The Best Movie Actor In Hollywood!

Chapter 664: Twilight

The howling wind was like a devil's shriek. The sun had long vanished from the sky, and snow like goose down, mixed with fine hail, rattled against the roof of the trailer, creating a series of frightening sounds, as if the blizzard was about to bury everything in its path.

Sienna lay on the long sofa in the trailer, her eyes listless with fatigue. She simply stared into space, listening to the clamor of the wind and snow outside.

Then she heard Matthew's voice. "The wind and snow are too strong for the convoy to leave. We've decided to take shelter here for a while."

Sienna nodded.

She was too exhausted. The shoot had burned so much energy and so many calories that she didn't bother saying anything more.

A figure emerged before her, and Sienna's vacant eyes gradually focused to see Matthew standing by the opposite window.

"He's so fit," a thought surfaced unconsciously in her mind. "Every muscle is so perfect."

Just as men discuss women, women, when they gather, discuss men. The small circle of actresses Sienna belonged to often talked about male stars and models, with Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Cruise, and Matthew Horner being frequent topics.

In the last couple of years, however, Leonardo DiCaprio had started to lose his shape, making Matthew the ideal subject of their conversations.

Suddenly, a faint breeze swept through, and Sienna quickly looked up. Matthew had opened the window to check the intensity of the wind and snow outside.The light gust slipped into the trailer, sending a chill over her.

Her head spun. Sienna's gaze was fixed on Matthew's body. Before this, she had thought Horner was a rare gentleman in Hollywood, never expecting he would bring her to his trailer and take the initiative to seduce her.

The problem was, she wasn't exactly conservative herself. How could she possibly resist being tempted by a man like him?

Just as the thought crossed her mind, Sienna found that Matthew had already turned and was staring at her intently. Without waiting for him to make a move, Sienna took a step toward him.

***

Sienna caught a cold during the last two days of shooting. She wasn't the only one; many on the crew seemed unaccustomed to such extreme cold, and the number of sick people steadily grew. Even Matthew, who had always been in excellent health, was no exception.

He had too many fight scenes in the snow. While stunt doubles could be used for side and back shots, the front shots had to be filmed on location by him personally. Although he had experience shooting on a cold winter night in New York, the winter there was nothing compared to the harshness of Iceland.

Stephen Sommers had to change the shooting schedule, moving some scenes originally planned for the night to the daytime.

Winter had already arrived in Iceland, and filming at night presented too many uncertainties.

Stephen also canceled some non-essential scenes. The difficulties of filming in the Icelandic cold had far exceeded his predictions.

Not only was the safety of the cast and crew a concern, but some of the equipment was failing far more often than usual. The crew had already spent twice the planned amount, causing some problems for Paramount Pictures and the third-party completion bond company.

But after ten days of filming in the Icelandic freeze, the crew had mostly completed the scenes needed for the film. Matthew, along with the entire production, returned to Los Angeles before the harshest part of winter set in.

Back in Los Angeles, even with "Twilight" about to be released, Matthew wasn't busy with work just yet. He was at home, recovering from his illness.

He had caught a cold that hadn't seemed so bad in Iceland but had suddenly worsened after his return to Los Angeles.

After so many years in the city, it was the first time he had fallen ill.

Because his health had been so robust over the years, he almost never saw doctors, aside from the routine physicals required for the rich and powerful. He didn't employ a private physician, but thankfully, money could solve most problems, and a common cold wasn't a particularly serious ailment.

Still, Matthew paid close attention to it, not taking it lightly. After all, every year in North America, there were dozens, if not hundreds, of deaths from the flu.

"So, someone as strong as you can get sick," Lily couldn't help but remark in the living room of the estate, seeing Matthew's red nose. "I always thought you were Superman."

Matthew asked, "What brings you here?"

Lily sat down on a single sofa, shrugged playfully, and said, "I ran into David Ellison at an event yesterday. I heard from him that you were sick, so I came to see you."

Matthew said casually, "I've been lazing around at home the past two days. David came by yesterday but ran off after just a few words."

