The Best Movie Actor In Hollywood!

Chapter 744

After his meeting with Kevin Tsujihara that day, he made a point to find and read the original version of The Hobbit. The book was surprisingly short, just fifteen chapters, with no mention of Legolas or any female elf at all.

It seemed Peter Jackson had specifically added Legolas to the film, likely because the Elven prince had been so popular back in the day. But the book didn't mention him; the characters discussed were Gollum and Aragorn.

Perhaps Peter Jackson wanted to replace the former Elven prince with a new elf character based on him. After all, Orlando Bloom was hard to find these days.

After his career took a nosedive, Orlando Bloom vanished from the scene. Matthew had initially assumed he was just hiding somewhere, licking his wounds and waiting for a chance to make a comeback. But as it turned out, there had been no news of him for years.

Matthew asked Helen about it, and while Helen hired someone to look into it, they couldn't find any trace of where Orlando Bloom had gone.

Every time he thought about Orlando Bloom, Matthew would sigh to himself. He couldn't have killed himself over a few failures, could he?

Leaving the Warner building, Matthew saw that it was still early and decided to head over to the Angel Acting Agency.

With his career on a steady upward trajectory and several of his investment projects in development, the Angel Acting Agency was buzzing with activity. When he walked in, he saw a crowd of actors waiting to sign contracts.

Among them were dozens of actresses who stared at him with unusually fervent eyes, which made Matthew a little uncomfortable.

Matthew went up to the second floor to see Helen."So, there are times when even you get intimidated by women?" Amanda, who was also in the office, teased Matthew with a smirk.

"Let's get down to business." Helen brought the conversation back on track. "Matthew, you have three more days off. Starting this weekend, you'll need to report to the production team for G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra to participate in the final pre-release promotional tour."

When it came to work, Matthew grew much more serious. He nodded. "I know."

Helen asked, "I heard you clashed with Harvey Weinstein again?"

"It's not like I wanted to start a conflict with him," Matthew said with a helpless shrug, spreading his hands. "I was talking to Kevin Tsujihara about investing in and co-producing The Hobbit with Warner Bros., and Harvey Weinstein tried to snatch my investment share. How could I just back down?"

Amanda chimed in, "Exactly. We can't back down. Anyone who messes with our money is an enemy!"

Matthew gave Amanda a high-five. "You're absolutely right. That's why I slapped Harvey Weinstein's hand away."

"Exactly!" Amanda crossed her arms, striking a commanding pose. "The Weinstein Company has always been based in New York. Compared to the lesser-known Bob Weinstein, Harvey has a terrible reputation in New York's business circles. The things he's done..."

She couldn't help but shake her head. Although Matthew wasn't much better in some respects, his situation was completely different from Harvey Weinstein's. Matthew always honored the other party's terms without forcing them.

Helen, ever cautious, said calmly, "People like Harvey Weinstein are venomous snakes. With our current strength, we don't need to be overly concerned about him, but we can't afford to ignore him completely either. Who knows when he might decide to strike?"

Matthew picked up a cup of water, took a sip, and said, "We can set aside everything else, but this is the second time he's tried to steal a project from under us."

"We need to find a way to finish Harvey off for good, so we don't have to worry about him anymore."

"That won't be easy," Helen remarked.

Amanda nodded cautiously. "Harvey has offended a lot of people over the years, and many of them would love to see him taken down. The fact that he's still doing just fine shows how difficult it is to get rid of him."

Matthew leaned back into the sofa, tapping his fingers lightly on the armrest. He thought for a moment before saying, "Or maybe those people just never had the right opportunity."

Helen frowned slightly. "Are you suggesting we create one?"

Amanda reminded him, "Matthew, even if you want to do something, you need to prepare thoroughly first."

Matthew nodded slowly, his fingers drumming against the armrest at an ever-increasing pace as he rapidly replayed every interaction he'd had with Harvey Weinstein, from their very first contact to the present day.

"The Weinstein brothers have a strange dynamic," Matthew mused. "Bob Weinstein is like an invisible man."

Helen looked over at him. "They've always been like that. Harvey is the face of the company, while Bob stays behind the scenes. But the two of them have always divided the work."

Matthew asked, "But who's really in charge?"

"Harvey Weinstein, of course," Helen answered without a moment's hesitation. "First with Miramax and now with The Weinstein Company, Harvey has always had the final say."

Amanda agreed. "That's right."

"And Bob is okay with that?" Matthew lowered his voice. "Is he really content with his position? Does he harbor any resentment?"

He propped his chin on his hand. "Can it really be that satisfying to stay in the shadows while your brother gets all the glory and has all the fun?"

Helen and Amanda didn't answer, but they fell into thought. Both were veterans of the business world and had a clear understanding of things like profit and human nature.

Who could truly turn their back on money and power?

"Have someone reach out to Bob Weinstein privately," Matthew said very slowly. "Let's see if we can find out what he really thinks of his brother. Then we can start formulating a plan based on what we learn."

Amanda immediately grasped Matthew's meaning. "Once they have a falling out, The Weinstein Company will be in serious trouble. They'll never be as influential as they are now if they split."

Helen nodded. "Harvey Weinstein has already tried to cut into our profits twice. It's highly likely there will be a third and a fourth time. Even though his last two attempts failed, what about the next one?"

Matthew looked at Amanda. "Bob Weinstein has been in New York for a long time. Do you have the right person to make contact?"

After a few seconds of thought, Amanda nodded. "I'll take care of it."

"I have another idea I want you to hear. Harvey Weinstein has forced himself on so many women... what if someone was willing to come forward and expose him? We could then mobilize the media, using public opinion to crush him completely."

Helen raised her eyebrows. "That... is a huge move. If it actually happens, it will expose one of Hollywood's biggest, ugliest scars."

"Although it's not exactly a secret within the industry," Amanda added, "we'd have to be extremely careful with a plan like that."

Helen glanced at Amanda and added, "As a woman, I find people like Harvey Weinstein disgusting, and I hope he gets what he deserves. But... this is fraught with consequences."

Of course, Matthew knew there were risks. What Harvey Weinstein did was an open secret, yet no one had ever dared to break the silence. That suggested that his behavior was, on some level, accepted by the majority.

Trying to break that unspoken rule was not something one could do lightly. It would require a massive push.

"The feminist movement has grown in size over the last two years and has become a major social force," Matthew said slowly. "What if we used that movement to push this issue forward?"

He tapped his fingers again. "At the rate feminism is growing, even if we turn a blind eye to Harvey Weinstein, it won't be long before someone else exposes him."

Helen and Amanda looked at each other and nodded.

"This has to be meticulously planned," Helen maintained her cautious tone. "There's a tremendous amount of groundwork to be done before we can make a move."

Matthew said with a smile, "I'm not saying we do it right away. Just think of it as a contingency plan. Maybe Harvey Weinstein won't mess with us again. But if he dares to reach for our pie one more time... he'll never be able to climb back to the top of Hollywood again."

The three of them stayed in the office, discussing the matter and gradually hashing out a preliminary plan. Everything was to be kept strictly confidential.

The issue was undoubtedly critical, and the more they talked, the more details they considered. They even had dinner brought to the office, not leaving until nearly midnight.

***

The next day, Matthew received a call from Nibora, who suggested he find some time to visit a gun club. He said there was a true master there—a retired special forces officer and former Navy SEAL captain.