The Most Famous Actor in Hollywood

Hearing Eva Green's greeting, Matthew stopped in his tracks and responded with a smile, "Hello, Miss Green."

Eva's smile bloomed suddenly, "Just call me Eva."

Matthew nodded slightly, reminiscent of their encounter at the premiere of "Kingdom of Heaven," where Eva's dyed black hair draped over her shoulders contrasted against her pale skin, paired with a casual black outfit.

He had heard from Helen Herman before that Eva Green was actually a natural blonde.

However, the dark brown, almost black hair undoubtedly suited Eva's features and temperament better.

Eva's large, downturned eyes and deep nasolabial folds set her apart from the typical blonde-haired, blue-eyed women, lending her a unique beauty devoid of any cliché.

Just as before, Matthew always thought that the black-haired Eva possessed a unique beauty, devoid of clichés, exuding a mix of malevolence, darkness, allure, and mystery, like a siren from a classical novel across the Pacific.

"Has the shooting in the Dominican Republic wrapped up completely?" Eva quickly found a common topic. "I heard you had quite some troubles over there."

Matthew smiled, "It went fairly smoothly."

Eva stood still in front of Matthew and continued, "I'm joining the crew in a few days."

"It seems we'll be shooting some scenes together," Matthew noted.

Eva took a step closer, "Matthew, I haven't yet thanked you for helping me land this role."

She knew that the failure of "Kingdom of Heaven" nearly ended her career in Hollywood, and without support, her future would have been bleak.

"It's nothing, I just mentioned it to Gore Verbinski and the crew," Matthew casually downplayed his role, making it seem as though he hadn't done much.

Eva, hearing this, placed even more value on his assistance. A casual mention resolved an audition for a supporting role; could a serious recommendation influence the casting of a lead role?

She had no doubts about this, as Matthew was now a leading figure in the industry, whose commercial influence was evident even to her, a French national.

"Thank you," Eva expressed her gratitude verbally, "Really, I appreciate it a lot."

Matthew reiterated, "Really, Eva, it's nothing."

Eva smiled again at Matthew, then looked past him towards the stairs, "Helen is in her office, right?"

Matthew nodded, "Are you looking for her?"

"Yes," Eva had plans of her own, "I came to see her about something today."

"Then I won't keep you," Matthew prepared to leave, "Let's catch up another time."

Eva waved lightly at Matthew, "We'll talk more when we have the time."

She bypassed Matthew and headed straight upstairs. As she turned at the staircase, she glanced back at the lobby, watching Matthew leave before standing at the top of the stairs, pausing for a moment.

Over the next two days, Matthew stayed within Horner Manor, not venturing out. After the long shoot in the Dominican Republic, he felt the need to rest and decided to take it easy for a few days.

Now firmly a leading star, Matthew was incredibly busy even when not shooting, with numerous responsibilities to manage.

Bella Anderson made a special trip to Horner Manor. She and Angel Talent Agency had been coordinating his connections with supporter organizations across major U.S. cities. These fan groups, despite having an organized hierarchy, were not tightly knit.

Matthew and Helen Herman understood this; they didn't demand much—just active participation from the fans during major events in their cities or for film releases, providing direct support at venues and theaters.

Helen had explained to Matthew that future mainstream Hollywood movie release strategies would become more extreme, particularly evident from opening weekend box office performances, which could account for up to a third or even half of a film's total North American gross.

Thus, the need for films to perform well during their opening weekend was crucial, making pre-sales and early support vital.

According to analysis by the big six Hollywood studios, the better the opening weekend performance, the higher the chances of a film's success, which could even mitigate the impact of negative reviews.

Additionally, Angel Talent Agency was planning to establish a more fervent supporter base from the hardcore fans in Los Angeles.

Such an organization could provide support and also serve as a weapon to tarnish competitors.

Subsequently, a management company approached Matthew, offering to represent him. It is well-known that many Hollywood stars have separate agents and managers, each serving different roles.

California law and industry union standards distinctly define the roles of agents and managers—agents secure jobs, maximizing work opportunities for their clients, while managers design and plan careers, providing professional advice.

Simply put, agents find job opportunities, and managers advise on which opportunities to pursue.

This clear division of interests often leads to conflicts between agents and managers, increasingly so in recent years, with managers sometimes encroaching on agents'

 duties by seeking jobs for clients.

Some top actors or directors, after hiring managers, have even dismissed their agents.

From what Matthew knew, stars like Leonardo DiCaprio, who had left CAA, no longer used an agent but a manager, a practice slowly becoming normative in Hollywood, despite not aligning with the California Talent Agencies Act.

Matthew had a detailed discussion with the prospective management firm but neither committed nor declined their offer. Currently, he enjoyed a productive partnership with Helen Herman and had no immediate plans to hire a manager, especially since the primary role of a manager wouldn't be useful to him for a while.

Having a management firm interested, however, served as motivation for Helen.

Additionally, Matthew needed a public relations team, which he discussed directly with Helen. She recommended hiring an established PR firm experienced in handling crises.

Since breaking into Hollywood in 1999 and climbing the ranks over seven years to become a leading star, Matthew had come to mean significant fame and substantial income.

As such, many people depended on his success for their livelihoods, forming a large team around him.

Given his recent ascent to stardom, his team was still relatively simple: no manager, Helen Herman as his agent, a longstanding lawyer from Wilson Law, financial services from PwC, Bella Anderson as his personal assistant, outsourced PR, and a stockbroker in New York handling his Apple stock investments.

Moreover, there were numerous peripheral service providers.

For instance, the Red Penguin company, where List worked, provided household and maintenance services; Horner Manor employed two chefs and three maids; three security guards manned the gates round-the-clock; and Helen had suggested hiring a reliable bodyguard, among others.

These also required substantial financial compensation.

Matthew had discussed with PwC accountants that even excluding his personal and daily expenses, just the commissions for his surrounding team consumed about twenty percent of his income from acting and endorsements.

Commissions for agents, lawyers, accountants, and PR were not fixed but a percentage of relevant earnings.

This was also why Matthew hesitated to hire a manager, whose fees, also based on commissions, were not insignificant.

He had inquired with Johnny Depp and Keanu Reeves and found that his current expenses were relatively low compared to others. While Keanu managed his finances quite conservatively, stars like Johnny Depp, with teams of dozens, could see up to thirty percent of their incomes going to team salaries.

For a star, fame, work, and exposure come at a cost, and this operation isn't free.

Many stars earn a lot but spend extravagantly without financial acumen, often facing personal financial crises as their fortunes wane, sometimes even leading to bankruptcy.

Matthew felt he was managing well, investing cautiously, spending generously but wisely, and importantly, had a substantial safety net with his Apple stocks.

As his vacation neared its end, Helen Herman brought a special visitor to Horner Manor just before the break concluded.

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