The Best Movie Actor In Hollywood!

Chapter 382: Weinstein

Matthew gave a slight nod at the mention of Harvey Weinstein's name. Of course, he knew who Harvey was. The Weinstein brothers were undoubtedly the top dogs in the world of independent Hollywood production, pillars of the Producers Guild of America. Across the industry, they were regarded as men of immense power.

Since the early 1990s, the two brothers' studios had risen to the forefront of Hollywood's independent film scene and soon began playing the Oscar game. It was then that the Academy Awards entered an era driven by aggressive PR campaigns.

Their masterstrokes included, most notoriously, Shakespeare in Love beating Saving Private Ryan, and Chicago triumphing over The Pianist. They were also responsible for some of the most questionable Oscar wins for both films and actresses.

To this day, the mention of Gwyneth Paltrow winning the Best Actress Oscar for Shakespeare in Love remains a source of ridicule and controversy.

Of course, there are countless actresses who want to emulate Gwyneth Paltrow. After all, even the most undeserving Oscar winner is still crowned a queen of cinema, able to make her salary demands skyrocket.

Naturally, Harvey Weinstein, with his power to secure nominations and even win Oscars, became the man to court for countless actors and actresses.

As everyone knows, the independent film scene is far more chaotic than mainstream commercial Hollywood, and given Harvey's immense power, his lifestyle and methods were predictable.

Large commercial films have complex capital structures, corresponding limits on power, and the enormous risk of a massive investment failing. A single flop could be enough to end a director's or producer's career.

Power, however, is often concentrated, as was the case with Harvey’s films. He would typically back three or four movies a year specifically tailored as Oscar bait for the Academy. As long as one of them won a major award, it didn't matter if the others failed—the 'Oscar effect' was enough to turn a profit.

From the mid-1990s to the present, Harvey had far more independent film failures than Oscar successes, yet the studios he and Bob Weinstein controlled only grew in size and influence, and the brothers became ever wealthier.This business model was only suitable for independent films with small investments; apply it to a commercial blockbuster, and the failure of a $200 million production could mean the end of everything.

It was no exaggeration to say that after so many years, Harvey had become the gold standard of the independent production scene in Hollywood.

For example, the great Judi Dench, while working with Harvey on Shakespeare in Love, had his name tattooed right on her thigh to impress him and win the award for Best Supporting Actress, and even claimed she would show it on the Oscar red carpet if needed.

For any actor with Oscar ambitions, Harvey's name held an almost magical allure.

For stars focused on commercial success, however, Harvey wasn't nearly as important, as the Weinstein brothers themselves rarely got involved in major, A-list commercial productions.

Their most significant involvement in a blockbuster franchise had been a minor role in developing The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Besides his reputation in Oscar and independent film circles, the most pervasive rumor Matthew had heard about Harvey was his penchant for summoning actresses to his hotel room for 'auditions,' meetings, and contract negotiations. Anyone who had spent more than a few months in Hollywood knew exactly what that implied.

Rumor had it that most of the actresses Harvey had worked with, including stars like Gwyneth Paltrow, had had an affair with him.

These kinds of quid pro quo arrangements were commonplace in Hollywood. But this wasn't the Hollywood of the 1950s and '60s; most of these 'transactions' were consensual, and instances of outright coercion were exceedingly rare. Yet, rumors had reached Matthew that Harvey enjoyed being abusive, sometimes using force on lesser-known actresses.

Those young actresses were forced to endure it, either because of his power or for the sake of their own careers.

But if you play with fire long enough, you're bound to get burned.

In today's age of instant information, it was impossible for one man to completely suppress the news. Hollywood power players who could make careers tended to be flirtatious, but not vile. Even someone like Michael Bay, who was also known for sleeping with actresses from his films, had a much better reputation than Harvey Weinstein.

If you resorted to force often enough, you would eventually run into a woman who refused to stay silent. Maybe Harvey could suppress her story once or twice, but eventually, the pressure from the media and the police would mount, and some previously unknown actress would finally speak out to the press.

In an age where information circled the globe in minutes, a scandal of that magnitude would be impossible to erase from one's reputation.

Matthew knew full well that Hollywood was a pragmatic and elitist world; he himself was no exception.

If someone were to be caught in a massive scandal, you could be sure everyone would come out of the woodwork, eager to kick the dog while it was down.

Such was the nature of Hollywood.

When he was just a minor actor, he once heard a new extra claim that there were no backroom deals in Hollywood, no trading sex for roles. This extra believed Hollywood was as pure as a crystal-clear swimming pool, that its system was designed to prevent any shady dealings.

Matthew had replied to the extra at the time, "That doesn't sound like any world inhabited by people."

He wondered what that extra would think if he saw the life Harvey Weinstein led.

Perhaps Harvey was in purely romantic relationships with all those actresses, but did that really sound plausible?

Matthew didn't consider himself a saint when it came to women, but he would never be brazen enough to use force. Leaving aside morality, the potential consequences alone were too alarming.

He hadn't forgotten his original purpose, but that purpose was to enjoy life, not to drag himself into trouble.

In just a few moments, countless thoughts about Harvey Weinstein had flashed through Matthew's mind.

"Did Helen say anything specific?" he asked.

Bella shook her head. "No, she just said it had to do with 300."

Bella immediately handed him the phone. "Helen asked you to call her back."

Matthew took the phone and dialed her number. "Helen, it's me."

Helen's voice came through the line. "Harvey Weinstein just paid me a visit. He wanted to talk about 300."

Matthew frowned slightly. "What does he want?"

Helen replied immediately from the other end of the line. "He wants the distribution rights for 300. I don't know him well and have had practically no dealings with him. Frank Miller made the introduction."

Sensing that Matthew might not be familiar with the intricate industry connections, she added, "Frank has worked with Harvey before. Sin City was produced by the Weinsteins' company, and Miramax handled the distribution."

Puzzled, Matthew asked, "Didn't the Weinstein brothers leave Miramax?"

"Harvey and Bob Weinstein were still at Miramax when the distribution deal for Sin City was confirmed," Helen explained over the phone. "They only officially left Miramax this year to found The Weinstein Company, which operates through various divisions, one of which is Empire Gate Pictures."

She paused, then added, "After the success of Sin City, Harvey recognized the value of Frank's work. If he hadn't been preoccupied with his split from Walt Disney, I doubt we would have been able to secure the rights to 300. Now that the Weinstein brothers have broken away from Miramax and drawn a line in the sand with Disney, the rights to 300 have fallen into our laps."

Matthew smiled. "Sounds like we got lucky."

According to Helen, if it hadn't been for the Weinstein brothers' conflict with Walt Disney, they would have had a much harder time getting the film rights for 300 from Frank Miller.

After all, Frank had already worked with the Weinstein brothers on Sin City.

He shook his head and asked, "Helen, isn't Harvey Weinstein only interested in independent films?"

Helen replied calmly, "300, at its core, is an independent film."

Thinking about it, Matthew realized she was right. 300 could certainly be classified as an independent film, with its sole investor being a small production company like Skydance Pictures.

"So what's your take on this?" Matthew asked.

"Harvey is very capable, and there's no question that Miramax, the company he built, has significant distribution power," Helen said, her voice as dispassionate as ever. "But he's no match for Warner Brothers."

"That's true." Matthew smiled. "What did you tell him?"

"Skydance Pictures has already signed a distribution deal with Warner Brothers," Helen said slowly. "There was no need for us to offend a big shot like Harvey, so I put it all on Skydance Pictures."

Matthew understood. "So you threw David under the bus?"

Helen ignored his comment and issued a warning. "You're the key to this project. Be careful. Weinstein might come after you directly."