Chapter 222: Fierce Struggle

Helen-Herman's words indeed surprised Matthew. With a blockbuster production of around 150 million dollars and Jerry Bruckheimer's reputation at stake, it had immense appeal to actors and their agents, especially for those who were certain to take the commercial route.

After all, unlike Matthew, who had a vague impression of some super pits, Helen-Herman couldn't possibly have this kind of foresight.

"Why is that?" Matthew asked curiously.

Helen-Herman said directly, "Starting with 'The Mummy Returns,' you have consecutively played in three historical action films, and the roles that really left an impression on people are those of the historical genre. If you continue to play such roles in a short period, you will be completely confined to this relatively narrow category, and your range of roles will rapidly narrow."

She paused for a moment, seemingly organizing her words, and then quickly continued, "Action movies are a very broad genre, whereas historical action is relatively limited. Your advantage lies in action, but not necessarily historical action. What we want is a broader development space, not an increasingly narrow path, or even a dead end."

"It's not that you can never play similar themes and roles in the future," Helen-Herman explained patiently. "For the next two to three films, it's best not to be historical themes. After a few years, when the role of the Scorpion King fades away, the negative impact will be smaller."

Matthew nodded. Helen-Herman's reasoning made a lot of sense. There were many types of action movies, such as epic action, sci-fi action, fantasy action, adventure action, and crime action, all suitable for his career path, rather than being limited to a single genre.

In four to five years, apart from the Blacksmith, the audience would probably forget about the Scorpion King. By then, taking on suitable projects would be fine.

Moreover, deep down, he indeed had significant concerns and doubts about "King Arthur."

"I think you're right," Matthew said in a very obedient manner. "I'll listen to you on this matter."

Helen-Herman looked at Matthew with a bit of surprise, seemingly not expecting him to agree so readily. She had prepared many arguments to persuade him.

As Matthew's fame grew and he gradually became a star-level actor, her way of dealing with Matthew was also changing. It was no longer possible to use the simple and blunt tone of commands as at the beginning.

Matthew checked the time and said, "Is there anything else? If not, I'm leaving."

"If you encounter an interview with reporters..." Helen-Herman reminded, "mention 'Pirates of the Caribbean' more."

"I got it."

So far, Walt Disney's promotion of "Pirates of the Caribbean" was not particularly aggressive. Apart from occasionally reminding the public that the film was adapted from a Disney theme park attraction, no sufficiently sensational news had been released.

Matthew guessed that Disney was quite confident. The related attractions in Disney parks are also very famous, with strong appeal among teenagers.

"Pirates of the Caribbean," although it is the first film produced by Disney Studios to exceed the PG rating — with Disney Studios typically producing only children's movies and the more adult content handled by Touchstone Pictures — is essentially still a children's movie, albeit not purely, and also suitable for many adults.

Additionally, Disney Studios also released the film's main character posters.

This was also a key point of contention between Helen-Herman and James Barnstorm. Initially, under the strong pressure from Johnny Depp's powerful agent, the poster was designed to highlight Captain Jack Sparrow at the center, with Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann below him, only showing their side profiles.

If the poster were designed like that, it would undoubtedly discount Matthew and Keira Knightley's personal promotion. Helen-Herman and James Barnstorm jointly approached the production team, requesting a change in the poster design, but were strongly opposed by Johnny Depp's agent.

Although the relationship among Matthew, Johnny Depp, and Keira Knightley, the three main actors, was very harmonious, their agents were fiercely competitive. Just the main poster design alone led to nearly a week of disputes, finally resolved by Jerry Bruckheimer's intervention.

To be precise, all parties made compromises.

In the new poster design, Captain Jack Sparrow was moved up, occupying the central area of the upper half of the poster by himself. The characters of Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann were moved closer to the center, changing from side profiles to front faces, sharing the remaining poster space together.

Additionally, the names of the actors on the poster were no longer listed separately for Johnny Depp; instead, his name was placed in the same line as Matthew and Keira Knightley, with Johnny Depp first, Matthew second, and Keira Knightley third...

This arrangement matched the trio's status, appeal, and gender.

As actors with not much difference in stature, it was impossible for Keira Knightley to be placed in front of male actors.

Due to the upcoming promotional plan requiring Matthew and Keira Knightley to have a period of downtime, Matthew temporarily calmed down, no longer thinking about messy issues like Rachel McAdams. After all, Rachel McAdams had left with the crew to Bulgaria in early December, and she wasn't his girlfriend, so he couldn't possibly fly so far to meet a temporary lover.

