Venice, a historic world-renowned city, is famous not only for its canals and scenery but also for the prestigious Venice Film Festival. Sitting in the lobby of a medieval-style hotel, Matthew looked out at the waterway, feeling a natural curiosity on his first visit to Venice.
"I was too busy yesterday and didn't have time to chat with you," said Sofia Coppola from across the table, her voice carrying a slight nasal tone. "When are you heading back?"
Matthew pulled his gaze away from the window and replied, "I still have a friend to meet today, but I'll be leaving tomorrow morning."
Yesterday afternoon, he had attended the premiere of Sofia Coppola's new film Somewhere. If it weren't for his meeting with Rachel Weisz today, he would already be on a flight back to Los Angeles.
Sofia Coppola asked, "What did you think of the film?"
Matthew smiled. "I don't know much about this sort of thing, so you might be asking the wrong person."
He really had no way of judging the quality of such an artistic film.
Sofia Coppola didn't hide her ambitions. "I was hoping to compete for the Golden Lion, but the reception after yesterday's premiere wasn't very good."
"I don't know much about the big three European film festivals," Matthew thought for a moment before adding, "but reputation and winning awards don't always go hand in hand, right?"
After a pause, he asked, "Isn't Quentin Tarantino the head of the jury this year?"
"Yes," Sofia nodded.
Matthew considered for a moment before saying, "Since you're both from Hollywood, there must be ways to influence Quentin Tarantino, right?"
In essence, the big three European film festivals are not so different from the Oscars—they're about dividing up the spoils. Sometimes, their award choices are even harder to understand than the Oscars.
If the jury president wanted to push hard for a particular film to win, it wouldn't be too difficult.
Sofia Coppola slowly nodded. "I'll think about it."
Everyone in the entertainment industry knew better than to expect a purely fair and impartial competition when it came to awards.
Matthew was just making conversation. Whether it was the Oscars in North America or the big three European film festivals, he had little influence over any of them.
"Oh, by the way, Matthew," Sofia suddenly asked, "Could I ask you for a favor?"
Matthew didn't agree right away. "Go ahead."
If it was within his abilities, he'd help. But if it was something even the Coppola family couldn't handle, he probably wouldn't be able to do much either.
Sofia gently pinched her nose and slowly said, "Have you heard about my cousin, Nicolas Cage?"
Matthew nodded. "I've heard quite a bit."
Nicolas Cage's situation had long been the talk of Hollywood. Once a member of the $20 million club, Cage had found himself in financial trouble due to tax issues and debt, forcing him to constantly take on film roles, many of which were poorly received.
If he didn't keep accepting roles, he wouldn't have money to pay off his debts. Owing the IRS was no small problem, and getting their attention could lead to all kinds of trouble.
But good projects weren't easy to come by. Even for people like Matthew and Leonardo DiCaprio, choosing projects was done with extreme caution, adhering to the principle of "quality over quantity."
If Cage wanted to earn money quickly, he'd have to take on a lot of roles in a short amount of time, and the more projects he accepted, the higher the chance of them being terrible. Given his current situation, big-name directors and producers would avoid working with him.
As a result, Nicolas Cage found himself in a tough spot. Without accepting numerous roles, he couldn't make enough money, but the more films he took on, the worse they tended to be, leading to lower earnings and forcing him to accept even more roles. It was a vicious cycle.
"You've invested in and produced many films," Sofia said, rarely asking for favors. "Could you possibly find a suitable role for Nicolas?"
Matthew didn't answer right away and instead thought for a moment. Even though Nicolas Cage had earned the nickname "King of Bad Movies," he still had value. Otherwise, those low-budget productions wouldn't have kept hiring him.
Even those so-called "bad movies" often had budgets in the millions.
Unfortunately, these films didn't aim for big box office success—they were mainly made for DVD sales and the rental market, where they could turn a modest profit.
But in Hollywood, the biggest measure of a star's value wasn't acting skills or merchandise sales—it was box office performance.
Recently, when meeting with James Wan, Wan had mentioned a new horror movie project. It was another small-budget film, centered around a haunted family storyline.
If Insidious succeeded, the series would naturally move forward...
"I might have a horror movie series," Matthew said after organizing his thoughts. "The project isn't finalized yet, so I can't make any promises."
