The Best Movie Actor In Hollywood!

Chapter 191

Whether it was his phone call that did the trick, or perhaps because Fox genuinely saw potential in him as a rising star, Matthew was on his way back to the crew, bound for Acapulco in the Caribbean, when he received a text from Helen. Her young client had passed the audition.

After disembarking from the plane, taking a car to the port, and finally boarding a ferry bound for the island, Matthew felt perfectly fine. The same couldn't be said for several members of the crew, who were already turning green with seasickness.

"Blech!"

An exceptionally bored Johnny Depp gestured with his head toward the deck. "That's the third time," he remarked to Matthew, just as Keira Knightley stumbled out of her cabin, grabbed the railing, and began heaving violently over the side.

Matthew watched Keira’s assistant rush over with a bottle of water. "You're keeping score?" he asked Depp, a hint of amusement in his voice.

As the three leads, they were afforded significantly better treatment than the rest of the cast and crew. They had first-class tickets for the ferry, though since the vessel was Mexican, "first-class" was a generous term. It simply meant the cabin smelled slightly less of engine oil.

Ignoring Matthew, Depp mused aloud, "Judging by our position, we’re about twenty nautical miles from our destination."

Knowing Depp’s eccentricities, Matthew was long accustomed to his quirks after countless rehearsals and training sessions together.

Depp’s gaze remained fixed on Keira. "I'll bet she gets sick at least two more times before we dock. A grand total of no less than five."

"Come on, Depp," Matthew chided. "The woman is miserably seasick. Have a little compassion."Ignoring the remark, Depp asked, "You wanna bet?"

In truth, Matthew was just as bored. "Fine," he relented. "I'll take that bet. I say she doesn't get sick more than five times total."

He asked Depp, "What are the stakes?"

Depp held up a single finger. "A hundred bucks."

Just then, Keira staggered back into the cabin, leaning on her assistant for support. Matthew shot Depp a look, raising an eyebrow. "You're going to lose this one."

He got to his feet and approached her with a look of concern. "Are you all right?"

Looking pale and miserable, Keira didn't speak, merely shaking her head.

Matthew added, "I'll go find the ship's doctor and get you some motion sickness pills. That should help."

Keira nodded eagerly.

Depp watched as Matthew murmured something to Keira, left the cabin, and returned a few moments later. He handed Keira a small vial of pills, and she promptly took one.

When Matthew sat back down, Depp eyed him skeptically. "You cheated," he accused.

Matthew, of course, denied it. "It's called being considerate."

He asked Depp, "Isn't it obvious I can't stand to see Keira suffering like that?"

Depp didn't seem convinced. He gave Matthew a peculiar look. "Right."

That cryptic response made Matthew wary. "See what?"

Depp calmly pointed a finger in Keira’s direction. "That you’re after her."

Thoroughly perplexed by Depp’s logic, Matthew just sank back into his wide chair and retorted, "Depp, would you be interested in a girl with a chest no bigger than your own?"

Depp considered this with surprising seriousness for a moment before replying, "Possibly."

Matthew was rendered speechless.

His phone suddenly buzzed in his pocket. Matthew pulled it out to see a text message from Rachel.

"Are you off the plane yet?"

Matthew typed out a quick reply: "Yeah, on the ferry now."

Rachel’s reply came back almost instantly: "Great news! I got that part you told me about!"

Matthew could practically feel Rachel’s excitement through the screen. From what he remembered of the script, the vampire character, Erika, had a decent number of lines and scenes—it was a supporting role with some actual substance.

Matthew texted back, "Congratulations."

Rachel quickly replied, "Matthew, thank you so, so much! The casting director told me I got the part because of your recommendation."

Reading her message, Matthew immediately figured that Fox had put in a good word for her.

He typed back, "Don't mention it. You're a talented actress; you would have gotten it on your own merit."

No reply came right away. Matthew waited a moment, then put his phone down. He noticed that Keira, lulled by the medicine, had drifted off to sleep. Depp had his eyes closed as well, looking like he was about to do the same.

Not one to be left out, Matthew leaned back more comfortably in his own chair, trying to sink into the welcoming darkness of sleep.

He wasn't sure how much time had passed when the vibration of his phone roused him. He pulled it out and saw another text from Rachel.

"How can I ever thank you?"

