The Best Movie Actor In Hollywood!

Chapter 345

Matthew wasn't the only one attending the premiere of 'Kingdom of Heaven'; Helen was there as well, now that she had signed her second star client.

In late April, Helen had successfully poached a new client, signing Eva Green, the lead actress from 'The Dreamers'. Matthew didn't say much about it, as it was natural for the agency to grow. Besides, he knew she wouldn't be competing with him for the agency's main resources.

Besides, if he ever felt uncomfortable working with Helen and her agency, he could always jump ship and go to CAA or William Morris.

"Matthew, this is Thomas Rothman."

In the VIP lounge of the Kodak Theatre, Helen introduced Matthew. "Tom is the president of distribution for 20th Century Fox."

Matthew stepped forward and shook hands with the middle-aged, bespectacled man.

"Actually, we came very close to working together," Rothman said with a smile. "20th Century Fox was originally set to distribute 'Mr. & Mrs. Smith,' but unfortunately, Summit Entertainment changed their minds at the last minute."

He looked at Matthew and said earnestly, "Still, I hope we can find a way to collaborate in the future."

Matthew understood that this was all a result of the consistent success of his last few films and replied politely, "I'm sure there will be an opportunity."

They chatted for a moment longer, and then Tom excused himself.Helen frowned at his retreating back. "If 'Kingdom of Heaven' fails, I think he'll be taking most of the blame."

"Why?" Matthew asked curiously.

"Haven't you heard?" Helen glanced at Matthew and explained, "The version Uncle Scott originally edited is nothing like the one being released today. Tom was so unhappy with his cut that he personally ordered the film to be re-edited, slashing about fifty minutes of content. Uncle Scott was furious, but there was nothing he could do about it."

Matthew nodded. "Orlando mentioned something like that."

Helen shook her head slightly. "The film is in jeopardy. The two test screenings didn't get good reviews—in fact, it was quite the opposite."

Suddenly, the door to the VIP lounge opened, and the cast and crew began to file in. Matthew and Helen went over to greet Ridley Scott and Orlando, and were also introduced to a towering Liam Neeson.

Seeing Liam Neeson, Matthew was suddenly reminded of a comment he'd once posted on some movie forum. There was a poll about the most irritating movie characters, and the top contenders included Liam Neeson's daughter and Keanu Reeves's dog from 'John Wick'.

Helen then introduced him to Eva Green.

"Hello, Ms. Green." Matthew shook hands with Eva, who returned his greeting with a smile. "Hello."

She asked a bit hesitantly, "May I call you Matthew?"

Matthew nodded. "Of course."

He added, "Ms. Green, your English is perfect. I can't hear any French accent at all."

"Please, call me Eva," she said with a smile. "I studied at New York University, where they specifically worked on correcting my accent."

As they talked, Matthew found his gaze lingering on her. The French actress's long, dark hair was clearly dyed, and set against her pale complexion and black dress, it created a striking contrast.

Frankly, her looks didn't fit the traditional American aesthetic, but Matthew found her beautiful. Unlike the cookie-cutter blonde models, Eva was unique—beautiful in a way that was entirely her own.

After a short conversation, Matthew made a point to distance himself from Eva. To be honest, he found her far too attractive, and prolonged contact would inevitably spark ideas—ideas he couldn't afford to have at this stage. After all, there were too many agreements tied to 'Mr. & Mrs. Smith,' and it would be a disaster if he did something careless that caught the media's attention.

At a critical juncture like this, he couldn't afford to lose sight of his priorities.

...

Soon, everyone in the VIP lounge made their way into the theater and settled in to wait for the screening of 'Kingdom of Heaven' to begin.

Helen sat next to Matthew and whispered when no one was close enough to hear, "Don't get too familiar with other women. It could be misinterpreted."

Knowing that Helen knew him all too well, Matthew didn't deny it. He said frankly, "I'm a grown man. It's normal to feel an attraction to women who match my aesthetic, but attraction doesn't mean I'm going to pounce on every desirable woman I meet."

Helen gave a slight nod and said no more; after all, Matthew remained serious and responsible when it came to his career.

The film began to roll, and Matthew's full attention shifted to the big screen. But as soon as the movie started, he realized that the version being shown was drastically different from the one he vaguely remembered.

Watching the film, Matthew's overwhelming impression was that it was bland and utterly unengaging. It completely lacked the kind of epic thrill that gets the blood pumping.

Moreover, the editing was clearly flawed, even to a layman like him. The plot was incoherent, and despite a star-studded cast, the character motivations were blurry.

Even when compared to a family-friendly film like 'National Treasure,' this movie felt pale and unconvincing. Orlando Bloom and Eva Green were reduced to little more than beautiful ornaments, and even veteran actors like Jeremy Irons and Liam Neeson failed to shine. The only memorable performance came from Edward Norton, who spent the entire film behind a mask.

Though his memory of the other version was hazy, Matthew had the distinct feeling that the fifty minutes cut from the film had been a death blow.

Eva's character was butchered, reduced to a typical Hollywood prop. She felt out of place, and her entire existence in the film seemed to be a contrived way to link the conflicting relationships of several male characters, while also vaguely gesturing at a love story with Orlando. It was all handled so obliquely that none of it was convincing.

Matthew vaguely recalled that her character, the princess, was supposed to have a son, the heir to the kingdom. But after ascending the throne, the young boy is discovered to have leprosy, just like his uncle. Unable to bear the thought of her son repeating her brother's tragic fate, the princess ends the child's life herself, causing power to pass to her husband.

With that crucial emotional arc completely removed by 20th Century Fox's edit, the film's only female character was reduced to mere decoration.

Orlando's role was only marginally better. Matthew saw the protagonist, Balian, as a character whose development was jarringly abrupt. He couldn't understand how a common blacksmith suddenly became an eloquent leader and inherited a title just like that. It felt as though Orlando had been given nothing to work with; his character remained silent and cold from beginning to end.

He seemed to recall seeing a version that had more of Balian's backstory, though the details were fuzzy. Now, however, there was no trace of it.

Ridley Scott would never have made such a glaring error, which led to only one conclusion: 20th Century Fox had ripped the very soul out of the film.

Matthew felt that Orlando had lost a golden opportunity for critical acclaim. Any chance he'd had was now gone.

Of course, the most unfortunate person in all this had to be Ridley Scott. The version now being shown was an empty shell, and its fragile narrative backbone made even the magnificent battle scenes feel flat.

Having worked with Ridley, Matthew knew this couldn't have been his intention.

Helen had once told him that Ridley had intended 'Kingdom of Heaven' to be an epic in the traditional sense, complete with magnificent battle scenes. But the film screened tonight was undoubtedly destined to sink.

As the credits rolled, Matthew turned to Helen. "What do you think?"

He was no match for a professional agent like her when it came to reading a film and assessing its market potential.

Helen sighed, then shook her head. "Ridley got screwed over by 20th Century Fox and Thomas Rothman."