The Best Movie Actor In Hollywood!

Chapter 741

Once inside the theater, Rachel Weisz made a point of sitting next to Matthew. They had known each other for years, had always gotten along well, and hadn't seen one another in a long time, so they started catching up on everything that had happened since The Mummy Returns.

"Universal Pictures eventually went ahead with a third Mummy film," Rachel Weisz whispered to Matthew. "They approached me, but I turned it down as soon as I read the script. Thankfully, I stayed away from it—that movie was terrible."

Matthew nodded. "Universal Pictures reached out to me, too. I turned them down as well."

As he chatted with Rachel Weisz, a few things started to slowly come back to him, particularly the mention of Black Swan by both her and Natalie Portman earlier.

A long time ago, he had been completely captivated by the character Mathilda from Léon: The Professional and had followed Natalie Portman's career a bit since then.

From the moment he'd heard the title Black Swan, a vague memory had been nagging at him. Now he was starting to piece it together. Wasn't that the role that won Natalie Portman the Oscar for Best Actress?

Could that be the same film Rachel was talking about?

But according to Rachel, the script and the role had been written for her by Darren Aronofsky. So how did it end up in Natalie Portman's hands?

Then it clicked for Matthew. Natalie Portman had told Rachel Weisz she wanted to meet with Darren for advice...

It was a classic Hollywood move. He remembered the story of how Gwyneth Paltrow won Best Actress for Shakespeare in Love. The role was originally intended for Winona Ryder, who was invited to audition. But after seeing the script at the home of her then-"best friend," Winona, Gwyneth decided she wanted the part for herself. She enlisted the support of Harvey Weinstein and secured the role. After that, their friendship was over, and they completely cut off contact.Could the same thing be happening with Natalie Portman and Rachel?

Rachel Weisz had been kind to him on the set of The Mummy Returns, and when he later clashed with Brendan Fraser, she had been relatively supportive of him.

He wasn't about to pretend he hadn't overheard the conversation between Rachel Weisz and Natalie Portman.

Of course, Rachel currently considered Natalie Portman a friend. But there was no guarantee that Natalie Portman didn't have similar ambitions.

As they chatted, Matthew gradually steered the conversation toward the Oscars. "For the past couple of years," he remarked, "the Best Actress Oscar has gone to one of Harvey's films."

"Yes." Rachel Weisz nodded. "Harvey Weinstein approached Darren about it once, but Darren turned him down."

"Speaking of Harvey Weinstein," Matthew said suddenly, "I just remembered a rumor about one of the Best Actress wins he engineered."

Thinking Matthew might have some inside information, Rachel Weisz leaned in and asked, "What rumor?"

"About how Gwyneth Paltrow got her Oscar," Matthew replied nonchalantly.

"I heard she stole the script and the role from Winona Ryder."

"Ah." Rachel nodded. "I've heard that rumor..."

As she said it, she fell silent, suddenly contemplating just how many successful actresses in Hollywood had likely done something similar to get ahead.

Seeing that Rachel was lost in thought, Matthew said no more. The house lights dimmed, the screen lit up, and his attention shifted to the Wachowskis' new science fiction film.

Only thirty minutes into the movie, Matthew could tell it was definitely a Wachowski film—even more enigmatic and complex than the last two Matrix sequels.

Maybe it was just his own limited artistic appreciation, but the impression the film left on him was one of a tangled narrative, a bizarre structure, and incomprehensible themes.

One movie, six storylines, a time span of a thousand years, and three dozen characters...

This was definitely not a commercial film.

When it ended, Matthew glanced around and saw he wasn't the only one who was baffled. Even Rachel Weisz, who had studied literature at Cambridge University, was muttering to herself beside him.

"This film's narrative is even more bizarre than The Matrix," Rachel mused, seeming to speak to herself. "And far too didactic."

She turned to Matthew. "Don't you agree?"

Matthew shrugged, making no attempt to hide his confusion. "I'm completely lost."

The premiere was over. Rachel said her goodbyes and hurried off, and Matthew didn't linger either.

Just as he stepped out of the theater, before he could even get to his car, a handful of reporters materialized and swarmed him.

These reporters, however, seemed uninterested in the Cloud Atlas premiere; all their questions were about Matthew's own upcoming film.

There weren't too many of them, so Matthew stopped to answer a few questions.

***

After the premiere, everyone went their separate ways, especially the cast and crew. It was nearly midnight when Brad Pitt finally left the theater.

Since Angelina Jolie hadn't attended the premiere, Natalie Portman rode with Brad Pitt.

The black sedan headed toward Beverly Hills. On the way, Brad Pitt kept scrolling through a tablet in his hand, apparently reading the early news about Cloud Atlas.

"Was the film too complicated?" Natalie Portman asked, concerned.

"I overheard some reporters saying they didn't get it."

Brad Pitt shook his head. "That's fine. It's supposed to be a challenging film."

Natalie Portman glanced at the tablet in his hand. "What's the reaction online?"

"Not bad," Brad Pitt said with a smile, handing the tablet to her. "A lot of the online critics are giving it positive reviews."

Natalie Portman took the tablet and scrolled through the page. It was just as he'd said.

"A truly fine film. The visuals are atmospheric, the pacing is measured, and the technique is precise and understated. The disparate storylines are woven together skillfully, with dialogue from one era bleeding into the visuals of the next. Barring the occasionally outlandish makeup, the performances are perfectly suited to their respective stories."

It was from an online film critic's column.

After reading that, Natalie Portman navigated to Rotten Tomatoes.

Cloud Atlas currently had 32 reviews logged, giving it a temporary Tomatometer score of 86%, certifying it as "Fresh."

For a summer blockbuster, that was an undeniably high score.

She scrolled down to read some of the review excerpts.

The praise was effusive, calling it a beautiful and deeply moving story, not just an ordinary sci-fi film but a unique and unprecedented cinematic event. One critic described it as a cathartic, philosophical epic, weaving together a grand cosmology like a symphony where different movements are interspersed in perfect, harmonious order.

Natalie felt a flicker of doubt. Was Cloud Atlas really that good?

"Hey, look," Brad Pitt said suddenly, having just received a text message.

"You've got to see this. Roger Ebert just updated his column with a review of Cloud Atlas."

Roger Ebert's health had been declining for several years, and he rarely wrote reviews anymore. The studio had sent him a screener, but they never expected him to actually watch it.

Natalie Portman swiped her finger across the tablet and quickly pulled up the official website for the Chicago Sun-Times, where Roger Ebert's column was featured prominently on the front page.

Tapping on the link to his column, she immediately saw the review, which had been posted just ten minutes earlier.

"What does it say?" Brad Pitt asked.

Natalie Portman read the opening lines aloud. "He calls Cloud Atlas 'one of the most ambitious films ever made.' He says it's 'an extraordinary adaptation of a novel widely considered unfilmable, and a near-perfect achievement in every respect! Film lovers will not want to miss a movie this bold and visionary!'"

Brad Pitt nodded continuously. "We're halfway there. The word-of-mouth is strong, now it's all up to the box office. We don't have a built-in audience, so presales won't tell us much. We'll get a better idea of the long-term trend after we see the numbers from opening day."