After just one glance, Matthew withdrew his gaze. He knew what he could and couldn't do. His brain wasn't muddled, and he wouldn't choose Keisha Castle-Hughes as his target.
As time passed, more and more people entered the Kodak Theatre. Johnny Depp also arrived with his wife, Vanessa. Matthew stood up, gave Depp a light hug, and greeted Vanessa.
The two of them sat to Matthew's right, while the seating area for another film crew was to Matthew's left.
"How is it?" Matthew didn't beat around the bush with Johnny Depp and asked directly, "What are the chances of winning an award?"
Johnny Depp shrugged slightly, "Among the five nominations, I have the least chance of winning."
Matthew lightly patted his arm, "What a pity. I don't have the power to decide, otherwise, I'd definitely give you ten Best Actor Oscars."
"The Oscars would be over then," Johnny Depp didn't stand on ceremony with Matthew. "Forget about the power to decide, can you even vote?"
Matthew shook his head, "No." He didn't mind, "I'm not a member of the Academy anyway."
People gradually took their seats in the adjacent area. Matthew saw a few familiar faces, such as Sofia Coppola, the first American woman to be nominated for Best Director at the Oscars, who had recently been a hot topic in the media.
Seeing her, Matthew knew that the left side was the seating area for the "Lost in Translation" crew.
Just then, a girl in a red low-cut evening gown came alone to the seat to Matthew's left. She glanced at him and then sat down.
Matthew also glanced at her. This girl couldn't be more than twenty years old, with curly blonde hair cascading over her shoulders. She had a full, sexy, and fiery figure, but her height was a drawback, making her proportions seem a little out of balance.
Their seats were next to each other, and they were both actors in the same circle. Matthew extended his right hand and automatically greeted her, "Hello, Miss Johansson."
The blonde girl looked at him again, a smile suddenly appearing on her face. She lightly shook his hand, "Hello, Mr. Horner."
It was clear she recognized Matthew.
"Just call me Matthew," Matthew showed a sunny smile. "Can I call you Scarlett?"
He said enthusiastically,
"I watched 'Eight Legged Freaks' last year, and at the time, I wondered how a girl could be so beautiful."
Scarlett Johansson smiled, her voice a little husky, "That was a terrible movie."
Matthew followed up, "Precisely your presence made that film its biggest highlight. Without you, 'Eight Legged Freaks' would have been ten times worse."
He had watched a videotape of the film last year when he was bored.
Scarlett Johansson was young but experienced, and she suddenly said, "You're very good at flattering girls."
"Because girls like Miss Johansson, no… girls like you, Scarlett…" Matthew put on a serious expression, "shouldn't they be flattered by everyone?"
Hearing this, Scarlett Johansson couldn't help but laugh. She was very direct, "You're interesting, Matthew Horner."
Matthew no longer paid attention to Johnny Depp on the other side and said, "Just call me Matthew."
Scarlett Johansson looked at him and nodded lightly, "My friends all call me Manny."
"Oh…" Matthew was a little curious, "is that your given name?"
"No," Scarlett Johansson shook her head slightly. "It's the name of a character in a film I starred in, 'Manny & Lo.' I don't like people calling me Scar, so they called me Manny, and I slowly got used to it."
Matthew nodded, "So that's where it comes from."
Scarlett Johansson then said, "So, some people think I'm a strange girl."
"You're great," Matthew thought for a moment and said, "I think you're very cheerful and talkative."
"Not as much as you," Scarlett Johansson hinted.
She looked up at Matthew again. This man was clearly a few years older than her, and he subtly exuded a wild charisma.
Although this man initiated the conversation, she was certain she didn't dislike it at all, and even thought he looked quite good, both in terms of physique and appearance.
Thinking of the plan formulated by her agent and the publicist for "The Island" before coming, it seemed like he was a good target.
First, his appearance met her requirements; looking at the muscles taut beneath his shirt, one could imagine he was a strong man. Second, there had been a lot of news about him recently, and he was one of the male stars who garnered the most attention from the media and fans last year. Once there was any movement, the related news would quickly spread across America.
"The Island" was her first major commercial production. If it failed, she would have to go back to the independent circuit and continue to struggle. She didn't know how many years it would take to make big money.
Scarlett Johansson chatted with Matthew for a while. Taking advantage of the fact that the awards ceremony hadn't started yet, she found an excuse to go to the back rows.
