The Best Movie Actor In Hollywood!

Chapter 200

Helen's words surprised Matthew. A mega-production with a budget of around $150 million, bearing Jerry Bruckheimer's name, held an immense appeal for both actors and their agents—especially for those like them who were committed to a commercial career path.

After all, unlike him, Helen didn't have the advantage of knowing the future, however vague and limited his own knowledge might be.

"Why?" Matthew asked with genuine curiosity.

Helen answered directly, "After The Mummy Returns, you've starred in three period action films in a row. If you continue with similar themes for an extended period, you'll be pigeonholed into that narrow category, and your career options will quickly shrink."

She paused for a moment, as if organizing her thoughts, and then added, "Action films are a genre with a lot of room to maneuver, but period action is relatively limited. Your strength is in action, but not necessarily period action. What we want is a broader space for development, not a path that gets narrower and narrower, or worse, leads to a dead end."

"This doesn't mean you can't be offered similar roles in the future," Helen explained patiently. "Ideally, your next two or three films shouldn't be period pieces. Once a few years have passed and roles like the Scorpion King have faded from memory, there will be less of a negative impact if you take them on again."

Matthew nodded. Helen was right. There were many types of action films—sci-fi action, fantasy action, adventure action—all of which fit his development plan without confining him to a single path.

In four or five years, aside from the blacksmith, audiences would probably have forgotten about the Scorpion King. By then, if the right project came along, it wouldn't matter what he did next.

Besides, he had his own serious concerns and doubts about King Arthur.

"I think you're right," Matthew said, looking pleased.Helen gave Matthew a slightly surprised look, as if she hadn't expected him to agree so quickly. She had prepared a long list of arguments to convince him.

As Matthew's fame grew and he gradually transformed into a star actor, the way she handled him had to change as well. It was no longer possible to use the simple, blunt, and commanding tone she had in the early days.

Matthew glanced at the time. "Is there anything else you want to tell me? I have to go."

"If you run into the press," Helen reminded him, "be sure to mention Pirates of the Caribbean often."

"Got it."

Walt Disney wasn't promoting Pirates of the Caribbean particularly heavily, nor were they releasing enough "strong" news, other than occasionally reminding the public that the film was based on a Disneyland attraction.

Matthew guessed this was because Disney was confident that the associated theme park rides, which were already very famous, had enough appeal among teenagers and children.

Pirates of the Caribbean, however, was the first film from Disney Pictures to receive a rating higher than PG—most large-scale films under the Walt Disney banner were made by Touchstone Pictures, while Disney Studios typically released only "family-friendly" films.

Of course, a film like this wasn't aimed solely at children and teenagers; it was equally targeted at a large adult audience.

In addition, Disney Pictures had released the movie poster.

Initially, under pressure from Depp's agent, the poster design was meant to highlight Captain Jack Sparrow, who was positioned in the center, with Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann flanking him on either side.

Naturally, Helen and Keira's agent jointly petitioned the studio to change the poster, but Depp's agent was vehemently opposed.

Despite the excellent rapport among the three main actors—Matthew, Depp, and Keira—their agents were locked in a fierce battle, arguing for nearly a week over just the main poster design before finally reaching an agreement, thanks to Jerry Bruckheimer's intervention.

To be more precise, a compromise was reached on all sides.

In the new design, Captain Jack Sparrow occupied the upper half of the poster in the center, while the characters of Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann were moved closer to the middle, sharing the remaining space together, instead of the previous side-by-side arrangement.

The actors' names on the poster were also changed. Depp was no longer listed alone but in the same row as Matthew and Keira, though Depp's name came first, Matthew's second, and Keira's third.

This also aligned with the trio's respective fame, box office appeal, and gender.

Since the upcoming promotional plan had a gap year for Matthew and Keira, Matthew settled down for a while and stopped thinking about girls like Rachel, who had left for Bulgaria with a film crew in early December.

As for the promotion of Pirates of the Caribbean, he would follow the studio's plan.

...

In the last few days, Matthew had received his final payment from the Pirates of the Caribbean crew. The first two installments had been $600,000 each, and this time he received his remaining $800,000 in addition to $300,000 in compensation.

