The Best Movie Actor In Hollywood!

Chapter 557

A red Chevrolet turned onto South Beaufort Street as Natalie headed to a café to meet with Matthew.

Her meeting with Matthew wasn't the only reason for the trip. Pitt had asked her to sound out Matthew's position on the matter.

Natalie pulled up near the Disney studio, parked at the curb, and got out. She made her way to a café situated diagonally across the street.

'Matthew can't be very happy,' she thought.

Initially, she had been the one to suggest the Wachowskis cast Matthew in the lead role. But then Pitt had promised that his investment in "Cloud Atlas" would guarantee her an exceptionally high salary, and she had switched sides, aiding his gradual campaign to win over the Wachowski brothers.

Yes, it all came down to money.

SkyDance Pictures, the company Matthew had brought to the table, could only offer a sixty-million-dollar investment. Pitt's company, Plan B, had promised a minimum of one hundred million.

A smaller investment meant a smaller budget, which in turn meant the lead actors' salaries would be squeezed...

Playing Padmé Amidala in the "Star Wars" prequel trilogy hadn't made her rich. Young actors rarely get paid well for those kinds of blockbusters, especially when the success of the film is never credited to them.

The role of Amidala had made her world-famous, but no one in the industry believed she had any real box-office draw, and consequently, no one was willing to offer her a substantial paycheck for her next projects.On top of that, there were expenses: attending university, traveling to Jerusalem for graduate studies—it all cost money.

It wasn't just the exorbitant tuition fees; it was the publicity that went along with it.

There were the puff pieces trumpeting that her ambitions lay beyond Hollywood, the articles painting her as a different kind of actress, the features praising her academic achievements, and even the papers published in prestigious academic journals discussing her position on Israel.

None of this was spontaneous media attention; it all cost money—a great deal of money—for publicity and public relations.

The good news was that the money hadn't been wasted. She had successfully crafted an image as an intellectual actress, one who appealed to the influential Jewish figures in Hollywood circles and possessed a genuine literary flair.

Years of this consistent media cultivation had nearly drained all the money she'd earned from her film work.

She needed more money if she wanted to advance her Hollywood career and achieve her ultimate ambitions.

But her film salaries were low, completely disproportionate to her fame, because she had yet to prove her commercial appeal.

That's why she and her team had chosen "V for Vendetta" two years ago. In their view, the mid-budget film was a perfect fit for her: it had the grand set pieces and narrative thrills of a commercial movie, yet it possessed a rare, high-minded style.

Although the film's themes were sensitive, they didn't believe it would hurt its marketability.

However, its worldwide box office of just over one hundred million dollars fell far short of her and the studio's expectations. As a result, she couldn't command a higher salary for her subsequent films; her last role had only paid a million dollars.

In terms of fame, she had long surpassed Jessica Alba, but when it came to paychecks, Jessica and other bombshell-type actresses were leagues ahead of her.

As she reached the door of the café, Natalie sighed. Even now, she couldn't make sense of it. "V for Vendetta" had earned a stellar reputation: audience scores were high, online ratings were excellent, and the critics had praised it. Every aspect of its word-of-mouth was positive.

And yet the box office—especially the all-important North American gross—was barely half of its production cost.

It reminded her of the acclaimed film "Léon: The Professional," which had also received excellent word-of-mouth and high ratings at the time, only to fail at the North American box office.

Natalie shook her head, clearing away the distracting thoughts. She stepped inside, spotted Matthew, and walked over to his table.

"Hello, Matthew," she said.

"Hey, Nat."

Matthew pulled out a chair for her like a gentleman, but Natalie could still detect a distinct chill in his tone.

She knew he must be angry with her.

Once the waiter had brought her coffee, Matthew looked directly at Natalie and asked point-blank, "Are you aware that Lana and Andy have suspended negotiations with me and SkyDance Pictures?"

Without waiting for Natalie to say anything, he added, "Don't you think you owe me an explanation?"

Natalie put on an earnest expression. "I only introduced him to the

Wachowskis. I have no idea about the details of their negotiations."

