馬斯·圖爾的傳奇影業(yè)負(fù)責(zé)該片的制作和發(fā)行?!堕L城》成為繼《功夫熊貓3》之后,2016年第二部最受期待的中美合拍片。
那么,這位中國流行偶像到底是誰?為什么這么多好萊塢重磅巨制都會看上他?
鹿晗長著一張娃娃臉,頭發(fā)略顯凌亂蓬松,在亞洲擁有大量的年輕女歌迷。他在北京出生、長大,大學(xué)赴韓國留學(xué)期間,被星探發(fā)掘,成為中韓男團(tuán)EXO的初始成員之一。2014年10月,鹿晗離開EXO開始單飛,同時也開始涉足影視圈,先后主演了《重返20歲》和《我是證人》。這兩部影片的票房成績都不錯。
也許對于迪士尼和夢工廠動畫公司來說,鹿晗最有價值的地方在于,他在中國的社會媒體上是一位重量級的明星。他的一條個人微博的評論數(shù)創(chuàng)造了吉尼斯世界紀(jì)錄。他的另一條微博——宣布自己成為《星球大戰(zhàn)》官方大使:“很榮幸可以成為《星球大戰(zhàn)》中國大使,愿原力與你同在!”——已被轉(zhuǎn)發(fā)了約150萬次。
鹿晗對于年輕女性影迷的吸引力,也是迪士尼選擇他擔(dān)任官方大使的一個決定性因素,因為中國的年輕女性已經(jīng)越來越成為電影營銷的重要部分。