That brought his total earnings from the Pirates of the Caribbean project to $2.3 million. Even after deducting Helen's eight-percent commission, he was left with over $2 million.

He once again began to consider using the money to buy his own property. Although the detached house he was currently renting was excellent—sufficiently quiet and secluded—it wasn't his.

Matthew had asked a real estate agent to contact the landlord, who was far away in Europe and wouldn't be able to respond immediately.

There was no rush with the house; he could wait a little. He set the matter aside for the time being, contacted his stylist, and went to a costume rental company to select a suitable outfit for the North American premiere of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.

Matthew had been recommended by Orlando and subsequently received a formal invitation to the premiere.

Thanks to the enormous success of the first Lord of the Rings, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers was perhaps the most talked-about and anticipated film of the year-end holiday season, even eclipsing Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

On the day of the premiere, the press, fans of the books, and film enthusiasts gathered in a crowd that was far larger, louder, and more excited than for the previous Lord of the Rings film, with Orlando at the center of everyone's attention.

Matthew had heard him mention that because of the massive success of The Lord of the Rings, New Zealand director Peter Jackson had received a large sum of money from New Line Cinema for reshoots on some scenes for the next two films. The primary focus of these reshoots was Legolas, and Peter Jackson had filmed many "cool guy" scenes specifically for Orlando.

Perhaps an ordinary person would have felt guilty for setting someone up, and would not have accepted such a warm invitation from Orlando to walk the red carpet and bask in the glory of The Lord of the Rings and Legolas. But a cold-hearted and stone-faced man like him, of course, felt no such emotions and arrived as if it were a matter of course, striding down the red carpet with aplomb.

If he felt guilty for every despicable act he committed, he wouldn't be in Hollywood now—a den of snakes where everyone is trying to step on someone else's head just to climb a little higher.

So, as he entered the interview area on the red carpet, standing relaxed alongside Orlando in front of the reporters' microphones and cameras, Matthew looked like his truest friend.

"Yes, we're good friends," Matthew answered the reporters' questions with a bright smile, showing no trace of embarrassment. "I met Orlando on the set of Black Hawk Down, and we quickly became friends. I came to the premiere because I accepted Orlando's invitation and want to cheer for Prince Legolas!"

Orlando reached out, draped an arm over Matthew's shoulders, and announced loudly to everyone, "We're more than friends! We're brothers! Matthew has helped me so many times. He's such an enthusiastic person that after spending time with him, you can't help but become his friend."

A photographer shouted, "Matthew, Orlando, look over here!"

Matthew and Orlando, shoulder to shoulder, smiled and let the reporters take their pictures.

In that moment, they were close and truly looked like brothers.

They then headed towards the theater together. On the way, Matthew asked, "Has filming for Van Helsing started?"

"Yes," Orlando nodded cautiously, glancing at Matthew. "I'm currently filming my scenes with the lead actress."

He shook his head. "But she's involved in another film, so the shoot is being delayed."

"Oh, right. Kate Beckinsale's team," Matthew said. "They offered me the male lead, but I turned it down. As it turns out, the role they offered me wasn't that major anyway."

Orlando walked through the theater doors, chuckling. "Kate Beckinsale has influential people backing her, or so I've heard."

Matthew nodded. "Me too."

In Hollywood productions, major investors always have a say.

Once inside the theater, Matthew separated from Orlando and sat relatively close to the other guests. He watched Orlando make his way to the front row and couldn't help but wonder.

Would Van Helsing still be a failure with a new leading man?

After a moment's thought, he decided the chances of the film being a flop were very high. After all, Orlando was just the lead actor, not a producer, and couldn't change the script. The odds of any significant changes were just too slim.

...

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers was a predictable success, with word-of-mouth spreading rapidly. By the time of the Oscars in March 2003, the film had grossed over $300 million at the North American box office, and Orlando's portrayal of Legolas was so "hot" that, in Matthew's opinion, he had firmly established himself as a B-list Hollywood star.

Right after the 2003 Academy Awards, in mid-March, Helen brought news that Sean Daniel, with whom he had a good relationship, had come to see her with an acquaintance.