The Best Movie Actor In Hollywood!

Chapter 150

"Jerry Bruckheimer?"

Matthew recalled Helen mentioning that Bruckheimer was working on a major project with the Walt Disney Company. He couldn't help but ask, "Any news on his new film?"

"Disney and Jerry have already reached an agreement on the project." Unlike their last conversation, Helen now had concrete details. "They're basing it on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disneyland. It's going to be a brand-new pirate adventure film with a proposed budget of at least a hundred million dollars."

"A pirate film, huh?" Matthew asked, intrigued. "Pirates of the Caribbean is a ride at Disneyland?"

He'd never been to Disneyland, and this was the first he'd ever heard of a ride called Pirates of the Caribbean.

Matthew hadn't expected the major project Helen had mentioned to be Pirates of the Caribbean. He could only sigh inwardly, lamenting that in his past life, he'd never made it to Disneyland.

Sensing his silence, Helen figured he was considering it. "Are you interested in being a part of it?" she asked.

She immediately followed up, "Pirate movies are a dead genre. Cutthroat Island bankrupted Carolco Pictures. It's a huge risk, but I have to remind you, Matthew—this is a Jerry Bruckheimer production!"

"I know." Matthew wracked his brain, trying to recall the history of Hollywood's pirate film boom and bust. "Jerry Bruckheimer is the gold standard. He's a guarantee of success."

"The odds of a Bruckheimer-produced project failing are slim." Helen adjusted her glasses out of habit. "That's why I've been monitoring his new ventures."Working with a successful person increased your own chances of success—it was one of the most fundamental ways to mitigate risk in Hollywood. Matthew knew this, of course. "Is there anything more concrete?" he asked.

Helen shook her head slightly. "For now, all Disney and Jerry have confirmed is that they're making the film, it's aimed at a teenage audience, and the budget is at least a hundred million. Nothing else is set in stone. Jerry is still searching for the right screenwriter."

Matthew couldn't help but ask, "They don't even have a script, and Disney has already green-lit the funding?"

"That's normal." Helen didn't find it strange at all. "Plenty of Hollywood films get funding before they even have a writer attached."

"No script, no roles," Matthew said, spreading his hands. "So what's the play?"

Helen had clearly given this some thought. "Since it's a blockbuster aimed at a teen demographic, the characters will obviously be young. Good-looking guys and girls are usually standard. You don't need to do much for now—just make sure you leave a good impression on Jerry Bruckheimer."

Matthew nodded.

Helen added, "You're on a completely different level than Jerry. Don't try to be clever or act like you're some hotshot. It'll backfire."

After a moment's thought, she concluded, "I'll keep tracking the project. I'll let you know when it's time to make a move."

Without another word, Matthew just kept nodding. On this, their interests were perfectly aligned.

"The Scorpion King has wrapped filming," Helen said, leaning back in her chair and folding her arms. "You've had a long enough break, Matthew. It's time to get focused. We have the best possible opportunities in front of us. We're targeting the Disney project with Jerry Bruckheimer and Stephen Sommers's monster movie with Universal. Both are A-list productions."

She looked squarely at Matthew. "Ideally, you'll land the male lead in both. They'll both be box office hits, and you'll shoot straight into the top echelon of movie stars."

The thought of becoming an A-list star sent a thrill through Matthew, but he quickly brought himself back to earth. That was the absolute best-case scenario, he realized, and pulling it off would be incredibly difficult.

As for Stephen Sommers's monster project with Universal—Van Helsing—could his involvement really change the film? Make it better? Matthew didn't think so. Even if he got the part, he was just an actor. A single actor couldn't possibly alter the course of a project on that scale.

Even if he could somehow influence Stephen Sommers and Universal Pictures, what would he even do? How would he change the film? What changes would guarantee its success?

Even if he were a producer on set, would he have any idea what to do?

Therefore, the lead role in that film would likely be a stumbling block for his career. It would be better to let someone else take that fall.

