The Best Movie Actor In Hollywood!

Chapter 773

Matthew followed the cast and crew into the VIP lounge, waiting for the final call to enter the premiere. He'd just finished speaking with Sean Daniel and David Slade when Nina Dobrev, dressed in an evening gown the color of moonlight, approached him.

"Long time no see, Matthew." Nina Dobrev was as captivating as ever.

Matthew smiled and offered a compliment. "Nina, you get more beautiful every time I see you."

She beamed.

"You haven't been with the team for the whole press tour," Nina whispered. "I could never find you."

Matthew chuckled. "I had originally planned to follow the crew and do the promotional circuit." He was telling the truth. "Who would have thought Sofia Coppola would quit directing? I had to scramble to find a suitable replacement."

Nina's hand suddenly slipped into the crook of his arm, her fingers gently tickling his palm. "How about... I come over to your place after tonight?"

Matthew glanced at her, thought of the guest already at his house, and slowly shook his head. "I don't have time right now. Let's talk about it later."

Hearing this, Nina couldn't help but feel a flicker of disappointment.

But casting for another lead female role was about to begin, and she didn't have time to wait.Nina had tasted too much of the sweetness that came with the Twilight series, and it made her crave a spot in the next young adult franchise Matthew was producing.

Starring as the female lead in two blockbuster franchises—that was the ultimate prize.

So, after only a moment's hesitation, Nina lowered her voice and asked, "Matthew, I heard The Hunger Games is about to start casting. And that it requires a flexible actress?"

Matthew shook his head without a second thought. "Nina, a Twilight movie will be coming out every year for the next few years. You should focus on Isabella."

Nina started to speak, but ultimately swallowed her words. She'd had a long and "close" relationship with Matthew and understood him well enough to know that if he said that, her chances of getting the role of Katniss were slim to none.

Over the past two years, Nina had also gained some perspective. Having risen to a higher position, she could see the bigger picture, and she understood that some things weren't worth risking what she already had.

She chatted and laughed with Matthew for a little while longer, arranging to come show him her gymnastics sometime soon, and then she departed.

***

When the time came, Sean Daniel gathered the cast and crew, and they all headed into the screening room.

Since he wasn't part of the cast, Matthew deliberately hung back, but someone decided to walk with him.

"Don't you recognize me?"

Seeing Lily Collins staring straight ahead, pointedly ignoring him, Matthew shrugged and asked, "Or is there something on my face?"

Lily Collins rolled her eyes. "I'm just a little surprised. Since when do you need a girlfriend?"

"Girlfriend?" Matthew was perplexed. "What makes you think I have a girlfriend?"

Lily Collins leaned a little closer. "A little bird told me."

Matthew snorted dismissively. "Lies! Absolute slander! How could a good man like me possibly get a girlfriend?"

"Tsk!" Lily Collins had known Matthew for years and didn't mince words. "Right. A playboy calling himself a good man."

Before Matthew could respond, she added, "I read in the paper that things are getting hot and heavy between you and Taylor Swift."

Matthew didn't try to hide it. "It's true that Taylor Swift wanted to pursue me, but I turned her down."

Lily Collins nodded silently, thought for a moment, then quickened her pace to catch up with the other actors. Just before turning away, she glanced back. "You're in a good spot right now. Your future as a playboy looks bright."

Her remark left Matthew baffled. He cocked his head, trying to figure out what she meant.

It wasn't until the cast and crew entered the theater to a burst of loud applause that Matthew silently followed, seating himself discreetly in the front row.

Before sitting down, he took a moment to use the house lights to scan the audience, his gaze sweeping over the young men and women.

Twilight would become a phenomenon among young moviegoers, and the adoration of these young fans would push the media to change its tune.

As the large screen lit up, Matthew was confident that New Moon would become just as much of a sensation among teenage boys and girls as the first Twilight film had been.

As Sofia Coppola had told him during a private screening, New Moon was the perfect holiday movie: the plot was dreamy, the visuals were shamelessly alluring, the emotions were romantic, the dialogue was direct, and the word "love" was always on someone's lips.

An audience at that age was still full of fantasy, romanticism, and a certain emptiness; in short, they were easily swept up to soaring highs and just as easily plunged into despair.

Last year, they had already proven these elements were effective tools for captivating their target audience.

Matthew had a clear core concept for the series. Twilight wasn't about the tragedy of bitter love, nor was it about lies, war, or the darkness of human nature. It was about a love that transcended death, a love for eternal life and shared feelings—in a word, eternal love. It was a naive emotion, the kind most adults no longer believed in, the kind they would laugh at or scorn.

That was why, when the Twilight Saga presented this kind of relationship in a modern, magical package, so many people chose to believe, to fantasize about that sweet, seductive feeling.

Nini sat in the third row, watching New Moon intently. Though she was young, films like this were no longer to her taste.

However, that didn't stop her from watching it with serious, careful attention. There had to be a reason why such a cheap and childish film could become a massive success.

At first, she'd thought the audience for Twilight was mostly teenage girls. But once she was inside the theater and had a closer look, she realized the majority of the viewers were women in their twenties and thirties who had come in groups or with male companions. And, of course, there were adult men as well, either in pairs or alone.