For a low-budget film, the premiere of "The Weather Man" was a modest affair. Matthew didn't linger with the other guests, making his way down the long red carpet to the interview area with hardly a pause.
The mont he stepped into the interview zone, most of the reporters abandoned their current subjects and instantly sward around him.
Matthew remained composed; by now, he was a battle-hardened veteran, capable of withstanding a dia siege even without prior preparation.
Since it was the premiere for a Gore Verbinski film, and Matthew had collaborated with the director on another project, the reporters inevitably asked for his thoughts on Gore.
"Unlike many comrcial directors, Gore has never been one to just skim the surface of his material. He's incredibly focused on plot developnt and cause-and-effect, always using small, disparate pieces to assemble a larger narrative that leaves the audience marveling."
Matthew was prepared for such a question, and quite well-prepared at that. "Gore's work always leans toward cody or satire, with dark humor at the forefront, and the process is always enjoyable and lighthearted."
After answering that question, and ignoring any further inquiries from the press, Matthew imdiately headed into the theater.
"This way, please."
At the theater entrance, a staff mber directed him to the second floor. Matthew went up the stairs and quickly entered the VIP lounge, which was already full of people, most of them from the cast of "Pirates of the Caribbean."
Gore Verbinski's most successful work to date was, of course, "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl."
Of course, Matthew also saw a few stars who had worked with Gore Verbinski before, like Naomi Watts.
Unlike the last ti he'd seen her, she wasn't with Heath Ledger anymore, but with a different, sowhat obscure actor.
Matthew greeted Naomi and a few other acquaintances, then headed straight for the group in the left corner of the lounge, where the "Pirates of the Caribbean" cast was gathered.
"Hi, Matthew." Eva Green waved to him from a distance. "Over here."
"You look stunning," Matthew said as he approached her.
Eva, who seed to have a penchant for black, was wearing a low-cut black evening gown tonight.
"Did you co alone?" she asked.
Matthew nodded.
Soone ca up beside him. Matthew turned his head to see Depp had approached from behind.
Depp leaned in closer and whispered, "I saw Harvey. He's here at the premiere."
Matthew was puzzled. "Why would he be here?"
"Who knows." Depp shrugged. "The Weather Man is a Paramount production, and Paramount has a deal with the Weinstein brothers for independent films."
As Depp was speaking, Matthew saw a short, heavyset man enter the VIP lounge. The people near the door, including Naomi Watts—now considered a B-list star—stepped forward to greet him, their expressions unusually eager.
The portly man remained composed, rely offering a slight nod in return.
Though it was the first ti Matthew had seen him in person, he had seen his picture countless tis in newspapers and magazines and recognized him imdiately: Harvey Weinstein.
He hadn't expected to run into Harvey here. Recalling the recent incident and Helen's advice, he said to Depp, "I should make a quiet exit."
Matthew tried to leave the lounge, but the room was crowded. Their position near the entrance, standing with the striking Eva Green, had already caught Harvey's eye.
Imdiately, the stout man began walking over.
Depp kindly gave Matthew a nudge. "I'll go say hello to him. You should go."
But the two parties were already too close for Depp to run interference, and Harvey had already called out, "Matthew Horner!"
His voice wasn't loud, but it was distinct. "I was just looking for you."
Matthew could no longer slip away, so he turned with a smile. "Good to see you, Mr. Weinstein."
Harvey approached and sized Matthew up, his gaze lingering on Eva for a few monts before he said, "Call
Harvey."
Then he turned to Eva. "You're French?"
For so reason, Eva sensed sothing indefinable in his gaze. That, combined with his short, thickset fra, made a wave of revulsion well up inside her.
But she knew he was a major player in Hollywood, so she forced a wide smile and replied, "Hello, sir. I'm Eva, an actress from France."
Harvey nodded. "You have a very distinctive look. With a great role, you're sure to beco an acclaid actress."
The comnt sounded unsettling to Matthew, and he cut in with a smile, "Eva's a friend of mine. She's filming 'Pirates of the Caribbean' right now."
"Let
guess, a supporting role?" Harvey imdiately said to Eva. "You can't build a career on supporting roles."
Eva shot Harvey a look and reached for Matthew's arm. "With Matthew looking out for , I'm not worried about finding roles."
Matthew's gaze flickered to Eva's face. The woman was anything but foolish.
Harvey changed the subject. He glanced around at the onlookers and raised his voice slightly. "Gentlen, I'd like a private word with Matthew, if you don't mind."
At his words, everyone nearby, even veteran actors like Geoffrey Rush, stepped away.
Then Harvey looked at Depp.
Not wanting to drag his friend into his business, Matthew gave Depp a slight nod. Depp hesitated for a mont, but seeing Matthew's resolve, he led Eva away as well.
Soon, only Matthew and Harvey were left in that corner of the VIP lounge.
Harvey's outward deanor was as affable as a plump old elder. "Matthew," he said, "you're a hard man to get a eting with."
Matthew, of course, revealed nothing of his thoughts, replying with a smooth smile, "It's been a hectic schedule lately. Filming the two 'Pirates' sequels has ant a lot of overti."
"In that case, you ought to file a complaint with Disney." Harvey seed to take him at his word. "Should I have a word with the Screen Actors Guild for you?"
Hearing this, Matthew inwardly cursed Harvey. If an actor complained about overti, he'd likely find himself blacklisted by half the studios in town.
This guy Harvey was clearly setting a trap, just waiting for him to fall into it.
But Matthew had no intention of jumping in. Pretending not to understand, he answered casually, "For the kind of money they're paying, I can endure it."
He was making it unequivocally clear to Harvey that the production was paying overti, so there was no basis for a complaint.
After just a few words, Harvey got a clear sense that this young man was no ignorant fool, but a star who could think for himself.
"I had a long talk with Frank a while ago." Harvey cut straight to the chase. "You and Zack Snyder initiated that '300' project, correct?"
There was no point in denying it, so Matthew simply nodded. "You could say that. After working with Zack on 'Dawn of the Dead,' I wanted to make another film with his vision. I happened to have read the graphic novel '300,' so I recomnded it to him."
He had barely finished when Harvey pressed on. "From what I understand, you were the heart and key to that project. Frank was only sold on it after seeing you as Leonidas. David Ellison was only willing to pour significant funds into a project with an unproven director because you, Matthew Horner, were attached to star. And the most decisive factor for Warner Bros. and Skydance Pictures agreeing to negotiate distribution rights was your consistent box-office success."
Matthew offered a deliberately modest laugh. "I'm not that important."
"No, that's not true." Harvey's tone was absolute. "You're even more important to that project than they think."
Matthew knew, of course, that the project could proceed without him, but it certainly wouldn't be as smooth of a process.
But others didn't see it that way. His box-office appeal had swayed the judgnt of many.
Harvey, it seed, was one of them.
Harvey's words were imposing, heavy and solid, like his physical presence. "Matthew, work with ," he said. "I can give you everything an actor could possibly want."
"Harvey, I'm honored that you think so highly of ."
As he had told Helen, it was best to avoid offending a man like Harvey whenever possible, which ant declining his offer in the most diplomatic way imaginable.
Harvey gave a satisfied nod.
Matthew, however, put on a look of thoughtful hesitation. "But my schedule is already booked solid for the next two years. It would require a major adjustnt."
Harvey tilted his head back to stare up at the much taller Matthew, cutting through his pretense. "Working on a film together can wait," he said bluntly. "I'm talking about working together now. On the '300' project."
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