The Best Movie Actor In Hollywood!

Chapter 748

The area in front of the El Capitan Theatre in Los Angeles was buzzing with excitement. After walking the red carpet, the cast and key crew members gathered for a group photo. Matthew stood in the center, his left arm around Sienna Miller and his right around Karolina.

The media reporters gathered at the scene aimed most of their cameras at the trio.

Rumors had been swirling about Matthew, Sienna, and Karolina. Paparazzi had photographed them entering and leaving hotels together, but that was old news by now.

The media and the public had long grown accustomed to it.

During an interview, a reporter asked Karolina about her relationship with Matthew. She replied, "I'm not married, and neither is Matthew, so why can't I be free? Our society promotes equal rights for men and women, so why can't women pursue their own happiness just like men do?"

With the feminist movement in full swing, "happiness" and "freedom" had become expressions of gender equality.

In fact, over the past two years, media attention on Matthew's companions had somewhat diminished. They changed too quickly and too often. Aside from labeling him a playboy, no one ever criticized him for being disrespectful to women.

Moreover, the models and actresses who had been romantically involved with Matthew always seemed to relish the attention, speaking highly of him whenever they were interviewed about it.

In this aspect of his personal life, Matthew had always been transparent with the media. The women he was with were always there voluntarily; no one was ever forced into anything.

The media and the public had gradually come to see Matthew and Leonardo DiCaprio as Hollywood's two most notorious playboys.Matthew walked into the theater, lost in thought, when Helen's voice suddenly cut through. "What's on your mind?"

Hearing her, Matthew instantly snapped back to the present and looked at Helen, who was walking just behind him. "It's strange, I don't think I see Natalie or Pitt here."

"They probably didn't come," Helen said, falling into step beside him as they headed for the VIP lounge. "Cloud Atlas was a box office disaster, so I guess they weren't in the mood to accept your invitation."

Matthew shrugged. "But I accepted Portman's invitation."

Helen ignored his comment. "I didn't expect your prediction to come true. The Wachowskis' new film really did bomb."

"The state of the film market is clear," Matthew said, mimicking her even tone. "The more complex and incomprehensible a movie is, the worse it will do. Cloud Atlas might be a decent story, but the Wachowskis' narrative is confusing and just turns people off."

Helen frowned slightly. "I'm a little worried about Inception."

Matthew waved a dismissive hand. "Christopher Nolan is a different story; he knows what the audience wants. I've spoken with him enough, and he's mentioned several times that while Inception might seem complicated, it's actually easy to follow. People will find their own way to understand it. To keep the audience from getting lost, he uses completely different settings for each level of the dream world."

Helen nodded gently and added, "I hope The Rise of Cobra will be just as successful."

Matthew smiled. "It might not do as well as Fast & Furious, but the domestic box office will more than cover the production costs."

In reality, the audience's attention had already been largely captured by Fast & Furious, so it was hard to say how much of that excitement would carry over to The Rise of Cobra.

However, with his current box-office draw and the built-in fanbase from the toy line, the film was sure to do well.

Often, the box-office appeal of Hollywood stars could be completely irrational, like that of Tom Cruise and Will Smith.

It was a combination of the projects they chose and the audience's affection for them.

Matthew felt that, at this stage, the audience was far from tired of seeing his face.

When no one else was around, Helen lowered her voice. "Amanda asked me to tell you that our people have contacted Bob Weinstein. But to be cautious, they haven't yet looked into his relationship with Harvey."

Matthew nodded, also lowering his voice. "There's no need to rush."

No matter what, the man had been operating in Hollywood for over twenty years. To say his roots ran deep would be an understatement.

If they were going to make a move like this, they had to ensure the other side had no chance to retaliate.

"We also need a reliable reporter. Ilana is trustworthy, but I'm not so sure about her people."

Helen thought for a moment. "We don't have a suitable candidate right now."

Just then, they reached the entrance to the VIP lounge and, by unspoken agreement, fell silent, dropping the subject.

The red carpet had started early, so there was still some time before the screening began. Matthew made a point of walking through the lounge, personally thanking some of the stars who had come to show their support.

That was how things worked in Hollywood: you support my premiere, and I'll return the favor.

People like Natalie Portman, who declined invitations and didn't show up, were essentially seen as falling out of favor.

But Matthew could understand. After all, her latest film had just suffered a box office disaster.

Thinking of Natalie Portman brought Rachel Weisz to his mind. She had clearly heard his warning that day. He wondered if she would take any action.

He could only hope Rachel Weisz wouldn't be the one to get hurt.

He thought it over again carefully and confirmed that he hadn't made a mistake. The lead actress in Black Swan was Natalie Portman; Rachel Weisz wasn't involved.

Glancing around the VIP lounge, Matthew spotted someone he had met only recently.

"Hey, Chris." Matthew approached Chris Kyle, who looked a little out of place. "How are you feeling?"

Chris replied, "Thanks for the invitation, Matthew." He then scratched his head. "This is my first time at an event like this."

"Where's Nibora?" Matthew had specifically invited both Chris Kyle and Nibora to the premiere. "Where did he go?"

Chris Kyle pointed toward the door of the lounge. "He left with a girl."

Matthew could guess where Nibora had gone. Perhaps it was his influence, but Nibora had been changing girlfriends frequently over the last few years. With his great physique and net worth, hooking up with a starlet wasn't hard.

Compared to him and Nibora, Chris, a family man, was a completely different person. Matthew took the initiative to change the subject. "How's the work on your autobiography coming along?"

At the mention of his autobiography, Chris became more talkative. "I signed a contract with the Angel Agency, and they introduced me to three biographers. I think one of them is quite good. The next step is to finalize the contract with him, and then we'll start talking."

He frowned slightly. "I'm a little worried I won't be able to do it well."

Matthew offered some advice. "Chris, you just need to be the storyteller. Leave the rest of the work to the professionals."

"Yeah, of course. That's the best way to do it."

Having just left the military and re-entered civilian life, Chris still needed a lot of time to adjust.

He added, "Right now, I'm juggling setting up the company and working on the autobiography. It's more stressful than being in Iraq. The book won't be ready until next year at the earliest."

Matthew smiled. "There's no need to rush. You have to take things one step at a time." As he spoke, he remembered something else. "About the investment, my team has already evaluated and vetted it. We'll set up a meeting with you and Nibora at the end of the month to discuss it."

"Great!" Chris was thrilled. "I hope we can reach a deal."

Matthew glanced at his watch. It was almost time. He took the initiative to invite him, "Let's head into the theater."

The people in the VIP room filed into the screening hall one by one, and the premiere of G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra officially began.