The Box Office King of Hollywood

When Matthew left London, he did not take a flight to Los Angeles but first headed to Miami, Florida, to meet Britney. With Britney's Miami concert approaching and the schedule extremely tight, Matthew could only meet her secretly for an hour during her noon break before he had to leave. He had planned to watch Britney's concert the next day before returning to Los Angeles, but Helen Herman called urgently, instructing him to come back to Los Angeles to prepare for the premiere of "Gladiator."

Having no choice, Matthew had to change his flight ticket and took a flight to Los Angeles that afternoon, beginning to understand why celebrity couples often have brief reunions.

Matthew and Britney had been officially dating for six months, yet they had met less than ten times.

"Once Britney finishes her world tour and my career picks up..." Matthew could only think, "Maybe we'll have more time."

He was somewhat puzzled; during their meetings, Britney had talked about her work, mentioning that the record company was already planning her second album.

Upon returning to Los Angeles and exiting the international airport, Matthew didn't even go home but directly headed to the Angels Talent Agency, where Helen Herman was waiting for him.

Entering the agency's building, Matthew left his luggage at the front desk and went upstairs to Helen Herman's office, asking directly, "Why did you urgently call me back?"

He wasn't polite, fetching a cup of cold water from the dispenser. After Helen saw him take a sip, she said, "There are just four days until the North American premiere of 'Gladiator'!"

Matthew was oblivious, sitting in the chair in front of the desk, "Yeah, four days."

Helen bluntly asked, "Are you prepared for the premiere?"

"Prepared!" Matthew had indeed thought about the red carpet, as it was a rare occasion for him, "My new suit, barely worn, was pressed by the wardrobe team in the UK..."

"Wait!" Helen interrupted Matthew, raising her hand, "You're not planning to walk the red carpet in old clothes, are you?"

Matthew spread his hands, "It's a new suit."

Helen looked at him, asking, "Alright, what brand is the suit? Who is the designer? What year is the model? And what about the shoes, bow tie, and shirt—how will you handle those?"

"Uh?" Matthew couldn't answer; he had never paid attention to these details and honestly admitted, "I don't know."

"You're an actor!" Helen emphasized, "And a somewhat famous one at that. In formal settings, you must pay attention to your taste and image."

Matthew shrugged, "I don't understand all that."

He knew that the dazzling appearance of celebrities in front of cameras was meticulously crafted, yet he was unaware of the details involved.

"That's why I called you back," Helen continued.

"I don't understand this stuff." Matthew trusted Helen Herman's judgment in business matters, "I'll follow your advice."

He then asked, "You're not going to make me wear some high-end designer formal wear, are you?"

"No need," Helen shook her head, "Given your current fame, status, and financial capability, that's not necessary."

Matthew didn't respond, opting to follow his agent's advice.

Helen said, "A mid-range brand will suffice. It's too late for custom orders, but I've already contacted a company that provides clothing rentals, including shoes. You should go try on the outfits tomorrow."

As she spoke, she pushed two business cards towards Matthew, first giving him one and then tapping the second lightly, saying, "This is a personal stylist; I've already spoken to her. Contact her today to schedule styling for the day of the premiere."

"Alright." Matthew put the cards in his wallet, raising the question he was most concerned about, "And... Helen, how much will they charge?"

Helen knew Matthew wasn't financially well-off, "Prepare about two thousand dollars; that should cover it."

Matthew nodded, feeling a sting of pain. The "Band of Brothers" production had already paid him a total of forty thousand dollars in fees, minus Helen Herman's four thousand dollar agent commission, two separate breach of contract fees amounting to twenty thousand dollars, four thousand dollars for attorney fees, four thousand for a year's rent on his apartment, occasional gifts ordered for Britney, and with April being tax season in the USA, even with his previous earnings, he barely had over three thousand dollars left.

Spending two thousand dollars now felt like a severe setback.

"This amount includes the rental car fees," Helen added. "The production doesn't have a car sponsor. Besides the director, main actors, and special guests, the production doesn't provide vehicles for others attending the premiere."