David Ellison was busy generating press and stirring up buzz for "Twilight," so he was quite occupied with work.

Of the film's $40 million production cost, $10 million was David's investment.

They chatted for a while longer. Lily had an event that evening, so she said her goodbyes and left before noon.

"Get well soon," she said before leaving. "The whole cast is waiting for you at the 'Twilight' press event."

Matthew replied, "I'll be facing the media in two days."

***

Once he felt a little better, Matthew was thrown into the promotional whirlwind for "Twilight," participating in one media event after another. "G.I. Joe" was still filming on the side, but his scenes wouldn't resume until December, so he could focus entirely on "Twilight" for the time being.

Disney held an internal screening of the film, and the reaction was positive.

But many people were skeptical about the movie, especially after the trailer was released. After all, the romance genre had fallen out of favor.

"Mr. Horner, why did you invest in a film like this?" Mark Berman, a reporter from the New York Post, seized the opportunity to ask loudly. "Don't you think this type of movie is already dated? Werewolves and vampires aren't in trend right now! Can this film really allow you to recoup your $40 million investment?"

Matthew knew many people were waiting for him to stumble. It had nothing to do with hatred; it was simply human nature. When a person keeps succeeding, the thought naturally arises that they can't possibly be successful forever, that they will surely fail, just like the vast majority of people in the world.

"Great films never go out of style," Matthew said, unconcerned with what the outside world thought, and praised the project wholeheartedly. "'Twilight' will become a classic love story."

He glanced at the reporter from the New York Post and said with a smile, "Whether 'Twilight' can recoup its investment, we'll find out soon enough."

Seeing Matthew's confident smile, Mark Berman gave a faint snort and said nothing more. He wasn't a tabloid paparazzo, and it was unwise to get into a direct confrontation with a Hollywood celebrity like Matthew.

However, he would wait and see just how much of that forty million dollars Horner would lose.

The fifty-something paparazzo from The Sun sitting next to him was not so polite, asking directly, "I've read the original 'Twilight' novel. It's twisted and ridiculous. How can a film adaptation of such a book be successful?"

Before Matthew could answer, he quickly added, "You don't think of 'Twilight' as one of the films you star in, do you?"

Matthew naturally understood what that meant, as did the entertainment reporters around him, and a ripple of laughter went through the crowd.

Matthew looked at the reporter from The Sun, but he didn't get angry or walk away with a cold expression—that was exactly the reaction the other man wanted.

This reporter had deliberately asked a sharp, provocative question and then followed it with mockery. Wasn't that the standard routine for The Sun?

"Sir," Matthew began, not answering the question but asking one of his own. "Judging by your age, you must be a father, right?"

The reporter from The Sun couldn't figure out what Matthew was getting at, but he still nodded. "Yes, I have an eighteen-year-old daughter."

"A daughter, huh?" Matthew paused for a moment. "I imagine your relationship with her isn't very warm, is it?"

As a rule, teenagers didn't have particularly warm relationships with their parents.

"That..." the reporter from The Sun asked rhetorically, "Does that have anything to do with my question?"

Matthew answered seriously, "Of course, it does."

He pointed at the journalist. "Because you don't understand what your daughter likes."

Without waiting for the reporter from The Sun to say anything more, he continued, "You call 'Twilight' trashy? You don't realize that falling in love with a handsome, caring, gentle, and unique person is a dream every girl has had at one time or another. Sometimes he's a prince in an ancient castle, sometimes he's the high-flying Spider-Man, sometimes he's a rebellious, defiant maverick, and sometimes, he's a vampire with cold fingers."

Matthew looked like an expert on teenage emotions. "He's always gentle, handsome, the only one in the entire world who loves you. He's fierce, yet endlessly caring toward you. He's incredibly talented and even all-powerful, but he's also modest and reserved."

The reporter from The Sun was somewhat stunned. It wasn't that he knew absolutely nothing about a young woman's mind, but hearing these words, it seemed as if Matthew knew a great deal about women.

The reporters gathered around Matthew fell silent, listening intently to the words coming from his mouth.

