The Best Movie Actor In Hollywood!

Chapter 443

The banquet hall, capable of holding hundreds, was buzzing with activity. Matthew and Amanda, as the heads of the charitable foundation, stood at the entrance to welcome the celebrities who had come to lend their support.

"There are a lot of your ex-girlfriends here."

Amanda glanced over at Britney and Charlize as they walked past. "Aren't a first love and an ex-fiancée the two hardest to forget?" she murmured.

Matthew offered no response, his attention drawn to a full-figured black woman who had just entered the ballroom. He greeted her with a broad smile, "Oprah, I'm so glad you're here!"

Honestly, he hadn't expected Oprah to accept the invitation.

Matthew shook Oprah's hand as she smiled warmly. "What you're doing is helping so many people in Africa. I had to come and show my support!"

She then turned to Amanda. "Is this your new girlfriend? Aren't you going to introduce me?"

Amanda smoothed her short hair and replied immediately, "Hello, I'm Amanda, the head of Matthew's two foundations."

Oprah instantly realized her mistake. "My apologies, Ms. Amanda."

"It's quite all right," Amanda said graciously. "Ms. Winfrey, it's an honor for us to have you here supporting the charity.""It's what I should be doing." Oprah radiated generosity. After a few more pleasantries with Matthew and Amanda, she walked directly to the donation table by the entrance and wrote $100,000 on the pledge sheet.

The donations were entirely voluntary, a common practice for this kind of Hollywood foundation launch.

Instead of leaving with her staff, Oprah returned to Matthew and said, "I've been waiting for you to come on my talk show for years. You're not going to make me wait forever, are you?"

Matthew smiled. "Of course not."

Oprah's talk show was a North American institution; countless people were desperate for an invitation.

But with Helen not here, he couldn't make any firm commitments on his own.

A string of heavyweight guests followed, including celebrities like Tom Cruise, Tom Hanks, and Steven Spielberg, two of whom Matthew had worked with during the filming of "Band of Brothers".

Tom Cruise exchanged pleasantries with Matthew, making sure to remind him to be at the Hollywood Celebrity Center next month for his and Katie Holmes's pre-wedding party.

Since Cruise had attended his charity gala and generously donated $200,000, Matthew had no intention of backing out of his promise to visit the Hollywood Celebrity Center.

The crowd at the ballroom doors was dwindling, and just as Matthew was about to let Amanda go prepare for the auction, a strange-looking middle-aged man and a short, stout man entered.

"Welcome, Quentin." Matthew greeted Quentin Tarantino with a handshake before extending his hand to Harvey Weinstein. "Hello, Harvey."

Harvey shook his hand and replied with a smile, "Hello, Matthew."

Matthew hadn't expected Harvey to be there; the invitation Amanda had sent out listed Quentin Tarantino, not Harvey Weinstein.

But with a throng of journalists from major media outlets watching, Matthew had no choice but to be gracious.

Quentin and Harvey said nothing more to Matthew and soon entered the banquet hall.

****

After a brief chat with Johnny Depp, Charlize Theron made her way toward her assigned table, where she would be seated next to Keanu Reeves.

As she passed between two rows of round tables, Charlize heard someone call her name.

"Ms. Theron!"

Charlize turned at the sound of the voice and saw pop diva Britney Spears sitting at a table near the aisle. "Can we talk?" Britney asked.

Charlize walked over, sat down next to Britney, and asked, "What can I do for you?"

Her world rarely intersected with the pop music scene.

Britney smiled, her blonde hair spilling over her shoulders, her makeup subtle yet striking. "Are you and Matthew still seeing each other?" she asked.

Charlize's brow furrowed slightly as she recalled the history between Britney and Matthew. "No, we're not," she replied. "But we're still friends."

Seeing that Britney was about to say something, Charlize preempted her. "Are you planning to get back together with Matthew?"

Britney shook her head. "No."

She lowered her gaze and then said, "I just don't understand why he's so..."

Charlize understood what she meant and sighed softly. "How many male stars in Hollywood aren't like that?"

Britney fell silent for a moment as Charlize slowly rose to leave.

To be with such a womanizer was to invite nothing but pain.

As she watched Charlize walk away, Britney’s gaze drifted to the auction stage, where Matthew was laughing with the short-haired woman. She shook her head. It seemed he hadn't spent a single moment without a beautiful girl by his side since they had parted ways.

She scanned the banquet hall and noticed Rachel McAdams, Jessica Alba, Scarlett Johansson, and Adriana Lima, who had recently been all over the news.

"Matthew's heart isn't nearly big enough for all of us," she thought wryly, then recalled Charlize's final remark.

Besides, Matthew was more than just a top-tier actor. Most of Hollywood believed he was destined for greatness, that he could become a commercial superstar—as long as he didn't make a fatal mistake.

Stardom wasn't built on one or two movies; it was the result of consistent work over a long period.

As her gaze fell on Matthew again, Britney tilted her head in thought. Had anyone ever imagined that Matthew Horner would become who he was today?

She wasn't the only one who hadn't seen it coming; neither had Steven Spielberg nor Tom Hanks.

"Tom," Spielberg said, adjusting his glasses, "if I remember correctly, you were the one who auditioned Horner for Band of Brothers*, weren't you?"

"There was something special about him back then," Tom Hanks recalled the audition. "The first time I saw him, I was sure he was the right fit for the role of Ronald Speirs."

He shook his head. "But I never imagined that in just a few years, he'd become as popular as he is now."

Spielberg, who was not just a director and producer but a studio head, had his own calculus for a star's worth. "He's like Tom Cruise in the nineties," he added. "He has an incredible eye for picking projects that are guaranteed to sell tickets."

At this, Spielberg laughed and said pointedly to Hanks, "After a few more successful films under his belt, Hollywood will have a superstar capable of rivaling you."

Tom nodded. "I actually have a very high opinion of him. He's a smart guy. Matthew clearly knows his own strengths and weaknesses. He's chosen a string of films that cleverly conceal his shortcomings as an actor while highlighting, and even expanding, his strong points. It's no accident he's gotten this far—the man has real ability and vision."

"Michael did a commercial with him a while back and was so impressed with Matthew that he strongly recommended him to me."

Tom held his tongue; this was a decision for DreamWorks, and he wouldn't try to sway his old friend's judgment.

Like Tom Cruise, many people had come to Matthew's charity dinner for more than one reason—among them were Harvey Weinstein and Quentin Tarantino.

Harvey looked at Matthew and said to Quentin, "If you could get a box-office star like that for the lead in your new movie..."

Quentin glanced over at Matthew. "Cast him as a psychopathic killer?"

He considered it for a moment. "Matthew has the right look for a killer."

Harvey laughed. "I'll call him over later. We can talk about it."

Quentin nodded slightly. "Sure."

Harvey's eyes narrowed on Matthew again. The actor's commercial value was immense, and Harvey couldn't resist the urge to leverage it for a bigger payday.

He was a businessman, and all the Oscars he had won over the years were never about artistic achievement, but about business profits.

"Ladies and gentlemen, our charity dinner is about to begin." A tall woman with short hair stood at the auction podium at the front of the ballroom, and as she spoke, a hush fell over the room.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the charity dinner for the Matthew Horner Refugee Fund and Matthew's Children's Charity Fund."

Matthew approached the podium and began to deliver a long, prepared speech with great passion.