The Best Movie Actor In Hollywood! Chapter 53

"What?" Helen couldn't help but ask, surprised. "When did this happen?"

Matthew shrugged. "This morning, right before I met up with you."

Helen didn't respond immediately, pausing to think before speaking. "Are you going to give the news to Ilana? I would—"

"No," Matthew cut her off. "We've already landed the role."

Helen froze. She had known for a while that Matthew knew when to quit while he was ahead. After a moment's thought, she agreed, "Good. That way, we can avoid any conflict with Britney’s agency and record label."

She warned, "But you won't be able to hide this for long."

Matthew just shrugged in response.

They left Warner Studios. Matthew hadn't even made it back to the Angel Acting Agency when he got a call from Britney. He spoke with her briefly, letting her know he had signed the contract.

They exchanged a few more words before Matthew heard other voices on Britney's end. It sounded like she was busy, so he took the initiative and ended the call.

"Yeah, everything wraps up in mid-October." Matthew had already been thinking about it. "I'm going back to the Los Angeles School of Performing Arts tomorrow to resume my classes."

"If you're short on money..." As soon as he'd landed the role of Ronald Speirs, Helen's attitude toward him seemed to shift. "You can borrow some from the company account. I'll have the finance department deduct it when your first payment of $20,000 comes in."

Matthew didn't have much money left. He had been relatively frugal and didn't spend much on basic living expenses, which would have been enough to last until he left for the UK next month. But with Britney as his girlfriend, his spending was bound to increase significantly.

"Perfect." He didn't stand on ceremony. "Lend me three thousand dollars."

Although Helen hadn't said it outright, Matthew could feel her attitude toward him changing. For instance, if he hadn't landed the role of Ronald Speirs, Helen never would have let the company lend him money.

Could a single role really turn an actor's career around?

The car pulled into a parking spot in front of the Angel Acting Agency. Helen didn't get out right away. "This is just the beginning," she said. "You worked hard for this role. Keep it up."

Matthew unbuckled his seatbelt. "I know."

He was well aware that this small supporting role was a long, long way from his goal of becoming a major Hollywood star.

After getting out of the car and following Helen into the agency, Matthew went straight to the finance department to get his three-thousand-dollar loan, officially becoming a debtor.

For the rest of the time, Matthew returned to his usual routine. He woke up for a run every morning, attended acting classes at the Los Angeles School of Performing Arts, read the newspaper at lunch, went to his language course in the afternoon, and returned to his apartment after class to read and watch videos, emulating the performances of Oscar winners.

He lived every day to the fullest, which had something to do with Britney.

Although their relationship had just begun and they were technically in the honeymoon phase, Matthew had only seen Britney once since the audition. It was in an airport VIP lounge as she was leaving Los Angeles, and they spoke for no more than five minutes.

Britney was in the middle of promoting her first album, and she had very little free time before the end of the year as she traveled across the US and prepared for a world tour next year.

It couldn't be helped; a popular singer was far busier than a movie star.

According to Helen, a singer's time and schedule could be boiled down to a few places: recording studios, airplanes, hotels, and live performances.

As for personal time, it was practically non-existent.

Other than Helen, his indispensable agent, Matthew hadn't told anyone about his romance with Britney, but he wasn't hiding it either. Everything was proceeding naturally.

Britney’s promotional schedule was incredibly tight; she could only spare about fifteen minutes a day to talk to Matthew on the phone. Fortunately, her music video was due to be released soon, and the label had invited Matthew to attend the premiere in New York, so they would be able to see each other then.

The experience of auditioning for Ronald Speirs, especially the long and difficult preparation period, had made Matthew more focused. It taught him one thing: while external factors could influence an audition, the actor's own performance was just as crucial.

For example, Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg were high-level figures who were difficult to impress. They were long-established, held high status, and cherished their reputations more than ordinary people. Unless you had a special connection, an actor's performance in the audition room was the deciding factor.

