The Best Movie Actor In Hollywood!

Chapter 761

When Matthew and Emma Watson appeared on the red carpet for the North American premiere of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, it nearly incited a riot among the reporters. After all, the biggest news story in North America that day wasn't the release of the latest Harry Potter installment, but the fact that Matthew had gotten into a fight with an associate of a Mexican drug trafficker in a Century City bar to save Emma Watson—and had once again come out on top.

TMZ was the first media outlet to get the news about the bar incident, and they were the first to report it. TMZ was now the biggest gossip outlet in North America. But the version of the truth that reached the public, via a special report from TMZ, was far from simple.

Thanks to Ilana's intervention, TMZ was the first to break the story, influencing a slew of other outlets to follow their lead. As a result, Justin Bieber was branded by the media as an accomplice to Mexican drug traffickers.

He had also verbally harassed Emma and threatened Matthew.

"Emma and I are good friends."

When asked by a reporter about his relationship with Emma Watson in the interview area at the end of the red carpet, Matthew answered without hesitation, "We've been friends for ten years. No matter what danger Emma finds herself in, I'll be there for her."

Emma Watson headed to the group photo area to pose with the cast and crew, while Matthew reiterated to the journalists that he and Emma shared a long-standing friendship.

After a brief interview, Matthew entered Hollywood's Grauman's Chinese Theatre and was guided by staff toward the VIP lounge.

That morning, the LAPD had issued a formal arrest warrant for Justin Bieber, and the FBI's Los Angeles field office had launched an official investigation into his potential ties to Mexican drug traffickers or terrorists.

But that wasn't even the main issue. The most critical piece of evidence was the bag of cocaine seized from Justin Bieber's possession.In any politically and socially stable country, drug involvement is a felony. To put it in perspective, when Robert Downey Jr. was convicted of drug possession, the amount he had was less than a tenth of what was found on Justin Bieber.

One could only imagine the trouble awaiting Justin Bieber.

The night before, Justin Bieber's path to stardom had been cut short; a prison sentence was now all but certain.

Matthew had also managed to exert pressure on both the LAPD and the FBI.

Furthermore, Justin Bieber's company had already tried to contact him through Helen. The person backing Bieber was a singer named Usher Raymond.

Needless to say, someone of his stature couldn't even get a meeting with Matthew.

Matthew reached the door to the VIP lounge and was about to enter when someone behind him called out.

"Hello, Mr. Horner." It was an unfamiliar voice, speaking politely. "May I have a few minutes of your time?"

Matthew stopped and turned to see an unfamiliar face—a young man of Chinese descent.

"You are...?" Matthew was certain he'd never seen him before.

The man's black hair was neatly combed back. He introduced himself with a polite smile, "My name is Jon M. Chu. I'm a director."

Matthew recognized the name immediately and nodded. "Hello."

Seeing Matthew's relaxed demeanor, Jon M. Chu quickly continued, "Mr. Horner, would it be alright if I took just a couple of minutes to speak with you?"

This isn't the place to talk.

Matthew gestured to an unoccupied area nearby. "Let's go over there."

Jon M. Chu followed him.

"What is it you wanted?" Matthew didn't waste any words. "My friend will be here soon, so I don't have much time."

Jon M. Chu spoke hurriedly. "Originally, Paramount Pictures and Hasbro intended to hire me as the director for the G.I. Joe sequel. But yesterday, everything changed. Paramount informed me that the sequel would retain the same core team from the first film. I made some inquiries, and the reason I was given is that..."

He looked more than a little anxious. "Mr. Horner, you objected to me as the director."

Matthew didn't try to deny it. "Yes, that's right. I shared my opinion with Paramount Pictures and Hasbro. I'm working on this project not just with them, but also with Director Stephen Sommers. Stephen Sommers is my friend and partner, and it was his invitation that brought me onto G.I. Joe in the first place."

Seeing Jon M. Chu about to speak again, Matthew raised a hand to stop him. "Director Sommers and I have a great working relationship and have advanced our careers together on multiple occasions. Keeping him on as director is a non-negotiable condition for me to star in the sequel."

