In Hollywood, cases of cheating and being cheated on are countless every day. Among A-list stars, how many haven't had an affair, broken up, or gotten a divorce? However, the actions of these people are far less impactful than the earth-shattering scandal involving Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie back then.
In the past, Matthew thought this was simply because Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie were famous, and with the addition of another big star, Jennifer Aniston, it naturally triggered a sensational effect. Now that he had been in Hollywood for a while, looking back at that gossip news, it didn't seem simple at all.
With his current way of thinking and his understanding of Hollywood marketing, the drama involving Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, and Jennifer Aniston absolutely set the hype for mr. & mrs. smith ablaze.
Judging others by himself, Matthew thought about it and felt that it was a textbook example of movie marketing.
His energy then returned to the script itself. He began reading it for the second time. Since he had already read it once, Matthew mainly focused on the scenes of the main plot this time.
After finishing the second reading, he had a more concrete concept of the script. It was a typical Hollywood commercial entertainment script. It could be said that, like most Hollywood commercial films, the story framework was very thin, light on plot but heavy on entertainment, heavy on creating explosive moments but light on logic. It was like a palace supported by the tip of a needle. For example, a husband and wife living together for two years without discovering each other's true profession—this point alone was hard to believe.
However, when Matthew saw the interview description at the beginning again, combined with some of his memories, he felt there might be another angle to study this script.
Although the lead actor and lead actress love each other and get married, they do not fully understand or trust each other. This situation might not be uncommon.
In this world, everyone hides their own little secrets, carefully protecting their own space, just like how the two in the film each have a secret armory. Until one day, an accidental event causes this disguise to start peeling off. Facing the other's new image, both sides will feel uncomfortable, and thus friction is inevitable, followed by quarrels and conflicts—and then war breaks out.
Subsequently, the male and female leads smashed their home to pieces just like any other domestic couple, except they used guns.
Although he hadn't experienced marriage, Matthew had observed many celebrity couples' marriages in Hollywood over the past few years. They were so similar to the male and female leads described in the script. Love comes, they get a hot head and choose marriage, but in reality, they don't understand each other at all, and both sides have many secrets hidden deep down.
When these secrets are exposed,
those celebrity couples will resort to another form of conflict, coming to blows just like the male and female leads in the script.
Matthew closed the script and placed it on Helen Herman's desk. Helen Herman glanced at him and asked, "Any thoughts?"
"A standard Hollywood-style commercial entertainment script," Matthew said with certainty.
"That's a very accurate evaluation," Helen Herman joked rarely, then added, "This kind of script has the highest safety margin."
Matthew certainly understood this, nodding slightly without saying much.
Helen Herman resumed her usual serious and responsible attitude, saying, "I had a detailed talk with the screenwriter Simon Kinberg to get a general understanding of the production style and philosophy of this project. His script concept originally came from Hong Kong cinema, drawing on many smooth, dynamic, and romantic elements from Hong Kong gunfight action movies. The finished film should roughly combine action, thrill, romance, and humor."
Listening to Helen Herman's words, Matthew tried hard to recall his impressions of this film. Because of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, his memory of this film was relatively deep.
After some recollection, he found that the style of that film was indeed as Helen Herman said, a blend of action, thrill, romance, and humor.
"That's the general situation for now."
Speaking of this, Helen Herman seemed to remember something else and changed her tune, "The overall situation of this project is quite reliable. Besides us, some others have also received the news. Brad Pitt's Agent has also expressed to Akiva Goldsman that Brad Pitt is very interested in this project."
Matthew scratched his head a bit, "Brad Pitt, huh? I'm feeling some pressure."
Helen Herman clearly didn't see it that way, "Your status isn't as high as Brad Pitt's, but you have advantages. Over the past three years, you... well, the three films you starred in were all box office hits, achieving a very high return on investment. Moreover, your positioning is that of an action star, and you have proven yourself continuously in action movies. Also, your salary is much lower than Brad Pitt's, but within the scope of action movie enthusiasts, Brad Pitt's appeal might not necessarily be higher than yours."
