Chapter 371: Political Correctness

In the office, the atmosphere was tense. Matthew frowned as he looked at Naomi Harris. Hadn't he made himself clear enough, or did he really need to call building security to escort this clueless actress away? He truly didn't want to resort to that. As a star who had climbed up from the bottom, and quite luckily at that, he knew the difficulties of rising through the ranks.

There were many actors like Naomi Harris in the industry, who had seduced many on their way up.

Perhaps recalling his own struggles from the bottom, Matthew chose to remain silent and simply watched Naomi Harris, waiting for her to leave quickly.

However, Naomi Harris stood her ground.

Within a few seconds, her not-so-quick mind came up with another idea, a tactic that had proven effective time and again—a weapon uniquely possessed by black actors.

Naomi Harris quickly straightened her clothes and wiped the smile off her face to make her dark complexion appear more serious.

"Cough... cough..." She cleared her throat before speaking seriously, "Matthew, Eva Green is a white actress, and I am a black actress. Is that why you are rejecting me?"

It was a simple linguistic trap, but Matthew was not about to fall for it. "Of course not."

"Not?" Naomi Harris pressed him. "Then why did you just insult me by calling me a racial slur? That's clearly racial discrimination!"

Matthew was at a loss for words. Was it discriminatory just because he didn't accept her advances?

Naomi Harris didn't stop there. She continued, "After I leave here, I will contact my agency and the press and expose your racial slur."

Matthew sighed, "Miss Harris, these tricks and lies are boring. You have no evidence, and no one will believe you."

A significant portion of black actors in Hollywood think differently from the norm. It's taken for granted when they are used in productions, but if not, it's immediately labeled as discrimination.

Having just arrived from Britain to Hollywood, Naomi Harris was clearly influenced by this mindset. She said, "I have no evidence, but I am Naomi Harris, a black actress. Just by speaking to the media, you will be caught up in a scandal of racial discrimination, given the current climate in Hollywood..."

She snorted coldly, "Don't expect to get away with it!"

Matthew nodded, "I understand." He paused for two seconds before asking, "What do you want me to do?"

"Get me the role of the witch," Naomi Harris said outright, seemingly generous. "Don't worry, what I said still stands, and my skills are top-notch."

After speaking, she even winked at Matthew.

Seeing Naomi Harris' suggestive look, Matthew felt an urge to vomit. If murder were legal, he would have wanted to crack open this actress's skull to see just what was inside.

But then, he resigned himself to the escalating issue of political correctness around black actors in Hollywood over the past few years.

It's said that the squeaky wheel gets the grease. Why is it so? It's all due to being overly indulgent.

One day, those who constantly harp about political correctness will reap what they sow.

Perhaps one day, a role meant for them would be taken by a black actor for the sake of political correctness; or maybe an Oscar that rightfully belonged to them would be taken by a black film that is nowhere close in terms of quality, popularity, or critical reception, merely because it was politically correct.

Suddenly, Matthew thought of the trailer for "Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens" he had once seen. The black male lead had completely turned him off from a series he was never very interested in to begin with.

Then, looking back at Naomi Harris's dark face, Matthew decided not to engage further. He pointed at a decorative cylindrical object on a poster frame on the wall, imitating Helen Herman's tone, "Miss Harris, do you see that cylindrical object on the frame?"

When Naomi Harris looked in that direction and noticed the cylindrical object painted with Pirates of the Caribbean characters, she gulped, wondering if Matthew Horner had some perverse intention with it...

But having been through many battles, she clenched her teeth and said, "No matter what tricks, I'm game!"

Matthew was speechless. This actress's thought process was completely out of sync with normal people.

He finally understood that one cannot beat around the bush with such individuals as they simply won't get it.

"Miss Harris, you misunderstand," Matthew said more pointedly, "That is a surveillance camera I use for security. It records around the clock with audio, and our entire conversation has been recorded."

Even with her simple mind, Naomi Harris understood the implications. Her face... remained unchanged as she pointed at Matthew, "Are you sick? To have such a thing in an office!"

Matthew, out of words, picked up the phone to call the building security, only to see Naomi Harris turn and hurry out of

 the office. She slammed the door with a loud bang.

Putting the phone down, Matthew shook his head. He had Bella Anderson install that camera, not with any ulterior motives, but because as someone who often followed film crews around, Bella, his temporary assistant, needed to monitor the often-empty office for security reasons.

This black actress probably gave up.

With that thought, Matthew went to another computer linked to the surveillance to permanently save the footage of their conversation.

Thinking normally, the other party would likely keep quiet, but some black actors cannot be measured by normal standards.

It was just a precaution.

If that actress went around spreading lies, he would have evidence, wouldn't he?

After spending some more time in the office, Matthew saw that Bella Anderson had not yet returned, so he decided to leave for Nebo's gym to continue his workout and training.

Over the past few months, Matthew had been consistently following his fitness routine, unless work was too busy. Conversely, his time spent reading and practicing writing had somewhat decreased.

After several years of effort, reading and writing were no longer issues for him. He could understand most scripts after reading them twice. As for the more complex ones, he wouldn't even bother.

As for practicing acting, that was at a standstill. At this point, his acting skills were sufficient for commercial movies, and merely practicing in front of a camera or mirror wasn't going to improve them anymore.

He needed real experience on set.

Frankly, he was much busier than before and didn't have much free time. He currently had two commercial endorsements and his film shooting schedule was booked for the next two years. He also had to help Helen Herman and Bella Anderson coordinate his scattered fan organizations across the USA. Helen and Angel Agency were planning a charity foundation for him...

Being a top star, it was crucial to have one or even several charity foundations, not just for the tax benefits and improving one's image but also to allocate some personal expenses under the foundation's name.

The benefits were numerous, and while Matthew only understood the basics since it was still in the planning stages, he knew why so many wealthy individuals and celebrities opted to establish their own foundations. These foundations could genuinely help many people, which was undeniable. But the benefits to the founders were also clear.

As for the so-called full donation pledges he had read about on the Internet, those were better taken with a grain of salt.

Perhaps one day, he would donate all his assets to his own foundation, not only for tax benefits but also to ensure his lifestyle wouldn't be affected.

Matthew had seriously considered this. Later, he might travel the world, charming a few gullible donors to contribute to his charity foundation. With the operations and supervision of American charity foundations, it wouldn't take much effort to achieve the grand goal of spending other people's money for his own enjoyment.

Of course, he wasn't well-versed in American laws and regulations; it was just a thought.

However, establishing a charity foundation was indeed progressing.

Previously, Helen Herman had listed three ways to enhance his image, as becoming a superstar was extremely difficult. Relying solely on movies might take over a decade. To continue climbing after reaching A-list status, besides movies, there were other ways to boost his image.

These included being an environmentalist and collaborating with environmental organizations, being an animal rights advocate, or establishing a charity foundation and becoming a UN charity ambassador.

The first option became moot after Matthew became the spokesperson for the Mercedes G-Series, as it would be ridiculous to advocate for the environment while driving a high-displacement V8 SUV.

The second option was rejected by Matthew himself; giving up meat would kill him.

Thus, he and Helen chose the last option.

Currently, Helen was still advancing the plan, and becoming a UN charity ambassador was not easy.

What Matthew needed most was to continue enhancing his fame and influence.

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