Who would choose "Brokeback Mountain" if they weren't a male actor facing a career transition or severe stagnation? Matthew himself isn't interested in gay relationships, even on screen. Helen-Herman, on the other hand, viewed the invitation with the most normal perspective. Matthew's career is going smoothly, and he doesn't need a career change, so why take such a big risk to play a gay character?
Compared to the projects from Focus Features and Ang Lee, the invitations from Michael Bay and Ridley Scott were more valuable in her eyes.
"Ridley Scott called me specifically to ask about your availability," Helen-Herman seemed to have a headache. "Matthew, he's interested in having you star in his new film, which is roughly about the Crusades."
Hearing this, Matthew immediately thought of Orlando Bloom. Isn't this that epic war film about Jerusalem, starring Orlando Bloom?
Recalling this, he quickly said, "Didn't you say not to take on costume roles for the next two years?"
At that time, there was a lot of buzz on many pirated movie download websites, claiming that the theatrical release was terrible and the director's cut was a masterpiece. Influenced by this, he downloaded both versions to compare them, and he had only one feeling: despite having the same title, director, and lead actor, the theatrical release and the director's cut were completely different movies.
He remembered someone saying at the time that it was a classic example of the failure of Hollywood's producer-centric system.
The reason was that the final cut of the film was not in Ridley Scott's hands.
Now, could Ridley Scott get the final cut?
After several years of observation and understanding, Matthew saw very clearly that a director of Ridley Scott's caliber, a top-tier Hollywood director, simply couldn't get the final cut.
Among directors currently making films, those who can secure the final cut can practically be counted on one hand.
So, even without considering that it was a period role, Ridley Scott's invitation didn't need to be considered.
"You're not going to make me accept Ridley Scott's invitation, are you?" Matthew asked tentatively.
After all, Helen-Herman and Ridley Scott had an unusual relationship.
Helen-Herman rarely showed a difficult expression, "Emotionally speaking, Ridley Scott has helped both you and me, so we should seriously consider his invitation."
Matthew said nothing.
His career is currently flourishing, and he wouldn't risk his future.
"But rationally speaking," Helen-Herman continued, "taking on this period role would not be beneficial for your future."
She didn't elaborate on the specific reasons, having already analyzed them for Matthew a long time ago.
Angel Agency's brand is Matthew; he is her biggest star. Matthew's existence not only provides high commission from his acting fees but also effectively drives other business for Angel Agency, similar to the negotiations and filming of "The Scorpion King" and "Dawn of the Dead." If Matthew's career were to encounter problems, it wouldn't just harm Matthew himself, but also her and Angel Agency.
Matthew remained silent, wanting to see Helen-Herman's choice. In such a situation, a qualified agent should prioritize the actor's interests.
Helen-Herman quickly said, "This project doesn't need to be considered either. I'll find a suitable reason to politely decline Ridley Scott."
Matthew nodded and replied, "So that leaves Michael Bay's project."
Helen-Herman explained in detail, "After Michael Bay left Jerry Bruckheimer, he went to DreamWorks and Steven Spielberg. This is his first film after breaking up with Jerry Bruckheimer."
Hearing her say this, Matthew couldn't help but think of "Transformers." Was Michael Bay looking for supporting actors for Optimus Prime and Megatron?
Things were clearly not as he imagined. Helen-Herman continued, "This should be a film about clones. The specific content is still unknown, but in terms of genre, given Michael Bay's style, it will definitely be a very explosive action film."
Matthew had seen many of Michael Bay's films. The "Transformers" series from before, and after coming here, he watched "Bad Boys," "The Rock," "Armageddon," and "Pearl Harbor." Except for "The Rock," Michael Bay's films were basically synonymous with mindless commercial entertainment. "Armageddon" had a group of oil workers flying into space to drill, and the attack on "Pearl Harbor" served as a backdrop for a cheesy love triangle... But no one could deny that Michael Bay understood the film market particularly well and knew what kind of films hot-blooded, impulsive, hormone-driven teenage audiences liked. From transitioning from the advertising industry to now, every film he made was profitable, which is an absolute huge success for a commercial film director.
His current positioning is an action star, and Michael Bay excels at action films. From this perspective, their types are very compatible.
Matthew's only reservation was that he couldn't recall ever seeing such an action film about clones.