"Mr. Horner, I've heard about your friendship with Director Sommers," Jon M. Chu persisted. After all, a director like him rarely got the chance to helm a major commercial project. "I have a lot of ideas for the sequel. We could sit down and discuss them in detail."

Matthew shook his head, slowly but firmly. "That won't be necessary."

Hollywood was full of aspiring directors with ideas; very few could actually turn them into good films.

Perhaps Chu was genuinely talented, but with no proven track record, Matthew had no reason to take such a risk when the alternative was obvious.

Besides, Hasbro and Paramount were the ones who stood to save money by hiring Chu, not him.

"That's all there is to it." Matthew nodded at Chu. "Good luck."

He turned to leave, but Jon M. Chu added, "Mr. Horner! I've written a script outline for the G.I. Joe sequel. Would you be willing to take a look at it?"

As he spoke, he pulled a stack of printed pages from the briefcase he was carrying and handed it over.

Matthew took it out of politeness. "I'll look at it when I get a chance, but I can't make any promises. I'm very busy."

Jon M. Chu was about to say something more, but just then, Emma Watson walked over. Dressed in a goose-yellow evening gown, she asked curiously, "Matthew, why are you over here?"

Matthew replied, "I ran into a director I know and we were just chatting."

Emma Watson glanced at Jon M. Chu, gave him a polite nod, then took Matthew's arm. "Let's go."

"Goodbye." Matthew smiled at Chu and followed Emma into the VIP lounge.

As they mingled with people who came up to greet them, Emma noticed the stack of papers in Matthew's hand and asked with curiosity, "What's that?"

Matthew didn't hide anything, answering directly, "A script outline that director wrote."

He looked around, spotted Brown Williams, and waved him over. Once Brown was close, Matthew handed him Jon M. Chu's script outline.

"Give this to Bella Anderson tomorrow," he said casually. "Have her file it in the studio's script library."

Brown Williams nodded silently, understanding Matthew's meaning perfectly. The script would be filed away in the library to gather dust, a polite dismissal dictated by industry etiquette.

Emma Watson understood as well. After Brown Williams had walked away, she asked, "You're not even going to read it?"

Matthew shook his head. "There's no need."

He had already made it clear to Stephen Sommers that he was on his side, and he certainly wasn't going to go back on his word.

Whether Jon M. Chu's script outline was good or not was irrelevant.

Besides, he wasn't a newcomer to the industry. How could he possibly judge a director based on a script alone?

David Heyman, the producer of the Harry Potter film series, approached them. He and Matthew were old acquaintances and had worked together on several films.

"Are you alright?" David Heyman asked with concern.

"Everything's fine," Matthew replied with a smile. "Just a minor incident."

David Heyman thought for a moment. "The team is preparing to use this for publicity."

Matthew nodded. "I don't mind, as long as Emma agrees."

Emma pursed her lips. "David, you'd better discuss it with my agent first."

"Alright," David Heyman replied.

It was almost time for the screening. People began to file out of the VIP lounge and into the theater. Matthew stayed with Emma; his role tonight was to be her escort.

Before they entered the auditorium, Matthew recalled something and said wistfully, "It's a shame you didn't choose a college in Los Angeles."

Emma Watson took his arm and said as they walked, "Brown University isn't bad."

Matthew was a little surprised. "I saw in the news that you got acceptance letters from Harvard, NYU, and Columbia. Why didn't you choose one of them? Why go with Brown, which is considered one of the weaker schools in the Ivy League?"

Hearing this, Emma Watson didn't answer right away. She glanced around, and seeing no one was nearby, she leaned close to Matthew's ear. Her voice was barely a whisper. "Even if I had gotten acceptance letters from Harvard, NYU, and Columbia, I still would have chosen Brown."

Matthew suddenly understood. So, it was all just publicity?

Of course, he wouldn't press the issue. It didn't change the fact that he was still on a date with Hermione Granger.

Inside the theater, Emma Watson's seat was in the front row. Matthew parted from her, found his own seat, and settled in to watch Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

He had seen all the previous films but had forgotten most of the plot, only recalling that the main theme was Harry Potter's battle against Lord Voldemort.