The Best Movie Actor In Hollywood!

Chapter 257

In the lobby by the main entrance of the shopping mall, five journalists had gathered around Matthew, peppering him with questions. Alexandra stood a short distance away, watching with a touch of envy, knowing she would have to wait for the reporters to finish with Matthew before it was her turn.

"This film isn't just a rehash of the classic; it's a completely new creative endeavor."

As the biggest name in the film, Matthew had been prepped by the production team with talking points that emphasized the positive: "We don't want to compare this film to others; this is our own version."

A reporter then asked, "I heard that the team has completely reimagined the zombies?"

Matthew answered eloquently, as if he were one of the designers himself. "Yes, the zombies are agile and supernaturally strong. They have a shark's sense for blood and hunt in packs, like wolves. Once a person is bitten and dies, they reanimate as a new zombie in an instant."

"A while ago, Ms. Keira Knightley gave an interview in the UK." The question veered into gossip territory. "She spoke about your relationship, saying it was a pleasant memory but that you were both too young and too impulsive, and that's what led to the breakup."

The female reporter who had brought it up then asked, "So, Matthew, are you two going to get back together?"

Hearing the question, Matthew instantly realized that the King Arthur team was still trying to stir up buzz by recycling old news.

A so-called reunion wasn't out of the question, provided there was some benefit to it.

"Keira's a great girl," Matthew began, praising Keira Knightley first before adding, "We stay in touch. We broke up, but we’re still good friends. As for everything else, we're just letting things be."Over the years, Matthew had gotten much better at handling reporters, saying things that neither confirmed nor denied a reunion, while leaving plenty of room for endless speculation.

A response like that would only fuel the media frenzy.

He could already imagine what the tabloids would write in the next two days.

"Matthew Horner and Keira Knightley Still in Love!"

That kind of news always grabbed headlines.

Seeing that the questions were leaning more and more toward gossip, the publicist accompanying Matthew stepped in to wrap things up. As soon as Matthew moved aside, the publicist formally introduced Alexandra to the press.

"This is my first action movie, and I really didn't anticipate the physical demands of the shoot," Alexandra answered, looking a bit nervous but trying to keep her composure. "From the moment filming started, I was running, and..."

Alexandra was in the middle of her interview when the sound of footsteps echoed from inside the mall, growing closer. Matthew turned his head and saw Jessica emerge from a hallway, striding toward the center of the lobby in a pair of high heels.

It was the mall's exit, and many of the actors and crew members had been trickling out while Matthew was giving his interview.

Jessica had clearly spotted the crowd of reporters, and a bright, sweet smile instantly bloomed on her face. She changed her trajectory, seemingly heading toward Matthew instead of the center of the lobby.

As she passed by the spot where the journalists were interviewing Alexandra—perhaps because she was moving too quickly—Jessica suddenly stumbled, falling right toward the group of reporters.

"Ah!" she cried out.

Alexandra's interview stopped short. Every reporter, and even Alexandra herself, turned to look at Jessica on the floor.

"Aren't you Jessica?"

After all, she was a recognizable actress and her name was on the production's cast list. A sharp-eyed reporter recognized her instantly. "You're the female lead in this movie, Jessica, right?"

Several journalists immediately abandoned Alexandra to surround Jessica, while others snapped a series of photos of Jessica Alba on the floor.

The flurry of bright flashes seemed to stun the press officer, who rushed over looking concerned. But before he could do anything, Jessica calmly picked herself up off the floor and said with a smile, "Yes, I'm Jessica."

"Are you okay?" one reporter asked, apparently stricken by a pang of conscience as he lowered his camera.

Jessica nodded. "Just a little trip, it's nothing serious."

With that, the reporters began showering her with questions, and the publicist had no choice but to step in and help manage the situation.

Alexandra stared at Jessica, her face a mask of indignation and disbelief, as if she were looking at the most conniving woman in the world.

She looked toward Matthew, saw him wave her over, and rushed to his side.

