The Best Movie Actor In Hollywood!

Chapter 607

Leaving London by car, Matthew dozed off for a bit, waking up in Buckinghamshire not long after arriving in Iver Heath, home to Pinewood Studios, a major hub for the British film industry.

He had shot films here a long time ago, but he hadn't had occasion to return in recent years.

From "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" to the current production of "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," Pinewood Studios had served as the primary filming location for the entire series.

Having called David Heyman and Emma Watson ahead of his visit, Matthew had no trouble getting onto the studio lot. He asked the staff for directions and quickly found the "Harry Potter" set.

Inside the vast studio, Matthew met with David Heyman.

"You're finally here." David greeted Matthew warmly at the studio entrance, giving him a hug. "It's a relief to see a friendly face from Los Angeles in this miserable London weather. Please, come in."

David led him inside. Stepping through the doors, Matthew saw a crew at work on the sprawling temporary sets before them, adjusting the complex lighting rigs.

As they reached the edge of the active set, David paused, and Matthew stopped beside him.

"The strike is still on in Los Angeles," Matthew remarked casually.

"Is it affecting you?"David shook his head. "A minor inconvenience. Our writer, Steven, had to leave the project temporarily, but Joanne wrote the screenplays for the last two films, so it's not a big deal."

He asked, "What about you?"

Matthew answered readily, "I've given both my film crews an extended holiday, but I'd like for this to be over soon."

As a prominent producer and a member of the Producers Guild, David was far better informed than Matthew. "It's going to be difficult to end this strike anytime soon," he said.

Matthew nodded. "I heard the Golden Globes were canceled."

He shrugged. "The Oscars could be in jeopardy as well."

"Speaking of the Oscars," David transitioned smoothly, "I heard Warner Brothers submitted your name for a Best Actor nomination?"

"Yes, for my role in 'I Am Legend'."

Most actors chased an Oscar for the prestige and the financial rewards that followed, but Matthew already had fame and fortune. There was no need for him to wade through the murky waters of Academy Awards politics.

David added, "Initially, Warner Brothers and I were interested in bringing Guillermo del Toro on to direct 'Half-Blood Prince,' but unfortunately, he turned it down."

"I remember him mentioning that," Matthew recalled. Guillermo del Toro had spoken about it some time ago. "I think he had a horror film and a comic book movie in the works, so his schedule was probably packed."

If he hadn't taken over "I Am Legend" himself, Guillermo del Toro would have been working on "Hellboy 2" instead.

He added, "And I imagine Guillermo was hesitant. The Harry Potter series has a massive fanbase, and he'd be cursed into oblivion by them if he made a bad film."

"Exactly." David nodded. "David Yates caught a lot of heat for the last one. Almost every time we start a new Harry Potter film, the first thing we have to discuss is the runtime. Then it's just meetings, meetings, and more meetings. We've had to cut most of the subplots and focus squarely on the main narrative."

Matthew said knowingly, "And even when you get the story right, you still face a mountain of criticism."

"Exactly." David sighed. "The bigger the series became, the more challenging the films were to make. The original novels have hundreds of millions of readers, and the crew has to contend with criticism from all of them. Adapting a book that's hundreds of pages long into a two-hour movie requires compromise; you simply can't fit everything in. That opens the door for complaints from the audience, because no matter which parts we cut, there will always be fans who are outraged."

"I'll have to pick your brain for advice on that front sometime," Matthew said seriously. "I have a bestselling novel being adapted into a film."

Matthew was chatting with David for a little while longer when he saw a young woman in a black wizarding robe hurry off the set.

"Hello, Matthew," Emma Watson greeted him.

"Hi, Emma," Matthew replied with a smile.

David glanced between Matthew and Emma, then found an excuse to slip away.

Watching David go, Matthew turned his attention back to Emma. "You look fantastic."

Emma smiled, then turned to her agent, who was following close behind. She looked back at Matthew and said, "I'm going to get my makeup off. Wait for me."

***

It was half an hour before Emma returned, her black wizarding robe gone, replaced by a pair of jeans and a fur-collared jacket. She had transformed from Hermione Granger back into a regular girl-next-door teenager.

"Let's go." She took Matthew's arm and led him away. "I just got off the phone with my family. I'm cleared for dinner out."

She turned her head to him and asked, "What do you want to eat?"

Matthew replied, "I remember a good Brazilian restaurant not far from the studio. Is it still open?"

As they walked, Emma wrinkled her nose. "You mean that awful Brazilian place?"

"No," Matthew feigned a frown. "I remember it being delicious."

As they left the studio, Emma waved a dismissive hand. "You have terrible taste."

Matthew was unbothered. "You're treating, you pick the place."

Emma hailed a battery-powered cart and hopped in with Matthew. As the cart started moving, she said, "Last time in Geneva, you said you liked French food."

"Of course," Matthew nodded in agreement.

The two of them rode the cart to the entrance of the production facility, switched to Matthew's car, and arrived at a restaurant ten minutes later.

"So what brings you to London?" Emma asked curiously as they sat down.

Matthew answered without missing a beat, "I came to see you."

"Me?" Emma looked skeptical. "You came all this way to see me? Who'd believe that?"

She eyed him intently. "Are you here because the BBC named you the luckiest Hollywood star of 2007?"

"They did?" Matthew was genuinely unaware.

Emma was surprised. "You didn't know?"

Matthew shook his head.

Emma explained simply, "About three days ago, the BBC had a program summarizing this year's Hollywood films. Since all three movies you were in did well at the box office, the show called you the luckiest star."

Matthew understood and asked casually, "If there are luckiest stars, are there also unluckiest stars?"

Emma nodded. "Yes."

She grinned. "The former couple, Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, are the ones who received that particular honor."

The waiter brought their food, and once he had left, Emma speared a piece of diced chicken with her fork and added, "Guess why."

Matthew had heard a little about their recent projects and said after a moment's thought, "I recall both Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman had new films out this year. Nicole had a 'commercial blockbuster' with 'The Golden Compass,' and Tom Cruise had an indie film, though I don't remember the name."

"Lions for Lambs," Emma reminded him.

Matthew nodded. "They both made films that played to the other's strengths. The results were predictable."

"Correct!" Emma smiled again. "Tom Cruise's new movie has been in North American theaters for two months and has only grossed $14.93 million, his lowest in twenty-four years, and the word-of-mouth has been surprisingly awful."

Nicole Kidman's failure, as Matthew knew, was even more spectacular. It was supposed to be a fantasy masterpiece with a nearly $200 million investment and a bestselling novel as its foundation, but "The Golden Compass" had simply lost everything.

"Right," Matthew said directly. "Just a friendly reminder: after the Harry Potter series is over, don't wander into a genre that doesn't suit you."

"Like you?" Emma stared at him.

Matthew gave a short laugh. "I know I can't be a great actor, so I never even tried."

Emma replied earnestly, "I understand. Thank you, Matthew."

Before he could say anything, she asked, "You still haven't told me what you're really doing in London."

"I'll be honest," Matthew said with a look of mock helplessness.

"I'm here for this year's Victoria's Secret show."