The Best Movie Actor In Hollywood!

Chapter 513

Spike Lee's words instantly redefined the limits of shamelessness for everyone present.

A black man, calling another black man a racist?

His accusation left the people in the studio frozen for a moment.

It was in that brief moment of stunned silence that Gilbert hurled the third egg, which whistled through the air toward Spike Lee.

Director Lee, who had become so proud of his methods in recent years, had never suffered such a humiliation. The stench, worse than fermented chicken droppings, nearly made him pass out, yet he still managed to raise a hand and point at Gilbert, ready to scream.

Spike's mouth was wide open. Though his eyes were smeared with rotten egg, he straightened up out of habit, and just as his voice was about to erupt through the studio, the egg found its mark.

Splat!

The egg, which must have been stored for years, shattered, and the blackened white and yolk splattered right into Spike Lee's mouth.

The next second, Spike could no longer stay seated. He doubled over, fell to his knees on the floor, and started gagging.

The stench, ten times stronger than chicken shit, was so potent that Matthew instinctively covered his nose. Even from a distance, it was unbearable."Look!" someone in the audience exclaimed. "Spike is kneeling down to apologize to Matthew!"

A roar of laughter immediately erupted from the audience.

And indeed, Spike had collapsed right in front of Matthew and was now on his knees, bent over and retching.

Finally, a staff member rushed onto the stage and restrained Gilbert, who didn't resist. He simply spat in Spike's direction and went along with the staff.

Oprah was in tears of laughter. Spike's final comment, in particular, had redefined for her the very concept of shamelessness.

The moment the first egg was thrown, she had hastily grabbed the microphone clipped to her collar and told the director to cut to a commercial. Fortunately, ever since the Super Bowl scandal with Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson, all national live broadcasts had a default five-to-ten-second delay, giving producers just enough time to react.

Despite that, Spike’s words accusing a black man of racism still made it to air.

Oprah had someone backstage take care of Spike while she called for a doctor, shaking her head in disbelief. The scandal had just reached millions of households, and she knew something had to be done to manage the fallout.

In that short time, management had already informed her that calls were flooding in, protesting the show's decision to feature a scumbag like Spike Lee.

Audiences can be easily swayed by public opinion, but they aren't stupid. If a black man could scream 'racism' at another black man, could any accusation of racism from his mouth ever be trusted again?

Now, with the situation having unfolded before a live audience, Oprah could finally put an end to it.

Spike was so sick from the rotten eggs that he was immediately carried off the stage.

Oprah had no intention of stopping the broadcast; it was clear this episode was going to be a ratings juggernaut.

Within two or three minutes, the crew had cleaned the stage, leaving only

Matthew and Oprah.

The show had also reached its final segment.

The commercial break ended, and the live camera switched back to the stage, where Oprah, after receiving a cue from her producer, began to speak:

"Racism is a persistent problem in our society, but it also takes the form of what you all just witnessed."

Since she had to be on the side of justice, she naturally used her platform to sink Spike once and for all:

"There are also people who exploit the issue of race for their own ulterior motives, instead of genuinely fighting for the rights of minorities. We must be wary of such individuals as we work to eradicate racism."

With those words, Oprah walked over to Matthew and gave him a hug.

"You’ve been under so much pressure and criticism for so long; it couldn’t have been easy." She released Matthew and stood beside him, looking particularly pleased. "Thankfully, you endured."

Matthew nodded. "I’ve always believed that there is justice in this world."

Oprah received another cue from backstage and asked, "Tell us, what are you feeling right now?"

After a brief pause, Matthew answered, "The movie ‘300’ has faced undeserved criticism because of Spike Lee, and it’s forced me to do some serious thinking."

He paused for a moment, looking out at the audience. "We don’t make movies for the film industry, let alone for a specific demographic. We make movies for the audience—for you."

Thunderous applause broke out, with Oprah clapping enthusiastically for Matthew.

The show ended amidst the applause, but the clapping continued, reaching all the way backstage and into one of the dressing rooms.

***

Spike had already washed his face and rinsed his mouth out thoroughly. He’d told his manager, James, to dismiss the production staff and the doctor, and was now sitting on the sofa, but his mouth was still filled with a stench so foul it made his head spin.

"They’re racists!" Spike waved his hand, rambling incoherently. "This is pure racism!"

James quickly shouted, "Spike! Spike! Shut up!"

Perhaps because of the unbearable stench still lingering in his mouth, Spike fell silent.

"Don’t you ever say that shit again," James declared. "No one will ever believe you."

He tried to soften his tone. "Let’s get back to reality."

Spike froze, replaying what had just happened. His career as Hollywood’s number one champion of tolerance... was it ruined?

"I’m going to sue them!"

It occurred to him then that he could still fight back under the great banner of the law.

But James recalled a phone call he’d received earlier and said, "Matthew and Skydance Pictures are suing you for defamation. I just got a notification that the summons will be at your office tomorrow."

"What?" Spike’s eyes widened.

***

Not far from that dressing room, Matthew had just finished removing his makeup. He dismissed the makeup artist he’d brought with him and asked Helen, "Any news from the court?"

Helen nodded. "I expect the summons will be delivered to Spike in the next couple of days."

She thought for a moment, then added, "This show has been very good for us."

Matthew gave a cold snort. "We’ll drag him through a long lawsuit, take all his money, and destroy him."

Spike Lee's modest director's income was nothing compared to their resources. Most importantly, with David Ellison involved, they had a man who not only knew how to use money but could also hire the best lawyers for the job.

"Oh, and one more thing." Matthew suddenly remembered the man who had thrown the eggs. "Give Oprah’s people a heads-up. Tell them not to make things difficult for that guy from the stage."

Helen nodded.

She left the dressing room and returned less than five minutes later.

Matthew stood up. "Let’s go."

He walked through the backstage area, greeting the director and the rest of the crew. He exchanged a few pleasantries, chatted with Oprah when she came over, and then said his goodbyes. After leaving the studio, which belonged to Harper Productions, he got into his car to head back to the hotel.

"Helen," Matthew said, sitting in the car and gazing out the window at the passing scenery, "this is only the beginning."

The incident might seem absurd, but more absurd things had happened in Hollywood, especially when it came to accusations of racism. As long as the suspicion lingered, he could be ostracized in this increasingly left-leaning circle. Not getting work might be a slight exaggeration, but a decline in his competitiveness under these circumstances was inevitable.

Matthew averted his gaze from the window and asked, "Who else was involved?"

Helen considered for a moment. "Spike Lee, Naomi Harris, Paula Patton, Francis Lawrence, Jada Smith—and Will Smith behind her—and... Vin Diesel. The rest are all small fry, not worth worrying about."

"No," Matthew said after a moment of silence. "I’m a very vengeful person."

The car pulled up in front of the hotel. At last, the tense day was over...