The Best Movie Actor In Hollywood!

Chapter 432

Two cars pulled up, one after the other. Matthew and Ilana emerged from the first, while James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender stepped out of the second. The four of them met up and headed toward the arena.

“It’s packed,” Michael remarked as they walked, observing the long lines of people waiting to get into the arena. “Looks like it’s mostly fans.”

Matthew glanced toward the entrance as well. They were heading for the VIP access point, where a security guard stood watch, allowing only those with invitations to pass.

The general admission entrance, where tickets were being scanned, was on the other side.

This was it: the "Raging Boll," a title Ilana had coined on TMZ. The fight had received extensive media coverage, eventually prompting a professional promotions company to take over. They had moved the event from Toronto to a proper indoor arena in Los Angeles, secured sponsorships, and even started selling tickets to the public.

Judging by the long lines at the gates alone, Uwe Boll had not only managed to make a name for himself but was also poised to make a significant amount of money from this spectacle.

As VIP guests, they had ringside seats, and at Matthew's request, all four of them were seated together.

After finding their seats, Matthew took the one on the far left, with Ilana, James, and Michael filing in next to him.

Once seated, Matthew took in the whole arena. A professional-grade boxing ring was set up near their section, complete with all the requisite equipment. The entire setup looked indistinguishable from an official match.

He then scanned the stands and estimated that the arena, which could hold several thousand people, was already about half full.“Looks like a lot of people are interested in this fight,” Matthew commented to Ilana, who was sitting to his right.

Ilana, however, offered an entertainment journalist’s perspective. “Boll might specialize in terrible movies, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have fans.”

She chuckled. “Of course, even more people hate him. He’s butchered so many video game adaptations that I bet a lot of people know his name and just want to see what kind of a train wreck he is in person.”

Matthew nodded. “A bad reputation is still a reputation.”

“Exactly,” Ilana concurred. “The biggest fear for any director or actor isn't having a bad reputation—it's having no reputation at all.”

Just then, a man and a woman approached from Matthew’s left. The man was Leonardo DiCaprio, and his companion was a stunning, long-legged blonde who carried herself with the unmistakable poise of a model.

Matthew hadn't expected to see DiCaprio here. “Hey, Leo,” he greeted him.

Leonardo, spotting Matthew, smiled back. “Hey, Matthew.”

He tipped the baseball cap on his head, gesturing toward the ring. “You interested in the fight, too?”

As he spoke, Leonardo settled into the empty seat to Matthew's left.

Matthew gave a slight shrug. “Aren't you?”

DiCaprio grinned, clearly in high spirits. He lowered his voice conspiratorially. “I’ve been getting savaged by critics since Titanic. I’m here to see some of those bastards get what’s coming to them. No way I was going to miss this.”

Matthew smirked. “I get it. Same reason I’m here.”

His own rapid rise to fame over the past few years had been built on a string of action films—a genre that, predictably, was scorned by the majority of critics.

“You’re not the only ones who aren't fans of film critics,” DiCaprio’s leggy blonde companion remarked, glancing over her shoulder. “Tom Cruise is here, too.”

Matthew followed her gaze and saw Tom Cruise arriving with his fiancée, Katie Holmes. They were seated a short distance away.

Apparently, very few stars were fond of film critics.

Over the course of his career, Cruise had probably taken more flak from critics than Matthew and Leonardo DiCaprio combined.

Turning his attention back to Leonardo, Matthew prompted, “Leo, are you going to introduce us?”

“Right, I almost forgot.” Leonardo made the introductions. “Matthew, this is my girlfriend, Bar Refaeli. Bar, this is Matthew Horner, Hollywood’s hottest star at the moment.”

“You’re exaggerating,” Matthew said, shaking the hand Bar offered him. “So, forgive me for asking, but are you a model?”

Bar smiled and nodded. “You guessed it. I’m a contract model for Sports Illustrated.”

Hearing that, Matthew couldn’t help but feel a surge of amusement. It really was true: DiCaprio’s taste in women never changed.

Matthew exchanged a few pleasantries with Bar and, out of courtesy, introduced Leonardo to Ilana, James, and Michael.

Leonardo’s gaze lingered on Ilana with a hint of surprise.

He’d heard the name before and knew she was a formidable figure, but he hadn’t expected one of TMZ's top executives to be quite so cozy with Matthew.

The pieces clicked into place. He recalled his manager mentioning that while many TMZ stories about Matthew Horner seemed scandalous on the surface, the underlying angle was always inexplicably favorable. The slant was always in Matthew’s favor.

So this woman was the reason why, he thought.

These days, TMZ wasn’t just some website; it was the number one gossip outlet in the industry.

Just then, a wave of cheers erupted through the arena, followed by a more chaotic and messy cacophony of boos and jeers. The announcer was introducing the four film critics, who were now making their way to the ring one by one.

Matthew, however, didn’t recognize any of their names.

And then, from the opposite side of the arena, came “Raging Boll” himself!

Unlike the critics, who were decked out in full protective headgear and padding, Uwe Boll wore only a pair of black boxing trunks and had no headgear at all. The German director had a somewhat awkward build, but he looked surprisingly powerful, his muscles clearly defined from serious training.

“Those four are about to get what’s coming to them!” Leonardo declared, practically buzzing with excitement. “I heard Boll was an amateur boxer for nearly a decade.”

Matthew watched with interest as Uwe Boll strode toward the ring, bathed in the glare of the spotlights.

Just then, Ilana leaned in. “I have it on good authority that the promotions company told the critics this was just a PR stunt. A bit of showmanship, no real fighting.”

Leonardo’s face fell. “Then what’s the point?”

He was here to see critics get their asses kicked, after all.

“Don’t be so sure, Leo,” Matthew cautioned, not convinced it was that simple. “I’ve met Uwe Boll, and... well, how do I put this?”

He recalled the things Boll had said in Germany when he’d asked him to star in In the Name of the King. “Uwe is thick-skinned, shameless, and has a habit of using grandiose excuses to disguise his more... unpleasant qualities.”

He’d barely finished the sentence when Ilana leaned close to his ear and whispered, “Are you sure you’re not describing yourself?”

Matthew turned to look at her, and Ilana gave him a pointed, narrow-eyed stare.

“Oh?” Leonardo interjected. “Matthew, are you saying you think Boll might actually fight for real?”

Matthew nodded. “I think it’s highly likely.”

He elaborated, “Leo, when the critics tore into you, didn’t you want to punch them?”

Leonardo scoffed. “A tiny handful of critics are fair with their views and opinions. But most of them... you call that a film review? It’s just a hit piece. If it weren’t illegal to kill people, they’d all be long dead—and I wouldn’t have had to lift a finger.”

“I know the feeling!” Matthew said. Over the last few years, as his own fame had skyrocketed, he’d been lambasted by critics just as much as Leonardo. It wasn't hard to understand why; critics loved to take shots at the most popular stars, often using the harshest language they could muster.

Matthew added, “For all their sarcasm and insults, the critics never called us the worst actors in the world, did they?”

Leonardo nodded in agreement.

“And we still wanted to beat the hell out of them,” Matthew continued. “But Uwe Boll? Critics have literally called him the worst director in cinematic history. You really think he’s just going to let that slide?”