The Best Movie Actor In Hollywood!

Chapter 271

Matthew looked at Helen and asked, “What do you think?”

Choosing a project based on the screenplay alone was as unreliable as a studio greenlighting one under the same circumstances. If you just saw a script and rushed to bring it to life, there was a good chance you’d end up regretting it bitterly.

A great script might not become a great film, and a weak script wouldn’t necessarily result in a bad one. Anyone with even a passing familiarity with the film industry understood this simple truth.

Helen didn’t answer directly. Instead, she said, “From what I know, the day after Steven Spielberg got the script, he called Michael Bay to explore the possibility of him directing the film.”

Matthew asked, “Spielberg is interested in this project?”

“Yes,” Helen replied, then added, “The fact that DreamWorks is in a tough spot right now and still plans to spend $120 million on this project is proof enough.”

Matthew said nothing, his mind sifting through the context of the screenplay. The only clone-related movie he could remember seeing was Star Wars: Attack of the Clones; he couldn’t recall any other major Hollywood films on the subject.

Then he thought about Michael Bay’s filmography. What came to mind was mainly the Transformers franchise—a popcorn series packed with explosions, special effects, and a straightforward plot.

In his memory, Michael Bay’s films were the absolute epitome of simple, mindless popcorn entertainment. Bay himself was a master of the blockbuster, and his movies never delved into questions of depth; they were pure, unadulterated spectacle.

But looking at this screenplay, Matthew felt a disconnect. The plot, and its exploration of the human cloning problem... it was all far too complex compared to what he remembered of Michael Bay's films.Weren’t all of Bay’s movies, with the possible exception of The Rock, just relentless assaults of special effects from beginning to end, with a plot that felt more like an afterthought?

After a moment of thought, Matthew voiced his doubts to Helen.

After listening, Helen considered it for a moment before saying, “I heard from a contact at DreamWorks that Michael Bay assured Spielberg he would find a balance between the action and the humanistic core of the story. It seems he’s planning to do a lot of reflecting on morality in this clone-centric film.”

For some reason, a wave of absurdity washed over Matthew. If anyone who had seen the Transformers series heard Helen’s words, he suspected many of them would think she’d lost her mind.

Matthew stated plainly, “This whole thing feels shaky.”

Helen paused, then offered, “Perhaps Michael wants to shoot a film with some substance this time, to reinvent himself.”

Compared to Matthew, Helen had a much better ability to judge a script and its various facets. One could even say her instincts were exceptional, and in the vast majority of cases, her decisions were remarkably accurate.

But even though Matthew hadn’t seen the movie, when the director was as well-known as Michael Bay, he could analyze whether the film would be a success or a failure based on what would happen later.

If the chances of failure outweighed success, there was no point in him taking the role in his current situation.

“Helen...” Matthew began, “Michael already tried to reinvent himself when he directed Pearl Harbor, and the result... I think Michael Bay’s greatest strength is his ability to turn any film into a successful, mindless action flick.”

“You have reservations?” Helen asked.

“I do.” Matthew stopped beating around the bush and laid out his concerns. “I don’t have a problem working with a director who can turn anything into an explosive blockbuster. But when that same director wants to inject depth into the film, wants to include a lot of deep humanistic thinking... that’s what scares me.”

Helen considered this for a long time. “There’s no need to rush a rejection,” she said finally. “We’ll make a decision after I’ve gathered more information.”

Matthew nodded and said nothing more, understanding her reasoning.

After all, this was a top-tier, super-production. In Hollywood these days, there were often fewer than ten films a year with a budget over $100 million. It was fair to say that such resources were extremely limited, and invitations like this were rare. If Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl hadn’t been a massive box office hit, and if Will Turner hadn’t become so popular with audiences, he never would have gotten this kind of audition.

As a confident agent, Helen was unlikely to dismiss such a golden opportunity based on Matthew’s vague misgivings. Besides, this wasn’t like the Ridley Scott project, which went against Matthew's immediate career needs. A sci-fi action film was a perfect fit for him at this stage of his development.

Matthew also couldn’t tell Helen the true source of his apprehension. He had no other way to justify it except by pointing to Michael Bay’s past films.

And that was a less than convincing argument.

However, he had already made up his mind. No matter what information Helen gathered, he would find a way to mess up the audition.

In terms of true analytical judgment, Helen was undoubtedly far superior to him. But he possessed an advantage that Helen simply couldn’t have.

Michael Bay might have a very good script this time—judging by the screenplay alone—but everyone knew that a good script couldn't be directly equated with a good film.

Indeed, even the most accomplished director couldn’t make a good film without good creative material.

But in a world where anything could be made into a movie, there was no such thing as an absolutely “bad story.” There were only “bad films” in a general sense, meaning that no matter how great a story was acclaimed to be, plenty of directors could still botch it with poor filmmaking and a chaotic post-production process.

Throughout the vast history of Hollywood cinema, there were countless films that had squandered a good story and a quality setup. They might not have been outright disasters, but they were certainly not successful.

Good screenplays don’t guarantee good movies. That wasn’t just true in Hollywood; it was true all over the world.

...

Throughout January, besides preparing for National Treasure, Matthew’s main focus remained on working with Disney’s Oscar campaign.

As the announcement of the Academy Award nominations drew closer, the cast and crew of films vying for an Oscar appeared in the media almost daily, doing everything they could to capture the judges' attention.

It was a game of money. The one who spent the most, made the most noise, and received the most praise from the press and critics usually came out on top.

Nearly all the prospective Oscar contenders were busy praising themselves while denigrating their competition.

Take Charlize Theron, for instance, who was highly favored to win Best Actress at this year’s Oscars. In addition to her talk show appearances, critics were pouncing on her, saying her acting career was laughably narrow, that she was incapable of showing anything but a poker face on camera, and that she wore the same emotionless expression both on and off screen.

Any Hollywood star who wanted an Oscar could have dirt dug up on them—and if there was none, it could be fabricated.

In fact, the public relations battle before every Academy Awards ceremony was the season when nominated stars were most susceptible to blackmail and attacks.

Even Matthew could have been dragged into it. If someone really wanted to tarnish his reputation, they could probably pile up enough dirt to reach the Hollywood Hills. But Matthew wasn’t in the running for an Oscar, so even though he had a prominent role in Pirates of the Caribbean, the focus of the attacks was still squarely on Johnny Depp.

Even Osama bin Laden got in on the action: members of Al-Qaeda announced they were prepared to target this year’s Oscars, a threat that sent a chill through Hollywood. The FBI and CIA were on high alert, and the Los Angeles County Police Department declared they would provide the tightest security in the history of the awards.

Every year after the New Year, the season belonged to awards and the Oscars, with news about the Academy Awards dominating most of the film coverage.

It was a time when many old-timers, long forgotten by audiences, flexed their influence, and when films and roles had to conform to a set of rules they had designed.

At the same time, it was the season when they could reap the rewards of their lofty positions.