Matthew understood Helen Herman's meaning. If it were purely about status, acting skills, and fame, the gap between him and Brad Pitt was obvious. But the film market isn't divided that way. His advantage lay in the action genre, which was highly compatible with this project. In the past, Brad Pitt had basically never acted in a pure action movie; the only one he starred in, troy, hasn't been released yet.
Helen Herman seemed to guess what Matthew was thinking and said, "troy will be released in May. If this film, as Warner Bros. expects, can be a box office hit like The Lord of the Rings trilogy, then we will have real trouble."
"What if it doesn't meet expectations?" Matthew asked.
"Brad Pitt won't have any advantage over you," Helen Herman said with certainty, "He might even be at a disadvantage."
She reminded Matthew, "In terms of the box office return on investment for films starred in over the past three years, Brad Pitt is far inferior to you. Don't forget, compared to status, production companies value this aspect more when choosing actors for commercial films."
"I just feel some pressure," Matthew shrugged, "It's not like I want to back down."
As he climbed up step by step, the chances of encountering former A-listers and superstars when competing for roles would definitely increase. If he backed away just because he encountered a once-famous figure, he might as well stop working in Hollywood and just live off the pirates of the caribbean series.
Helen Herman added, "Brad Pitt is just one of the competitors. The audition will be in late May. I also can't be sure how many people Akiva Goldsman and Doug Liman will invite to audition."
Matthew nodded and stood up with the script, "If there's nothing else, I'll be going."
Helen Herman didn't stand on ceremony with him and simply waved her hand.
Matthew turned to leave but then turned back and asked, "The property that the national treasure Crew borrowed for filming today seems to be listed for sale by a real estate agency. Could you help me look into it?"
Helen Herman nodded slightly, "I got it."
Afterward, Matthew left the Angel Talent Agency with the script. In the following days, he basically spent his time studying the script and the character. From analyzing the script and the movie he had seen before, the importance of the two leads in this film completely overshadowed the plot. It could even be said that this was a commercial film driven by the charm of the stars and characters.
No wonder Akiva Goldsman and Doug Liman only used established stars and didn't consider newcomers at all. Newcomers simply lacked the necessary appeal, if nothing else.
In addition to studying the script and contemplating the character, Matthew specifically went to the Gun Club where he usually practiced and hired a more professional firearms instructor at a high salary. He also appropriately increased the frequency and duration of his target practice, especially adding mobile shooting training items. Since he was determined to fight for this lead role, regardless of success or failure, he would be 200% prepared.
Additionally, Matthew went to a video rental chain and found a large number of movies related to assassins to watch, especially those with a Hong Kong-style romanticism, such as Face/Off. Some Hong Kong movies also entered his viewing schedule, such as The Killer starring Little Brother Ma, and so on.
This assassin lead was somewhat different from the action roles he had played before; it was less realistic and had more romantic and comedic colors.
To a certain extent, this was also a challenge for him.
Matthew was not afraid of challenges. Action movies are a super category in Hollywood and are mainstream commercial films. He couldn't limit himself to a very small range within such a large category.
During the period before the summer season began, Matthew almost went into seclusion to prepare for the audition. However, in the middle of it, he received a call from Orlando Bloom. Orlando reminded him not to forget to attend the premiere of van helsing in early May.
Next, Matthew received formal invitations from Universal Pictures and Director Stephen Sommers. He had just collaborated with Universal Pictures on dawn of the dead and had a history with Director Stephen Sommers. Even if Orlando Bloom hadn't called, he would certainly have attended the North American premiere of van helsing.
Exactly two years had passed since the project was first initiated. Although large investments and big productions continued to appear in Hollywood, the huge production cost of 160 million dollars announced for van helsing was still a top-tier production in today's Hollywood.
Universal Pictures also seemed full of confidence in this film, investing heavily in a large-scale premiere and inviting many A-list stars to participate.
In the list exposed by the media, Matthew's fame and status could only be considered average.
On the day of the van helsing premiere, the eyes of the entire American entertainment media turned to Graumans Chinese Theatre on the Walk of Fame. As the first film to open the summer season every year, it was also highly anticipated by fans.