The Best Movie Actor In Hollywood!

Chapter 579

"I renew my appeal..."

Standing at the podium in the central conference hall of the Palace of Nations, Matthew's speech was drawing to a close. Just as he had been in South Africa, his voice was thunderous and impassioned as he cried out, "Please, turn your attention to the refugee crisis in Africa! Please, turn your attention to the rights of women in Africa! Please, turn your attention to the children of Africa!"

"Thank you."

Matthew finished his speech.

Loud applause erupted in the central conference hall, noticeably more enthusiastic than the reception Emma's speech had just received.

Unlike Emma, who had only recently entered this circle to burnish her image, he had been involved for quite some time and had genuinely done a great deal to back it up.

The aid shipments to Africa were well-documented at the UNHCR.

Matthew stepped down from the podium and headed for his seat, passing Natalie on the way as she prepared to take the stage for her own speech. The two exchanged a smile.

They were the only three Hollywood stars present at the event, and their speaking time was limited. Compared to the ten minutes allotted to the Secretary-General, the head of the Women and Children's Fund, and the UNHCR High Commissioner, each of the actors was given only five minutes for their speech.

In truth, Matthew understood that this was a high-level, mutually beneficial relationship. Those involved in UN politics were no fools; how could they not know the true purpose of every star who came to the UN? But the UN also needed the influence of these stars to rally and motivate the wider public.Returning to his seat next to Emma, who took advantage of a short break in the proceedings, she asked, "Did you also imagine a bunch of Muggles down there?"

Matthew shrugged. "I wouldn't be nervous even if there were ten times as many people."

His confidence had long since been honed by one public appearance after another.

Emma nodded gently. "Great speech."

"My agent helped write it," Matthew admitted freely. "I didn't even finish high school, and I'm a terrible writer."

A wry smile touched Emma's lips as she said, "You're funnier than Tom Felton."

"Who's Tom Felton?" Matthew hadn't heard the name.

"Malfoy," Emma supplied helpfully. "I had a crush on him... more than a crush, really. I pursued him, told him how I felt, but he turned me down."

Matthew's eyes widened. "He turned you down?"

Emma tilted her head and looked at Matthew. "Is it so strange that he rejected me?"

Matthew shook his head. "Nothing strange about it. I forgot—Hermione is supposed to live happily ever after with Harry Potter, and Malfoy is Harry Potter's sworn enemy."

Emma smiled again. "Unfortunately, Hermione won't end up with Harry."

She changed the subject. "My agent suggested I apply to a university in America. Do you have any recommendations?"

"Come to Los Angeles. The USC School of Cinematic Arts," Matthew replied earnestly. "It'll be good for your acting career."

Natalie was heading to the podium, and seeing this, Matthew reminded her, "Showtime again. Cameras everywhere. Let's look serious."

"This is so boring," Emma grumbled, before closing her mouth and composing her features into a serious expression.

Matthew also fell silent and looked toward Natalie, and the hall quickly fell into a hush.

The central assembly hall of the Palace of Nations where they were seated was magnificent, with floors and walls of granite and marble. The circular hall rose six stories high and could seat over 1,800 people, with delegate seating in the front section equipped for simultaneous translation and a spectators' gallery at the rear.

The walls and ceiling of the hall were covered with oil paintings by European masters on the themes of justice, power, peace, law, and wisdom.

Additionally, the ceiling featured a relief fresco depicting five giants of the universe with their five giant hands clasped together, said to symbolize the unity and friendship of the peoples of all the earth's continents.

Natalie's speech, focusing on the themes of environmental protection and human rights, was about to begin.

He, Emma, and Natalie were all ambassadors for various UN organizations, so naturally their speeches each had a different focus, but in the end, the goal was the same: to use the UN to build their own reputations.

Emma's speech, which she had already delivered, focused on the rights of women and children, in line with her ambassadorship for the Women and Children's Fund. It was easy to see that Emma's agency team had high hopes for her future and seemed aware that her career would face a crisis after the Harry Potter series ended, so they had begun preparing for it in advance.

For a superstar like her, defined by a single film series, making that transition is incredibly difficult. The process could be very painful, and few ultimately succeeded.

Matthew still remembered that after "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone," Helen had been so fixated on Emma that she had flown to the UK several times to try and recruit her for the Angel Agency. But the agency behind Emma was influential and valued her highly, and Helen's efforts had ultimately failed.

An actress like Emma needed a strong agency team behind her to make a successful transition.

A sudden burst of applause jolted Matthew from his thoughts. Natalie's speech had ended, and he joined the crowd in clapping.

Then came a series of speeches from people representing various advocacy groups. These meetings were all about making appeals, defined by their length and their distinctively UN-like character, though the sound of words wasn't always more convincing than real action.

***

The morning passed, and the meeting concluded for the time being, set to resume in the afternoon.

The participants didn't return to their hotels, instead having lunch in the cafeteria at the Palace of Nations.

Emma received a call from her agent, while Matthew and Natalie got their food, found a quiet spot, and sat down together.

"I heard you visited a war-torn region in Africa?" Natalie asked while eating her vegetable salad.

Matthew nodded. "I was on the border of Somalia. I didn't dare go any deeper, and I was under the protection of peacekeeping forces."

Natalie ate very little. She set down her knife and fork, picked up her napkin to dab her mouth, and said, "Next month, I'm planning to visit some countries in Central Africa with a team from the UN."

As a good friend would, she asked, "Do you have any advice?"

"Well... the mosquitoes and other flying insects there are especially dangerous, so you should prepare for that in advance," Matthew suggested after a moment's thought.

Natalie replied, "I'll keep that in mind."

Her willingness to ask Matthew for advice conveyed an undercurrent of trust and goodwill, and it invariably made her easy to get close to.

Immediately after, she asked curiously, "When are you going back to Africa? After you finish the Disney project?"

"I don't have any plans for that at the moment," Matthew answered casually. "This Disney project has a budget of 250 million dollars, and I intend to be an investor and financier."

He spread his hands. "I'll be tied up with about 100 million dollars in investments that I need to oversee, so I won't be going to Africa for a while."

Natalie nodded in understanding.

After lunch, they returned to the conference hall together. The meeting ended at half past one in the afternoon, and Matthew invited Natalie and Emma to have dinner with him that evening. The next day, he hurried back to Los Angeles, where his film crew was waiting.