The Best Movie Actor In Hollywood!

Chapter 203

Starting in March, Disney Pictures' promotional campaign for Pirates of the Caribbean began to ramp up. Late that month, during a carnival at Disneyland, the studio co-hosted a massive media event in the main square, giving the film's cast and creators a chance to speak with the press.

The groundwork for the publicity campaign had already been laid.

For instance, after New Year's, an absurd story began to circulate in the North American media: Johnny Depp, it was claimed, was of British royal blood—a cousin of Queen Elizabeth II, no less.

"Is this for real?"

Inside a spacious makeup trailer parked outside Disneyland, Keira Knightley, her makeup complete, snatched the newspaper from Matthew’s hands. Her eyes widened as she read the headline, and she exclaimed in disbelief.

"Famous Film Star Johnny Depp Believed to Be a Close Relative of the British Royal Family!"

Even Depp, a master of nonchalance, looked a little flustered by the bizarre publicity stunt.

Matthew scratched his head. Disney was clearly pulling out all the stops to generate buzz. Compared to this fabrication, the PR relationship he and Keira were planning seemed almost tame by comparison.

Keira continued reading aloud. "A genealogist named Nick Barratt told ABC News that he has found irrefutable evidence linking Depp to the British royal family. Barratt, the editor of Your Family History magazine, claims that Johnny Depp’s great-great-grandfather and the Queen's great-great-great-grandfather were the same man, making them twentieth cousins."

He added, "While I can't prove it with one hundred percent certainty, I believe there's a strong probability that Johnny Depp and the Queen of Great Britain are inexplicably connected."Matthew glanced over at Depp, who was methodically getting into his Captain Jack Sparrow costume, and could see the man was thoroughly embarrassed.

Then Keira read the final, all-important sentence: "Whether Depp is a relative of the British royal family or not, his new film, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, is set to release as scheduled on July 7th, and we highly recommend you see it in theaters!"

In truth, the entire article had been engineered to lead up to that one final sentence.

"Depp!" Keira asked, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Is there even a shred of truth to any of this?"

"I have no idea," Depp replied without turning from the makeup mirror. "To get to the bottom of that, you'd have to go back five hundred years and ask my great-great-great-grandfather."

Dressed in his Will Turner costume, Matthew picked up a nearby prop sword and fastened it to his belt. "It's just a clumsy bit of press from the studio," he commented.

Depp added dryly, "Apparently, they know more about my ancestry than I do."

Just then, a crew member informed them it was time to go out. Depp led the way, with Matthew escorting Keira, who was dressed in the period attire of a British noblewoman.

They followed a specially arranged path into the event area, where they were immediately swarmed by media reporters.

As planned, Matthew, Depp, and Keira separated to field questions individually, maximizing their coverage among the throng of reporters and media outlets.

Matthew stood before a massive set piece of the Black Pearl, surrounded by more than a dozen journalists whose press badges identified them as representing newspapers, magazines, television channels, and even online publications.

A reporter from The Hollywood Reporter was the first to ask, "Matthew, before you came to Hollywood, you worked in construction and as a driver. What made you decide to become an actor?"

Without missing a beat, Matthew delivered a well-rehearsed answer. "As an actor, I could be anyone, play different characters, and live through different experiences. I was thrilled by that possibility and prospect."

He laughed and added, "Maybe it's because I'm indecisive and didn't know if I wanted to be a driver, a construction worker, or something else. I'd often watch TV, movies, and plays and think that if I were an actor, I could be anything I wanted. Maybe that's my 'actor complex.' I don't want to run or hide. I grew up confident and optimistic about the future."

Another female reporter asked, "What does acting mean to you?"

Matthew replied with dramatic flair, "For me, acting is my life!"

Then another reporter from the crowd posed a sharper question. "Why did you choose a film like Pirates of the Caribbean? Aren't you aware that pirate movies are out of fashion?"

