The Best Movie Actor In Hollywood!

Chapter 780

"Mom was against it at first."

In the studio, Lily Depp tugged at her braid as they walked. "Dad's hopeless!" she declared. "He couldn't convince Mom, so I had to be the bad guy."

Matthew glanced at Johnny Depp, who just shrugged and shook his head with a helpless expression.

"The bad guy?" Matthew said with a sigh. "Lily, you have to be reasonable."

Lily giggled. "Yes, but Godfather, mothers always worry about their kids. But not even they can stand up to the power of a proper tantrum!"

At that, both Matthew and Johnny Depp burst out laughing.

Matthew patted her affectionately on the head. "So, you cried, screamed, and refused to eat?"

Lily Depp tapped her small chin thoughtfully. "Exactly. And now I'm here in Los Angeles, which means it worked."

Matthew laughed. "That you did."

The three of them chatted as they left the cast and crew building, making their way down the path toward the Warner Studios gate."Not quite," she hummed, continuing her story. She let go of Johnny Depp's hand and took Matthew's much larger one. "After that, I talked to Mom again. I told her I wanted to come to L.A. to visit my godfather, and then she agreed."

"How clever." Matthew praised her right on cue. "You're a smart girl, Lily."

He teased her, "Why don't you just stay in Los Angeles?"

"Hmm..." Lily Depp rolled her eyes. "I don't think so. My godmother said she's taking me to London this year."

Matthew asked, "Oh, Keira?"

Johnny Depp chimed in, "Keira Knightley goes to France for fashion events and always makes sure to visit Lily."

"Well... compared to her godmother," Matthew sighed, "I'm a terrible godfather."

Lily asked, "Do you want to be a good one?"

Matthew replied instantly, "I do."

Lily couldn't help but laugh. "Then tomorrow, you have to take me shopping and buy me whatever I want!"

Matthew spread his hands. "And what if I say no?"

"Then you don't want to be a good godfather!" Lily Depp pouted.

"Alright, alright." Matthew patted Lily's head. "Tomorrow morning, then."

Lily held Matthew's hand, chattering away for a moment before turning to say something to Depp, clearly thrilled.

As they walked, they passed the entrance to a soundstage, and Matthew suggested they take a look inside.

"It's so busy in here." Lily took Matthew's hand and led him through the soundstage, watching the crew set everything up. "The other building was so empty, but there's so much going on here."

Johnny Depp glanced around. "Is this for that new movie you're investing in?"

"Yeah." Matthew nodded. "It's the film adaptation of Suzanne Collins's novel, 'The Hunger Games'."

"We're holding auditions here, too. I'm planning on casting newcomers for the main roles, just like with 'Twilight'."

These weren't newcomers in the sense of being brand new to Hollywood, but rather actors who hadn't yet achieved widespread fame.

"Speaking of which," Matthew remembered something. He looked down at her. "Lily, there's an important role for a child in the 'Twilight' sequel. Would you be interested?"

To his surprise, Lily's face fell. "I promised Mom I wouldn't act until I'm thirteen."

Matthew understood instantly. Lily must have made a deal with Vanessa, agreeing to that condition in exchange for being allowed to come to Los Angeles. No wonder her mother had finally agreed.

Johnny Depp chimed in, "She thinks it's not the right time. She wants Lily to get a feel for the movie world first, to prepare for the future."

Matthew laughed. "Well, good kids listen to their mothers."

He could hardly encourage her to go against Vanessa, could he?

Lily pouted, giving Matthew an aggrieved look.

The three of them continued on, strolling and chatting.

"You're a very successful investor," Johnny Depp said, changing the subject from his daughter's future. "Unlike me. I always seem to lose money."

They had been friends for years, so Matthew asked directly, "What have you been investing in lately?"

Back when they first started filming "Pirates of the Caribbean," Matthew had warned him multiple times to be careful with his investments, especially with the agents managing his money—they needed to be vetted thoroughly.

"Houses, famous paintings, stocks..." Depp answered frankly. "Very few stocks, though. It's mostly real estate and famous paintings."

Matthew sighed inwardly. Playing the North American real estate market was a risky game.

And as for so-called famous paintings... that was an even deeper money pit.

Matthew thought for a moment before reminding him, "Last year's financial crisis hit the housing market hard, making it difficult to sell, but as the economy picks up, the value should slowly climb back up."

Johnny Depp agreed. "That's what I'm thinking, too."

Since Matthew didn't know when the U.S. real estate market would truly recover, he didn't press the point. Instead, he offered a different piece of advice. "You have to be careful investing in art. It's an incredibly difficult asset to liquidate."

He also stressed, "Especially contemporary art. Most of it is just commercial speculation. The prices are inflated, and you're the one who gets squeezed when you try to sell."

A bitter smile flickered across Johnny Depp's face. "I've stayed away from that stuff since last year."

At one point last year, he'd been desperate for cash. His real estate was impossible to sell because of the financial crisis, so he'd tried to offload some of his contemporary art. After two consecutive auctions, only two of his ten pieces had sold, and the buyers weren't exactly what you'd call "art collectors."

Matthew didn't dwell on it. Instead, he asked, "Have you heard what happened with Nicolas Cage?"

Even after so many years of friendship, some things were difficult to say directly. Matthew decided to take a different tack. "I heard from Sofia Coppola that Nicolas Cage got swindled by his financial advisor. It made me have a professional team of lawyers and accountants go over my own accounts, and it turns out not one of those investment agents was on the level."

Johnny Depp asked instinctively, "Were the losses significant?"

Matthew gave a grim shake of his head. "They were significant."

At his words, a thoughtful expression crossed Johnny Depp's face.

Seeing he had his friend's attention, Matthew didn't elaborate on the story. The euphemistic warning had been direct enough. He just hoped Johnny wouldn't end up in the same mess as Nicolas Cage.

The main thing was to get Johnny Depp to pay attention.

So many Hollywood stars thought that because they were making big money, they could throw it around, let alone make haphazard investments.

It wasn't uncommon for major Hollywood stars to go bankrupt.

He had tried to warn Johnny back when they were filming "Pirates of the Caribbean," but it hadn't sunk in. Now, with Depp facing personal troubles, perhaps he wouldn't be as dismissive as before.

Matthew showed Johnny and Lily around the soundstage. The crew was running preliminary auditions for the main roles, including Katniss, but neither the director, Patty Jenkins, nor the producer, Nina Jacobson, was anywhere in sight.

The whole crew was busy, so Matthew didn't stay long. He quickly left the soundstage with Johnny and Lily, ready to head out of the Warner lot.

The three of them started back down the path.

A short distance behind them, they heard the click of heels on the pavement. At first, the sound was steady, the pace just a little faster than their own.

But as the footsteps drew nearer, the clicking of the heels suddenly quickened. Matthew heard it but didn't pay it much mind. This was a studio lot, after all. Since California had introduced its new film tax credits, the once-quiet major studios in Los Angeles had gradually come back to life. There were plenty of crews choosing to shoot in L.A. again.

The lot was full of people.

Matthew was carrying his goddaughter, Lily, chatting with Johnny Depp as they walked.

The clicking of the heels grew more insistent until the source of the sound was right behind Matthew. It sounded like someone was rushing to catch up, walking at a frantic pace.

Just as he turned his head to look, the sound of heels striking the pavement abruptly stopped. Without warning, a girlish cry rang out.

"Aah..."

A young woman with long, blonde hair had suddenly stumbled and fallen.