Matthew wasn't surprised to receive an invitation from the Academy Awards organizing committee. After all, Warner Bros. was one of Hollywood's six major studios; getting the star of one of their biggest productions onto the Oscars red carpet was hardly a challenge.
The wording of the invitation, however, was unexpected.
Presenter for Best Picture. Sitting in Helen's office, Matthew closed the invitation from the Academy's organizing committee. "I suspect they made a mistake," he remarked.
Helen looked up from her computer screen. "With your current profile, being nad a presenter isn't difficult."
Matthew was a little surprised. "Haven't the old guard at the Academy always disliked ? They think I'm unmotivated and self-absorbed."
"They don't like Tom Cruise either," Helen said slowly. "But they've invited him to be a presenter at previous ceremonies as usual."
She set aside her current task for a mont. "Not to ntion the maneuvering by Warner Bros. The Academy isn't as stubborn as you think. They might not like soone, but money changes everything."
Hearing this, Matthew gave a slight nod. In the world of business, comrcial interests were the only truth.
Helen continued, "The Academy's picks are becoming increasingly niche, and their ratings have plumted over the last two years. The main reason they invited you to present is your popularity. You can draw attention and viewers to the ceremony."
There was more than a little contempt in her voice. "They pretend to be noble and look down on purely comrcial stars, but in the end, they bow to comrcial interests themselves."
Matthew couldn't help but smirk. "You hit the nail on the head."
Helen adjusted her glasses. "To be blunt, there's no such thing as nobility in this business." She paused for a mont before adding, "Of course, there might be other factors at play."
"Maybe it has sothing to do with my conflict with Spike Lee?" Matthew suggested.
"Possibly. Spike Lee has been ostracized, and Will Smith didn't get a single Oscar nomination. You can certainly read sothing into that," Helen said thoughtfully. "There are a lot of leftists in Hollywood. So are genuine, and so are... like ."
She made no attempt to hide it. "There must be many like , who follow social trends and masquerade as leftists. People who, I suspect, have been sick of Spike Lee for a long ti. They must be happy you finished him off."
Matthew nodded, then added, "Helen, I'm a real leftist! I like working with everyone."
Hearing this, Helen thought of the planned "The Fast and the Furious" sequel. "The Israeli actress Akiva recomnded—I've spoken with her. She was a model and a soldier, so she's familiar with firearms and combat. She has the right look. She'll be a good fit."
"Have you signed her to the agency yet?" Matthew asked.
"Still in negotiations," Helen replied. "But it shouldn't be a problem."
Aside from the main stars of the original trilogy, most of the principal cast would co from the Angel Agency, which would also supply a large portion of the crew. It wasn't quite a package deal, but Matthew was happy to help Helen where he could, as long as it didn't take too much effort.
"By the way, Matthew," Helen recalled, "what about Michelle Rodriguez? Is she not being considered?"
Matthew shook his head. "Since we're done with Dominic Toretto's storyline, there's no need to bring back his girlfriend. We'll just move on."
To be honest, he hadn't considered bringing back anyone besides Paul Walker and Jordana Brewster. The actor Tyrese Gibson, who had a role in the second film, was only brought on at Paul's suggestion.
In any case, the film definitely needed a black character, so continuing with Tyrese Gibson was a good idea. Plus, bringing back another familiar face from the past would appeal to the existing fanbase.
Matthew asked Helen directly, "Have you found a suitable candidate for the Chinese-Arican role?"
Helen shook her head. "No."
She explained briefly, "There's a limited number of well-known male Chinese-Arican actors. Stars like Jackie Chan and Jet Li are definitely out—their fees are too high. And as for newcors..."
She shook her head again. "I had the agency gather the relevant information, and so far, I haven't found any suitable candidates."
"That really is a problem," Matthew sighed.
Helen suddenly suggested, "What about changing the character? Replacing the Chinese-Arican man with a woman?"
Matthew imdiately dismissed the idea. "That's a bad idea. A female character would just be window dressing. I need a cool, tough-guy type."
This was also about the future market across the Pacific. In a typical comrcial film like this, male and female characters served entirely different purposes. The latter were often little more than decorative vases, while the forr could bring far more influence.
"I understand." Helen nodded gently. "I'll have them keep looking."
With Helen on the case, Matthew was confident that finding a suitable actor from across the Pacific wouldn't be too difficult.
He glanced at the ti and stood up. "Anything else? I'm eting Alexandra, so I should get going."
Helen didn't comnt on that, adding instead, "Yesterday, '300' left its last hundred and twenty theaters, ending its North Arican run."
Matthew imdiately asked, "What were the final box office numbers?"
For a movie star in this era, the box office was the bottom line.
"$356.68 million," Helen replied. "Behind 'Pirates of the Caribbean 2,' it was the second-highest-grossing film of 2006 in North Arica."
Matthew didn't hide his delight, smiling broadly. "A film I starred in is in the top two for the year. Don't back down in the negotiations with Warner Brothers."
Helen answered sharply, "$35 million is our bottom line! Otherwise, it's a $20 million advance against a back-end percentage of the box office."
"Excellent. I'm off to my eting. Bye."
With that, Matthew left the Angel Agency, drove north to Burbank to pick up Alexandra Daddario, and then headed to the Armani store on Rodeo Drive to help her choose an outfit for the Academy Awards.
Before his trip to New York, he had spoken with Armani's managent. He had his pick of the latest season's clothes and accessories, many of which were made available to Alexandra for only a nominal fee.
Matthew waited in the Armani store's VIP lounge while Alexandra erged from the dressing room, accompanied by the store manager.
"Miss Daddario has a wonderful figure, which is a perfect match for this twill evening gown." The manager's words were not without flattery. "This is the latest Armani dress. Not only is it not for sale, but it hasn't even appeared in any fashion shows yet."
"Thanks for all your help," Matthew said with a smile.
The manager smiled back. "You're too kind."
Just then, the dressing room door opened. The fitter ca out first, followed by Alexandra.
She was wearing a short, form-fitting black and white dress. The skirt, which fell just below the knee, was asymtrical for a more expressive look. The top featured a deep V-neckline that perfectly accentuated her famous assets.
In addition, the earrings, ring, and necklace ford a complete set of white gold and sapphires, which brought out her ice-blue eyes and gave them an almost regal quality.
Alexandra walked over to Matthew and asked excitedly, "What do you think?"
"Perfect! The dress is beautiful, but the woman wearing it to the Oscars is even more so."
Alexandra smiled and walked over to the mirror.
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