On the day 20th Century Fox held the premiere for kingdom of heaven, not only Matthew went, but Helen Herman also attended, because after Matthew, Helen Herman had her second celebrity client.
At the end of April, Helen Herman successfully poached and signed Eva Green, the lead actress of The Dreamers. Matthew didn't say much; with the development of Angel Talent Agency, Helen Herman would definitely sign new clients. Besides, this was an actress, so it wouldn't divert his resources.
Furthermore, with his current status and box office appeal, if he felt it wasn't suitable, he could just switch agencies. CAA and William Morris had both contacted him.
"Matthew, this is Tom Rothman."
In the VIP room of Graumans Chinese Theatre, Helen Herman introduced Matthew, "Tom is the Director of Production and Distribution at 20th Century Fox."
Matthew quickly stepped forward, shook hands with the middle-aged man wearing glasses, and exchanged a few pleasantries.
"Actually, we almost collaborated," Tom Rothman said with a smile. "Originally, 20th Century Fox was supposed to distribute mr. & mrs. smith, but Summit Entertainment changed their mind at the last minute."
He looked at Matthew and said very seriously, "When will you collaborate on a film with 20th Century Fox?"
Matthew understood that this was all an effect of his consecutive successful films, and quickly replied politely, "There will definitely be an opportunity."
The two chatted indifferently for a few more sentences, and Tom Rothman went elsewhere.
Helen Herman looked at his back and said, "If kingdom of heaven fails, he will likely bear most of the responsibility."
"Why?" Matthew asked curiously.
"Haven't you heard?" Helen Herman glanced at Matthew and explained, "Uncle Scott's original cut was not the version being screened today. Tom Rothman was very dissatisfied with Uncle Scott's cut and personally ordered the editor to re-edit the film, cutting about fifty minutes of content. Uncle Scott was very angry, but there was nothing he could do."
Matthew nodded, "Oh, that. Orlando mentioned it to me."
Helen Herman shook her head slightly, "I think this film is a bit dangerous. The word-of-mouth from the two test screenings wasn't very good."
The door to the VIP room opened, and the cast and crew walked in. Matthew and Helen Herman went over to greet Ridley Scott, hugged Orlando Bloom, and through Orlando Bloom's introduction, met the tall Liam Neeson.
Seeing Liam Neeson, Matthew suddenly recalled a comment from a movie forum he once saw on The other side of the Pacific, where the most untouchable characters in movies were listed as Liam Neeson's daughter and Keanu Reeves' dog.
Then, Helen Herman introduced Eva Green to him.
"Hello, Miss Green." Matthew shook hands with Eva Green, who also smiled and replied, "Hello."
She tentatively asked, "Can I call you Matthew?"
Matthew nodded, "Of course." He then said, "Miss Green, your English pronunciation is very standard, I can't hear a French accent."
"Call me Eva," Eva Green smiled. "I studied at New York University and specifically underwent accent correction."
Matthew didn't know much about this actress, so he praised her in an internationally common way, "Eva, you are truly beautiful."
"Thank you." Eva Green, new to Hollywood, knew the importance of networking.
Matthew subtly observed Eva Green. This French woman's long black hair was clearly dyed, and her fair skin contrasted sharply with the black dress she wore.
Frankly, this woman's appearance did not conform to traditional Western aesthetics; to be precise, she looked a bit strange, but it perfectly suited Matthew's aesthetic, which blended Eastern and Western influences.
Eva Green had large whites of her eyes, downturned outer corners, slightly downturned corners of her mouth, and deep nasolabial folds.
However, Matthew personally found her very beautiful. Unlike those blonde, blue-eyed models who seemed to be cast from the same mold, Eva Green had a unique appearance, a beauty that was not redundant. Her individual features, when viewed separately, were not particularly attractive, but together they created a unique beauty—a beauty that carried a sense of evil, darkness, cold allure, and mystery.
If he had to find a suitable description, it would be that she was as beautiful as a demon, almost indecently beautiful.
After a few pleasantries, Matthew deliberately distanced himself from Eva Green. This woman had too much attraction for him, and he wasn't a rigid man; too much contact would inevitably lead to thoughts. At this stage, such thoughts were undesirable, especially since many agreements had been reached for mr. & mrs. smith. If he caused any messy situations and the media caught wind of it, it would be troublesome.
At crucial moments, he still knew how to prioritize.
