The Best Movie Actor In Hollywood!

Chapter 279

In the wake of the ceremony, the media was abuzz with talk of the Oscars, and the winners were naturally the center of attention. But even those who didn't take home a statuette found themselves in the spotlight, as the press peddled narratives to the public suggesting that certain actors deserved to win more and had lost for reasons that had nothing to do with merit.

The more bizarre and tragic the story, the easier it was to generate sympathy. The public always roots for the underdog—a fact that was unlikely to change anytime soon.

For instance, when Pirates of the Caribbean went home empty-handed, the press was filled with laments. In reality, however, this was a calculated PR move by Disney, designed to boost the DVD and rental market and to build anticipation for the sequel still in development.

And amid the barrage of news about the Oscar winners and losers, a story about Matthew and Scarlett’s affair quickly began to circulate.

"Matthew Horner and Scarlett Johansson left the Oscar Night party and headed to another hotel to get a room."

"Two newly-minted movie stars checked into a hotel; what happened behind closed doors remains a mystery."

Countless similar stories surfaced, gaining traction thanks to the numerous photographs that accompanied them.

From the moment the pair left the Oscar party looking disheveled, to them checking into a nearby hotel, and then emerging in the early morning to share a passionate kiss—every moment was captured by the tabloids and splashed across various entertainment websites.

Amidst the final frenzy of Oscar buzz, Matthew managed to command a significant amount of real estate in the entertainment news cycle.

Moreover, Helen had quickly contacted Scarlett's agent. After a meeting, the two sides reached an understanding and brought in the publicists for Dawn of the Dead and The Island. It was a highly effective strategy that boosted the films' profiles without requiring a substantial investment.Naturally, the various parties joined forces to generate buzz around Matthew and Scarlett. Soon, lurid descriptions began to appear: claims they had hooked up during the Oscar ceremony, made out wildly at the after-party, and finally, that the entire floor of their hotel had been rocked by Scarlett’s cries of passion. The stories grew more detailed and scandalous by the day.

Whenever an entertainment story becomes a hot topic, countless media outlets scramble for a piece of the action. The names Matthew Horner and Scarlett Johansson were mentioned frequently, always alongside their upcoming films, Dawn of the Dead and The Island.

...

As the Oscar fever began to subside, Matthew flew to New York and Boston to resume filming National Treasure. Meanwhile, his scandalous fling with Scarlett continued to escalate, fanned into a bonfire by the forces orchestrating it from behind the scenes.

As for the two stars at the center of the storm, Matthew and Scarlett had long since coordinated their response: the standard Hollywood playbook of neither confirming nor denying.

The story dominated the breaking news section of TMZ, the website run by Ilana. New photos appeared daily as the narrative escalated from holding hands and kissing to more intimate acts, all in an effort to keep the salacious scandal burning hot.

Even National Treasure, which was still in production, got in on the action. An executive from The Walt Disney Company flew from New York to Los Angeles specifically for a detailed meeting with Helen. Soon after, press outlets owned by Disney began their own widespread and intensive coverage of the story.

The media frenzy couldn't last forever, and after a week, the initial fervor had cooled considerably. But just as the release of Dawn of the Dead drew near, a bombshell dropped on TMZ. A surveillance video appeared at the very top of the site's news section, instantly reigniting the dying embers into a volcanic eruption.

In just two days, the video racked up nearly a million views on TMZ.

Although the grainy footage didn't reveal anything explicit, any viewer could piece together what the two were up to. It was also undeniably Matthew and Scarlett.

TMZ followed up by posting another video: an interview with two security guards who swore on camera that Matthew and Scarlett had engaged in "indescribable acts" inside the elevator.

Eyewitnesses from the Oscar party also came forward, reporting that "Matthew and Scarlett were all over each other, kissing like there was no tomorrow. They clearly didn't care who was watching. Then they just bolted from the party, and everyone knew exactly what they were off to do."

While Matthew and Scarlett remained silent, offering no comment on the situation, the video served as undeniable proof. By now, anyone in the United States with even a passing interest in entertainment news knew the story: on Oscar night, the hot new couple couldn't even wait to get out of the elevator before giving in to their desires.

