The Best Movie Actor In Hollywood!

Chapter 248

After picking up Keira Knightley from the Disney studio, Matthew returned to his house, scanning the street before heading inside. The paparazzi who had camped out here around the clock last month had vanished without a trace, not just from his neighborhood, but from their lives in general. He’d noticed recently that no one was tailing them anymore, unless they happened to cross paths with a photographer by chance.

Gossip has a short shelf life. The initial buzz surrounding his cohabitation with Keira had largely run its course, and in a city like Los Angeles, where celebrity couples form and dissolve on a daily basis, their story was already starting to fade into the background.

Once inside, Keira sank into the sofa and picked up the conversation they'd started in the car. "I still don't get it," she said, looking at Matthew. "Why would you pass on a role like King Arthur for some small-time zombie movie?"

"It's simple," Matthew explained, sitting down beside her and draping an arm over her shoulders. "Because it'll be easy to recoup the production costs."

Matthew offered a piece of the real reason. "The original already has a built-in fanbase, and a remake is guaranteed a core audience. Why else do you think Hollywood loves remaking old movies?"

He continued, "The movie's budget is only twenty-eight million dollars, so it'll be relatively easy to make that back. And if it's a hit, we stand to make a good profit."

After a moment of silence, Matthew asked, "When do you start filming?"

"In a couple of weeks or so," Keira replied, thinking for a moment. "The production team heads to England on the twentieth."

"We'll break up before you leave for England," Matthew said, his eyes meeting hers. "That doesn't leave us much time."

Keira nodded in agreement.Matthew and Keira then went over the specifics, discussing the timing and details of their public breakup.

The two of them were pressed close together, looking every bit the couple, yet they were dispassionately discussing how to end their relationship. It was as if they had become fully integrated into the Hollywood machine, with all its inherent falsehoods, deception, and hypocrisy.

"Since our time is short," Matthew murmured, scooping Keira into his arms and heading for the bedroom, "we can't let it go to waste."

Keira seemed to agree. "I'm free for the next two days," she said.

Matthew smiled. "Even after we break up, my door is always open for you."

...

Throughout the first half of August, aside from the two days he spent at home with Keira, Matthew was completely absorbed in preparations for Dawn of the Dead. Since the script described the protagonist as a combat expert, he had no choice but to keep up his intense training at the gym.

Regarding the use of firearms in the film, Sean Daniel had already spoken with Matthew and was relieved to learn he had received specialized weapons training on the set of Black Hawk Down.

In fact, thanks to his portrayal of Captain Ronald Speirs in Band of Brothers, Matthew had already built a reputation among producers and directors as a thoroughly dependable actor.

Once Sean Daniel saw how much research Matthew had done and learned he had spoken with director Zack Snyder several times, he felt confident leaving the lead actor to his own devices and shifted his focus to casting the other roles.

Matthew was also aware that Helen Hermann had leveraged his leading role to secure a number of opportunities for her other clients. As a result, several young actors from the Angel Acting Agency were set to appear in minor supporting roles in Dawn of the Dead.

For instance, he’d heard from the Angel Agency's administrator that Alexandra Daddario had successfully auditioned for the part of a girl whose father turns into a zombie.

And that had the potential to be a... memorable moment for the film. Just imagine it: bloodthirsty zombies in hot pursuit, and Alexandra Daddario, with her notable assets, running for her life. The sight would certainly create a lot of 'shockwaves' with the audience.

He wondered if Zack Snyder would actually film the scene that way.

He'd had a good rapport with Zack so far. Perhaps he could find the right moment to make a subtle suggestion?

Matthew recalled watching the earthquake movie San Andreas, starring Dwayne Johnson. He was pretty sure Alexandra Daddario had played his daughter in it, and every time she had a running scene, it certainly caused quite a stir.

Beyond that, the most crucial female supporting role in the film had yet to be cast.

As far as Matthew knew, Helen also had her sights set on that role for one of her clients, but unfortunately, none of them had managed to impress Sean Daniel.

Matthew had no say in the casting, so after giving it a brief thought, he returned to his routine: studying the script and related materials at the Angel Agency in the morning, hitting the gym in the afternoon, and enjoying his last few nights with Keira in the evening.

After a week of this routine, Keira's departure for England loomed closer, and the time had finally come for Matthew and Keira, Hollywood's temporary sweethearts, to officially part ways.