The richest actor in Hollywood.

"Cheers!" As David Ellison raised his glass, everyone in the banquet hall followed suit, "Cheers!" With the champagne finished, the atmosphere in the hall became lively. Since they had previously interacted with Matthew, the Warner Bros. executives only chatted briefly with him before moving on to greet other guests.

Warner Bros. Production Director Hol Fina approached Matthew, greeted him with a smile, and then said to Helen Herman, "Can we talk alone?"

Helen Herman agreed immediately, "Sure." She leaned in to Matthew's ear and whispered, "I just got a call; there's a last-minute issue with the foundation, so Amanda can't make it. She sent a driver to pick up Anna; she might be late."

Matthew nodded, not asking further. Amanda handled foundation matters, and since she didn't notify her urgently, it likely wasn't a big issue.

Helen Herman left with Hol Fina, leaving Matthew and David Ellison alone for the moment. "No date today?" David Ellison asked, surprised.

Matthew handed his glass to a waiter and said, "She hasn't arrived yet." He then asked, "Any new progress on the script?"

"Just started," David Ellison replied calmly. "We've just confirmed the roles, so there's no rush."

Matthew nodded lightly. "You're right. Proper planning in the early stages increases the chances of success later."

The roles for "Fast & Furious" were essentially set. In the fourth installment, Paul Walker and Jordana Brewster would return, leading into Matthew's character who would join them in avenging the death of Dominic Toretto and his girlfriend Letty. Additionally, a Jewish female and an Asian character would appear in the film. The second installment's lead actor, Tyrese Gibson, would return in the fifth film, alongside a new Latina female character. As for Dwayne Johnson, Matthew planned to consider inviting him after the fourth film's release.

This was a commercial film, and there was no guarantee of success. It wasn't as simple as copying and pasting. Even if he could, he only remembered the general plot.

"Do you see them?" In a corner of the banquet hall, Corina signaled Brad Pitt with his eyes. "That's Matthew Horner."

Brad Pitt adjusted his long blonde hair draping over his shoulders. "I know him."

In just over ten minutes since the party began, he had witnessed countless people greeting and acknowledging Matthew Horner, especially the Warner Bros. executives, whose attention towards Matthew was evident to anyone. Brad Pitt once enjoyed similar treatment.

Corina added, "The man beside him is David Ellison, Larry Ellison's son and Matthew Horner's partner."

Brad Pitt remained silent.

"I deliberately listened in over there," Corina lowered his voice slightly. "Several producers approached Matthew Horner, mentioning they wanted him in their new films."

Brad Pitt still said nothing, knowing this was normal. He had similar experiences years ago.

Corina continued, "Some of those were well-known producers and companies."

Brad Pitt finally spoke, "I'll keep an eye on Matthew Horner and see which projects he chooses."

From initially assisting actor Tom Latch to later dating one woman after another, Brad Pitt had always understood the power of leveraging relationships and avoiding unnecessary detours. This was how he had navigated his career, without any sense of wrongdoing.

Corina said, "I'll keep an eye on Matthew Horner as well."

Seeing Natalie Portman approach Matthew, Corina added, "I'll go take another look."

Brad Pitt nodded slightly. "Go ahead."

On the other side, David Ellison had just left when Matthew saw Natalie Portman approaching. "Hi, Matthew," Natalie Portman greeted him.

Matthew returned the smile, "Hi, Nat."

He remembered previously meeting Natalie Portman with Keira Knightley, a meeting filled with veiled hostility between the two women. "Haven't seen Keira around?" Natalie Portman asked casually.

Matthew shrugged slightly. "I haven't seen her in a while."

"Aren't you two..." Natalie Portman seemed unaware.

"Keira and I are good friends," Matthew said honestly. "She's been busy filming, and I haven't seen her recently."

He glanced at Natalie Portman's short hair and asked, "Why did you cut your hair?"

