The Best Movie Actor In Hollywood!

Chapter 158

Watching a dejected Liv Tyler drive away, Orlando entered the hotel and immediately dialed the number of his agent, Alan Cortan.

"Alan, it's me." He began with a question, "Any progress finding me work?"

Orlando was keenly aware that to move forward, he needed a steady stream of jobs, and he needed roles other than Legolas to take on.

Legolas was an excellent character, of course, but he wasn't the protagonist, and he couldn't carry a film on his own.

His agent's voice came through the line. "The team for 'Daredevil' turned us down. They've officially cast Ben Affleck in the lead role. However, the production team for 'X-Men 2' sent us an audition invitation."

"'X-Men 2'?" Orlando said at once. "Didn't I tell you? That project is off the table. I'm not playing some minor supporting role. Alan, I'm not the same actor I was before. You don't need to even consider their offer."

The agent said nothing, so Orlando added, "I've heard that Universal Pictures is planning a massive project with Stephen Sommers, with a potential investment of $150 million or more—a true A-list blockbuster. Have you heard anything about it?"

"No." The agent asked curiously, "Where did you get this information?"

Orlando didn't answer directly. "The source is reliable. Can you look into it?"

"Universal Pictures and Stephen Sommers?" The agent seemed to be thinking it over, and after a moment, he said, "Hold on."Putting the phone down, Orlando stood by the hotel window, gazing at the bustling street below, and a broad, unusual smile spread across his face.

Who would have thought that going to a party would lead to such news from Matthew? But for Stephen Sommers to be willing to leak that kind of information to Matthew, he must have already put him on the list of candidates for the lead role.

But does Matthew have a real chance? He didn't know and didn't care to know, other than the fact that this was a rare opportunity for himself.

As for his budding friendship with Matthew, what was that in the face of such a role?

Orlando believed that Matthew would do the exact same thing if he were in his position.

As he slept soundly that night, Orlando dreamed that he had become the absolute lead in a top Hollywood film, not a supporting actor like Legolas. He dreamed the movie was a box office explosion, that the word-of-mouth buzz was off the charts, and that it "catapulted" him to the pinnacle of Hollywood, turning him into an A-list superstar on par with Tom Cruise or Leonardo DiCaprio himself!

Perhaps he had dreamed too vividly, because he was woken up by a call from his agent before he had a chance to get up the next day.

"So early?" Orlando fumbled for his phone and brought it to his ear. "Who is this? Is something wrong?"

"It's me, Alan." His agent's voice came through the receiver. "Universal Pictures is indeed working on a mega-production with Stephen. The budget isn't $150 million, it's $160 million."

"$160 million?" Orlando sat up. "Is there any other news?"

The agent said into the phone, "Stephen has finished the script. I expect Universal Pictures will officially announce it to the public when 'The Scorpion King' is released."

"What about the male lead?" This was what concerned Orlando the most.

"They're supposedly looking for a very cool, very young version of a leading man." The agent had asked the right people and found out quite a bit. "Orlando, the role is perfect for you!"

Orlando thought so too. "Of course, it is."

He pondered for a moment, then asked, "Do they have an actor in mind for the lead?"

The agent immediately replied, "Stephen has shown interest in the actor who played the Scorpion King in 'The Mummy Returns'—that friend of yours you met on the set of 'Black Hawk Down'."

"Matthew Horner?" Orlando stood up. This was not good news.

"Don't worry," the agent's words reassured him. "The feeling is that he's seriously lacking in name recognition and star power. Universal would prefer to use a young actor who already has some appeal, looks good, and doesn't command a huge salary."

Orlando thought to himself: wasn't this role practically made for him? Young, handsome, appealing... he had it all.

"Alan! I'm going for this role!" he said impatiently. "You have to get it for me!"

"Orlando, calm down, listen to me..." The agent's voice on the phone gradually grew more intense. "Thanks to the box office success of the two 'Mummy' films and their internal confidence in 'The Scorpion King,' Universal Pictures is giving Stephen a lot of power on this project. To get the lead role, you'll need his approval."

Before Orlando could say anything, the agent added, "I don't know Stephen well enough to have him take my call. Aren't you friends with the actor from 'The Scorpion King'? You should go to the premiere next month. You absolutely have to meet Stephen there and find a way to talk to him. Charm him, flatter him if you have to. I'll work on Universal from my end. We'll pursue a two-pronged approach."

"Alright!" Orlando said. "I'll call Matthew in a minute. There won't be any problem getting into the premiere."

The agent warned, "Matthew Horner is one of Stephen's preferred candidates. You can't let Horner see that you want to compete for the role. Keep acting friendly with him and use his relationship with Stephen to get close. Understand?"

"Yes."

After ending the call with his agent, Orlando began to look for Matthew's number.

...

Having had a bit too much to drink the night before, Matthew woke up late, but thankfully without a headache. After a quick wash, he was ready to go for a run. Just as he stepped out of the house, the cell phone in the pocket of his athletic shorts started ringing.

He pulled it out and saw that it was Orlando's number.

"Hey," Matthew said, deliberately teasing as he answered. "Why leave the arms of a beautiful woman so early?"

Although he didn't find Liv Tyler particularly attractive, the media had acknowledged her as a very beautiful actress.

Perhaps it was a matter of taste.

There was a time when he thought Nicole Kidman was so beautiful that he'd used her picture as his phone's wallpaper for a while, but many of his colleagues had said her cheekbones were too high, her forehead too wide, and her face too pale, like a female ghost.

Orlando's laugh came over the phone. "Listen, your new movie, 'The Scorpion King,' is premiering soon, right? Don't forget to have the production team send me an invitation."

"Sure." Matthew was happy to oblige. "I'll call Sean Daniels in a minute. He'll be thrilled."

The film's team would certainly not turn down an invitation to a male star who was currently generating so much buzz.

Orlando said quietly, "Great, I'll be waiting for your call then."

After hanging up, Matthew immediately dialed Sean's number. Just as he'd thought, Sean immediately ordered someone to send an official VIP invitation to Orlando's agency.

Why did Orlando volunteer to attend the premiere of "The Scorpion King"?

Matthew had only run a few meters before he remembered that Stephen, who was the writer and producer of "The Scorpion King," would definitely be at the premiere. Had Orlando really taken the bait?

Of course, he knew he might be overthinking things. Maybe Orlando was just a genuinely good guy who was coming to the premiere simply to support him.

The rest of the day was mostly spent practicing his British accent and fencing.

...

As the release date for "The Scorpion King" drew closer, Universal Pictures launched an intensive promotional campaign.

Various posters and photos, trailers with different content, and press releases about the cast, filming, and behind-the-scenes stories began appearing on various media platforms one after another. Universal Pictures, one of Hollywood's six major studios, had a long history and deep expertise in this area, and the release of promotional materials was well-planned to whet the audience's appetite as much as possible.

As the film's lead actor, Matthew appeared on the covers of magazines like Entertainment Weekly and participated in a series of high-profile interviews, all carefully orchestrated by Universal Pictures in the traditional Hollywood sense of subtle promotion.

When it came to promoting the film, Matthew's knowledge was limited, so he essentially just followed Universal's lead.

In addition to the subtle promotion, Universal Pictures also put significant effort into direct advertising: ads in subways, on buses, in airports, and various outdoor posters were seen in major cities across the United States.

Thanks to his growing fame, more and more people were seeing the news about the upcoming release of the film.