As for the promotion of "Pirates of the Caribbean," he just followed the crew's plan.

In the following days, Matthew received the last installment of his payment from the "Pirates of the Caribbean" crew. The crew had paid him $600,000 twice before, and this time, in addition to the remaining $800,000, there was also a compensation of $300,000.

Thus, from the "Pirates of the Caribbean" project alone, he earned $2.3 million. Even after deducting Helen-Herman's 8% commission, he still had over $2 million.

He began to consider whether to use this money to buy a property truly his own. The current rented house was also nice, quiet enough, and with good privacy.

Matthew casually asked the real estate agent to contact the landlord, who was far away in Europe and did not immediately reply.

The house was not urgent; it could wait. He set it aside for the time being, contacted a stylist, and went to a clothing rental company to pick suitable clothes, preparing to attend the North American premiere of "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers."

Matthew was recommended to the crew by Orlando Bloom and then received an official premiere invitation.

Due to the huge success of "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring," "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" was arguably the most anticipated film of the holiday season, even overshadowing "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets."

On the day of the premiere of "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers," media, book fans, and movie fans gathered, with the scale, number, and enthusiasm all far surpassing the previous "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring." Orlando Bloom, in particular, was a focal point of attention.

Matthew heard from him that due to the success of "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring," New Zealand director Peter Jackson received a large sum of additional filming funds from New Line Cinema, allowing for some scenes to be reshot for

 the remaining two parts, with a focus on Legolas. Peter Jackson specifically shot many cool and handsome scenes for Orlando Bloom as Legolas.

Perhaps an ordinary person who had done something like digging a hole for someone to jump into, accepting Orlando Bloom's enthusiastic invitation to rub off the heat of Lord of the Rings and Legolas on the red carpet, would feel guilty. But Matthew, with his thick-skinned and unscrupulous nature, would definitely not have such emotions. He came as if it was a matter of course and walked the red carpet with ease and grace.

From the beginning of his career in this circle, he had been climbing up by stepping on others. If he felt guilty, he might as well not mix in the big dye vat of Hollywood and just go home to live off others.

So, when he entered the interview area on the red carpet and stood with Orlando Bloom in front of the reporters' microphones and cameras, Matthew acted as if they were truly brothers.

"Yes, we are good friends!" Matthew responded to the reporters' questions with a hearty laugh. "I met Orlando on the set of 'Black Hawk Down.' We quickly became friends. I came to the premiere at Orlando's invitation, specifically to cheer for Legolas!"

Orlando Bloom put his arm around Matthew's shoulder and said, "We are more than friends! We are brothers! Matthew has helped me many times. He is a passionate person. After spending time with him, you will be unconsciously attracted to him and become friends."

A photographer shouted, "Matthew, Orlando, look this way!"

Matthew and Orlando stood shoulder to shoulder, making a victory sign together, allowing the reporters to take photos.

At that moment, they indeed appeared as close as brothers.

Then, the two walked towards the theater together. Matthew asked along the way, "Has 'Van Helsing' started filming?"

"Yep." Orlando Bloom nodded lightly. "They're currently filming my scenes. The female lead..."

He shook his head. "The female lead has gone to film another movie. The scenes involving both the male and female leads can only be filmed next year."

"The crew of Kate Beckinsale..." Matthew confided, "invited me to play the male lead. I didn't want to be a supporting actor for others, so I refused."

Orlando Bloom entered the theater's main door and said, "Kate Beckinsale has backers now, not like before."

Matthew nodded. "I've heard."

In Hollywood's crews, just like Vin Diesel, those who can bring in large sums of money are also big shots.

Entering the theater, Matthew separated from Orlando Bloom and sat in a relatively close guest seat. Watching Orlando Bloom head to the front row, Matthew pondered a question.

Will "Van Helsing" with a different lead still flop?

After some thought, he estimated that the chances of it being a flop were still very high. After all, Orlando Bloom was merely the male lead, not serving as a producer or meddling with the script. The possibility of change was too small.

"The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" unsurprisingly received both critical acclaim and box office success. By March 2003, before the Oscars ceremony, the film's North American box office had surpassed $300 million. Orlando Bloom's Legolas became extremely popular, and according to Matthew's estimation, he had firmly entered Hollywood's second tier.

After the Oscars ceremony in March 2003, in mid-March, Helen-Herman had news. Sean Daniel, with whom he had always maintained a good relationship, brought an acquaintance to see him.

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