There was no politeness, no pleasantries, no yielding. As soon as the debate began, Gilbert found himself under attack by seven experts from the animal protection organization.
"Director Gilbert, I heard that a cow was mistreated during the filming of Real Steel. Do you admit to this?" Jack Wells, the chief expert of the animal protection organization, was the first to launch an offensive.
Facing Jack Wells' aggressive posture, Gilbert seemed completely unfazed. He even wiped his face with a tissue, as if to wipe away the saliva Jack Wells had sprayed.
In reality, Gilbert and the seven experts were quite far apart, so unless it was intentional, saliva wouldn't fly that far.
It was this very demeanor that infuriated Jack Wells. What did Gilbert think this was? This was a battlefield; was he here on vacation?
Actually, this was intentional on Gilbert's part, to provoke the opposing expert panel, making them lose their calm thinking in anger, and then subtly lead them astray.
Of course, as debate experts, they wouldn't be easily swayed by emotions, so this was just the first step.
Facing Jack Wells' aggressive questioning, Gilbert maintained his gentle and refined tone, as if the intensity of the other side had nothing to do with him.
"Mr. Wells, I don't know where you heard that rumor, but since it's just a rumor, it means it's not true. I've said it before, that cow, named Black Lightning, is a local hero, a three-time champion of bullfighting competitions. We respect this spirited champion bull, which is why we wanted to collaborate with it in the movie. I wonder where your so-called mistreatment and harm come from?"
"We have photos as evidence," Jack Wells said, displaying several photos of Black Lightning.
It was very clear that Black Lightning had many wounds, some of which looked quite serious. If there were live internet broadcasts with bullet comments at this time, the screen would probably be filled with expressions of sympathy for the cow and condemnation of Gilbert.
But Gilbert wasn't intimidated: "The wounds you're showing are precisely proof of Black Lightning's championship. Moreover, from the photos, it's evident that some of the wounds are quite old. How can you claim they were caused by mistreatment on set?"
Saying this, Gilbert even pulled out a certificate: "This is a certificate issued by an authoritative veterinary expert. It clearly states the judgment of the wounds, approximate time, and how they were caused."
Another expert took the certificate, sneering, "Mr. Gilbert, I am an animal medical expert. Your so-called certificate is simply a forgery."
"Exactly! We have evidence that your film crew's robot is what caused the cow to look like this," another expert slammed the table, shouting loudly, attempting to put psychological pressure on Gilbert.
"Robot?" Gilbert chuckled, signaling host Abby to continue showing photos, pointing to the large screen: "Are you referring to this robot?"
When the experts on the other side nodded, confirming it was that one, Gilbert cut them off before they could speak: "Gentlemen, please use your foolish brains and think carefully. It's almost the twenty-first century. Don't use that kind of act to fool the unsuspecting public anymore. If there really was a robot that could defeat a champion bull and cause it so much harm, do you think those guys at the Pentagon would let go of such a weapon?"
Years of sci-fi movie portrayals in Hollywood had led many brain-lazy North American citizens to subconsciously believe that robots like the T-800 in Terminator and artificial intelligence were real. However, anyone with even a slight understanding of technological development would know that while robots do exist, T-800-like robots in Terminator do not exist in reality.
The audience across America watching this show, following Gilbert's words, finally started to use their brains. "Yeah, according to both sides, Black Lightning is a champion bull. What kind of robot could directly fight a champion bull and cause it so much harm?"
The direction of the debate then became very interesting. The animal protection organization's experts tried their best to prove that Black Lightning was just an ordinary cow. Gilbert, seizing this point, loudly denounced the animal protection organization on the live TV program, stating that they weren't truly protecting animals.
"If you truly care for animals, why would you cruelly strip a champion bull of its honor? Is a cow's honor not honor? Are you discriminating against humanity's best friend, the cow?"
Jack Wells on the other side was furious, his face turning red. "These are my words! My words! This despicable bastard, he's twisting my words..."
The expressions of the other animal protection organization experts weren't good either. They had been throwing their weight around in Hollywood film sets under the guise of animal protection. Who would have thought that one day, the boomerang would hit them back?
"What kind of person is this Gilbert? His arguments are clear, he can confuse the audience, he's eloquent, and his words are very inflammatory. He shouldn't be making movies; it's a waste. He should be in Washington; that's his stage."
Many directors, producers, and actors who had suffered greatly were watching this show, including potential rival Tom Cruise.
Tom Cruise watched the animal protection organization's experts speechless and couldn't help but clap in celebration. He himself had been made to look foolish by the animal protection organization and held a grudge against them. However, due to conflicts of interest, CAA was now intertwined with the animal protection organization.
His agent, Pat Kingsley, couldn't help but say, "Tom, calm down. Don't forget, this was orchestrated by Michael and Martin. Gilbert will definitely hold you accountable. They did the dirty work, and we're bearing the consequences."
Nicole Kidman hesitated, "Tom, I think we should stay out of this. Naomi said that Gilbert holds grudges fiercely. If it's fair competition, he won't care, but if someone maliciously targets him, he'll definitely retaliate."
Although Tom Cruise was arrogant, he was still a smart man when someone reminded him. After some thought, he said to Pat Kingsley, "Pat, tell Michael I won't be participating in the animal protection organization's activities. Oh, and what if Michael asks?"
Pat Kingsley said indifferently, "Tom, you're a Hollywood superstar. Michael can't even handle Gilbert, let alone you. As for me, I have support within CAA, and they can't handle me either."
Hearing this, Tom Cruise relaxed.
The debate on the live TV show continued. Attacking Gilbert using Black Lightning, the cow, backfired, giving Gilbert an opportunity to turn the tables. After this, the animal protection organization's expert panel became much more cautious, realizing that Gilbert was not a simple person.
It's true, even though he's young, being able to make a name for himself in Hollywood at such a young age means he's certainly not a simple character.
After this, the animal protection organization resorted to a shameless tactic: bringing up Gilbert's meat-eating habits.
It was still Jack Wells. Several photos were displayed on the big screen, showing Gilbert as a chef, grilling ribs.
Gilbert snorted, "Mr. Wells, it's not illegal for me to eat meat, is it? And I didn't eat any protected animals."
"Of course it's not illegal," Jack Wells seemed to have found a new point of attack, regaining his composure: "But you ate meat, and it was animal meat."
"So, Mr. Wells never eats meat, right?" Gilbert began to set a trap.
Jack Wells didn't notice, and the other experts didn't think anything was amiss, readily admitting that they were vegetarians.
Who knew, Gilbert suddenly slammed the table, "Bang, bang, bang, bang," startling the expert panel on the other side.
"So, you're all vegetarians? Do you even have a conscience?"
The audience in front of their televisions wondered what eating vegetarian had to do with conscience, while Robert Iger, Jeff Robinov, and Doug Walter all laughed. Clearly, they had known Gilbert's strategy all along.