The Best Movie Actor In Hollywood!

Chapter 377

Hearing Eva’s unprompted greeting, Matthew paused for a moment and replied with a smile, "Hello, Ms. Green."

A smile blossomed on Eva’s lips. "Please, call me Eva."

Matthew gave a slight nod. He’d seen her long, black hair cascading over her shoulders at the premiere of Kingdom of Heaven. Paired with a simple black dress that accentuated her exceptionally fair skin, it made them feel like acquaintances already.

He recalled Helen mentioning that Eva was naturally a blonde.

However, her long, dark brown hair, which was nearly black, undoubtedly suited her appearance far better.

Unlike the typical blonde, she would have looked somewhat out of place with fair hair.

Just as he’d thought before, Matthew found that the dark-haired Eva possessed a unique beauty—striking without being conventional, a look that was wicked, dark, cold, and mysterious.

"Has the entire crew finished filming in the Dominican Republic?" Eva quickly found a topic of conversation. "I heard you ran into some trouble there."

Matthew smiled. "It was nothing. The shoot went quite well."

Eva stopped in front of Matthew and continued, "I'll be heading to the set in a few days.""I believe we have a few scenes together," Matthew said, looking at her.

Eva took a step forward. "Matthew, I haven't properly thanked you for getting me the role."

She knew that the failure of Kingdom of Heaven had nearly derailed her path to stardom in Hollywood. Without someone to give her a lift, the future would have been incredibly difficult.

"You're welcome. I just had a word with Gore Verbinski," Matthew said with deliberate casualness, as if it were nothing at all.

Hearing this, Eva took his influence even more seriously. A simple word could secure an audition for a supporting actress; if he were truly serious, could he also influence the choice for a leading lady?

She had no doubt. The man standing before her was now a top star in her world, and his commercial influence was clear even to her, a Frenchwoman.

"Thank you," Eva expressed her gratitude. "Really, I'm very grateful."

Once again, Matthew replied, "Eva, you're always welcome."

Eva smiled and glanced at the staircase behind him. "Helen is in the office, isn't she?"

Matthew nodded. "You wanted to see her?"

Eva had her own agenda. "Yes," she confirmed.

"Then I won't keep you," Matthew said, ready to take his leave. "We can talk again some other time."

Eva gave a soft nod and walked past Matthew. As she ascended the second floor and rounded the corner of the staircase, she glanced back to see that Matthew had left. She then paused at the top of the stairs, standing still for a moment.

****

For the next two days, Matthew stayed secluded at his estate, not going anywhere. He felt weary after the long shoot in the Dominican Republic and took advantage of the brief lull in his schedule to relax.

Bella visited his estate. At present, she was coordinating with the Angel Acting Agency to manage Matthew’s contact with supporter groups in major American cities. These fan groups, even with their top-down structure, were unlikely to ever become rigidly organized.

Both Matthew and Helen understood this perfectly. What they truly needed from these fans was simple: to react positively and show up at theaters to support Matthew when necessary, such as when he had a major event in a city or a new film was released.

Helen had analyzed the industry for Matthew, explaining that the future of commercial filmmaking in Hollywood was becoming increasingly polarized. First and foremost was the opening weekend box office, which in the future could account for a third, or even half, of a film's total domestic gross—sometimes more.

This meant a film needed an explosive opening weekend, making pre-sales and first-week support critically important.

According to analyses from the six major Hollywood studios, the better a top-tier film’s opening week was, the higher its chances of success, even to the point of overpowering the impact of negative word-of-mouth.

In addition, the Angel Acting Agency was planning to cultivate an even more rabid fan group, using certain hardcore fans in Los Angeles as its base.

Such an organization would not only provide support but also serve as a weapon to discredit competitors.

Subsequently, another management company approached Matthew to represent his interests.

It was well-known that a significant number of Hollywood stars have both agents and managers, and their functions are distinct.

Under California law and industry union regulations, there is a clear division of responsibilities: agents can secure employment for artists, and their job is to close as many deals as possible to keep their clients working. Managers, on the other hand, are responsible for developing and planning an artist's career, shaping their professional path. Their role is to advise their clients on career matters and provide guidance on the options their agents present.

Simply put, agents offer job opportunities, while managers advise which opportunities to take.

Even on paper, it's clear that a conflict of interest exists between an agent and a manager.

In the past, Matthew hadn't hired a manager; that role had effectively been shared between him and Helen.

Of course, many stars don't have a manager, and he wasn't the only one. For instance, stars under the CAA banner often went without one.

The conflict between the roles of manager and agent was obvious and had intensified in recent years, with managers even beginning to take on the duties of agents, discreetly finding work for their clients.

Some famous stars and directors had even parted ways with their agents, choosing to hire only a manager.

As far as Matthew knew, Leonardo DiCaprio, who had left CAA, no longer used an agent, having completely replaced that function with a manager. This was gradually becoming a norm in Hollywood, despite not complying with California's Talent Agencies Act.

Matthew spoke at length with the people who had approached him but neither agreed to work with them nor refused. He was currently satisfied with Helen and had no intention of hiring a manager yet, especially since the most important function of a manager was something he wouldn't need for a long time.

A manager’s greatest role is to advise a client on which opportunities to accept based on their current situation.

On that front, Matthew fundamentally didn't need anyone's advice.

However, having such a management firm in the wings was a boon for Helen.

Furthermore, Matthew needed a public relations team. He went directly to Helen about it, and her advice was to hire a PR firm with a proven track record in the industry.

Matthew had no issue with this, as an established PR team would be more experienced in handling unforeseen crises.

After seven years of hard work since his Hollywood debut in 1999, Matthew had gradually ascended into the ranks of Hollywood's top stars, and being a top star fundamentally meant immense fame and immense wealth.

By the same token, a vast team of people would now rely on him, an A-list star, for their livelihood.

Since he had only just joined the A-list, his team was still relatively simple: no manager, just his agent, Helen; his lawyer, Wilson; financial services from PricewaterhouseCoopers; Bella as his personal assistant; an external publicity and PR team; and a stockbroker, all the way in New York, who specialized in buying Apple shares for him.

Beyond that, there was a host of peripheral individuals who existed to serve him.

For example, Lister’s company, Red Penguin Services, handled the cleaning and routine maintenance of his house. The estate employed two cooks and three maids, three security guards were on duty 24/7 at the entrance, and Helen had advised him to hire a reliable bodyguard, among many other things.

To maintain all of this, he had to spend money again.

Matthew discussed this aspect with his accountants at PricewaterhouseCoopers. Even excluding his personal and daily living expenses, the commissions for the staff surrounding him alone would cost him 20% of his salary and endorsement income.

Agents, lawyers, accountants, and publicists didn't want a flat fee; they wanted a percentage of his relevant income.

This was one of the reasons Matthew wasn't hiring a manager, whose percentage-based income would be no less than an agent's.

Matthew had once asked Depp and Keanu Reeves and found that his expenses in this regard were still relatively low for now. A star like Johnny Depp, with a team of dozens, could pay out over 30% of his personal income to his team members.

A star who wanted fame, good roles, and a strong public image needed an entire professional team, and no professional team comes for free.

Most stars earn a lot and spend a lot, and many are not financially savvy. It was common for them to face a personal financial crisis just as their careers were taking off, which could often be the beginning of bankruptcy.

Matthew felt secure. His investments were relatively sound, he spent generously but not recklessly, and most importantly, he had a large holding of Apple stock to rely on for the future.