The Best Movie Actor In Hollywood!

Chapter 295

Following Angelina Jolie’s revelation of her pregnancy and Jennifer Aniston’s unilateral divorce announcement, the biggest news story of the year was born in Hollywood and across America. Paparazzi swarmed Los Angeles, shadowing everyone from Brad Pitt to Angelina Jolie to Jennifer Aniston. The number of photographers and reporters camped outside each of their homes could be counted in the dozens.

Even "Shrek 2," which had just been released and was setting a string of records for animated films, was deprived of its due attention.

Matthew wasn’t surprised. He had told Helen that he’d heard Brad Pitt was having an affair with his own nanny, asked her if Pitt employed a young female nanny, and finally got confirmation from Lister at Red Penguin Services.

His and Helen’s plan was simple: keep Jennifer Aniston’s attention focused on Brad Pitt’s personal life for as long as possible. If Hollywood's golden couple was weathering a relationship crisis, Brad Pitt would inevitably be distracted, and it would affect his audition for the lead role in "Mr. & Mrs. Smith."

If not, so be it. Matthew still had his advantage in the action genre and the commercial box-office appeal he'd built over the last three years.

It was just another layer of insurance for the audition.

Both he and Helen knew that all this behind-the-scenes meddling would be useless if Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston’s relationship had long since fallen apart and they were just putting on a show for the public.

But that day, after careful consideration, Helen had decided that spending a little money without getting too involved was a viable option, and if it worked, it could yield tangible benefits for Matthew.

Matthew and Helen had agreed on a number of things in that regard, and once they decided to act, they committed fully.

What Matthew hadn't expected, however, was that Ilana's people would capture Jennifer Aniston's breakup with Brad Pitt on video.After he saw the video on the TMZ website, he recalled the gossip about Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie that had made the biggest impression on him. He only remembered that their relationship came to light during the filming of "Mr. & Mrs. Smith," but exactly when they started dating was unknown.

Now it seemed that Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie had gotten together even before filming began on "Mr. & Mrs. Smith." The production team likely figured the gossip would help promote the movie and pushed it heavily behind the scenes, which ultimately led to the situation they were in now.

Unfortunately, with such shocking news breaking now and escalating so quickly, and following the rule that gossip flares up fast and cools down relatively fast, even if the production team wanted to stir things up, Brad Pitt's affair with Angelina Jolie wouldn't have much promotional value for a film not scheduled for release until next year.

Besides, it was a scandal, and the production team had not yet confirmed they wanted to cast Brad Pitt. It wasn't as if they were already deep into filming with no way out.

Even in a place like Hollywood, knowingly destroying someone's family and marriage was a dishonorable act.

That was Matthew’s understanding, anyway. The reality could be different.

In fact, Matthew still admired Angelina Jolie for using the cast of "Alexander" to make such a bold move. After her pregnancy was announced, even if Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston had any initial intention of reconciling, they now had no choice but to divorce.

Matthew could only say that Angelina Jolie was an absolute fighter among the stars.

But in a way, Jolie had done him a favor again. Her pregnancy and the almost simultaneous divorce announcement would certainly leave Brad Pitt rattled and distracted for some time.

Considering this, should he call Angelina Jolie? Matthew immediately dismissed the idea. They hadn’t spoken since "Girl, Interrupted," and when they ran into each other at events like the Oscar after-parties, they both pretended not to know each other.

It was better to just silently accept this favor from Jolie.

Still, it seemed Angelina Jolie was truly serious about her relationship with Brad Pitt; otherwise, she wouldn't have taken such a drastic step as faking a fainting spell and publicly announcing her pregnancy.

...

"I wanted to thank you."

In a French restaurant in Los Angeles, Ilana looked at Matthew from across the table and said, "I got a promotion and a raise at TMZ. So, order anything you want."

Matthew didn't know much about French cuisine and passed the menu to Ilana. "You'd better order."

