That same evening, a video about Oscar-winning actress Charlize Theron being domestically abused by her boyfriend appeared on the front page of TMZ. The public was instantly outraged; fans familiar with Hollywood couldn't even describe it as shock. Almost everyone naturally sided with Charlize Theron.
Matthew's act of stopping Stuart Townsend and giving him an over-the-shoulder throw also received widespread praise.
By the next day, print media and television stations also began extensively publishing and hyping the incident.
After all, this involved an Oscar-winning actress and a popular male actor.
Without any surprise, public opinion completely sided with Charlize Theron, and Matthew's actions to protect Charlize Theron also earned him widespread acclaim.
Especially feminist organizations, which also came out to rally support for Matthew and Charlize Theron.
Unfortunately, feminist organizations at that time did not have as much influence as they would in the future.
As for the video of TMZ paparazzi provoking Stuart Townsend, it was naturally edited out. After meeting with Helen Herman for a detailed discussion, Elena Boyar completely destroyed that segment.
The people at TMZ are paparazzi, not real journalists, and paparazzi inherently do things that have no bottom line.
At the same time, Charlize Theron's agent and spokesperson called a press conference, officially announcing her breakup with Stuart Townsend, and magnanimously declared that the items currently purchased by Charlize Theron and used by Stuart Townsend, including his car, would continue to belong to Stuart Townsend.
Subsequently, Helen Herman, Heidi Schaeffer, and Akiva Goldsman had a private meeting, and more news began to appear in the media.
TMZ had just revealed that Stuart Townsend had been entirely supported by Charlize Theron all these years. If the two had been married, there would have been much less controversy, but the problem was that Charlize Theron and Stuart Townsend were not married at all. Stuart Townsend instantly solidified his reputation as a kept man.
Entertainment Weekly then disclosed that Stuart Townsend had not attacked Charlize Theron for the first time; he had hit her several times before, and Charlize Theron had endured it all for the sake of their hard-won love.
Some media also published articles claiming that Matthew, Johnny Depp, and Keanu Reeves were indignant at Stuart Townsend's behavior and had long wanted to teach him a good lesson.
Media reporters also found the three for interviews, and the three naturally stood on Charlize Theron's side.
In most reports, when Charlize Theron and Matthew were mentioned, their collaboration on the filming of "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" was almost always brought up as well.
As one of the parties involved, Stuart Townsend completely disappeared. According to information Matthew received, before their breakup, he had demanded a residence in Malibu from Charlize Theron. The heartbroken Charlize Theron, eager to get rid of Stuart Townsend quickly, simply gave him that residence.
Even if Stuart Townsend wanted to speak out, he had no way to argue. The TMZ video was very direct, two witnesses also gave interviews, and the entire cast and crew of "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" supported Theron, condemning him as the abuser.
Stuart Townsend probably got some benefits from Charlize Theron, or perhaps he had a bit of cleverness, and quietly hid away.
All of a sudden, the news of Oscar-winning actress Charlize Theron being domestically abused by her boyfriend and Matthew bravely stepping in to help spread like wildfire across the US, and "Mr. & Mrs. Smith," which Matthew and Theron were filming, also became a media focal point.
The film crew and Summit Entertainment also invested considerable resources in this incident, as they could see the potential promotional effects it might bring.
Facts also proved the effect was excellent.
Over the past week or so, most entertainment media headlines were almost exclusively related to this content.
On the internet, there were curses everywhere, even against Stuart Townsend's voice. Charlize Theron's fans, in particular, almost cursed all of Stuart Townsend's relatives.
The "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" crew had been following up on this matter. Although filming was temporarily interrupted due to this incident, the publicity resources gained and the attention garnered far exceeded the losses.
After a week of adjustment, Charlize Theron gradually recovered. After filming resumed, Matthew, Charlize Theron, Akiva Goldsman, and their agents met several times and reached many agreements on the subsequent progression of the matter.
"Frankly, Sally."
In a private room at the Black Mamba bar, Keanu Reeves said to Charlize Theron, "I've wanted to punch Stuart Townsend for a long time."
He raised his glass and gestured to Matthew, "You did what I always wanted to do but didn't. I toast you."
Matthew picked up his glass, clinked it with Keanu Reeves, and said before drinking, "In that situation, you would have made the same choice as me."
