The Best Movie Actor In Hollywood!

Chapter 365

The most effective way to expand one's fame and influence is to keep building on it. With filming for the two Pirates of the Caribbean sequels just around the corner, Helen reached out to The Hollywood Reporter and secured an interview for Matthew.

The interview was timed to coincide with the start of filming for the Pirates of the Caribbean sequels, aligning with the pre-production publicity campaign from Disney Pictures.

In the following days, Matthew spent his time poring over the script, delving into his character, practicing his sword fighting, and keeping a close watch on a few recent developments that concerned him.

He had specifically asked Bella to keep an eye on the media for any news about Naomie Harris. So far, nothing had surfaced. It seemed that while the actress might have been a bit naive, she wasn't a fool; she clearly understood the potential consequences of making a scene.

On a more positive note, Eva Green had successfully auditioned for the role of the witch in Pirates of the Caribbean. The rumor was that director Gore Verbinski and producer Jerry Bruckheimer, despite clashing on other issues, were in complete agreement on this: Eva Green's appearance and temperament were perfectly suited for the role.

Eva Green had also gotten his number from Helen and called to thank him, offering to treat him to a French dinner whenever he was free.

Naturally, Matthew had accepted, but he had no time for it now. His schedule was completely booked, and he still had the interview with The Hollywood Reporter to do before filming began.

Since it was a print interview with no filming involved, it was held right in Matthew's office.

The setup for the interview was relatively simple. On the scheduled day, just a female reporter and a photographer arrived.

Before the interview officially started, Matthew sat at his desk and asked the photographer to take a few pictures of him with the newly displayed promotional poster for Pirates of the Caribbean 2 in the background.With the photoshoot out of the way, it was time for the one-on-one interview.

"Hello, Matthew." The reporter shook his hand and introduced herself. "I'm Sofia Arteta from The Hollywood Reporter. I'll be conducting your interview today."

Matthew gestured to a chair. "Please, have a seat."

As she settled into her chair, he remarked with a friendly smile, "Don't hit me with too many tough questions, okay?"

In truth, Helen and one of the team's publicists were sitting just out of sight at Bella's desk. The two sides had already communicated extensively about the interview's scope.

The reporter smiled, placed a small tape recorder on the desk, and took out a pen and notepad. "Shall we begin?"

Matthew smiled. "Anytime."

"Filming for the next Pirates of the Caribbean is just around the corner," Sofia began, posing her first question. "Have you been looking forward to getting started?"

Matthew nodded enthusiastically. "Absolutely, and for a long time now. It's not just me, either. Depp, Keira—we're all eager to embark on a new adventure in the Caribbean."

Despite the pre-interview coordination, Sofia was an experienced journalist who knew how to improvise. Seizing on Matthew's comment, she immediately asked, "Could you tell us a bit about your two co-stars?"

"Depp is an incredibly dedicated and surprising actor, and filming the first Pirates of the Caribbean really made him fall in love with the pirate life." Matthew naturally had high praise for his friends and co-stars. "He truly loves the role of Captain Jack. He's a complex person, much like the captain—very mysterious, and you can never quite guess what's going on in his mind. But he's also a stand-up guy who always comes through when things get tough. He told me once that he wishes he could be a captain for real."

After Depp, it was Keira Knightley's turn. "Keira and I had a history, but we've remained good friends. She's really at the top of her game right now, and I couldn't be happier for her."

Sofia, ever the professional, smoothly transitioned to her next question. "And what about the director, Gore Verbinski?"

Matthew had anticipated this and responded without hesitation. "Gore Verbinski is an eccentric talent. He's a director who has helmed everything from romantic comedies to horror and suspense films. He has a great sense of humor and a knack for creating thrills, along with a keen eye for detail and masterful control of a film's pacing."

He paused for a moment before adding, "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl was such an unequivocal demonstration of Gore's skill that Disney Pictures was thrilled to hand him the reins for two sequels."

"Can you tell us anything about the two sequels?"

"I can reveal a little top-secret information," Matthew said, adopting a conspiratorial tone. "The next two Pirates of the Caribbean installments are very witty and funny movies with excellent screenplays. I have complete confidence in both of them."

"Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl was a massive success. Was that something you anticipated?"

Matthew paused to think for a moment. "Back then, many people were skeptical. They thought we were making a simple Disney kids' movie, that the pirate genre was long dead, and that every attempt to revive it had been met with a critical backlash. But The Curse of the Black Pearl stunned everyone. From the superb direction and script to the brilliant performances by a cast that gave their all, everything came together to create the best possible film. That's why it became such a massive success all over the world."

That concluded the first segment of the interview. Sofia paused to review her notes, while Matthew took a glass of water from Bella, took a sip, and waited for her to resume.

After about three minutes, the reporter looked up. "Alright, let's continue."

At the same time, she added a small disclaimer, "Matthew, the next set of questions will be a bit more personal."

"No problem." Matthew gave a steady nod. "I'm ready."

Sofia posed her question. "Now that you've achieved this level of success, if you could look back, what advice would you give your younger self?"

It was a tricky question, and not one that had been cleared beforehand. Fortunately, since it wasn't a live interview, Matthew had time to think. And if he drew a blank, Helen, sitting just out of his direct line of sight, had a small whiteboard ready to give him a prompt.

However, Matthew didn't even glance in her direction before offering his own response. "Study harder. Try to get into a good university. And only when you have that foundation of knowledge, then you can go to Hollywood."

Across the room, Helen lowered the pen she had poised over the whiteboard and quickly wiped it clean. Matthew's answer might not have been a perfect ten, but it was more than sufficient—a solid passing grade, at the very least.

Helen set her pen aside. With Matthew's current capabilities, she realized, he didn't need her to feed him lines anymore.

Over the last two years, she had come to see that Matthew wasn't an unpredictable star like Depp or Mel Gibson. He was incredibly level-headed about what he did. Even when he occasionally slipped up, it was always over something trivial and inconsequential. In the past few years, he had matured immensely, both in his interactions with the media and in his fundamental craft as an actor.

"You're close friends with Depp, who has formed bands and loves to sing," Sofia continued with her questions. "Has he ever invited you to join his band?"

"No." Matthew shook his head.

The reporter pressed on. "Why not? Have you ever thought about releasing an album or something similar?"

"I'm a terrible singer," Matthew said bluntly. "And even if I could carry a tune, I wouldn't release an album. I'm an actor. A person only has so much energy, and you can't be the best at both acting and singing simultaneously."

The reporter's next question came quickly. "Is it difficult being a public figure?"

Matthew replied, "It's something you have to get used to. Of course, I'm not constantly at the center of public attention, which I'm very grateful for. If I had the level of fame that Tom Cruise does, I'd find it difficult to adjust. Not being quite at that level, I consider myself very fortunate that my success is still within a manageable range."

Hearing Matthew's answer, the reporter asked with a sly smile, "Have you ever lied?"

"Of course. Everyone lies," Matthew replied. "But I'm definitely not going to get into the details of where and when."

The reporter had briefly probed a sensitive area but didn't press the issue. The following questions were more straightforward, right up until the final one.

The reporter asked one final, unscripted question. "Matthew, what is the one accomplishment you are most proud of?"

Matthew was tempted to say it was earning tens of millions of dollars and sleeping with beautiful actresses, but he knew that was a thought best kept to himself. Instead, he gave a very standard, polished answer.

"That I'm always pushing myself to be better, to be more successful."