The Best Movie Actor In Hollywood!

Chapter 540

"Thank you for your support."

In front of a throng of media reporters, Matthew signed autographs for his fans, exchanging a few words as he went. "I'm so happy to have your support," he said.

Flashes strobed relentlessly as every journalist snapped photos, and each fan in the crowd could feel Matthew's genuine warmth and friendliness.

After getting an autograph and speaking with him, Kristen couldn't stop smiling; it felt as if Matthew was as dear to her as her own brother.

Phyllis, unlike the others, didn't rush forward. Instead, she raised her camera, capturing every single moment of Matthew's appearance.

She photographed Matthew's focus as he signed autographs; his warm and natural interactions with his fans; and the moment he unhesitatingly pulled a fan into a hug...

"He's so handsome," Phyllis murmured, changing her angle to keep shooting. "Matthew looks incredible from every single angle."

Phyllis finally felt she had enough pictures. She noticed the crowd around

Matthew was thinning, so she pushed her way to the front.

"Matthew! Matthew!" she called out, having managed to get close without much trouble. "Can I get a picture with you?"Matthew turned at the sound of her voice, and Bella, standing within the circle of his bodyguards, murmured, "That's Phyllis Beretta. A very dedicated fan."

As if he hadn't heard Bella, Matthew smiled and replied, "Of course."

Phyllis's face lit up with joy. She handed her camera to Kristen, who stood nearby, asking her to take the photo.

Matthew motioned for Phyllis to stand beside him. After they posed for the picture, he looked at her with a glimmer of recognition. "I've seen you before, haven't I?"

Surprised, Phyllis nodded quickly. "Yes! I've been to several of your events."

Matthew deliberately paused, putting on a thoughtful expression before he spoke. "Your name is

Phyllis?"

"Y-yes." Phyllis Beretta nodded numbly. A second later, a wave of pure astonishment washed over her as she stammered, "Y-you... Matthew... you know..."

Matthew offered a warm, good-natured smile and met her gaze gently.

Seeing his smile and the look in his eyes, Phyllis sucked in a few sharp breaths. "You know me?"

"Of course," Matthew replied. "We've met several times, haven't we?"

Overjoyed, Phyllis nodded enthusiastically. "Yes! Exactly! You're right!"

Matthew kept his smile, then glanced at his wristwatch. Raising his voice to address the surrounding crowd, he said, "Alright everyone, it's almost 8:30. You don't want to make me late, do you?"

The fans were more than happy to cooperate, quickly moving toward the entrance of Warner Studios while consciously forming a barrier to block the reporters.

As she watched Matthew's figure disappear into Warner Studios, an unconscious smile spread across Phyllis's face. After spending so much time waiting here, she had finally met him, and nothing could have made her happier. She would be there for Matthew until her last day.

***

Once inside Warner Studios, Matthew said to Bella, "Tell the security guards at the gate to leave them be."

Bella nodded. "It's hot out today. Should I have someone bring them some water? I imagine they'll be waiting until you leave for the day."

"Do it." Matthew waved a hand. "And don't forget to order some takeout for their lunch."

"Understood."

Matthew understood perfectly that even as a superstar, he could never ignore his fans. They were the foundation of his career. Even if he suffered a major setback, making a comeback would be easy as long as he had a large and devoted fanbase to support him.

Upon arriving at the soundstage, Matthew went directly to his dressing room for makeup and wardrobe. Once ready, he headed to the set and waited for the director, Guillermo del Toro, to finish his preparations and come over.

"Starting today, filming should be a little easier for you," Guillermo del Toro said. "You finally won't have to do all your scenes alone."

Matthew nodded. "It was becoming painful."

Guillermo del Toro chuckled. "Relax, we'll be wrapped by mid-March."

"Have you spoken to the people in New York?" Matthew asked.

Next week, the crew was scheduled to travel to New York for the final leg of filming.

"Akiva is flying to New York tonight," Guillermo del Toro said calmly. "He'll be coordinating with the various city departments there."

He then added, "And don't forget, we have an ace up our sleeve in the form of

Alexandra Daddario."

Matthew hadn't seen Alexandra in a long time, so he had asked Helen—who was also her agent—about her. Helen had told him that she'd secured a role for Alexandra in a horror project.

He recalled Helen once telling Amanda that unless Alexandra's acting abilities proved to be truly exceptional, her career would be confined to a very narrow range of roles. Matthew, however, wasn't concerned about that in the slightest; what drew him to Daddario had nothing to do with her skills as an actress.

The crew was still setting up, so filming wouldn't start for a while. After Matthew finished chatting with Guillermo, Akiva Goldsman, who was scheduled to fly to New York that evening, found him in the break area.

"Hey, Matthew," he said, taking a seat next to him.

Matthew returned the greeting. "Were you looking for me?"

Akiva Goldsman wouldn't have come looking for him unless he had something on his mind. He didn't beat around the bush. "I hear you and David Ellison acquired the rights to The Fast and the Furious franchise and are planning a reboot?"

"Yes." The rumors had been circulating for a while, so there was no need for Matthew to deny it. "The financing is in place, and we're in the early stages of prep."

He then said pointedly, "So, think you can make some concessions in our negotiations? I could really use the cash to invest in the next Fast and Furious movie."

"Don't even ask." Akiva waved a hand and quickly changed the subject. "We've changed the title. The new name for the project is Hancock."

"Not bad." But Matthew wouldn't let the subject drop. "About my payment... we agreed you'd have to make some concessions on the upfront fee."

Akiva's expression soured. "I'm not the one negotiating your salary. Warner Brothers is."

Matthew understood the implication. "I see," he said.

Helen was handling the negotiations, and the biggest point of contention was his payment.

Because he needed significant liquid capital, he had agreed to forgo back-end points in exchange for a higher upfront salary, but Warner's offer of $25 million felt disingenuous.

Negotiations between the two parties had stalled with little progress. He and Helen were holding out for at least $30 million and needed to apply more pressure on Warner Bros.

"Oh, I almost forgot," Akiva added. "Matthew, I heard you're looking to add a few new characters to The Fast and the Furious reboot? And that one of them is Jewish?"

"You're well-informed," Matthew said, not bothering to deny it. "I only mentioned that a short while ago."

Akiva waved a hand. "How can anything stay secret when you say it in front of so many people? Word has been circulating in the industry for a bit." Seeming anxious that Matthew might change the subject again, he spoke faster. "An old friend of mine, a fellow Jew... I'm of Jewish descent myself."

Matthew nodded, having a good idea of where this was going, but he remained silent and waited for Akiva to continue.

"This old friend of mine asked me to put in a good word for an actress." It was exactly what Matthew had expected. "She's from Israel, very talented, and would be a perfect fit for the Jewish character."

"Alright." Matthew had no reason to object; he'd always worked well with Akiva. "Have her and her agent send her materials over to David's company, Skydance Pictures. The project is still in the planning phase, but once we move into production, I'll make sure she gets called in for an audition."

It was the best way to handle the request. Matthew and Akiva chatted for a few more minutes about Hancock, and by then, the set was ready. Matthew dove back into his work.