The Best Movie Actor In Hollywood!

Chapter 135

In truth, Sean didn't have a strong opinion about the actress Stephen was recommending. After all, she wasn't black, and her family had no black heritage, which in that respect alone made her more to his liking.

But he was thinking more like a producer, responsible for the bigger picture.

"Stephen, have you considered this," Sean said seriously. "The male lead, Matthew, was born in 1980, and the actress you're suggesting was born in 1968. Won't the age difference be too apparent on screen?"

"Absolutely not," Stephen assured him. "I've seen her in person. She looks like she's in her early twenties, sexy and beautiful, and she fits our requirements."

Sean knew Stephen wasn't the type to lie.

Stephen added, "The actress, Kelly Hu, was a Miss Teen USA winner and also has a black belt in karate, which is perfect for the action scenes."

The plan was for the female lead to have several action sequences as well.

Sean finally nodded. "In that case, invite her for an audition."

Stephen understood that Sean had no further objections and returned the favor with a nod of his own.

As for the director, Chuck Russell, neither of them gave his opinion much weight; the director was effectively a "puppet" they had hired to shoot the film, and he had little power otherwise.A knock sounded at the door, and then the publicist in charge of media relations and PR for the production team walked in.

"Good morning," the publicist greeted the two men.

Stephen stood up, ready to leave, when Sean asked, "Any good news?"

"This week, twelve national media outlets are continuing to follow our production," the publicist was clearly prepared for the question. "There are also quite a few online portals tracking our progress."

After the immense success of "The Blair Witch Project," Hollywood had started taking online promotion seriously. Although that film had spent tens of millions on internet marketing, it had turned out to be extremely profitable in the end.

"What about our website?" Sean inquired.

The publicist pulled over a chair and sat down. "The official website is still under development and will be completed by the end of this month at the latest. We've launched a blog, and it's at the top of the Yahoo Entertainment page."

He suddenly remembered something, tapping himself on the head. "By the way, I was on Yahoo Entertainment and saw an interesting piece of news..."

At his words, Sean moved to his computer and immediately went to Yahoo Entertainment. On the other side of the room, Stephen also sat down at a computer and opened the Yahoo homepage.

In a fairly prominent spot on the Yahoo Entertainment site, both men saw the headline.

"Scorpion King Matthew Horner Training Hard in Preparation for 'The Scorpion King'!"

Clicking on the story brought them to a page filled with photos. The first few showed Matthew at the gym and outdoors, followed by a series of him training inside the gym.

Punching drills, coordination exercises, heavy bag work, practical sparring drills...

The photos depicted a powerful young man with bulging muscles, drenched in sweat.

"Matthew has always been a hardworking actor," Stephen had long since shed his earlier prejudices and had grown quite fond of the young man. "That was clear during the filming of 'The Mummy Returns'."

Sean had to agree. "That's true. Not only is he hardworking, but he's also smart."

The publicist smiled. "Indeed. He's good at spinning a story."

The actor's recent fame was largely due to the Scorpion King, and now that "The Scorpion King" was being made into a standalone film, it was the perfect opportunity to use that momentum for his own promotion.

Sean quickly skimmed the page and told the publicist, "Contact Helen and get Matthew involved in the preliminary publicity. We'll discuss a precise plan."

The publicist nodded. "Matthew Horner is an actor who, if packaged correctly, can become a great 'product.' For instance, with his resume, we can build a perfect image of a positive, hardworking, sunny, and cheerful young actor on the path to success."

While the two of them were discussing Matthew, Stephen clicked a link at the top of the page for a personal blog. The avatar was a familiar face, and one glance was enough for him to identify it as Matthew Horner's blog.

"Recently started free sparring..."

Beneath this blog post were several photos, all of Matthew, clearly in training.

Stephen continued to scroll down. Matthew didn't post very often, just once every few days, mostly about acting classes, reading, and fitness training. He scrolled further back and found that many of the posts were from before the filming of "The Mummy Returns."

He also saw some of the comments on the blog.

"Wait, you're an actor? I don't even know you."

That was the earliest one.

"I saw you in 'Band of Brothers.' You're a good actor. Keep up the hard work, I'll be watching for your movies!"

The date on the comment was from when "Band of Brothers" was airing.

The most recent comments, however, were from the last two days.

"No wonder you were in such great shape in 'The Mummy Returns.' When 'The Scorpion King' comes out, I'll go see it and support you!"

"Turns out being an actor isn't easy."

"Glad to see an actor in Hollywood who gives his all for a role. I'll be waiting for your success."

It seemed a lot of people were following Matthew Horner's blog. Instead of looking further, Stephen said to Sean, "Sean, there's a link to Matthew's personal blog on the Yahoo Entertainment story. Check it out. I think it's worth our attention."

Sean immediately found the link and clicked on the page. The publicist, also curious, came to stand behind Sean to read.

Unlike Stephen, Sean was a producer. He immediately said to the publicist, "Tell the people building the official website to put a link to Matthew's personal blog on the homepage of the official movie site."

The publicist was still looking at the computer screen. "What excellent promotional material..."

Matthew had been consistently updating his blog, even when Ilana was his only follower. No matter how busy he was with work, he still found time to update it at least twice a week. After the news story Ilana had crafted for him landed on the homepage of Yahoo Entertainment, his blog traffic skyrocketed, and his subscriber count hit four digits in a single day.

There were even hundreds of comments.

The overwhelming majority of people who left comments were positive. Even those who hadn't seen "The Mummy Returns" and didn't know the Scorpion King character were supportive after seeing the photos of him training so diligently.

For someone from his background, hard work didn't always pay off, but it certainly wouldn't pay off if he didn't work at all and just gave up.

In the following days, the production's publicist contacted him and Helen to propose starting a preliminary promotional campaign centered around him. Naturally, Matthew had no reason to refuse—after all, it was a fantastic opportunity to increase his visibility.

The production team first hired photographers to take his in-character photos for "The Scorpion King," then more professional shots of his training sessions. They then used newspapers and online channels to advertise how hard the lead actor of "The Scorpion King" was working for the film.

In any case, it was good for his reputation, and Matthew cooperated enthusiastically.

As the film's promotion progressed, Matthew gradually felt the difference. First, more and more people recognized him when he went out, and even at the gym, he would occasionally encounter young people who approached him for a photo and an autograph. Second, the paparazzi who followed him now wouldn't give up halfway; they would trail him all the way home.

Especially after another visit from Ilana, Matthew noticed that there were still paparazzi lurking outside. Several trash cans near his house showed clear signs of being rummaged through, which was very strange.

His freedom to live a private life was beginning to vanish.

But Matthew wasn't bothered by it. Wasn't this the life of a Hollywood star he had dreamed of? Wasn't this what he wanted?

In fact, he was in an extremely good mood, especially after his first paycheck of $200,000 came in. The sky seemed bluer, the ground greener, the air fresher, and even the July sun didn't feel as hot. In short, everything was wonderful.

Whenever he saw himself in a newspaper or magazine, even if it was a gossip tabloid, Matthew would happily cut out the pages and collect them in a box.

...

At the end of July, Sean himself called to inform Matthew that he needed to report to the set for twenty days of professional training.

The film had cast several other important actors, including the female lead. A specialized action training team on set was tasked with teaching them how to use some of the weapons in the film, as well as properly rehearsing the action scenes with the other actors to minimize potential problems during filming.

Matthew officially reported to the set and was surprised to run into a familiar face from his time working in England.