The Most Famous Actor in Hollywood

Entering the screening room, Matthew found his seat and had just sat down when Johnny Depp next to him leaned over and whispered, "Everything okay?"

Matthew shook his head, "All good."

For now, it seemed there was no problem, but what Harvey Weinstein was really thinking, only he himself knew.

Keira Knightley on the other side also asked concernedly, "Weinstein didn't ask you to meet him at the hotel, did he?"

"You're thinking too much," Matthew glared at her and said, "I've managed to handle it for the time being."

Johnny Depp added, "You didn't have a conflict with him, right?"

Matthew shook his head again, "Me? I'm too honest to get into conflicts!"

Keira Knightley rolled her eyes, "You and honest..."

Matthew pointed at the screen, "The movie's starting, let's just watch it."

Regardless, this was a big film by Gore Verbinski, and as a collaborator, Matthew was serious about watching. Understanding the director's style was also beneficial for future shooting.

Moreover, the lead actor of the film was Nicholas Cage, whom Matthew was fond of.

Unfortunately, having been tied up by Harvey Weinstein, he didn't get a chance to chat with Nicholas Cage. However, Matthew had a fair understanding of Cage's current not-so-fortunate circumstances. Ever since his role in John Woo's "Windtalkers" failed, he had been on a streak of bad luck, with recent movies not doing well in both box office and reviews.

Especially without "National Treasure," his situation was even worse.

Matthew didn't have strong feelings about this. The competition in Hollywood was normal.

He had always liked Nicholas Cage's movies, and he still did, but his liking was purely for the films and characters, having nothing to do with the internal competition for roles.

The movie started playing, and from the opening credits to the flashing of the end credits, Matthew watched intently. Perhaps due to a lack of interest in this genre, he felt that even the American remake of "The Ring" directed by Verbinski was superior to this new film.

If most of the audience felt like him, Nicholas Cage was probably in for another flop.

Of course, Matthew knew his view might not be accurate because he lacked a feel for the purely American lifestyle crisis depicted in the film.

This movie, "The Weather Man," echoed a few years back "American Beauty," depicting the mid-life crisis of the urban middle class in America.

Matthew, at 25, was neither middle-aged, in economic crisis, nor deeply understanding of American cultural thoughts, making it hard for him to relate to the film.

The 94-minute movie felt like someone was continuously discussing golf putting or horse pedigree, totally beyond his grasp.

Lacking the ability of a film critic to cross cultural, racial, and social classes and still understand deeply, this movie didn't resonate with him personally.

He didn't understand what a mid-life crisis was, nor the sentiment behind it. Matthew's understanding of a mid-life crisis was just about drinking sullenly.

Perhaps only middle-aged Americans could resonate?

Matthew didn't understand why Verbinski chose this film. Maybe the director had his own expression that he as an actor couldn't grasp.

What about Nicholas Cage? Just from the atmosphere, it looked set for failure, reflecting on a mid-life crisis, how many viewers could it possibly attract? Was it because he was experiencing a mid-life crisis that Cage chose this script because it resonated with him?

Such a dreary film could easily push an actor's already declining career even lower.

As Matthew thought, "The Weather Man" only brought in $4 million in its opening weekend in North America, and the reviews were terribly bad.

For Gore Verbinski, who had the "Pirates of the Caribbean" trilogy, messing up one not-so-big production wouldn't hurt much, but it was not the same for Nicholas Cage, who clearly continued to slip.

A star, after countless glories, had come to the brink of collapse.

After the opening weekend of "The Weather Man," Matthew, like Verbinski, got back to shooting "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End."

Meanwhile, a lot of related news reached him through Helen Herman and Bella Anderson.

Just entering November, David Ellison's Skydance Media officially signed with Warner Brothers, who would become the North American and international distributor of "300 Spartans," taking full charge of the film's promotion and distribution.

The distribution contract's signing also meant that Harvey Weinstein's attempt to secure the distribution rights for "300 Spartans" had completely failed.

