Since this wasn't a movie he was starring in, Matthew walked onto the red carpet in front of Grauman's Chinese Theatre and quickly reached the theater entrance. At the same time, he politely declined interviews from reporters. If this movie met its original fate, anything he said now could be interpreted in a strange way later.
Matthew was now very familiar with the ways of the entertainment media.
As long as it's something or someone that can grab eyeballs, the entertainment media would rather kill by mistake than let it go; they'll even fabricate errors out of thin air when none exist.
Of course, the media's attention wasn't on him either. Although the Crew's two main stars, Orlando Bloom and Kate Beckinsale, hadn't arrived yet, there were quite a few A-list stars present.
Entering the theater ahead of Matthew was the famous Rachel, America's sweetheart Jennifer Aniston. By the time Matthew reached the entrance of Grauman's Chinese Theatre, oscar best actress winner Gwyneth Paltrow had just entered the interview area.
Despite the awkwardness of being sandwiched between these two women with their delicate relationship, Matthew didn't think much of it and went straight into Grauman's Chinese Theatre. Led by the Crew's staff, he walked into the VIP lounge.
As soon as he entered, he saw a familiar face and hurried over to say hello.
"Hi, Rachel." Matthew approached Rachel Weisz, who was wearing a red evening gown. Rachel Weisz immediately flashed a bright smile, "Hi, Matthew."
Matthew opened his arms and gave Rachel Weisz a polite hug.
"It's only been two years, and you've become a big star." Rachel Weisz took a small step back, looking Matthew up and down. "You're even more handsome and have more presence than before."
"And you're even more beautiful than before." When it came to compliments, Matthew was as good as anyone. "And more sexy too."
Rachel Weisz stared at Matthew, her smile growing even brighter. She suddenly lowered her voice and said, "Complimenting me like this, you wouldn't happen to have some ulterior motives, would you?"
"How is that possible?" Matthew said directly, "We're Friends."
He remembered that Rachel Weisz seemed to have a fiancé now. While a fiancé or fiancée couldn't stop stars from messing around, Messing around with a single female star was just gossip, but doing so with a woman who was engaged or married would bring a certain amount of negative impact.Ofcourse , he had design on her since "The Mummy Returns", her mature charm fastinates him somehow.but the opportunity and occasion both were not right.
So, he can only treat his hidden desire as a joke.
"You've become famous so fast these past two years." In Rachel Weisz's memory, Matthew was still that unknown bit actor in the Crew. "You're even more famous than I am now."
Matthew remained humble. "Not at all, this is all just hype and empty fame." He said with a smile, "Not like you, working hard to hone your acting skills and aiming for an Oscar. Once you win the academy award for best actress, you'll be a top-tier superstar."
Rachel Weisz sighed. "Winning Best Actress isn't as easy as it sounds."
The sound of high heels hitting the floor rang out. Matthew glanced over; Jennifer Aniston was passing by, only a few feet away from him and Rachel Weisz. Just as he was about to look away, he noticed Gwyneth Paltrow, who had just entered, walking over as well.
This famous 'princess syndrome' patient of Hollywood quickened her pace toward Jennifer Aniston, whose back was turned to her.
Matthew remained calm, still talking to Rachel Weisz, but he kept an eye on that side from the corner of his vision.
Soon, Gwyneth Paltrow caught up with Jennifer Aniston. After a few low-voiced words were exchanged, Jennifer Aniston shook her head and turned to leave.
Matthew was a bit disappointed. Perhaps it was nature, or perhaps because Hollywood left fewer opportunities for women, the infighting between female stars was far more intense than among males. Public catfights weren't even news anymore.
"That's it?" Matthew was about to look away.
But just as that thought occurred, he saw Jennifer Aniston turn to leave, and Gwyneth Paltrow, behind her, stuck out her foot.
Jennifer Aniston was wearing a floor-length evening gown. Gwyneth Paltrow's foot landed right on the train of her dress trailing on the floor. The train was made of gauze; it looked beautiful, but it wasn't very sturdy.
*Riiip—*
Matthew clearly heard the sound of fabric tearing.
On such occasions, female stars almost always wore sky-high heels, and Jennifer Aniston was no exception. With her dress being pulled, she momentarily lost her balance and tilted to one side.
Jennifer Aniston was already very close to Matthew. Seeing her about to fall, Matthew quickly stepped out and reached out to catch her.
"Careful!" He asked Jennifer Aniston, "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, thank you." Jennifer Aniston first replied politely, then steadied herself by leaning on Matthew's arm before turning back to look behind her.
But before she could speak, Gwyneth Paltrow beat her to it. "Sorry, I accidentally stepped on your dress."
Gwyneth Paltrow clutched her chest, her face full of regret and apology. "It's all my fault! It's all my fault!"