"How could she?" Alexandra's voice was verging on a sob. "That was my first press interview, and that horrible witch ruined it! That cunning bitch!"

Matthew consoled her, "It's alright. There will be other chances."

But Alexandra just looked at him expectantly. "Matthew..."

Matthew raised an eyebrow. "What? I can't just interrupt her interview."

"Then what am I supposed to do?" Alexandra asked, sounding lost.

"Come on," Matthew sighed softly. "Let's head back to the hotel."

It wasn't that he hadn't seen actresses tear each other to pieces before, but Jessica was a real eye-opener. This pretty Latina girl, who always wore a sweet, sunny smile and acted like one of those ditzy American blondes from the movies, was, in reality...

Alexandra couldn't bear to watch Jessica's triumph any longer and lowered her head. "Okay, let's go."

Matthew glanced one last time at Jessica, who was holding court with the reporters, more convinced than ever that in this industry, you could never judge a book by its cover.

...

After that interview, any positive impression Alexandra had of Jessica was completely shattered. Soon, the two actresses weren't speaking to each other at all, limiting their interactions strictly to what was required for their scenes.

Matthew didn't interfere much. He wasn't Alexandra's keeper, and situations like this were all too common on Hollywood sets. It didn't matter who you were; if you wanted to survive in this town, you had to learn to adapt and play the game.

Filming continued. After Helen Hermann returned to Toronto from Los Angeles, Matthew put the incident out of his mind. With his agent on hand, he didn't need to worry about such things.

The production remained focused on the mall, and the shoot revolved almost entirely around Matthew. Just as Sean Daniel had promised, the film had only one true protagonist, and it was him. The other characters were essentially just background.

The nominal female lead, Jessica, was no exception. A passionate love scene between their two characters was scheduled for filming.

This was an R-rated film, after all. It was bound to be packed with gore and violence, plus a bit of softcore eroticism—all key selling points for a zombie movie.

Per Sean's request and Zack's original vision, the scene was meant to focus on Jessica's facial expressions. However, while Jessica had no problem showing her body, she refused to show her face during the nude shots, forcing the crew to rework the scene.

Furthermore, Jessica's contract stipulated that the sex scene had to be shot on a closed set. No one was allowed to observe the filming except for essential personnel, such as the director, cinematographer, lighting technician, and sound recordist.

This wasn't Matthew's first time filming such a scene, but it was the first time he had ever seen an actress request to clear the set.

While actresses in the industry were protected by all sorts of strict contract clauses, few actually invoked them. Most were comfortable in front of the camera and had no psychological hang-ups about such scenes. If any barriers did exist, it was usually with newcomers, not a veteran like Jessica, who had been in Hollywood since she was a child.

Before shooting began, the set was cleared, giving Matthew and Jessica a few moments to talk privately.

Matthew had done scenes like this before and felt no embarrassment, clad only in a pair of tight boxers. After chatting for a moment with Jessica Alba, who was wearing a robe, he said, "It's best if we just relax and keep it natural. That way we can nail it in one take."

Jessica seemed to agree and stepped a little closer. "My sensitive spots are my neck, behind my ears, and my chest."

"I'll keep that in mind," Matthew responded.

They quickly exchanged a few more ideas on how best to get into the right headspace to achieve the realistic, high-quality results the director wanted.

Their brief discussion worked wonders. During the shoot that followed, Matthew focused on the sensitive areas Jessica had pointed out, kissing and caressing her with a practiced passion. Jessica responded with equal skill, and Zack captured the long, continuous shots he wanted in a single take.

But there was an unintended side effect: both Matthew and Jessica had become genuinely aroused.

After the scene was wrapped, they could both hear each other's heavy breathing as they slipped on their robes and headed for their dressing rooms.

Matthew asked tentatively, "There's a closed-off room in the furniture store set up ahead. Want to go there?"

Jessica turned her head to look at Matthew, her gaze then dropping to his groin. Without a moment's hesitation, she replied, "Yes."