Besides, Eva Green had already signed with Angel Talent Agency... Soon, everyone in the VIP lounge entered the screening room, waiting for kingdom of heaven to begin.
Helen Herman sat with Matthew, and when no one was around, she whispered, "This is a special time, don't mess around."
Matthew knew Helen Herman understood him well and didn't deny it, directly saying, "When have I ever messed around? I'm an adult man, it's normal to be attracted to women who fit my aesthetic, but attraction doesn't mean I'll actually act on it."
Helen Herman thought for a moment, nodded slightly, and said no more, as Matthew was indeed very serious and responsible about his work.
The movie began, and Matthew's full attention shifted to the big screen. He had seen this film before and knew that countless people lamented that the theatrical release and the director's cut were two different movies.
After the screening began, he indeed found that the version on screen was vastly different from the one he vaguely remembered.
Watching the film on screen, Matthew's biggest feeling was flatness; it completely lacked the thrilling sensation of an epic film, not exciting at all.
In addition, the editing was clearly problematic; even someone with his level of professionalism could tell. The plot lacked continuity, and despite the star-studded cast, everyone seemed indistinct.
Even compared to a family-friendly film like national treasure, the movie on screen had bland and unconvincing characters. Not to mention Orlando Bloom and Eva Green, who were almost reduced to mere eye candy, even veteran actors like Jeremy Irons and Liam Neeson had no shine, and it seemed only Edward Norton's performance, wearing a mask throughout, left an impression.
This unconventional Hollywood actor's acting skills were indeed formidable, and even Matthew had to admire him; even though he wore a mask from beginning to end, he still outshone all the other actors.
Although his memory wasn't particularly clear, Matthew generally felt that the 50 minutes cut, as Helen Herman mentioned, were absolutely fatal.
Eva Green's character was completely murdered, simply a typical Hollywood-style eye candy. In this film, her modern face looked out of place, and her entire purpose seemed to be to connect the conflicting relationships between several characters, and incidentally to have a veiled romance with Orlando Bloom, so veiled that she didn't even show her figure.
Matthew vaguely remembered that the princess character she played was supposed to have a son, who was the heir to the kingdom. However, after ascending the throne, she discovered that the child, like his uncle, was a leper. The princess could not bear for her son to repeat her brother's tragic fate, so she ended the child's life herself, which also led to the kingdom's power falling into her husband's hands.
Such an important emotional arc was almost impossible to see due to 20th Century Fox's editing. The only female character in the film completely collapsed, serving no purpose other than being eye candy.
In fact, due to being constantly wrapped up, she didn't even qualify as eye candy.
As for Orlando Bloom's lead actor, he was only slightly better than Eva Green. The protagonist, Balian, as Matthew saw him now, was strikingly abrupt in his grandeur. He couldn't understand how a blacksmith at the beginning could become a brilliant and visionary leader simply by inheriting a title. And it felt like Orlando Bloom had nothing to act; he just remained silent and cool-faced from beginning to end.
He seemed to recall that in a version he once watched, Balian had a separate character development, though he couldn't remember the specifics, but now all traces were gone.
Given Ridley Scott's ability, it was impossible for him to make such a basic mistake; the only explanation was that it was forcibly cut by 20th Century Fox.
Matthew felt that Orlando Bloom inexplicably missed an opportunity to gain some good reviews, not because he didn't do it, but because everything he did was cut.
Orlando Bloom first met him, and then encountered a big pair of scissors. Matthew didn't know what to say.
One can only say that when a person is unlucky, even a bird flying overhead dropping a piece of droppings might fall into their mouth.
Of course, the most unfortunate person should still be the director, Ridley Scott. The version currently being screened is simply a bloodless sacrifice, and the weakness of the main plot makes the otherwise brilliant war scenes appear bland.
Matthew had worked with Ridley Scott and could guess that this could not have been his original intention.
Helen Herman once told him that Ridley Scott truly wanted to make kingdom of heaven an epic, and an epic in the traditional sense.
Now, it looks more like a Waterloo.
When the credits appeared, Matthew turned to Helen Herman next to him and asked, "What do you think?"
Without cheating, purely in terms of his ability to assess the market, he was far inferior to a more professional Agent.
Helen Herman first sighed, then shook her head, "Ridley Scott was really screwed over by 20th Century Fox and Tom Rothman this time."