Without a second thought, Matthew replied, "No need."

A minute passed with no response. Just as Matthew was about to put his phone away, a new message popped up.

"I don't want to be in your debt. Matthew, I don't have anything you might need, so why don't I pay you back with myself?"

The message left Matthew speechless. He had no idea how to respond. The thought of Rachel and her undeniably sexy body began to burrow into his mind like a persistent worm.

As the ferry docked, he decided not to reply at all. He woke a drowsy Keira, nudged Depp awake, and headed out with them.

To their relief, assistants were already waiting to handle their luggage.

"That motion sickness medicine really works."

Keira was feeling much better, though she was still a bit unsteady on her feet.

Matthew took her arm to steady her.

Just as they stepped off the ferry, Depp, who had been trailing behind, suddenly moved up to walk beside Matthew. He pulled out his wallet, extracted a hundred-dollar bill, and, under Keira’s curious gaze, stuffed it into Matthew’s pocket.

Depp was clearly making a show of it. "Here you go."

He shot a meaningful glance at Keira before adding, "Keira didn't throw up five times. You win."

"You did that on purpose, didn't you?" Matthew asked, his expression unreadable as he pocketed the hundred dollars.

Depp just shrugged, his eyes glinting mischievously as he looked at Keira again.

Keira was no fool. She immediately put two and two together. "You were betting on me?" she demanded, her voice sharp.

Before Matthew could even think of a denial, Depp cheerfully confessed, "I bet Matthew you'd get sick more than five times. I lost."

"You two..." Keira exploded, her face flushing with anger. "You absolute bastards!"

She snatched her arm away from Matthew. "And I thought you were being sweet, getting me those pills! Matthew, I can't believe you're even worse than Depp!"

With that, she stormed off, quickening her pace and heading straight for one of the waiting cars.

Matthew shot a glare at Depp. "You could have given me that later."

Depp just raised an eyebrow. "I like to settle my debts promptly."

Depp's assistant appeared, collected his luggage, and escorted him to his car.

Matthew spotted Mira nearby, took his suitcase from her, and walked over to his own car. The driver quickly took the bag and placed it in the trunk.

Each of the three leads had been provided with their own private car, a standard perk even when filming on location.

It was standard Hollywood procedure, and Matthew was enjoying the confident feeling that came with it.

Once settled in the car, he turned to Mira in the passenger seat. "You weren't feeling sick on the boat?"

"No," Mira replied, turning her head. "I used to take the ferry to France all the time. I got my sea legs long ago."

The long convoy of vehicles, carrying the cast and crew of several hundred people, soon arrived at their hotel—a luxurious resort that the production had completely booked out for the duration of the shoot.

The crew checked in and had just one night to rest before filming was scheduled to begin.

Truth be told, the shooting schedule for "Pirates of the Caribbean" was incredibly tight. Walt Disney’s distribution label had already set a release date, and due to the project's late start, it wasn't an ideal one. To avoid a head-to-head clash with other blockbusters, the film was slated for the weekend after the Fourth of July the following year.

Typically, the Independence Day weekend itself is one of the most lucrative slots of the entire summer season. It's a national holiday, and historically, it has launched a string of box-office hits.

Unfortunately, Walt Disney and Jerry Bruckheimer Films had locked in the "Pirates of the Caribbean" project just before Warner Bros. announced that "Terminator 3" would be released on that same Independence Day weekend. And even without James Cameron at the helm, no one was foolish enough to underestimate the power of the "Terminator" franchise—especially with the legendary Arnold Schwarzenegger returning.

As a rule, two major blockbusters avoided opening on the same weekend, as it almost always created a lose-lose scenario for both.

However, summer was the most crowded season in the North American film market. A high-profile movie premiered nearly every weekend, making it almost impossible to find a release date that wasn't sandwiched between other heavyweights.

And the later in the season a film was released, the less impact it tended to have. By late July and August, audiences' enthusiasm—and their wallets—were often nearly depleted.

These days, very few tent-pole films were released in August.

The tight schedule meant that work had to be efficient. The "Lady Washington," the real-life ship standing in for the "Interceptor," was already docked in Acapulco. Here, the crew had also just completed the construction of the magnificent "Black Pearl," built specifically for the film. With both ships ready, they could begin filming many of the on-deck scenes immediately.