Helen-Herman also considered these points and said, "Among these invitations, only Michael Bay's new film as the male lead is worth considering. As long as Michael Bay continues to follow the commercial route and doesn't dabble in art house or deep themes, his chances of continued success are very high. I will tentatively accept this invitation and continue to monitor this project he's collaborating on with DreamWorks."
Given Michael Bay's impressive track record, Matthew had no objections, only asking, "When will the audition roughly be?"
"It will be around February or March of next year." Helen-Herman saw Matthew's confusion and simply explained, "Sending invitations so early is partly to gauge our interest, and partly to facilitate scheduling for the crew and actors."
Matthew understood this point; the work schedules of many popular Hollywood stars are often booked two or three years in advance.
Helen-Herman finally said, "Currently, our two main focuses are Jerry Bruckheimer's action-adventure project and the male lead in Michael Bay's action film." She adjusted her glasses and looked at Matthew, "No problem, right?"
"No problem!" Matthew returned the document to Helen-Herman, "This also aligns with my positioning."
Helen-Herman put away the document and said, "I still stand by my previous advice. Matthew, before you become an A-list star, you must be extremely cautious about transitioning to non-action films. If it's not necessary, do not accept non-action roles."
Matthew knew the risks of transitioning were huge and said, "Don't worry, I'm not interested in other types of roles for now, especially art-house ones."
Gay characters and psychopaths are out of the question, and roles requiring extreme weight gain and loss are just playing with his health. He's finally achieved success in his career, with the aura of a B-list star, attracting many actresses like Jessica Alba. He wants to enjoy a few more years.
"Also," Helen-Herman added, "some brands are interested in having you as their spokesperson, but I've politely declined all of them."
Matthew already trusted Helen-Herman quite a bit and knew there must be a reason for her actions, so he didn't ask further.
Indeed, Helen-Herman then explained, "Most of these endorsement deals are from mid-to-upper-tier brands, which also align with your positioning, but they require signing long-term contracts of around three to five years."
Matthew immediately understood, "They want to tie down a future A-list star at a B-list star's price?"
"Pretty much," Helen-Herman said directly, "Matthew, your development momentum is very good right now, and you're not short on money for the time being. There's no need to rush into endorsement deals. Once you become an A-list star, we'll have more advertisements to choose from and can command higher endorsement fees."
She looked at Matthew, "I'm very much looking forward to the day you become an A-list star. At that time, we will redesign a path to superstardom."
Matthew knew he was still far from being an A-list star. "I still need two or three more successful films."
He didn't include the "Pirates of the Caribbean" series in his consideration; that was his ultimate safeguard, not his means of advancement.
Helen-Herman reminded him, "Don't forget to go to the archive room to get the materials. I had someone collect a lot of information about the American Revolutionary War and the Knights Templar."
Matthew stood up to leave and said, "Okay, I'll go back and read them carefully."
His understanding of the American Revolutionary War was limited to the Declaration of Independence, George Washington, and Benjamin Franklin. To participate in an adventure treasure hunt film directly related to American independence, learning more about that period of history would certainly be beneficial.
Having picked up a stack of thick documents, Matthew didn't leave Angel Agency but went to the newly equipped reading room in the archive, where he consulted these materials in conjunction with the computer network.
After only flipping through a few pages, he discovered a startling fact: George Washington was actually a contemporary of Emperor Qianlong!
Matthew specifically searched online and found that both George Washington and Emperor Qianlong died in 1799.
He didn't know why, and couldn't find the reason himself, but whenever he thought of George Washington and Emperor Qianlong, he subconsciously felt that George Washington was a modern person, while Emperor Qianlong was ancient... In Matthew's perception, George Washington had to be at least a hundred years later than Emperor Qianlong.
But this feeling was clearly incorrect.
Subsequently, Matthew cast aside this inexplicable feeling and focused on studying the materials concerning the American Revolutionary War and the Knights Templar, and diligently tried to recall the film he had once seen starring Nicolas Cage, in order to find useful elements that would help him secure the audition and the role.
On the first Monday of November, Matthew rode in Helen-Herman's car and arrived at Disney Studios at the appointed time, ready to participate in the audition personally hosted by Jerry Bruckheimer.
For this audition, Matthew was fully prepared, for example, he specifically ordered a suit and plain glasses and other equipment, so that he would look very scholarly.