Matthew gave an example. "Take Edward, the vampire in 'Twilight.' From the moment he first saw Bella and caught her scent, he avoided her, yet he couldn't help but draw closer."

He held up a finger. "Love at first sight—that's a woman's first dream."

Then Matthew raised a second finger. "Edward told Bella, 'Your scent is my own personal brand of heroin.' But then again, as a vegetarian vampire, he had to learn restraint to keep from eating her. That's why he had to be careful when they kissed, always saying, 'I have to control myself.' This, again, is the assumption women make about their boyfriends—that they love them and have perfect control over their lust. That's a woman's second dream."

He raised a third finger. "Edward is strong; he always protects Bella. Whether it's showing up just in time to scare off a bully, taking her to the ball looking stunning enough to draw envious glances, or even if she can't dance, she can under his guidance. With him, there's no fear, only satisfaction. That's a woman's third dream. Edward is even willing to spend his entire life with Bella. He respects her choices, unwilling to disrupt her original life. That is a woman's most important dream."

Having said this, Matthew suddenly turned to invite the original author, Stephenie Meyer, to join him. "Ms. Meyer, like many women, has written down her dreams one by one. 'Twilight' is a film worth watching, more relatable to us than those that swear to reflect major problems and outlooks on life, because it records what every ordinary woman has once dreamed of in a man. Even if those dreams are fragmented and, in reality, childish and ridiculous."

Stephenie chimed in smoothly, "It all comes together to create a film that is deeply moving."

Thanks to Stephenie's appearance, Matthew managed to shift the reporter's focus to the original author. After nearly a year of honing her skills, Stephenie Meyer had some experience dealing with journalists and naturally spoke about the film in the most favorable terms.

"When I wrote this novel, I always wondered if it would ever be brought to the screen. Fortunately, it finally happened, and both the director and the actors live up to the expectations I had for the film."

Stephenie was pleased with the adaptation. "Especially Nina Dobrev, who plays Bella. She gave a wonderful performance, perfectly matching my expectations for the role... She's only nineteen, and she was able to play the part so expressively and movingly. What more can I say?"

***

As the release of "Twilight" drew closer, the promotional efforts from Studio 13 and Disney intensified. All sorts of news could easily be seen in newspapers, magazines, on the internet, and on television.

"Twilight is about to hit theaters as the vampire thriller subgenre pulls back the curtain!"

"The romantic masterpiece 'Twilight' explodes with another teaser trailer!"

In addition to these stories, Matthew also had people concoct a host of real and fake news items designed to capture the audience's attention.

"The box office prospects for 'Twilight' look promising, heralding an era of low-budget blockbusters."

However, all this advertising had one thing in common—it was primarily aimed at a teenage female audience, as they were the largest demographic for this film.

"Vampires Obsessed with Girls" was the main promotional theme.

It was difficult for men to truly love this movie, and Matthew was no exception. When he had to force himself to read the novel series, the aversion he felt was much stronger than when he later read "The Hunger Games."

But the marketing teams at Disney and the Angel Agency had specifically analyzed the film. By Matthew's own admission, "Twilight" was magical, but its magic didn't work on everyone.

Looking at Stephenie Meyer's novel objectively, it's actually an elegant and beautiful feminine work. The story is simple and romantic—a vampire who has been lonely for a hundred years falls in love with a shy human girl. Many obstacles arise between them, but the power of love ultimately overcomes everything.

Matthew had a special survey conducted, and "Twilight" fans were ninety-nine percent female.

Therefore, "Twilight" was also a completely female-driven film; its author, screenwriter, and director were all women. One could even say that the entire movie was held together not by logical plot conflicts, but by a certain emotional fluctuation of thought.

Thus, after "Twilight" was released, there wouldn't be too many male fans. It might even attract insults from male viewers.

Because it was simply a matter of ideology from two different planets. Men from Mars wouldn't be able to understand women from Venus, and many men from Mars wouldn't be willing to lower their lofty heads and try to understand them.

And so, on the weekend before Thanksgiving, the female-centric romantic film "Twilight" was ceremoniously released across North America.