The Best Movie Actor In Hollywood!

Chapter 623

The deafening roar of engines alone was enough to tell you everything you needed to know about the four cars parked near a large bar at a crossroads south of Los Angeles, on the way to Long Beach. Each one was powered by a massive heart: a V8.

The four muscle cars were lined up in a row, an undeniably eye-catching sight.

Just as striking as the cars were the stunning Latina women in stylish dresses, their presence as dazzling as any jewel in the concrete jungle.

At director Justin Lin's request, the camera was positioned to cut between shots of their hips and chests.

The main camera, mounted on a high boom, was positioned in front of the four cars, capturing a close-up of Matthew, Paul Walker, and two other actors through the specially treated windshields.

The engines roared to life, and thick plumes of smoke billowed from the tailpipes.

A woman in high heels stepped out in front of the four cars, striking a pose that flaunted her curves.

"Cut!" Justin's voice boomed through his megaphone.

Hearing the call, Matthew killed the engine and leaned out of the car door.

Just then, Justin yelled again, "Prepare for the next scene!"The crew immediately swarmed his car, setting up a green screen behind the windows and the driver's seat.

With nothing to do for the moment, Matthew was exchanging a few words with Justin about the next shot when a glass of water was offered to him from behind.

He took the glass, had a sip, and was about to offer his usual "thanks" when he realized the slender, elegant hand holding it out to him definitely wasn't Bella's.

Matthew turned to see Lily Collins standing just behind his left shoulder, a playful grin on her face.

"Lily," Matthew said, slightly surprised. "What brings you here?"

Taking the glass from Matthew, Lily stepped up to stand beside him. "I just got back from Portland after wrapping all my scenes as Alice Cullen," she explained. "I heard you were filming here, so I thought I'd stop by."

"Where's Bella?"

Lily pointed off into the distance. "She got a call and had to step away to take it."

She tilted her head. "Aren't you happy to see me?"

Matthew smiled at her. "Of course I am. Who wouldn't be happy to see Angel Lily?"

Lily smiled, taking one of his hands. "This set seems a lot more relaxed than *Twilight*. The last few days of shooting have been a real headache."

"What's going on?" Matthew asked, his curiosity piqued.

"Nothing," Lily said, clearly not wanting to burden him with trivial matters. "I can handle it. It's just... a little irritating."

Matthew didn't press the issue. He'd actually heard during the pre-production for *Twilight* that Nina Dobrev and Lily Collins, the two highest-profile actresses in the cast, had been clashing quite a bit.

But if you wanted to make a name for yourself in Hollywood, you had to learn to handle minor conflicts like that. It was just one of many obstacles.

They chatted for a few more moments before Lily suddenly asked, "Matthew, is it true? Are you and Nina Dobrev seeing each other?"

"Something like that," Matthew replied casually.

Hearing his answer, Lily nodded with understanding. "I see."

"What do you see?" Matthew asked.

Lily shook her head. "That Nina is no different from Scarlett Johansson or Jessica Alba. Just another temporary bed partner."

Matthew wasn't sure how to respond to that.

The four cars were moved into position for the next setup. As the crew bustled around them, the other actors stood by idly. Matthew and Lily had fallen silent for a few minutes when Paul Walker walked over.

"Matthew." Paul glanced at Lily. "This young lady is...?"

Lily took Matthew's arm again and declared in a deliberately playful tone, "I'm Matthew's girlfriend. And I know you—you're Paul Walker."

Paul shot Matthew a surprised look, his eyes seeming to ask, *Since when do you have a normal girlfriend?*

Matthew chuckled. "She's kidding."

Then he made the proper introduction. "This is Lily Collins. She's the schoolgirl I rescued from her demon principal while I was dressed as Will Turner."

Lily immediately interjected, feigning annoyance. "Schoolgirl? Come on, Matthew, I'm nineteen!"

Paul ignored Lily, who was still muttering under her breath, and turned to Matthew. "I heard Vin Diesel filed an injunction to stop us from using the name Dominic Toretto."

"He did," Matthew confirmed with a casual nod. "The lawyers were questioning the crew about it three days ago."

He smiled. "Don't worry about it. Diesel isn't going to cause any real trouble. Yes, he played Dominic Toretto, but he doesn't own the rights to the character. The court flatly rejected his claim."

"That bald bastard," Paul scowled. "We should have cut him out from the very beginning."

Matthew didn't seem too concerned. "Diesel's career is practically over. He's stuck making a living in B-movies now. He's probably just fishing for a loophole, hoping to squeeze some so-called compensation out of us."

When he and David Ellison first acquired the rights for the sequel, they had considered every possible angle. They'd secured one hundred percent of the film rights, leaving no room for dispute.

Any attempt by Diesel to cause trouble over the rights was doomed to fail.

***

There was a pause in filming, and a relative quiet fell over the set. Bella approached and stood beside Matthew. "Helen called," she said. "There's an official letter from Rolex. You'll be the media face for the brand starting this July."

"Got it," Matthew replied.

Bella added, "Helen is dropping everything to fly to Rolex headquarters in Geneva tomorrow. She's going to start a new round of negotiations."

Matthew considered this for a moment. "Bella, I need you to take over her side of things for now. And don't forget to give me a rundown of the *New York Times* bestseller list every week."

He was keeping an eye on a new novel on the market called *The Hunger Games*. When it came to acquiring film rights, the earlier you moved, the better. Once a book became a certified hit, the bidding wars with other Hollywood players were a massive headache, to say nothing of the soaring price tag.

But *The Hunger Games* wasn't the only work of fiction on his radar. A while back, Helen had already found a writer and, for a very attractive fee, had them sign a strict copyright agreement. Their task was to write a sadomasochistic novel featuring Isabella Swan and Edward Cullen.

He'd only ever skimmed the first dozen pages on his phone and couldn't recall much, other than the basic premise: a dominant, CEO-type falling for a Mary Sue. He'd given the writer a few thematic pointers, instructing them to be specific with the... various implements... and to push the explicit content as far as the internet would allow.

This project was precisely what he'd had in mind when he'd told Bella to take over some of Helen's duties.

If the *Twilight* movie became a hit, this novel would have a highly marketable hook, and he could then leverage it however he saw fit.

Just as he finished speaking with Bella, Matthew was called back to the set.

He walked back to the car, climbed into the driver's seat, and, under the guidance of the stunt coordinator, ran through a series of maneuvers: sharp turns, gear shifts, hard brakes, and more.

Matthew wasn't filming the actual racing scenes himself; those would be spliced in during post-production, along with the major stunt sequences.