People around them began to look over. Jennifer Aniston's skirt had a large tear, looking quite unsightly.
Matthew had already let go of Jennifer Aniston and stepped back to where he had been standing.
"Jane, maybe..." Gwyneth Paltrow acted as if it truly were an accident.
Jennifer Aniston glanced at Gwyneth Paltrow, then slightly turned her head to look at the onlookers. Taking a deep breath, she forced a smile and said, "It's fine. I'll just go back and change."
Matthew was somewhat surprised to hear this. There were no fans or reporters here, only industry insiders. According to the usual behavior of female stars in the industry, they should have started a direct confrontation.
Was Jennifer Aniston concerned about her reputation as America's Sweetheart? But that kind of reputation was for outsiders to see. To put it bluntly, who in the industry didn't know the truth about everyone else?
If you don't strike back when someone walks all over you on an occasion like this, more people will walk all over you in the future.
Gwyneth Paltrow said a few more polite words to Jennifer Aniston. Seeing that she seemingly didn't intend to blame her, she turned to leave.
But just as she turned around, Jennifer Aniston's foot stepped out. Gwyneth Paltrow was wearing a mermaid evening gown, which also had a floor-length design.
*Riiip—*
The sound of tearing fabric rang out again.
Ah—
Gwyneth Paltrow never expected that Jennifer Aniston, who had just been a 'good person,' would suddenly flip. Caught off guard, she nearly fell.
Fortunately, her balance was good, and she steadied herself after a few wobbles.
After steadying herself, Gwyneth Paltrow immediately turned and glared at Jennifer Aniston. Before she could speak, Jennifer Aniston said with a face full of apology, "I'm so sorry, Gwen, I accidentally stepped on your dress."
Gwyneth Paltrow pointed a finger at Jennifer Aniston, "You..."
"It's all my fault!" Jennifer Aniston's tone was a bit strange, sounding very much like Gwyneth Paltrow just now. "It's all my fault, Gwen. Why don't I accompany you to go change?"
Gwyneth Paltrow gritted her teeth for a long time before finally spitting out a sentence, "No need!"
She didn't dare turn her back to Jennifer Aniston again, carefully shuffling toward the door and quickly leaving.
Jennifer Aniston looked back at her own train, and seeing the problem wasn't too big, she walked over to Matthew and said, "Thank you for just now."
"You're welcome, Miss Aniston." Matthew appeared very gentlemanly.
"Call me Jane." Jennifer Aniston added, "If you hadn't supported me, I would have made a fool of myself."
Matthew said politely, "It was nothing, don't worry about it." He ignored the surrounding gazes and lowered his voice slightly. "Jane, you're my idol. I've always really liked 'Friends' and Rachel."
Jennifer Aniston wasn't a young girl; she couldn't guess why Matthew was saying this, but she knew he was a very popular star right now. The 'idol' talk was likely eighty percent polite banter.
"There's a problem with my clothes, so I have to head back." Jennifer Aniston tactfully took her leave. Before going, she opened her handbag, took out a card, and said, "If you ever need my help, you can call the number on this."
After saying that, she nodded to Matthew and also carefully walked out of the VIP lounge.
Matthew looked over the card, which had only a set of numbers, and then put it away. He understood Jennifer Aniston's meaning; she didn't want to owe him a favor.
"A Hero saving the beauty." Rachel Weisz suddenly chimed in.
Matthew said casually, "It was just a subconscious reaction. If it were you, I would have thrown Gwyneth Paltrow out."
Rachel Weisz didn't take the bait, instead looking toward the VIP lounge entrance and shaking her head. "is it worth it for a man? Besides, that man isn't exactly a good person."
Matthew asked curiously, "You've been in Hollywood for a long time. Did Jennifer Aniston steal Brad Pitt from Gwyneth Paltrow?"
"I'm not sure either." Rachel Weisz pointed to Matthew's pocket. "Don't you have Aniston's number? Just call and ask her."
How could he ask such a thing? Matthew wasn't that stupid. Jennifer Aniston gave him the card because she didn't want to owe him a favor; maybe it would come in handy someday.
Rachel Weisz then asked, "It's about time. Shall we go to the screening room?"
As soon as she finished speaking, a dense sound of footsteps came from the lounge entrance. The main Crew members, led by Stephen Sommers, Orlando Bloom, and Kate Beckinsale, walked in.
"Better go say hello to Stephen first." Matthew reminded Rachel Weisz and took the initiative to go forward.
He first exchanged a few pleasantries with Stephen Sommers, then came before Orlando Bloom.
(Gwyneth once intentionally stepped on Aniston's dress at an event, I can't remember which specific event it was. Aniston's retaliation is fictional.)