The Best Movie Actor In Hollywood!

Chapter 598

The screening room erupted in applause as Matthew, alongside producer Goldsman and director Guillermo del Toro, accepted congratulations from the other attendees, many of whom were well-known figures.

"Thank you."

He expressed his gratitude with each handshake. "It's an honor to have you here."

Suddenly, a face he had previously seen only in newspapers appeared beside him—a middle-aged man with chestnut hair.

"An excellent performance," the man remarked, shaking his hand. "I hope we can work together in the future."

Matthew returned the firm handshake. "I missed an opportunity to collaborate because of my schedule."

The last time he'd declined, he had used the excuse that the time wasn't right, and it still wasn't. "Director Nolan, I would love to work with you as well."

They both laughed. In situations like this, there wasn't much more to be said, and Christopher Nolan soon departed.

This was the man who would soon become the new god of commercial filmmaking. Matthew had seen *The Dark Knight* and knew the series' reputation.

After the premiere, Matthew attended the post-screening press conference and left the theater following a brief interview.***

"Another hectic evening."

Once inside the car, he glanced at the entertainment reporters pursuing them and told the driver, "Back to the Waldorf Astoria."

The car left the downtown area and headed for 50th Street.

Matthew gazed out the window and saw the arch of Washington Square standing out against the neon glow. He thought about the square's history and wondered if a true nightmare unfolded here at night.

He recalled Amanda telling him that Washington Square had once been a marsh, then a cemetery in the late eighteenth century for victims of yellow fever. Tens of thousands had been exhumed, and in 1819, it was even a site for public executions.

Wouldn't such a bloody past leave a mark? Wouldn't the hangings, for instance, have spawned the ghosts of the hanged?

A hanged man? Matthew's mind suddenly snagged on something. He vaguely remembered seeing a horror movie about a hanging... That’s right, the horror universe he'd thought of before seemed to be connected to that film. What was it called? And who directed it?

He sat in the car for a while, pondering it, but in the end, nothing came to mind.

It was more of a typical Hollywood special-effects blockbuster, much like the one he was starring in now.

A route that, naturally, didn't sit well with certain people—like the critics in New York.

Unlike Los Angeles, the critics in this city were known for their cynicism, with Rex Reed and his donkey-kissing stunt being a prime example.

But they wouldn't change the course he had chosen.

The critics would probably treat *I Am Legend* no better than his previous films.

He remembered how Helen had dubbed him the number one potential client at the Angel Acting Agency just before he became famous. In one of their conversations, he had told her, "I want to be the most famous movie star in the world."

Helen had replied coolly, "Alright. We can look at what the other big stars are doing and then map out a path for you."

They studied the ten most famous movie stars in the world at the time and together figured out the patterns behind their success. They also studied the ten most successful films in history, all ten of which were special-effects blockbusters.

Therefore, for him and Helen, it was a simple decision to make *The Scorpion King* and *Pirates of the Caribbean*.

With his future memories, the blockbuster format of *I Am Legend* allowed him to take on the project without much hesitation—all that was left was to play the part correctly.

But it wasn't easy. *I Am Legend* was his best work yet. By his own standards, if he could score himself 90 out of 100 for his previous films, he'd give his portrayal of Robert Neville a perfect 100.

Jerry Bruckheimer once told him, "If you have the ability to go from zero to ninety, you can go from ninety to a hundred. You just have to pour all your energy into climbing that last ten percent."

As Matthew's thoughts drifted, the car pulled up to the hotel, and he returned to his suite.

Back in his suite, after changing into a robe and taking a shower, Matthew sat down at his computer and scrolled through the blogs and social media accounts of some of New York's leading film critics. Many of them were now recognizing their own relevance problem and were starting to keep up with the times by establishing an online presence.

Rex Reed, in particular, not only had a blog but had also made a name for himself on social media thanks to his knack for self-promotion.

When Matthew opened Rex's social media page, the film critic had already updated his blog with a post about *I Am Legend*, which he had clearly just seen at the preview screening.

Critics had always been at odds with Matthew, and Rex was no exception.

"*I Am Legend* is a powerful title, but unfortunately, there's nothing truly 'legendary' about the film. All the promotional gimmicks outside the movie do a better job of conveying what the director wanted to express. For example, the desolation of the film’s first half—the 'I'm the only one left in the world' feeling—was only well-depicted in the two trailers. A lone, empty New York seems less appealing than the dozen empty major cities featured on the various posters."

Next, Matthew came across the blog of *New Yorker* critic Richard Brody, who had a reputation for his sharp tongue. His review of *I Am Legend*, posted just five minutes ago, was just as biting.

"The post-apocalyptic melodrama sets a tone of languid despair for *I Am Legend*. In the first half, Matthew Horner portrays a one-man saga, beautifully idealizing desperate loneliness. But after the second-half twist, the film descends into cliché, depicting nothing more than a conventional Hollywood hero."

As the film's lead, Matthew found himself in the rare position of agreeing with a professional critic. The final third of the film was indeed rushed, but it wasn't due to a lack of control from the crew. Rather, it was a deliberate attempt to meet the demands of a mega-production with a $150 million production budget and an $80 million promotional budget.

Both Goldsman's script and Guillermo del Toro’s adaptation offered two completely different endings for the film. In the end, however, Robert Neville was made to act like a traditional hero, conforming to the Hollywood formula for commercial cinema.

The alternate version had a more intelligent ending, and the result certainly could have been better, but taking a risk on an unconventional ending was deemed too great.

It was a risk no one wanted to take, least of all Goldsman, who was in charge of post-production. And even if it had been up to him, Matthew was afraid he wouldn't have chosen the other ending for the public release either.

He was a commercial star, and Hollywood films were, ultimately, a business.

After a quick glance online, Matthew checked the time and saw it was past midnight. He called Helen.

"I just got a call from Warner Brothers. The advance tickets are sold out," she said quietly. "Check your email. I sent you something."

Matthew opened his inbox and saw a new message from Helen. It was brief, containing a single statistic: *I Am Legend* had grossed $14.6 million in preview screenings.

Seeing the number, he snapped his fingers, shut down the computer, and whistled as he headed to his bedroom for a good night's sleep.

As he settled comfortably into bed, only one thought occupied Matthew's mind: could *I Am Legend* break the $100 million mark in its opening weekend?

Last year, he had starred in *300*, which set a new record for a November opening in North America. It would be fantastic if he could set a new record for December this year.

And that would be good for the other side of the coin.

If it was a box office success, his halo effect would grow even stronger, and his more "bullish" projects would become more attractive to certain people.

***

The next morning, Matthew had barely woken up when he received another call from Helen.

"Read the press reviews. Your performance was well-received."

Matthew had a dozen newspapers delivered to his hotel room, pulled out the entertainment section from each, and read them one by one.

"There is something bleak and mournful about the overgrown ruins of steel and glass in New York, and Matthew Horner's deft and nuanced performance in this film makes the 'last man on earth' concept all the more compelling."

"Even if the second half of the film is clichéd, and Horner’s multi-layered performance from the first half is reduced to a brainless spectacle of bright explosions, his acting is still more impressive than the reliance on CG-enhanced special effects."