The Best Movie Actor In Hollywood!

Chapter 162

As a seasoned and professional public relations expert in Hollywood, Carter Hodgson had a solid reputation: he took on difficult jobs for high pay. This time, in New York, the team behind the film The Scorpion King had tasked him with approaching the New York Observer columnist Rex Reed.

This professional film critic had a reputation not only in film criticism circles but throughout the North American film industry, known for his viciousness and audacity, and even hailed by the media as "the best of the worst."

Considering his years of experience with the media, Carter wasn't sure what to make of the modern business of film criticism, other than that it was an exceptionally bizarre profession.

Few careers in the media offered a faster path to notoriety than that of a film critic.

Hailing a taxi, Carter went to a café near the New York Observer offices and waited patiently.

Just after closing time at noon, Rex Reed, a man with stark white hair and glasses, entered the café, asked the waiter a question, and quickly found the table where Carter was sitting.

"Hello, Rex." Carter stood up and greeted him, clearly already acquainted with the critic. "Glad you could make it."

Rex gave him a slightly strange look, sat down opposite him, and asked, "What brings you to New York? You usually stick to the Hollywood circuit."

Carter got straight to the point. "I'm here with a major proposition."

"Again?" Rex retorted with displeasure. "Someone wants to use my column again? Carter, I'm telling you, it won't be as easy as last time. My review column has to be a full-page feature in the Observer, otherwise, the editor-in-chief will have my head."Carter shook his head. "That's not what this is about."

Then he whispered, "This deal is about you, personally!"

To this, Rex replied with an air of arrogance, "I don't sell myself!"

"Hear me out first." Carter didn't take Rex's words seriously; anyone would be willing to sell themselves for the right price. "Universal Pictures wants you to appear on an interview-style show on NBC and attack their upcoming film, The Scorpion King."

"Why?" Rex was baffled. "Universal Pictures attacking a film they made themselves? Aren't Universal Pictures and NBC part of the same company?"

Anyone even vaguely familiar with Hollywood knew that just last year, thanks to the intervention of General Electric, NBC Television and Universal Pictures had concluded their lengthy negotiations and merged to form the NBC Universal Group.

Carter leaned forward slightly and lowered his voice. "It's part of Universal's promotional plan for The Scorpion King."

His tone grew mysterious, his voice softer.

However, Rex listened with rapt attention, because Universal Pictures was undoubtedly a big deal.

When he had heard Carter out, he exclaimed, "That's impossible!"

"Why impossible?" Carter spread his hands. "Universal Pictures is offering you $300,000! Think about it, Rex, how many reviews would you have to write to earn that kind of money?"

He reminded him, "And don't forget, you'll be on a high-rated interview show on NBC, which will bring you fame in its own right and get more people to know you. It's free publicity! These days, you can't get more famous without enough buzz, without enough eye-catching public spectacles."

Rex fell silent.

Carter added, "It's nothing crazier than the comments you've already made in your film reviews." He pressed on, "Just say yes."

Rex remained silent, and Carter, with a growing sense of confidence, began to leverage his reputation as a PR expert to persuade him.

...

The promotional campaign for The Scorpion King never let up. Matthew became incredibly busy, jet-setting between major North American cities to attend various publicity events. He would often find himself in Seattle one day and flying to Phoenix the next, essentially living at the center of media attention wherever he appeared, which gave him the chance to fully experience the treatment reserved for A-list stars.

Although the constant travel was exhausting, Matthew thoroughly enjoyed it; it was all a new experience for him.

It wasn't until the Friday before the release of The Scorpion King that he returned to Los Angeles. He had just stepped out of the airport and dragged his luggage into his house when Helen called. She informed him that the publicity stunt he had arranged with the team a while back was set to launch that evening and reminded him not to forget to tune into the talk show.

Matthew understood perfectly that if this well-planned stunt had its desired effect, it would further solidify the reputation of The Scorpion King.

After dinner, Matthew settled onto the sofa, turned the television to NBC 2, and waited patiently. It was still early for the show to start, so he took out his phone and dialed Britney's number, but no one answered.

