The Best Movie Actor In Hollywood!

Chapter 339

Most of the desert shots were more like a studio photoshoot. According to director Michael Bay's vision, that was all that was needed to capture some incredibly cool footage.

But another crew was still filming nearby, so the Mercedes-Benz team had to wait.

Matthew quickly finished with makeup and stepped out of his trailer to find his crew, their own preparations complete, watching the nearby film set with curiosity.

As soon as he had arrived in the barren landscape, Matthew had guessed the neighboring crew was from the San Fernando Valley. Standing back from the crowd and watching them now, his suspicion was confirmed. He could vaguely make out an intense sex scene being filmed between a heavyset actor and a beautiful blonde.

Standing beside an equally curious Michael Bay, Matthew let out a low whistle.

“If my transition into directing had failed,” Michael joked, propping his chin on his hand, “I might’ve ended up shooting this kind of crap.”

Matthew retorted playfully, “What’s so bad about it?”

Michael shook his head. “Too much risk of getting on the police’s radar.”

“Even so, I’m sure there are plenty of people who’d kill for a career like that,” Matthew remarked with a smile.

Michael returned the smile.As Matthew and Bay chatted, the other crew appeared to wrap up their shoot and began packing up their makeshift set.

Once they were done, Michael ordered his own crew to get ready.

Matthew handed his cell phone and other personal items to Bella Anderson, his current assistant, and walked onto the makeshift set alone.

Unlike a studio shoot, the crew front-loaded all of Matthew's scenes, planning to get all his posed shots done before moving on to the stunt sequences.

Two specially modified Mercedes-Benz G-Class vehicles had also been brought in. One was positioned directly in the center of the set, while the other was parked nearby.

Matthew once again stood beside the Mercedes G-Class, his expression just as cool and detached as before. The photographer approached with a camera; this time, in addition to the commercial footage, they also needed a series of promotional stills.

Following the photographer’s directions, Matthew cooperated, striking various poses for the camera.

His part of the shoot went quickly and smoothly. Before the crew from the San Fernando Valley had even finished packing up, Matthew's team was already done.

The rest of the scenes, which involved complex driving maneuvers, would be handled by stunt drivers.

Matthew stepped off the set, found Michael Bay, and asked, “Any more scenes for me, Michael? If not, I’m going to head out.”

“No, that’s it.” Bay, seemingly impressed, added, “We should grab a drink and chat sometime.”

As a purely commercial director, he loved working with actors who had major box-office appeal.

Matthew, of course, had no reason to refuse. “Just give me a call anytime.”

After that, Matthew went back to his trailer. Within ten minutes, he had removed his makeup, changed back into his own clothes, and was heading toward his car.

Seeing Matthew approach, Bella handed him his phone. “Miss Herman called,” she informed him. “She wanted me to tell you that David Ellison just signed the official rights agreement with Frank Miller on behalf of Skydance Media.”

Matthew took the phone, nodded, and was about to get into his car when a blonde woman jumped out from behind a black Mercedes SUV.

She stared at Matthew and exclaimed, “It really is you!”

The woman was dressed revealingly, her face heavily made up with a smoky-eyed look that was exceptionally sultry.

Bella recognized the woman as one of the actresses from the neighboring shoot and quickly moved to intercept her.

“Recognize me, Matthew?” the blonde asked, a glint in her eyes as she looked at him.

Matthew gave Bella a nod, and she stepped aside, allowing the blonde woman to approach.

“Hello, Miss Drake.” Matthew, of course, recognized her. At the very beginning, right after his ‘awakening,’ he had nearly starred in an adult film with her. “Good to see you again.”

Jessica Drake moved closer to Matthew. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”

She looked him right in the eye. “It’s incredible. You actually became a Hollywood star.”

Matthew just smiled.

Jessica gradually recovered from her surprise and said with a smirk, “Well, look at that. I almost had sex with a future Hollywood superstar.”

Matthew had no desire to dwell on the topic. “Let’s talk some other time,” he said. “I have to get going.”

The tabloids had already written about his near-miss with a career in adult films, but rather than damaging his reputation, the story had been quickly forgotten.

Even if someone had tried to make a bigger story out of it, without photos or videos, the claims would have had no credibility.

“Leaving so soon?” Jessica suddenly stepped closer, pulled a card from an inside pocket, and held it out to him. She lowered her voice. “That’s my number. If you ever need me, I’m at your disposal.”

Matthew, of course, understood exactly what she was implying. He took the card.

“I hope we see each other again.” Jessica took a step back. “Goodbye, Matthew Horner.”

“Bye, Jessica.” Matthew nodded to her.

Without a word, Bella watched Jessica walk away before getting into the driver's seat and starting the Mercedes SUV.

From the back seat of the large Mercedes G-Class, Matthew ordered, “Drive to the office in Burbank.”

Bella stepped on the gas, and the SUV pulled off the dusty lot and onto the paved road leading to the highway.

As she drove, she furtively watched Matthew open a small compartment on the passenger side, pull out a card case, and tuck away the card Jessica had given him.

Bella knew exactly what that meant and could only pretend she hadn’t seen a thing. Her sister, Carla, had warned her recently that many celebrities had bad habits, and that as a personal assistant, the best thing to do was turn a blind eye.

Still, her mind began to race. Matthew was clearly dating Charlize—rumor had it they’d already looked at a house together twice—and now he was taking a card from that woman.

Bella quickly cut off the thought. It wasn’t her place to get involved in such things.

According to her sister, even if Matthew was a playboy, he was still far better than most of the male celebrities in this town.

And from what she had observed since becoming his personal assistant, he hadn’t seemed to have any improper dealings with any woman other than Charlize.

The black Mercedes SUV drove through the San Fernando Valley and soon arrived in Burbank, parking in the garage beneath the office building. Matthew led Bella up to his office and dialed Helen’s number, but it went unanswered.

Matthew figured Helen was busy, so he didn’t try again. Instead, he sat down at his desk to wait.

“Bella,” he asked while he waited, “how are we doing with the fan groups?”

“I’ve made contact with the organizers of your fan groups in several major cities, including Los Angeles and New York.” Bella pulled out a work journal and flipped through it as she spoke. “Most of your fan clubs are currently self-organized, started by proactive fans. They don’t have any real structure right now.”

Matthew tapped his fingers on the desk. “When Helen gets back, tell her I want the agency to get more involved with organizing the fans.”

Bella replied, “I’ll make a note of it.”

Just then, Matthew’s phone rang. He picked it up and glanced at the screen—it was Helen.

She told him that the official contract with Frank Miller had just been signed. She, David Ellison, Zack Snyder, Frank Miller, and his agent were having a celebratory drink to seal the deal.

She also mentioned that she’d be back in Los Angeles tomorrow to meet with Goldsman about the next promotional push for Mr. & Mrs. Smith. After that, she would help Zack and David get the ball rolling on 300, starting with contacting distribution companies.

With the end of April fast approaching, the North American release of Mr. & Mrs. Smith was just around the corner. The team needed a massive, sensational promotional campaign to ensure the film could dominate the box office against the fierce competition in May.

Ultimately, the task of generating that buzz would fall squarely on the shoulders of Matthew and Charlize.