Charlize Theron lit a cigarette for herself, "All that is in the past now, let's not talk about it anymore."
Johnny Depp pushed open the private room door, came in from outside with a bottle of wine, and said casually, "I just got back from France and heard such good news. It's worth a celebratory drink."
He walked over, put down the wine, and sat crookedly on the sofa next to Matthew, saying, "If I could beat that bastard, I would have already made a move."
Charlize Theron rolled her eyes and said, "It seems you guys disliked him a long time ago."
Keanu Reeves shook his head, "To be honest, I never liked him."
Johnny Depp pouted and said in a strange voice, "I still think you guys are more interesting."
Matthew opened the bottle of wine Depp brought, poured a small glass for everyone, and said, "Alright, let's not talk about him. We're here tonight to celebrate Sally being single again."
"Yes, long live single!" Johnny Depp was the first to raise his glass and said directly, "As someone who's been through it, I tell you, being single is truly precious."
He downed it in one gulp, "I wish you all to be single forever!"
Matthew also finished the wine in his glass and said, "That sounds more like a curse, but I like it!"
Keanu Reeves put down his glass and sighed, "You guys are going to corrupt me."
Charlize Theron, however, smiled and said, "The four of us have all had painful experiences in love."
"No way?" Johnny Depp looked strangely at the other three and said, "Sally, you, me, and Keanu, it's indeed as you say, but this guy Matthew, he's a playboy, does he also have a broken heart?"
"Stop! Depp!" Matthew held up a finger and retorted, "You've dated ten times as many girls as I have, haven't you?"
Hearing the conversation veer into a potentially awkward direction, Charlize Theron proactively called a halt, "Matthew, Depp. Both of you, that's enough!"
She picked up the wine bottle, poured drinks for everyone, and said, "We're here to drink tonight, not to recall past hurts."
Matthew leaned back on the large sofa and said to Johnny Depp, "When are you moving back to Los Angeles? Are you planning to settle in France?"
"I'll probably be living in France for the next two years," Johnny Depp took the cigarette Charlize Theron offered him, lit it, took a puff, and said, "I came back this time mainly for the post-production dubbing of 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,' and also to discuss a collaboration with a financial investment company."
"Financial investment company?" Matthew remembered that many celebrities had suffered losses in this area, so he specifically warned, "Depp, I heard Helen say that many of these investment companies are actually trying to swindle money from us."
Charlize Theron asked in surprise, "How come I haven't heard of that?"
Keanu Reeves also looked puzzled, "My agent has never mentioned anything about this."
Helen Herman certainly hadn't talked about such things. Matthew just casually found an excuse and thought for a moment before saying, "Several financial investment companies also approached me. Helen specifically hired people to investigate them and found that while they ostensibly invest and make money for celebrity clients, they actually transfer assets through a series of methods and pocket the money themselves."
Johnny Depp, Keanu Reeves, and Charlize Theron looked at Matthew, clearly listening intently, as this was also closely related to them.
Matthew's mind raced as he said, "At our stage, the remuneration for a commercial film starts in the eight figures. We hold large amounts of cash and know that the dollar is depreciating, so cash needs to be invested quickly. But we are completely clueless about investment and financial management. If someone conspires to defraud us through investment, we often find it difficult to detect."
He suddenly laughed, "We're pretty much like those sports stars. Our careers are often focused on doing one thing, but we have money, and we don't understand things outside of our industry. Wouldn't those with the intention of defrauding money target us?"
Keanu Reeves nodded, "That makes sense! If I wanted to commit financial fraud, I'd also choose Hollywood celebrities, those fools."
Johnny Depp pointed to his head, "I remember that!" He said to Matthew, "I'll definitely be careful."
Matthew was very cautious in this regard. He paid a high salary to PwC to conduct financial audits, precisely to prevent some people from embezzling funds.
There's no such thing as a hundred percent foolproof in this world, and PwC is still more reliable than the accountants that are ubiquitous in Hollywood.
He brought up these things tonight to warn a few friends, so they wouldn't end up like Nicolas Cage in the future.
The four of them talked about these things for a while, then Charlize Theron went to the restroom.
Johnny Depp suddenly asked, "Matthew, are you planning to pursue Sally?"