According to the news Helen Herman received, a senior executive at Warner Brothers' distribution had a heated argument with Weinstein at a banquet, where the executive harshly warned Weinstein. Weinstein, who had frequently blasted Warner Brothers, was not one to take it and immediately retaliated, nearly resulting in a verbal brawl.

After this event,

 Matthew learned that Weinstein's interest in securing "300 Spartans" was not just about the film's prospects but also related to Warner Brothers.

In other words, Weinstein was targeting Warner Brothers to some extent.

The root of their feud went back to "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, produced and distributed by New Line Cinema, a subsidiary of Warner Brothers. The Weinstein brothers, having held some rights and invested in it, clashed over profit sharing, intensifying the conflict.

Weinstein had repeatedly publicly attacked Warner Brothers in newspapers, magazines, and TV interviews.

This time, trying to snatch the distribution rights from Warner Brothers, Weinstein had made a direct confrontation, although he ultimately didn't succeed, but he managed to trouble Warner Brothers successfully.

Hollywood's six major studios, part of larger media groups, usually operate independently. Unless it's a major issue, the parent company generally doesn't interfere with the subsidiary's normal operations.

Let alone start a fight over such a minor matter with Weinstein.

Hearing this from Helen Herman, Matthew initially thought it had nothing to do with him, but she seriously reminded him that Weinstein had the style of Washington politics—if you're not with me, you're against me.

She also told Matthew another incident: a well-known Hollywood actress had shared an elevator with Weinstein during the Venice Film Festival. Weinstein harassed her in the elevator, and although the actress, known for her fiery temper, severely rebuked him, Weinstein didn't back down and even dragged her out of the elevator to his hotel room when they reached his floor. If the actress hadn't resisted fiercely, the consequences would have been unthinkable.

A man who dared to harass well-connected Hollywood figures like Gwyneth Paltrow and Angelina Jolie was undoubtedly overbearing.

Matthew noted Helen Herman's words and also realized, given the small yet large nature of Hollywood circles, it was impossible to always avoid Weinstein. From the current situation, it seemed Weinstein had no intentions against him, but no one could guarantee that if "300 Spartans" became a huge success, Weinstein would remain passive.

His priority was to continue boosting his star power and influence, like superstars Tom Cruise and Tom Hanks, whom even Weinstein wouldn't dare provoke lightly.

Weinstein might not do anything, but human intentions are the hardest to measure.

Matthew thought from another perspective; naturally, producers have more power over actors, a fact that can't be changed. And Weinstein, with significant influence in the Producers Guild, could simply make a phone call during a crucial casting decision if he knew someone important in the production team, potentially influencing the choice of actor.

Such a task wouldn't take much effort.

Just as the actors' guild would unite against the producers' guild under normal circumstances, producers would generally stand with producers.

Of course, Helen Herman also passed on some good news; she had finalized a lucrative contract with David Ellison's Skydance Media for Matthew's role in "300 Spartans."

This was an exceptionally generous contract.

From the time Matthew finished shooting "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End," he would begin working with the "300 Spartans" crew, which would provide him with a personal driver, two bodyguards, and a trailer. During the shooting, his stylist, costume designer, and personal assistant's salaries would be covered by the crew.

In the movie theater and paid cast listings, Matthew's name must be the same size as the film title and absolutely positioned before other leads; on posters, his name could be only 30% the size of the film title, but except for the distributor and release date, it must be larger than other crew members' names.

Matthew had the right to decide whether to participate in any commercial promotions including media interviews. If he agreed to an interview, it must be prioritized in his schedule; if there were other set visits or interview arrangements, the crew must notify him or Helen Herman 48 hours in advance.

(I remember reading news about Harvey Weinstein openly blasting Warner Brothers on a TV show, and he was very harsh, apparently over issues related to "The Lord of the Rings" and "The Hobbit" rights and profit sharing. In reality, Weinstein has clashed with the big six more than once.)

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