With one in North America and the other in the Far East, they couldn't find time to see each other, and the time difference between them meant even the number of phone calls had dwindled.

Matthew knew it couldn't be helped. Sometimes he would call while Britney was at an event, and by the time she called back, he would be in the middle of promoting The Scorpion King.

The time soon reached 9 p.m., when a fairly well-known interview show on NBC 2 began to air. This episode was dedicated to the Hollywood film industry, and after a short segment on the current state of Hollywood cinema, the host brought the show's guest into the studio.

"This is film critic Rex Reed from the New York Observer, an expert critic who has been studying Hollywood films for many years and, what's more, has been recognized as one of New York's top ten film critics, always known for his sharp tongue."

The initial part of the show was dedicated to Rex Reed.

Rex was indeed sharp—or rather, vicious. With the host's assistance, he tore into Hollywood films, relentlessly picking apart the flaws of acclaimed hits from recent years, even established classics, as if that were the only way to showcase his unique professional insight.

Gradually, the conversation shifted to this year's films, which Rex Reed dismissed as worthless, and the upcoming films, which he claimed were all equally terrible.

Rex then focused his attention on the upcoming film, The Scorpion King.

"I attended an internal screening at Universal Pictures. The Scorpion King is terrible. The plot is formulaic, the male and female leads are brainless idiots, and you'd have to lower your IQ just to make it through this miserable film."

When Matthew heard this, he didn't feel particularly offended; most of Hollywood's commercial entertainment films essentially fit that description.

Such films didn't require audiences to use their brains to watch them; their purpose was to entertain, to provide a spectacle.

"After watching the preview for The Scorpion King, there's something I could never understand." Rex continued to spew his venom. "Why would Universal Pictures promote a supporting actor to the lead role in such a major production? This lead actor... I think his name is Matthew Horner, can he even act? Is that acting? Does he really think that flexing his muscles qualifies as acting? The Scorpion King is a film that was planned incorrectly from the start, and it was a mistake to cast an actor with no acting skills like Matthew Horner in the lead!"

Standing in front of the television, Matthew involuntarily gritted his teeth. Even though he knew it was part of the team's plan, the old man's words were just too harsh.

The talk show was drawing to a close.

The host deliberately played the contrarian to Rex, saying, "But the few test screenings for The Scorpion King have been well-received, and Matthew Horner, whom you've criticized, was considered the film's biggest draw for audiences. Many of those who attended the screenings said that Matthew Horner was charming and particularly captivating in the film."

Rex snorted and retorted dismissively, "You believe that nonsense? I'm telling you, Horner will only drag the film down!"

The host added, "The Scorpion King opens next week. Universal expects it to gross $15 million in North America in its first week."

"Fifteen million dollars? Don't be a clown and make me laugh, you're not very good at it!" Rex suddenly raised his voice. "With a loser like Horner, there's no way The Scorpion King will make more than ten million dollars on its opening weekend!"

Then he vowed solemnly, "If the film starring him makes more than ten million dollars on its opening weekend, I'll kiss a donkey's ass live on this show!"

"Really?" the host asked in disbelief. "No joke?"

Rex seemed exceptionally confident. "Of course, it's true! I'll do it! I swear to God!"

With that, the show ended. Matthew scratched his head. Would this guy really kiss a donkey's ass on the show if the film broke ten million dollars?

...

In the following days, he pushed the thought out of his mind as the film, fueled by Universal Pictures, generated widespread interest across the United States. Both The Scorpion King and Matthew's name gradually became more well-known.

The "kiss a donkey's ass" story also became a hot topic, and with it, the popularity of The Scorpion King skyrocketed.

On the official website for The Scorpion King and in the comments section of Matthew's personal blog, messages even appeared from users who were willing to buy tickets to see the movie in theaters just to watch Rex kiss a donkey's ass.

Undoubtedly, this unconventional publicity stunt had pushed The Scorpion King into the entertainment industry's spotlight.

It was amidst all this attention that the premiere of The Scorpion King began.