The Best Movie Actor In Hollywood!

Chapter 384

Matthew received a call from Harvey while he was on set. Harvey bluntly stated that he wanted a meeting, but Matthew, having already gotten a call from David Ellison, politely declined the invitation, citing the demanding shooting schedule for "Pirates of the Caribbean."

David had made it clear over the phone that Harvey wanted to secure the distribution rights for "300," leveraging his connections from "Sin City."

The Weinstein Company had only just been established, but no one doubted Harvey's abilities, and his new venture certainly had the potential for a massive, wide-scale release.

But given the choice between Warner Bros. and The Weinstein Company, most people would undoubtedly pick Warner Bros.

Matthew's decision not to meet Harvey was a calculated move to avoid a direct conflict. He'd learned from Jack Beard about David's meeting with Harvey, and David, of course, could refuse him outright—he had the money to back it up.

But Matthew was in a different position; he was an actor, after all. If he could sidestep a confrontation with a major industry player, he should do so as often as possible. It would be foolish to go looking for trouble with Harvey.

Besides, his excuse was genuine—the "Pirates of the Caribbean" crew was working overtime.

****

"You're doing the right thing."

At the studio, during a break between takes, Helen approached Matthew. "We're not just going to hand over the distribution rights to Harvey simply because he wants them," she said. "But he has immense influence in this town, so we need to avoid any potential conflict."Matthew nodded.

If he were a superstar, he could have refused Harvey to his face. Even if Harvey wanted to retaliate, a superstar's own appeal and commercial value would be enough to counteract him.

But at this stage in his career, it was better to be cautious when dealing with such a titan of the film industry.

"Does he have much influence over commercial films?" Matthew asked.

"Not as much as he does in the independent film scene." Helen clearly had expert knowledge in this area. "But he definitely has some pull. He's friendly with a number of producers. To say a single phone call could decide the male and female leads on a project would be an exaggeration, but influencing the choices and perceptions of certain producers wasn't difficult for him at all."

She reminded him, "Harvey has been working in Hollywood for over twenty years, and he's been a core member of the producers' league since the mid-to-late nineties. You shouldn't underestimate his power."

Matthew understood perfectly well that connections and dealings with Hollywood titans were, in themselves, a form of power.

Helen continued, "As far as I know, The Weinstein Company doesn't have any production plans this year. Harvey's energy is mainly focused on acquiring films for distribution, so he has a lot of time on his hands. And considering the success of 'Sin City,' I don't think he'll give up so easily."

"Don't worry." Matthew took a sip from his glass. "My shooting schedule is packed for the next two months. I have no time."

"You need to be careful," Helen warned him nonetheless. "The Hollywood scene is small. If you run into him, try not to start a confrontation and just pin all the blame on David Ellison."

Matthew gave a cautious nod. "I know what to do."

At that, Helen ended the conversation, saying, "I'm going to have a chat with Jerry Bruckheimer."

"Go ahead."

Matthew knew that Helen had recently been in negotiations with Disney Pictures and Jerry Bruckheimer Films about a sequel to "National Treasure," but the talks hadn't been successful so far. His side's proposal of a $20 million salary plus 10% of the gross was unacceptable to them, while their counteroffer of a flat $15 million fee was equally unacceptable to him.

Currently, the negotiations were at a standstill. Since Disney refused to budge and Matthew wasn't short on other work, it was quite likely the sequel project would be delayed for a long time.

Matthew was in no hurry, and neither was Disney, as negotiations for sequels like this in Hollywood could drag on for years.

****

Until mid-October, aside from his daily rest, Matthew was completely immersed in filming the two "Pirates of the Caribbean" sequels, and his screen time was nearly on par with Depp's.

By the end of October, "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" had finished its theatrical run and was completely pulled from North American cinemas. After more than five months in theaters, its domestic box office haul reached $275.2 million, which was an undeniable success.

With the film's success, Matthew officially ascended to the status of a recognized A-list star, both inside and outside the industry.

Furthermore, "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" was still playing overseas, though only in about a dozen smaller markets, and its foreign box office had surpassed $250 million.

Thus, the film's cumulative worldwide gross totaled $552.1 million.

By any measure, "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" was a massive commercial success.

Not only did Matthew ascend to the A-list, but so did Charlize Theron. Having already won a Best Actress Oscar, the tremendous success of "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" made her one of the few leading ladies in recent years to escape the so-called "Oscar curse."

Matthew had kept in touch with Charlize, who was spending most of her time outside of work in South Africa.

At the end of October, Matthew and the "Pirates of the Caribbean" cast and crew took a break from filming to attend the premiere of director Gore Verbinski's other film, "The Weather Man."