The Best Movie Actor In Hollywood!

Chapter 450

The moment Matthew stepped out of the Hollywood Theater at Disneyland, a crowd of reporters swarmed him. One of them immediately shouted over the din, "Mr. Horner, excuse me! At the end of the film, both Will Turner and Jack Sparrow were devoured by the sea monster. Are those two characters dead?"

The other reporters turned to stare at the man in unison. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest had ended on a massive cliffhanger. If the two main heroes were truly dead, would Elizabeth Swann have to carry the story alone?

It was a question so obvious it was absurd.

Matthew didn't answer—he couldn't, not a spoiler like that. Flanked by Brown and a few other bodyguards, he made his way to a Mercedes parked at a side entrance, where Helen was already waiting.

"Let's go," Brown said from the passenger seat, instructing the driver. "Back to Beverly Hills."

He glanced at Helen in the rearview mirror before raising the partition that separated the front of the car from the back.

"Did you finish the renovations on the house?"

"Everything was finished last week."

Matthew adjusted his seat. "Are you happy with it?"

Helen gave a slight nod.She had only just purchased a private villa in Beverly Hills at the beginning of the year. It wasn't enormous, but it was a proper mansion nonetheless.

Over the years, Matthew had earned tens of millions of dollars from his films and endorsements, and as his agent, Helen had made a fortune right alongside him.

She quickly shifted to business. "This month, you'll need to work with Disney on promoting Dead Man's Chest," she informed him. "And at the end of the month, you have to attend Tom's pre-wedding party."

Matthew sighed. "You always have to pay your debts."

The last time Tom had attended his charity auction, he had not only donated $200,000 but had also bought the vintage guitar Johnny Depp put up for auction for another $300,000.

Needless to say, Tom had shown him a great deal of support.

So, naturally, Matthew couldn't refuse Tom's invitation to a party at the Hollywood Celebrity Center.

"You know what the Hollywood Celebrity Center is, right?" Helen asked, looking a little concerned. "Don't tell me you actually believe in Scientology."

Matthew was unconcerned. "Do you really think I could ever be religious?"

Helen turned to look at him. "I almost forgot," she said. "You're the quintessential non-believer."

Then she changed the subject. "You might have a tough time with the press over the next few days. Expectations for this movie are so high, I suspect the word-of-mouth won't be as strong as we'd like."

Matthew had already considered that. "It's fine," he said.

In his opinion, Pirates of the Caribbean 2, like most Hollywood sequels, wasn't as good as its predecessor, but it certainly wasn't a bad movie.

For a commercial star like him, it didn't really matter what the critics or the initial buzz said. As long as audiences were willing to buy a ticket, box office success would drown out most of the negative reviews.

The driver dropped Helen off at the Beverly Hills Hilton before taking Matthew back to his estate. After the recent robbery, Brown had worked with a professional security firm to upgrade the entire property to a much higher level of security.

Specifically, the cliffs behind the villa had been secured with a high wall, built without obstructing the view from the top, making it impossible for even an expert rock climber to scale the rear approach.

Unfortunately, neither the Beverly Hills Police Department nor the L.A. County Sheriff's Department had identified a suspect. They had no further details beyond the fact that the thief was a skilled climber and, quite possibly, one of his fans.

While Matthew wasn't overly concerned, Helen was deeply worried. If it turned out to be an obsessive fan, things could get very messy.

Brown didn't leave right away. He organized the security detail for the evening and made a full sweep of the property before finally heading home.

Matthew sat on the living room sofa, feeling perfectly calm. He wasn't worried about his safety, and he certainly wasn't worried about the box office for Pirates of the Caribbean 2.

The film's advance ticket sales alone were pointing toward a North American opening weekend of at least $100 million—and that was the most conservative estimate.

As for his safety, on top of the enhanced security at the estate, the Beverly Hills PD had also increased patrols in the neighborhood.

Under these conditions, no one could slip onto the property unnoticed.

****

"How are you holding up?"

Amanda asked Alexandra as they walked into her luxurious Westwood apartment. "I saw a lot of reporters interviewing you."

Kicking off her heels and slipping into a pair of soft slippers, Alexandra collapsed onto the living room sofa. "The reporters didn't care about me," she said. "They were asking about my relationship with Matthew. A lot of them saw me ride to Disneyland in his car."

Unsurprised, Amanda poured two glasses of water and set one on the coffee table in front of Alexandra.

"Thanks," Alexandra said, then added, "It's so hard being famous."

"It's part of the process for everyone," Amanda said, sitting down next to her. "When I first met Matthew, he was always talking about becoming a huge star. Everyone laughed at him and said he was just a dreamer. Even I did."

Alexandra had never heard Matthew talk about that. She suddenly looked concerned. "It must have been really hard for him, wasn't it?"

Amanda set down her glass. "Extremely. I remember when he was at his lowest, he couldn't even afford to eat properly."

She reached out and patted Alexandra's arm. "We're all lucky, compared to him."

Alexandra shrugged slightly. "I don't see how."

Amanda laughed. "We come from good families."

Alexandra thought back to what Matthew had asked her during her audition: if her father didn't have influence in New York politics, would she have landed the supporting role in I Am Legend*?

A proud girl, she didn't want to admit it, but she couldn't deny it either. Instead, Alexandra simply changed the subject. "Amanda, you've known Matthew for years. What's he really like?"

Amanda, who had known Alexandra since they were kids, heard the subtext in her question. After a moment of thought, she propped her chin on her hand. "Matthew is a great friend. He treats the people he cares about very well. But he's also a classic playboy."

Alexandra fell silent. Amanda patted her shoulder again. "If you want a one-time, movie-style romance, go for it. If you want a serious, stable relationship... stay far away from him."