Natalie Portman smiled. "I shaved it for 'V for Vendetta.' It hasn't grown back yet."

"Right..." Matthew slapped his forehead lightly. "How did I forget about that?"

He had seen "V for Vendetta," where Natalie Portman's character had her head shaved by V. Natalie Portman didn't use a double, performing the scene herself. In terms of professionalism, Natalie Portman was highly commendable.

Natalie Portman had only truly interacted with Matthew once with Keira Knightley, so they weren't familiar. Approaching him now clearly meant she had something to discuss. "Matthew, I have two friends..." She maintained a polite smile. "They want to meet you but haven't interacted with you before. They asked me to see if you'd be interested in talking to them."

"Of course," Matthew said, not refusing out of courtesy.

Natalie Portman turned back the way she came. "This way, please."

She led him to a less crowded area on the left side of the banquet hall. After maneuvering through a crowd, they reached a small round table in the resting area, where two unusual individuals were waiting.

These two, a man and a woman, had similar facial features. The man was burly and strong, while the woman was stout.

"Let me introduce you, Matthew," Natalie Portman first pointed to the man. "This is Andy Wachowski."

She then introduced the woman. "This is Lana Wachowski."

"Hello, Matthew."

"Hello..."

Matthew shook hands with Andy and Lana Wachowski and, at Natalie Portman's invitation, sat at the same table with them. However, under the table, he discreetly wiped his hand on his pants.

He knew them well. There were few in Hollywood who didn't know the Wachowski siblings... or rather, the Wachowski brother and sister.

He had seen all three "Matrix" movies, directed and written by the Wachowskis, both on this side of the Pacific and back home.

Moreover, he had known the Wachowskis by name back home.

Among Hollywood directors of the Wachowskis' caliber, he only knew the names of a few, primarily iconic figures like Steven Spielberg and James Cameron.

But the Wachowskis were highly representative in their own right, or he wouldn't have remembered their names otherwise.

And this had nothing to do with "The Matrix" or any of their other works, but from another aspect entirely. Looking at the whole world, there were no other directors who transitioned from brothers to a brother and sister, and then to sisters.

Having read gossip about the Wachowskis, he had remembered their names ever since.

Of course, they were currently still siblings.

After chatting a bit more with the Wachowskis, he recalled another detail from that gossip article. It noted their increasingly eccentric behavior, leading to their films becoming progressively bizarre. Apart from "The Matrix" trilogy, all their other directed films had flopped, continuing to live off "The Matrix's" legacy despite their transformation from brothers to sisters.

He glanced at Natalie Portman, curious about her association with the Wachowski siblings.

Noticing his curiosity, Natalie Portman explained, "I collaborated with Lana and Andy on 'V for Vendetta,' where they served as producers and writers."

"Oh..." Matthew responded, half-heartedly praising, "That was an excellent film, very memorable, especially the final scene of blowing up the Palace of Westminster. It was spectacular."

Lana Wachowski brushed back her red hair and said, "That scene was meant to express a yearning for freedom."

Andy Wachowski nodded. "We incorporated many discussions on politics and philosophy while making that film."

Matthew nodded. "I could tell."

In truth, he couldn't tell at all. He found the film filled with anarchistic praise.

Natalie Portman chimed in, "The depth of this film is hard to match."

Hearing this, Matthew felt completely out of sync with the trio. No wonder "V for Vendetta" was banned in some regions, and even where it was allowed, it had a good reputation but mediocre box office performance. Depth and philosophical musings typically drove audiences away 99% of the time.

He suddenly thought of "The Matrix" sequels and looked at the Wachowski siblings, understanding that the success of the first film had likely skewed their understanding of commercial movies, leading to their subsequent flops.

As Matthew continued his conversation with the Wachowskis and Natalie Portman, Corina quietly approached, ordering a glass of water from a waiter and sitting at a nearby small round table. This spot was inconspicuous yet allowed him to overhear Matthew's table.

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