She was hero of the hour - now Wendi Murdoch's right hook looks set to make her movie producing debut a hit too
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan was always going to struggle against Harry Potter. But since Mrs Murdoch leapt to her husband's defence, interest in her film may soar
Debut: Wendi Murdoch at this year's Cannes Film Festival, promoting Snow Flower and the Secret Fan
It was an admirable right-handed whack - a spontaneous open-handed slap delivered into the custard-pie throwers' face.
A flash of pink, a raised arm and a solid connection was all that was needed to catapult Wendi Murdoch from supportive wife to unlikely hero of the day, trending worldwide on Twitter just moments after protester Jonnie Marbles' now-infamous 'splat'.
Leaping to her husband's defense, Mrs Murdoch, 43, sent a
clear message of strength - beyond the boundaries of common assault - that the Murdoch empire will fight.
clear message of strength - beyond the boundaries of common assault - that the Murdoch empire will fight.
But then Mrs Murdoch, who has just produced her first movie, is used to holding her own.
The Chinese third wife of the media magnate and centre of the phone hacking scandal counts Ivanka Trump and Tony Blair as close friends - and clearly knows exactly what she needs to do to get what she wants.
In his book, From Rupert's Adventures In China, Bruce Dover says that Mrs Murdoch moved to the USA when she was 19, sponsored by a married couple, Jake and Joyce Cherry, who befriended the then Wendi Deng while on travels in China.
She went on to marry Jake Cherry, a middle-aged engineer, when she was 21 years old, before separating and heading to study business at Yale.
She holds an MBA from the prestigious university and has played key roles in her husband's business in China, including being vice-president of business development for News Corp-owned Star TV less than a year after graduating.
According to Dover, Deng was 'hardworking and eager to learn, but also ambitious and single-minded in her desire to succeed. There was no doubt she put in the long hours required to excel. She impressed everyone with her energy, good humour and wit.'
In his biography about the Murdoch dynasty, Michael Wolff says the couple are madly in love thanks to a shared passion for business.
Slam: Wendi Murdoch leaps to the defence of husband Rupert Murdoch as he is attacked at the Parliamentary hearing with a custard pie today
The couple met in Hong Kong in 1997 when Deng was 29 years old and twice-before-married Mr Murdoch was 68. They spend most of their time between their NYC and California homes and have two young children, Grace, nine, and Chloe, eight.
Wolff says that Mrs Murdoch has introduced her second husband to a social lifestyle, and counts Nicole Kidman, Bono, Mark Zuckerberg, Tony Blair and Ivanka Trump among her close friends.
Her first co-produced movie, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, was released on Friday by Fox Searchlight - and came up against the latest blockbuster Harry Potter incarnation. An unfortunate but well-timed slap may just give her viewing figures the boost they need.
Friend and co-producer of the partly Chinese subtitled epic - based on Lisa See's best-seller - is Malaysia-born Florence Sloan, wife of veteran Hollywood executive, Harry Sloan.
Power couple: News Corp Chief Executive Rupert Murdoch and his wife Wendi share a passion for business
Dynasty: Wendi Murdoch with daughters Grace, nine, and Chloe, eight
No stranger to having her sights set on high things, Mrs Murdoch reveals in this month's Harpers Bazaar that she hopes the movie, set in 19 Century China will travel to Western audiences in the way that Mumbai-based Slumdog Millionaire did.
Australian actor, Hugh Jackman, a friend of the Murdochs who stars in the movie, told the magazine that Mrs Murdoch 'is so quick and so politically incorrect. It's a fantastic combination.'
Political, yes. Quick, as Jonnie Marbles can no doubt confirm, certainly.
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