"I've loved pirate movies since I was a kid," Matthew answered, launching into the studio-approved spiel. "The Black Pirate, Captain Blood, and Treasure Island—I love them all. To this day, those films are just as exciting as they ever were, and what we're making isn't a traditional pirate film. I believe Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl will resonate more with modern audiences, especially younger ones."

This was the target demographic the production team was aiming for, and Matthew stuck to the talking points. "Screenwriters Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio have woven fascinating supernatural elements into the plot, and they were on set from the beginning to the very end of filming."

It was a classic ploy to entice fans, one that any production team could execute skillfully. Matthew added, "In fact, after finishing their work on 1992's Aladdin, Elliott and Rossio wanted to write a pirate script, but no studio was interested in their idea at the time. So, the concept has been incubating for a full ten years."

While his previous statement had some basis in fact, this talk of the film being in development for a decade was pure fabrication.

In the years since he had "arrived" here, Matthew had learned that nearly every Hollywood blockbuster claimed in its marketing that the film had been in the planning stages for years. It was, of course, complete nonsense.

Why did they say it? Because it was what the media and the general public wanted to hear.

Hollywood operated on an entire marketing system. Promotion and publicity were as formulaic as a film production line, with countless time-tested templates.

The fake romance between him and Keira, for instance, which had yet to be launched, was an almost standard-issue tactic for a Hollywood film. It resulted in the creation of countless celebrity couples, and in Hollywood, relationships were sometimes just another part of the business.

There were established timelines for when the romance would be revealed, when they could kiss in public, when they could move in together, when they could get engaged, and when they could break up.

You could even enter into a sham marriage for the sake of publicity.

Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, whose divorce was still the subject of endless speculation, were a classic example of a marriage manipulated by the studios.

As for the real truth, Matthew figured only they, their agents, and the damn Church of Scientology knew for sure.

(Tom Cruise was a member of the Church of Scientology)

...

The interviews went smoothly, with a Disney publicist shadowing each of them to prevent any unexpected questions or gaffes.

Afterward, Matthew, Depp, and Keira gathered in front of a giant promotional poster that Disney was using to advertise both the Pirates of the Caribbean movie and the theme park ride. They let the reporters photograph them together, all three putting on a show of eternal friendship.

Of course, the relationship between the three of them—Matthew, Depp, and Keira—was genuinely better than that of the average cast.

When the event concluded, the trio headed behind the billboard, where a large tent had been set up for Jerry Bruckheimer and several Disney executives.

There were fewer reporters here. As they approached the entrance to the tent, Keira pulled Matthew back slightly, letting Depp walk ahead alone.

"Thank you for the Christmas and New Year's gifts," Keira said to Matthew in a low voice. "Are you always this thoughtful with women?"

Matthew shrugged slightly, not bothering to deny it. "I gave my ex-girlfriend gifts for every holiday."

Keira looked at Matthew, surprised. "You have an ex-girlfriend?"

Her eyes widened. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Matthew spread his hands. "We broke up a long time ago. It won't affect what we're planning to do next."

Depp, who was just ahead of them, reached the entrance to the tent and froze. Matthew and Keira quickly caught up to him.

Inside the tent, the Chairman of The Walt Disney Company, Michael Eisner, was complaining loudly to Jerry Bruckheimer. The subject of his tirade was Depp.

"Don't you get it? The audience will never accept him!" Michael Eisner, apparently oblivious to Johnny's presence at the entrance, ranted. "Depp is going to ruin the movie! You know what I thought when I saw the dailies? Is he mentally deficient? Is he drunk? No, I thought he was gay!"

Depp’s expression was unreadable.

"Depp, don't—"

Matthew saw where this was going and tried to warn him, but before the words could leave his mouth, Depp strode up to Michael Eisner and delivered a resounding slap across his face.

(Michael Eisner's comments about Depp's performance are based on true events; the two famously clashed, with Eisner believing Depp’s portrayal was gay.)