Hearing Matthew's willingness to help, Sofia smiled and said, "That's not a problem."
These days, everyone knew that a movie starring Matthew was synonymous with success, and the films he produced were just as likely to succeed.
She was fully aware of the biggest challenge facing Nicolas Cage: if he could land a box office hit, it wouldn't be hard for him to stage a comeback, especially with the backing of the Coppola family.
But where could they find a film that was both suitable for Nicolas Cage and capable of being a box office hit?
Sofia was seeking Matthew's help as a last resort.
Matthew made sure to set expectations upfront. "There are a few things I need to clarify."
Sofia nodded lightly. "Go ahead."
"First, I can't guarantee the project will happen," Matthew said succinctly. "Second, it's a low-budget production, so the lead actor's pay will be low."
"Got it," Sofia noted. "I'll pass that on to Nicolas and have him contact your team."
Matthew wasn't just doing this out of kindness. Although the project with James Wan wasn't confirmed yet, he was planning ahead for a possible series. "If we do move forward, I'd need Nicolas to sign a three-film contract, with no single film's salary exceeding $10 million."
This was to avoid complications if the first film became a box office hit and Cage demanded a huge salary for the sequels.
Many people, including Matthew himself, often lacked principles when faced with large sums of money.
For example, in the Iron Man series, if Robert Downey Jr. hadn't signed a long-term contract, his salary for the second film would have skyrocketed past $10 million.
Sofia frowned slightly but then nodded. "I'll relay your terms to Nicolas."
Matthew suddenly smiled. "Sofia, I've got an idea." He pointed eastward. "I've been to the other side of the Pacific a few times and noticed something interesting—Nicolas is really popular over there."
Half-joking, half-serious, he continued, "Taking random roles in Hollywood isn't doing him any favors."
Sofia Coppola was sharp and immediately caught on. "Are you suggesting Nicolas look for work on the other side of the Pacific?"
Matthew just smiled and didn't say anything more.
Sofia glanced at the time and stood up. "Thank you, Matthew," she said as she prepared to leave. "I'll visit you in Los Angeles when I'm back."
After seeing Sofia off, Matthew didn't linger long. He left the hotel and took a boat to another hotel, where Rachel Weisz was waiting for him at a café across the street. She had already called him twice, urging him to hurry over.
"Over here, Matthew!"
As soon as he reached the second floor, he saw Rachel waving to him from a window seat. He quickly joined her, pulling out a chair to sit across from her.
"What's going on?" Matthew asked.
"You're just in time for the show," Rachel said, gesturing to a hotel across the canal. "The Black Swan crew is staying there."
Matthew turned to look. The hotel was typical of Venice, right on the edge of a wide canal, with a small dock where boats could pull up. It looked quite convenient for travel.
"What are we supposed to see from here?" Matthew asked, spreading his hands.
Even though they had a clear view of the hotel's entrance, and could even see part of the lobby through the glass doors, there wasn't much else to observe.
Rachel's lips curled into a smile. "There's some drama going on within the Black Swan crew. Natalie Portman and Darren Aronofsky aren't staying at that hotel; they're in a separate one three streets away."
Matthew's interest was piqued. "What kind of drama?"
"A messy love triangle," Rachel sneered. "I should have known Darren Aronofsky was a jerk!"
Her voice turned cold. "Mila Kunis is staying at this hotel."
Matthew nodded slightly, understanding what she meant by a "messy love triangle."
"I've got reliable information," Rachel said, looking around to ensure they were alone on the second floor before continuing, "Natalie Portman is pregnant."
"Oh? Whose child?" Matthew wasn't surprised.
He vaguely remembered that Natalie Portman had been pregnant when she won the Oscar for Best Actress.
"If the people in the crew who are feeding me information aren't wrong, it's Darren Aronofsky's," Rachel said through gritted teeth.
Matthew turned to look at the hotel again. This might turn into quite the scandal in the future.
"They're here!" Rachel suddenly raised her hand and pointed to the canal. "That Venetian speedboat!"
As she spoke, a speedboat approached from the distance, quickly docking at the hotel's pier. Matthew saw clearly that the person stepping off the boat was Darren Aronofsky.
"He's here to meet Mila Kunis!" Rachel said coldly.
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