As Ilana took the menu, he asked, "Are you the editor-in-chief now?"

Ilana placed their order and replied to Matthew, "No, my title and salary both went up a level, but I'm still in charge of the same department."

She added pointedly, "It's nothing compared to you, earning tens of millions of dollars a year."

Matthew didn't try to be modest. "You make a good living, too."

Ilana shrugged slightly. "You call earning $250,000 a year a high income? Just looking at you makes me despair."

"Nothing to be done about that," Matthew said deliberately. "You'll be stuck in the mire of despair forever, then."

"How did you get the tip?" Ilana asked, suddenly changing the subject.

"I didn't know Brad Pitt was having an affair with Angelina Jolie. I'd only heard that Brad Pitt has a thing for nannies." True to his word, Matthew pointed to his ear. "I'm a person with exceptionally good hearing. I'm always overhearing people's whispers."

"Hmph." Ilana couldn't believe such a claim. "You think I'd buy that?"

Matthew spread his hands. "It's the truth! I've never been more honest."

"Alright, whatever. Pitt is out of the race anyway," Ilana added. "He probably won't have the time or the energy to even audition for 'Mr. & Mrs. Smith' now."

She understood perfectly well that Matthew provided information because both sides got what they needed. There was no question of favors owed or anything of the sort; mutual assistance and benefit were the foundation of their partnership.

Matthew thought for a moment and asked, "Is Brad Pitt going to divorce Jennifer Aniston?"

Ilana gave an affirmative reply. "According to my information, yes."

She briefly described the latest developments. "Public opinion is heavily against him and Jolie right now, with most of the sympathy going to Jennifer."

Matthew nodded. That was to be expected. Jennifer Aniston was the victim and would naturally gain a share of sympathy, plus her public persona was far more popular than Pitt's or Jolie's.

"But Pitt has hired the best PR expert in the business," Ilana continued. "He's getting ready to launch a campaign to whitewash his public image."

She smirked. "From what I'm told, the media will soon be flooded with stories about how Brad Pitt always wanted children and dreamed of a big family, but Jennifer was infertile after a recent miscarriage and couldn't give him the family life he wanted. And then he met Jolie, who is particularly fond of children."

Ilana shrugged. "It's a dubious claim, but it'll probably work."

"Even so," Matthew countered, "he won't come out of this clean."

"Of course he won't. How could anyone wash this off?" Ilana reminded him. "But Pitt doesn't need to be cleansed. He just needs to give his fans and supporters a plausible excuse, a reason to feel that the star they adore had his reasons. And believe me, that'll be enough."

She grumbled, "As for Jennifer, since she's already left him, I doubt Pitt cares what people say about her, as long as it benefits him."

Hearing this, Matthew broke into a cold sweat. He suddenly felt that Hollywood celebrity marriages were simply terrifying. If he got married in the future, would he also get stabbed in the back?

Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston—they all gave him too many signs that a celebrity marriage could never be a happy one.

It was better not to get married than to have a messy future where both sides got hurt.

Ilana added, "You watch, it won't be long before the rumors about Jennifer's inability to have children spread all over the world."

She suddenly lowered her voice and adopted a mysterious tone. "And Pitt has approached me about doing an interview for TMZ. I think he'll try to paint himself as the victim."

Matthew grew curious. "So? Are you going to do it?"

"Of course," Ilana answered with complete sincerity. "Why not? We get a spectacle and earn some extra cash."

Matthew studied her closely. "Now I'm sure you're the same Ilana I've always known."

Ilana smiled.

A short while later, the dishes she had ordered for them arrived, and the conversation shifted to another topic.

...

On the third day after Matthew’s meeting with Ilana, articles aimed at whitewashing Brad Pitt began to appear in the media, with content similar to what Ilana had described.

Strangely, Jennifer Aniston didn't refute any of it, as if she just wanted to be done with the whole mess rather than dwell on it.

Meanwhile, Helen sent Matthew news that couldn't have been better.