As for Pirates of the Caribbean, on the other hand... the fact that it spawned a long-running franchise and launched Johnny Depp into the stratosphere spoke for itself.

Still, Matthew's confidence was shaky. The effeminate Captain Jack Sparrow was definitely not a role for him.

Then there was the blacksmith. That role was a perfect fit for his image—after all, a blacksmith was supposed to be a strong, muscular man.

And yet, the blacksmith role didn't exactly seem like a star-making part.

Helen had picked two incredibly difficult targets, and one of them was a landmine.

The good news was that Stephen Sommers and Universal Pictures might not even want him, regardless of how well The Scorpion King performed at the box office.

But Pirates of the Caribbean was worth fighting for. If he failed, he lost nothing. After all, Helen had the resources and connections to find him other roles.

Sitting in his office, Matthew's mind raced. Another thought struck him. To become an A-list star, you needed a box office hit. Box office hits required huge investments. And what lead role in a big-budget movie wasn't a prize piece of meat?

To get a piece of that prize meat, you had to fight your way through a pack of wolves.

The competition for Pirates of the Caribbean would be fierce, but wasn't that just part of the game? If you wanted to climb the ladder, to take that next step up, there was no escaping the competition.

After talking with Helen until noon, Matthew left the Angel Acting Agency. The thought of competing for a lead role in a project that didn't even have a script, let alone defined characters, was still giving him a mild headache.

But on second thought, this was where he had an advantage. He knew that Pirates of the Caribbean had three main protagonists. While he couldn't recall their exact names, he remembered the general archetypes: the effeminate pirate captain, the blacksmith, and that... flat-chested heroine.

The strong blacksmith was the most suitable role for someone with his physique. The character's British accent wasn't a problem, either; he'd taken accent classes at the Los Angeles School of Performing Arts, one of which focused on the so-called 'London' accent.

Matthew shook his head as he got into his car, pushing the thoughts aside. The opportunity was there. Now he just had to fight for it.

Leaving the Angel Agency, Matthew drove straight to the Los Angeles School of Performing Arts to find David Astor, hoping he could recommend a brilliant dialect coach who specialized in British accents.

This wasn't just about the immediate future; a British accent was a valuable tool in Hollywood. He'd just seen the trailer for The Lord of the Rings, and it seemed like every major character had one.

Matthew saw it clearly: this was an investment in his competitive edge, not a waste of resources.

Next, he headed to the gym and found Nibora, asking if he knew any fencing instructors with connections to the film industry. While he'd trained with action director Tim Madsen for The Scorpion King, that style of swordsmanship was vastly different from European fencing.

He vaguely recalled that the fight choreography in Pirates of the Caribbean was far more stylized and elegant, unlike the gritty, realistic action in The Scorpion King.

He was doing all this to position himself for the blacksmith role.

David Astor quickly connected him with a dialect coach. The basics of a standard British accent weren't especially difficult, and Matthew had already dabbled in it before.

As for the gym, Nibora promised to connect him with a fencing instructor who had experience training actors for film.

Matthew was using what little advance information he had to prepare. In any case, the skills he was honing would be useful down the line.

All of this cost another hefty sum of money, but fortunately, cash was something he wasn't short on at the moment.

The production for The Scorpion King had already paid out his full $500,000 salary, so Matthew had more than enough cash on hand to cover the expenses.

...

Time flew by in a blur of British accent practice and fencing lessons. In December, he had to put everything on hold to join the promotional tour for Black Hawk Down, which included several press screenings and premieres in Los Angeles.

Sony Columbia Pictures was positioning the film for an Oscar run the following year. To that end, they had pushed the wide release to January but were holding a limited run in five Los Angeles theaters in December to ensure it qualified for the Academy Awards.

Every screening, press junket, and promotional event was being orchestrated by the cast and Sony Columbia Pictures with one goal in mind: the Oscars.

Matthew's contract obligated him to participate in the film's promotion, and at the first screening he attended, he saw many familiar faces from the set.