Matthew knew he wouldn't be on the list of those provided with vehicles.

He looked up at Helen, probing, "I remember you have a Mercedes."

Without

 hesitation, Helen replied, "I don't double as a driver." She tossed a document to Matthew, "This is an affordable car rental company; take a look at their vehicles."

Matthew browsed through it, asking, "What do you suggest?"

"A flagship Cadillac," Helen obviously had an idea already, "Available from noon to midnight, the rental won't exceed five hundred dollars."

"That'll work." Matthew handed the document back to Helen, "Please arrange the vehicle for me."

Helen took the document without objection and nodded.

"By the way, Helen." Remembering his dwindling finances, Matthew asked again, "When will the 'Band of Brothers' production pay the remaining twenty thousand dollars?"

"Out of money?" Helen inquired.

Matthew didn't deny it, "Yeah. If it weren't for living on set these past few months, I probably couldn't even scrape together two thousand dollars."

His expenses had been minimal over the past few months while filming, aside from occasional drinks with Michael Fassbender, James McAvoy, and Michael Cudlitz, and most of his spending was on gifts for Britney whenever she was in a new city for a concert.

Still, he was trending back towards being broke.

Matthew hadn't anticipated the expenses of a movie premiere red carpet being so high. Logically, women's clothing and accessories generally cost more than men's, so wouldn't a female actress's expenses on the red carpet be even higher?

Of course, he understood that the situation was different for major stars, and there was something called sponsors in the world.

"You've completed all of Ronald Spiers's scenes," Helen was quite responsible in her work duties, "I'll contact the production this afternoon. If all goes well, you should receive the final payment next week."

"Hopefully everything goes smoothly!" Matthew stood up, "If there's nothing else, I'll be going."

Helen nodded and reminded him, "Don't forget to contact the clothing rental company and the stylist."

"I won't forget!" Matthew felt that maintaining a glamorous appearance was crucial for a star, "Call my cell if there's anything else."

After retrieving his luggage from downstairs, Matthew left the Angels Talent Agency, hailed a taxi, and headed back to Westwood. On the way home, he pondered his financial situation again. Once the final twenty thousand dollar payment was received, he could settle the breach of contract fee, and if Helen Herman secured him a well-paying new job, he might even have enough leftover to buy a used car.

He didn't want to take out a bank loan; a new car was out of the question, but a used one would suffice.

Back at his apartment, Matthew rested well that night. When work hours began the next day, he immediately contacted the clothing rental company, available to try on outfits at any time during the next two days, and also called the stylist to schedule a time for styling. With nothing else pressing, he simply went to the clothing rental company.

After trying on several men's formal suits, despite a stylist's explanation, Matthew couldn't see much difference between them; they all seemed similar. Finally, combining the stylist's recommendation and rental prices, he chose a black tuxedo.

Having sorted out his attire, he returned to his apartment to collect some borrowed videotapes, making a trip to the Los Angeles School of Performing Arts to return them to his former acting teacher, David Astor, and borrowed a new batch for continued self-practice.

In the afternoon, Helen Herman called, confirming after communication with the production that the final payment would be deposited on Monday next week.

With this news, Matthew felt reassured and decided to visit a used car market, first checking out vehicles. Due to personal reasons, he didn't consider RB and Korean cars, eventually settling on a white used Ford sedan, reasonably priced at just under five thousand dollars.

He planned to pick up the car once the payment was received next week.

Over the next few days, Matthew resumed his highly structured life—exercising, studying, practicing impersonations, and even trying to incorporate writing into his schedule.

After a year of relentless effort, his reading level might not have been high, but he felt it was on par with the average person.

His writing skills, however, were best left unmentioned.

Time flew by in Matthew's busy schedule, and on the day of the premiere, the black Cadillac arranged by Helen Herman appeared promptly outside his apartment building. Matthew rode in the Cadillac to the clothing rental company to pick up his clothes and shoes, then arrived at the stylist's studio.

After three hours of styling, Matthew finally took the Cadillac to the Hollywood Chinese Theatre for the premiere.

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