Just as he had at the beginning, Matthew treasured his acting classes. The five months he'd spent in them had clearly improved him, but because he'd started late and lacked natural talent, by the time the classes ended, David Astor still considered his acting to be at a rudimentary, superficial level. Out of the ten or so students in the class, he was merely average.

At the same time, his language classes also came to an end.

In any case, the six months of classes had been beneficial for Matthew.

"Classes are over." Walking out of the language classroom together, Matthew slung on his backpack and asked Rachel McAdams, "Are you sure you want to go back to Canada?"

A few days after he had returned and resumed classes, Rachel had told him she wanted to go back to Canada first after the acting course finished and figure things out before tackling Hollywood.

"There's less competition in Canada." Rachel seemed resolute. "And more opportunities."

She smiled, revealing two dimples, a hint of envy in her voice. "If I could land roles in Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg's productions like you, I'd stay in Hollywood too."

After spending half a year in the same acting class, Matthew had become friends with Rachel, but he couldn't help her. All he could say was, "Come back when the right opportunity comes along."

That was better than staying in Los Angeles, achieving nothing, and ending up like the other Rachel.

As they were leaving the school, Rachel stopped, looked toward the Hollywood Hills, and said suddenly, "I'm going to miss this place."

She showed her dimples again. "And I'll definitely be back."

"When you come back," Matthew said with a smile, "I'll treat you to dinner."

Rachel looked away from the hills and turned to Matthew. "Okay, it's a deal."

Matthew held out his hand, and Rachel slapped it, sealing their agreement.

Then, Rachel got into a car and left the Los Angeles School of Performing Arts, ready to head back to Canada that night.

Watching Rachel's car drive away, Matthew felt like a lucky man.

There were so many actors at the bottom of the ladder in Hollywood. How many of them could go from a complete novice to a significant character in a production with a total budget of over $100 million in just six months?

Matthew didn't linger. He returned to his apartment and the first thing he did was call Helen. On Helen's advice, he had recently tried calling Angelina Jolie's number several times. Only once did someone other than her previous assistant answer, and they hung up after a few words. After that, the number was no longer reachable.

Helen had been trying to contact Kathy Conrad, the producer of "Girl, Interrupted," to get Matthew an invitation to the premiere, but Kathy Conrad had never responded.

The call connected to Helen. Matthew listened to his agent and then hung up. Kathy Conrad had sent an email to Helen that afternoon, politely declining her request.

In other words, the premiere of "Girl, Interrupted" had nothing to do with Matthew anymore.

Matthew hadn't held out much hope for attending; he was just trying his best. He was a supporting actor with two simple lines, so it was perfectly normal to be denied.

And he didn't think Winona Ryder wanted to see him there anyway.

Both Matthew and Helen gave up on the idea of him attending the premiere. Aside from looking forward to Britney’s music video debut, Matthew channeled all his energy into preparing for the role of Ronald Speirs.

Since he had so many lines and so much screen time in the series, it was crucial for him to deliver a great performance if he wanted to impress the press and the audience.

To that end, after several phone calls with Hawk Breton and Eric Bork, Matthew created a plan for himself.

His morning workouts, limited by money and equipment, consisted of running and push-ups in a small park. Afternoons were spent reading and studying the script and his character. Evenings were dedicated to watching his carefully curated collection of actors' videotapes and mimicking their performances. And the time before bed was reserved for talking with Britney on the phone.

For a long time, Matthew barely left Westwood, and his preparation for the role of Ronald Speirs was even more thorough than it had been before the audition.

Matthew believed that opportunities came to those who were well-prepared.

Despite his quiet life in Westwood, there were some things you just couldn't hide from.

In late October, his lawyer, Wilson, and Helen called him one after another. Negotiations for an out-of-court settlement with the company had begun and quickly made significant progress. Both sides had essentially reached an agreement, and Matthew, as the person at the center of it all, had to be present for the final negotiations to personally sign the settlement.