For the entire first half of March, Matthew and Scarlett were undeniably the most talked-about celebrities in the country, nearly eclipsing the actual Oscar winners for Best Actor and Best Actress, Sean Penn and Charlize Theron.

Of course, the scandal also drew criticism. Many self-proclaimed moral authorities publicly attacked Matthew and Scarlett, condemning them as public figures with low moral standards. They called for major Hollywood studios to drop them and refuse to cast them in future films.

There were plenty of similar comments, but neither Matthew nor Scarlett cared enough to even bother responding.

As Matthew had learned long ago, nobody really expected Hollywood stars to be moral role models.

Most importantly, they couldn't truly be faulted. He was single, she was single, and neither was in a relationship. There was no real transgression.

Besides, what Hollywood star didn’t have a mountain of similar stories in their past?

The idea of getting Hollywood to "cancel" them was a complete joke. The story had spread like wildfire across America and had even crossed the Atlantic to Europe, propelled, of course, by the very Hollywood giants who were supposedly being called upon to condemn them—companies like Universal Pictures and Disney.

And it all paid off. According to several tracking agencies, Dawn of the Dead had overtaken Kill Bill: Volume 2 (which was scheduled for a mid-April release) to become the most anticipated film of the March-April season.

Meanwhile, National Treasure, with Matthew in the lead role, had become the second most-anticipated film of the upcoming holiday season, trailing only behind Pixar’s animated masterpiece, The Incredibles.

Using celebrity scandals to boost a film's profile and appeal was one of the oldest and most effective promotional tactics in the Hollywood playbook.

Matthew, for his part, played along, remembering Helen's strict instructions: no matter what the reporters asked, he was to say nothing.

...

The production of National Treasure was proceeding much more smoothly than scheduled. However, some of the planned on-location shoots, particularly in busy tourist areas, were proving to be a logistical nightmare. After some discussion, the director and Jerry Bruckheimer agreed to replicate these locations on the Disney studio lot instead.

This change resulted in fewer scenes being shot on location and more work being done on the studio soundstages.

Once his location scenes were complete, Matthew temporarily left the set of National Treasure to begin the promotional tour for the upcoming release of Dawn of the Dead, participating in a series of press events.

At every appearance, however, he skillfully dodged any questions about Scarlett, speaking only when the topic turned to Dawn of the Dead.

As part of the promotion, Matthew also put his rather modest writing skills to use, posting a realistic, Dawn of the Dead-style narrative on his personal blog, similar to the Zombie Survival Guide.

Though Matthew's writing was mediocre at best, his fans adored it. In their eyes, he could do no wrong—not even sleep with another star in an elevator.

But with such a widespread media storm, some negative fallout was inevitable.

For example, some of Scarlett’s fans, furious with Matthew, flooded his blog with angry comments. In response, Matthew’s fans not only defended him but also launched a counter-attack on Scarlett’s blog.

Matthew's fans branded Scarlett a shameless slut, while Scarlett's fans labeled Matthew a promiscuous and irresponsible bastard.

Fortunately, social media was not yet the all-encompassing force it would become, so the flame wars were confined to a relatively small corner of the internet.

As a result of all the buzz surrounding Matthew, market forecasters quietly revised their opening weekend projections for Dawn of the Dead. The initial estimates of around $16 million were bumped up to a much healthier $25 million.

Many studios began to see Matthew in a new light, reassessing whether a young star with such a powerful ability to generate buzz was exactly the kind of asset they needed.

Hollywood was, after all, a business. As long as you could generate high returns, you would always be the most welcome guest at any studio.

...

"Shooting for National Treasure will wrap up by the end of April at the latest."

In her office, Helen informed Matthew with a serious expression, "Now it's time to think about your next project. The way things are looking, Dawn of the Dead will have no problem turning a profit at the North American box office. So, we can proceed with our original plan for you to continue starring in modern action films."

She looked directly at Matthew. "I have reliable intel that Summit Entertainment is developing a project about an assassin—a real shoot-'em-up action flick."