The Best Movie Actor In Hollywood!

Chapter 569

"Matthew, look over here!"

"Megatron, look at the Decepticons!"

"Long live Megatron! Long live the Decepticons!"

Walking the red carpet hand in hand with Alexandra, Matthew heard the shouts, especially from the Decepticon fans who were addressing him as the leader of the Decepticons.

Each time a voice called out, he would wave in that direction, while Alexandra held his arm, smiling at the crowd and the reporters lining both sides of the red carpet.

This was the premiere of "Transformers," and a massive poster hung over the main entrance to the theater, featuring close-ups of the heads of Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, and Megatron.

As for the male and female leads, there were no promotional posters featuring them at the premiere.

Everyone, from the producers at DreamWorks to the distributors at Paramount Pictures, knew exactly what the fans wanted to see, and the so-called male and female leads had to take a backseat.

Matthew entered the interview area, where the film crew had specially arranged for him to speak with the press.

The moment he stood before the swarm of photographers, a reporter from CBS approached, glanced at Alexandra, and asked, "Miss, are you and Matthew officially a couple?"Alexandra stood beside Matthew and smiled, but said nothing, as if she hadn't heard the question.

The reporter was about to ask again when Matthew reminded her, "I'm not answering questions unrelated to Transformers."

'What a shame,' the reporter thought for a moment before dropping her original line of questioning. Instead, she asked, "Matthew, you've always played heroic roles. Why did you decide to voice a villain in this film?"

Matthew paused for a moment in thought and then replied, "In my eyes, Megatron was never a villain. He was my childhood playmate."

The reporter countered, "But Megatron is definitely the villain in this film."

"Is he? I don't think so." Matthew seemed to be speaking with the conviction of the Decepticon leader himself. "Megatron is trying to save his home planet, just as we humans are trying to save Earth."

With that, he refused to take any more questions and entered the theater, leaving the press behind.

Escorted by staff into the VIP lounge, Matthew was greeted by Steven Spielberg.

"Hello, Matthew!" Spielberg was in high spirits.

Matthew gladly embraced him. "Hello, Steven."

After a friendly embrace, Spielberg smiled. "I've been meaning to call and congratulate you, but I got tied up and kept putting it off."

He was sincere. "Congratulations on another box office hit."

"Thanks, I just got lucky."

Spielberg waved off the suggestion of luck. "What you said at the last press conference gave the crew some new ideas, and the publicity has been fantastic."

Matthew smiled. "I'm part of the cast and crew. It's just part of the job."

After exchanging a few more pleasantries with Spielberg, Matthew moved further into the VIP lounge, where Alexandra suddenly pointed to a girl her age nearby. "I see someone I know. I'm going to say hello, I'll be right back."

Matthew nodded gently. "Go ahead."

Alexandra had just left when Matthew was approached by Gwyneth Paltrow, Spielberg's goddaughter. She stopped to greet him, mentioning "Iron Man" specifically, and their conversation followed a similar pattern to his chat with Spielberg, with Gwyneth Paltrow congratulating him.

By this point, "Pirates of the Caribbean" had been in North American theaters for over a month, grossing more than $300 million domestically and nearly $800 million worldwide. It was already the front-runner for both the North American and global box office champion for the year.

After circling the VIP lounge and greeting many acquaintances, Matthew found Michael Bay for a few more words. The "explosive" director was full of ambition; although "Transformers" hadn't been released yet, the pre-sale results were already out. Weekend ticket pre-sales were approaching $20 million, and there were projections that the film's opening weekend box office could reach around $90 million.

For Michael Bay, who had been down on his luck since the turn of the century, this was a result good enough to turn his fate around.

"I really hope we can continue working together," Michael Bay told Matthew. "You're the kind of actor any director would dream of."

Matthew calmly replied, "That's not necessarily true. I'm afraid many directors don't want to work with me."

Michael Bay, who shared Matthew's purely commercial outlook, snorted with disdain. "What they say is the opposite of what they're thinking. They want you in their films, but they don't want to pay what you're worth."

He chuckled. "These people who want to reap the rewards without paying the price don't understand how business works."

Hearing Michael Bay's words, Matthew was suddenly reminded of Harvey Weinstein. Wasn't that fat Jewish man the same way? He would make offer after offer, but he never wanted to pay the $20 million fee, always using his reputation and the allure of an Oscar campaign to pressure actors into voluntarily lowering their salary.

While Matthew and Michael Bay were talking, one of Hollywood's most recognizable couples was watching them.

"Jada, do you see?" Will Smith looked over at Matthew and admonished his wife, Jada Smith. "Right now, Matthew is the biggest star on the A-list. His network is more extensive than ours. Drop your ideas for the future. We are not his enemies."

Jada thought differently. "He humiliated Spike, and we're just supposed to let it go?"

Will quickly glanced around to make sure no one was listening and said sternly, "How many times have I told you? We've never had anything to do with Spike Lee. Never!"

Jada waved her hand dismissively. "Alright, alright, I get it."

She was slightly annoyed with Will and made a casual excuse. "I'm going to the restroom to touch up my makeup."

With that, she left without waiting for Will's reply.

Will watched his wife walk away, a helpless expression on his face. Being married to a woman like her was a real headache.

He turned his head back toward Matthew and saw that he was walking toward him.

Matthew had noticed the Smiths earlier, and even before he reached Will, he put on a smile. "Hey, Will. I didn't expect to see you here."

"Hey, Matthew." Seeing the outstretched hand, Will Smith extended his own. "Yeah, it's been a while."

Seeing Matthew take the initiative to come over and greet him, a hint of caution stirred in Will's mind, along with another thought: had the man taken what happened last time to heart?

The last time, it had been Jada Smith who had reached out to the media, and he had subsequently made a formal public apology on her behalf.

Matthew didn't know what Will Smith was thinking. They exchanged a few words, and he detected no trace of hostility. But deep down, Matthew knew without a doubt what Will Smith had done and what the consequences of those words could have been.

After all, considering the current climate in Hollywood and the social environment in North America, if the accusation of racism had stuck, he wouldn't even have a place in this circle, let alone his status as a major star.

After chatting with Will Smith for a while, Matthew suddenly asked, "Did you come alone? Where's your wife?"

"Oh, she went to the restroom." Will looked at Matthew. "You didn't bring a date?"

"She went to chat with a friend," Matthew said with a smile.

The two reached a point where they had nothing more to say, and each made an excuse to leave.

***

Matthew spoke with Megan Fox and then ran into Shia LaBeouf. Unlike their first encounter, the young actor was on his best behavior in front of the public and the press, though his expression clearly soured when he saw Matthew.

The situation didn't bother Matthew. There was a saying in Hollywood that held very true: for every person who loves you, there's another who hates you.

With someone like Shia, he didn't need to do anything; the man would self-destruct on his own.

It was almost time to enter the theater, but Alexandra hadn't returned. Matthew couldn't find her in the VIP lounge, and Michael Bay told him that she had left the lounge alone.

***

Alexandra had left the VIP lounge and was heading to the restroom to touch up her makeup.

She was just about to enter the restroom when a black woman came out. Upon seeing Alexandra, the woman stopped in her tracks.

"You're Horner's date?"