"Did you come to Paris because of Depp and Lily as well?"
Sitting in a quiet corner of the hotel lobby, Matthew looked across at Keira Knightley and asked, "Did Lily call you?"
Keira nodded lightly. "Yes, she said she couldn't reach you, so she called me instead. I was filming in the Philippines, but I rushed over as soon as I got her call."
"Have you seen Depp yet?" Matthew asked.
"I have," Keira said with a shake of her head. "I met him last night. He mentioned you two met in the afternoon."
She sipped her water before adding, "Depp said you tried to talk him out of it?"
"Yeah," Matthew replied, "but it didn't work. I focused on reminding him to consider Lily's feelings and not hurt her."
Keira sighed. "I just saw Lily before coming to find you. She's... not doing well emotionally."
Matthew thought for a moment and said, "Depp and Vanessa haven't officially split yet. Things will get messy for a while, and there's a chance they might end up fighting publicly. That's going to be the hardest part for Lily."
"Can you bear to see our goddaughter hurt like this?" Keira asked pointedly.
Matthew took a slow sip of water before responding. "Summer break is coming soon. I'm thinking of talking to Vanessa and suggesting she let Lily take some time off school. I could take her to Queensland, Australia. It's more isolated there, and by the time I'm done filming The Martian, things between Depp and Vanessa might have calmed down. That way, Lily can avoid the worst of it."
Keira considered this for a moment before agreeing. "That's not a bad idea. There really isn't a better solution for now."
Getting Lily out of the chaos was definitely better than making her witness her parents' conflict firsthand. Even if Depp and Vanessa refrained from outright hostility, their high-profile divorce would undoubtedly be sensationalized by the media.
Matthew put down his glass and said, "It's a stopgap measure at best."
Keira seemed to have an alternative in mind. "Leave it to me. I'm closer to Vanessa. I'll talk to her and Lily tonight. I think I can convince them to let Lily come to the Philippines with me. I'd be in a better position to look after her."
Matthew thought about it and nodded. "Alright, I'll leave it to you." He added, "I'll be in Australia for the next few months. If anything comes up, you can bring Lily to me."
Keira, clearly skeptical of Matthew's reliability in such matters, reassured him. "Don't worry, I'll handle it."
Matthew still cautioned, "Just don't force Lily into anything she doesn't want."
After discussing Lily's situation further, Keira's curiosity got the better of her. "What kind of woman could charm Depp so completely?"
Matthew spread his hands. "I've never met her, so I'm curious too." He added slowly, "Depp said she's an actress and only twenty years old. I'd guess youth and beauty are her biggest assets."
Keira shot him a look. "You men are unbelievable."
Matthew ignored her comment and instead voiced a concern. "I'm more worried Depp might be getting deceived."
Keira seemed unconvinced. "Love is unpredictable. Who's to say what's real?"
"We've known each other for nearly ten years," Matthew said, running a finger around the rim of his glass. "What are the chances a young girl truly falls for Depp? It's probably about money and fame. True love..."
He shook his head.
Keira pointed at him. "You're always so cynical. Do you even know what true love is?"
Matthew was caught off guard by her question.
Keira continued, "You've never experienced true love. How could you possibly know what it is? That makes you the least qualified to judge whether this is real love or not."
Matthew had no response to that. It was true—he couldn't judge whether Depp and his new partner were in love.
If he were to analyze the situation, he'd put love last on the list of factors. Depp, almost fifty, and a twenty-year-old actress? Given Hollywood's dynamics, it was far more likely that this woman was drawn to Depp's fame and fortune.
Even if they signed a prenup limiting her financial gains in the event of a divorce, the boost to her profile would be undeniable. Securing better roles and higher pay would be a given.
As for love...
Matthew admitted that from the moment Lily mentioned it, he hadn't even considered whether there was genuine affection between Depp and this woman.
Was there something wrong with his own mindset?
Matthew shook his head, dispelling the thought. "Regardless of Depp's relationship, it's an undeniable fact that Lily will be hurt."
Keira nodded in agreement. "Her spirits are really low."
The conversation eventually circled back to Lily. Even after Keira left, they didn't bring up the complicated history between them.
Both Matthew and Keira had made their stances clear. Since there was no future for them together, they'd let the past remain in the past and focus on their separate lives.
Originally, Matthew had planned to leave Paris that afternoon and return to Los Angeles before heading to Queensland, Australia, to join The Martian crew.
After his discussion with Keira, he decided to stay another night in Paris. Later that evening, Keira called to inform him that she'd spoken to Vanessa and Lily. She'd successfully convinced Vanessa to let Lily take a leave of absence from school and accompany her to the Far East for a break.
It seemed like the best solution for now.
Before leaving Paris, Matthew visited Lily once more before catching a flight back to Los Angeles. On the journey home, he reflected briefly: Do I really not understand love? He'd been in relationships before, hadn't he?
But as he thought about it, Keira's words held some truth. Whatever genuine feelings he'd had for Britney Spears back then had long faded amid years of hedonism. Now, when he looked at beautiful women, all he could think was: Conquer, conquer, and conquer again.
This attitude had left him unqualified to judge love between others.
Although Keira's remarks had stung slightly, much like Elizabeth Olsen's comments during the Oscars, Matthew quickly shrugged it off and returned to his usual work and life.
Back in Los Angeles, he reached out to Taylor Swift, only to find she'd left the city to continue her tour. Her circle of friends had dispersed as well, each returning to their own busy schedules.
Only Cara Delevingne called him, suggesting they meet privately when they both had time.
Matthew remembered Cara Delevingne primarily because of Margot Robbie. In that Suicide Squad movie, wasn't Cara the actress who played the villainous Enchantress?
He also recalled a tabloid article he'd seen years ago about the "Three Queens" of Victoria's Secret. One of them was vaguely linked to the Kardashian family, but the other two names escaped him. Was Cara Delevingne one of them?
Taylor had mentioned to him once that Cara was wild and erratic when not working, leaving many to think she had serious issues.
Of course, Matthew agreed to meet her. He fondly remembered the wild time he'd had with Cara and her sister, Poppy, at that party.
The "Three Queens" rumor also reminded him of another term from the modeling world—the "Three Queens of Britain." He hadn't paid much attention to it back then, but Naomi Campbell's infamous involvement in the 2010 blood diamond scandal definitely cemented her as a notable figure.
Matthew didn't linger long in Los Angeles. By late May, he joined most of the crew and flew to Queensland, Australia. The production had set up base at a studio in Dalby, where most indoor scenes, including those involving potato farming, would be filmed.
Ridley Scott had already arrived, and the set was nearly complete, including a plot of real potatoes that had been planted in advance.
Before shooting began, Matthew participated in rehearsals. Since most of his scenes were solo, he spent a lot of time alone on the Mars-like set, learning potato farming techniques from a seasoned local farmer.
Having grown up in a rural mountain area, Matthew had helped plant potatoes as a child. Though he'd forgotten much of it, relearning the skill wasn't too difficult.
He also practiced moving in the spacesuit. Many of his scenes would require wearing it, and despite its lighter and more functional redesign for the film, it was still cumbersome.
Ridley Scott had originally wanted to shoot a scene at a Chinese-style space center, but Matthew persuaded him to change the location to the Danube region. The reason was simple: avoiding any direct connection to real-world space agencies to ensure the film passed international censors.
Unlike American Sniper, this film was designed to make significant profits in international markets, including those across the Pacific.
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