Lying was a skill all actors possessed. "You know I don't have much of a say in the project," she added.

Matthew's face remained calm, but his voice was laced with irritation.

"Nat, do you have any idea how much effort this took? All the hard work I've put in over the last month has gone to waste."

"I'm sorry, Matthew." Natalie's expression was one of pure sincerity. "I truly am sorry it turned out this way."

She sounded as if she shared his pain. "I regret introducing Pitt to the Wachowskis, but there's really nothing I can do about it now."

Matthew took two short, sharp breaths, as if struggling to keep his composure.

Natalie said hesitantly, "Matthew, you get offered so many projects, don't you? It's not like you're short on money or roles. You don't have to fight for a project like this..."

"Do you think it's easy to find a good project?" Matthew's anger began to surface again. "That night, I was just intrigued. It was only after giving it serious thought that I realized what a rare opportunity it was and decided to commit. That's why I convinced my partner to invest, to get it moving as quickly as possible. And now look at the result..."

He sighed and turned to look out the window. "Of all the movies made in Hollywood every year, how many are actually successful?"

Turning back to Natalie, he asked, "How would you feel if someone stole a role right out from under you?"

"I understand," Natalie said in a soothing tone, though inwardly she was smirking. "It's happened to me before."

Matthew nodded. "Nat, do me a favor. Contact the Wachowskis and ask them not to sign anything with Pitt and Plan B just yet. David and I are raising the funds now. We'll have everything ready by July."

He waved a hand dismissively. "No, they're not taking my calls. Just tell them I want to speak with them in person."

"I'll do my best," Natalie replied quickly.

Her tone shifted. "But Matthew, I'm just one of the actors on this project. I can't promise anything."

Matthew's brow furrowed for a moment before he said,

"I understand."

The conversation made it clear just how much this role meant to Matthew. She suddenly recalled hearing a rumor that after the massive success of "300," Matthew had put all other work on hold—except for the already-confirmed "Hancock"—to focus solely on negotiating for "Cloud Atlas."

"Alright then." Matthew placed a bill on the table for the waiter and stood up. "Nat, I'll be waiting to hear from you."

"Okay," Natalie nodded carefully.

And with that, Matthew left the café.

Watching him walk away through the large glass window, Natalie made no move to leave. Instead, she picked up her cup and took a slow sip of her coffee.

Halfway through her coffee, she reached into her handbag, felt for the voice recorder inside, and clicked it off. Then she took out her phone, typed out a quick text message to Pitt, and hit send, arranging to meet him at the Plan B offices.

A cold smile touched Natalie's lips. Matthew was doomed.

He'd asked for her help without even mentioning what was in it for her, while Pitt had made her a concrete offer!

'Help you for free? You must be joking.'

With Matthew gone, the project might lose some of the box office appeal he would bring, but she knew a well-established truth: a great project doesn't need any single actor to succeed.

Besides, it would have her and Pitt!

The film was an ensemble piece with interwoven stories; they could easily find other great actors to round out the cast.

***

As she left the café and drove her Chevrolet toward the Plan B offices, Natalie was still thinking about how easily she had played Matthew. Now, she considered how to use both him and the Wachowskis as publicity tools for the project.

"He's not as smart as the rumors claim," she muttered to herself.

To Natalie, Matthew—who hadn't even finished high school—was nothing more than a lucky fool.

When she arrived at the Plan B building, she met with Pitt and reconfirmed the generous offer he'd made before handing him the voice recorder.

"Just listen," she said without a hint of shame. "It's the recording of my conversation with Matthew."

Pitt nodded, plugged the device into his computer, put on a pair of headphones, and listened intently. He played it through once, then twice more.

"Excellent." A smile spread across Pitt's face. "This lines up with what my own inquiries have turned up."

He picked up his phone and made a call. "Accelerate the negotiations with the Wachowskis," he said directly. "I want this finalized before the end of June."

Natalie stood up. "You'd better move fast. David Ellison is already raising the money."

"I know." Pitt was confident. "There won't be any surprises. The role is mine."