In a row of seats behind the guest area, she found her agent. Seeing that no one else had come over yet, she lowered her voice and said, "It's a coincidence tonight, the person sitting next to me is Matthew Horner. He didn't bring a female companion. I chatted with him for a few sentences, and it felt pretty good."
"Matthew Horner?" The agent glanced forward and said, "Okay, he's one of the hottest second-tier stars right now. Ever since 'Pirates of the Caribbean' was released last year, he's been getting a lot of attention."
Scarlett Johansson was about to go back, and before leaving, she said, "Have someone get ready."
Seeing Scarlett Johansson leave, Matthew took out his phone, which was set to silent mode, and sent a text message to Helen Herman. He had just received Helen Herman's reply and glanced at it when Scarlett Johansson walked back.
Seeing that the awards ceremony hadn't started yet, the two of them started chatting again, and the conversation grew warmer and more congenial, both of them looking as if they regretted not meeting sooner.
"Manny…" Matthew tentatively asked, "Do you have plans after the party?"
Scarlett Johansson touched the bridge of her nose; there was a slight mark left by a nose ring there. "I'm going to the Vanity Fair after-party."
Matthew interjected, "Me too!"
Scarlett Johansson smiled and said, "Let's go together."
"Sounds good!" Matthew agreed.
Music started on the stage ahead, and the camera lenses turned. Matthew and Scarlett Johansson temporarily stopped their conversation, their eyes fixed on the Oscar stage. Perhaps because of the abysmal ratings in previous years, this year's awards ceremony not only had a more lavish stage setup but also carried a touch of 90s retro style.
Famous comedian Billy Crystal once again hosted the Academy Awards.
From the very beginning of the awards ceremony, the "Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" crew appeared particularly strong. Less than a third of the way into the evening, they had already taken home four technical awards.
Meanwhile, Matthew's crew maintained a record of zero Oscars.
According to past trends, a hugely successful commercial film like "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl" would usually win one or two minor technical awards, but this year was too unlucky, coinciding with the final installment of the "Lord of the Rings" series. Even when only the last four awards remained, they still had no wins.
"Pirates of the Caribbean" was destined to go home empty-handed tonight.
Matthew didn't mind; his energy wasn't focused on the Oscars at all. Throughout the awards ceremony, except for occasional camera sweeps, he would seize every opportunity to whisper with Scarlett Johansson, pulling out all the stops to make substantial progress tonight.
The four most important awards were exactly as predicted by outsiders: Sean Penn won Best Actor, Charlize Theron won Best Actress, and Peter Jackson and his "Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" took home Best Director and Best Picture, respectively.
"Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" became the biggest winner of the night, winning all eleven of its Oscar nominations!
The Academy Awards ceremony ended, but the Oscar night had just begun.
"I'll be waiting for you at the hotel."
Arriving at the exit of the Kodak Theatre, before getting into the car, Matthew said to Scarlett Johansson, "I'll wait for you at the ballroom entrance. See you in a bit."
Scarlett Johansson smiled, nodded, and said, "See you in a bit."
She turned and got into a car not far behind, where her agent was waiting in the back seat.
Matthew got into his own car, and as expected, Helen Herman was also in this car.
Two luxury cars, separated by a few other vehicles, drove out of Hollywood Boulevard and headed towards Beverly Hills. Not far away, they stopped in front of a hotel with a red carpet laid out. The "Oscar Night" party hosted by Vanity Fair had just begun.
"Remember, Matthew!"
Before getting out of the car, Helen Herman instructed Matthew, "You must take her out and get a room at another hotel."
She then whispered, "Elena's people and the tabloid reporters hired by Sean will be waiting outside the door."
Matthew nodded, "Don't worry, I know."
He got out of the car, walked across the red carpet, smiling and waving at the flashing lights of the media reporters, entered the hotel, and then took the elevator to the huge ballroom on the top floor of the hotel.
After waiting at the ballroom entrance for a while, the curvaceous Scarlett Johansson walked in.
"Hi, Manny!" Matthew greeted, "Over here!"
Scarlett Johansson walked over, naturally took Matthew's arm, and said, "Let's go say hello to the hosts. These parties are a bit boring."
Matthew glanced at her, understanding the meaning behind her words, and thought, "When did my charm become so great?" Of course, he wouldn't refuse, saying, "Okay. Oh, and tonight's Best Actress is my friend, I should congratulate her too."
Scarlett Johansson nodded, linked arms with Matthew, and first went to greet Tina Brown, the editor-in-chief of Vanity Fair, then found Charlize Theron, one of the focal points of the ballroom.