"This barbecue is great!"
In the yard, Michael Fassbender's voice came, "I didn't expect Matthew to have such skills!"
Ben Foster's echoing voice sounded, "It's really good!"
James McAvoy raised his glass to everyone, "Cheers!"
Everyone, including Liv Tyler, drank a glass together.
Orlando Bloom turned to look at the grill, gave Matthew, who was standing in front of it, a thumbs up, and said loudly, "Matthew, you are a great chef!"
Matthew flipped the chicken wings on the grill and smiled back.
He grew up in the mountains, and finding things to grill and eat was a common occurrence, but the reason the grilled food tasted good was mainly due to the excellent preparation work done by the former chef of Red Penguin Company.
That chef had already prepared everything; all he had to do was grill it and then brush on the special sauce provided by the chef.
Grilling it to perfection was not difficult for him, as he used to grill food often.
The people in the courtyard were eating, drinking, and laughing again. Matthew looked over, focusing on Orlando Bloom and his female companion, Liv Tyler. He was somewhat curious about Liv Tyler, after all, when preparing for the "Almost Famous" audition, he had seen a lot of information provided by Angel Agency, and knew that she was the daughter of the famous groupie, Bebe Buell.
The impression this actress gave him was that her face was particularly long and her body was particularly strong, comparable to Elena Boyar. Orlando Bloom next to her was even more slender than her.
Matthew really couldn't understand why Peter Jackson chose her to play Arwen, after all, in Tolkien's descriptions, elves, regardless of gender, were very slender, like Legolas in "The Fellowship of the Ring."
While flipping the chicken wings, Michael Fassbender came over to get some fruit, Ben Foster took some raw vegetables, saying he liked to eat them raw... Then, Orlando Bloom also came over.
"Do you need help?" He handed Matthew a can of beer. Matthew opened it, took a sip, and said, "This is almost done. After the chicken wings and vegetables are grilled, everything will be finished."
Matthew put down the beer can, quickly flipped the chicken wings again, and casually asked, "is Liv Tyler your girlfriend?"
Orlando Bloom shook his head, "No, she's not." He lowered his voice slightly, "We're both clear-headed, it's just a casual date."
This kind of thing was common, and Matthew wasn't surprised. While brushing sauce on the chicken wings, he said, "Do you still have time to chase women?"
He placed some more vegetables on the grill.
"Why wouldn't I have time?" Orlando Bloom didn't understand the meaning of his words.
Matthew smiled and said, "You're incredibly popular right now, you must be getting bombarded with scripts, with a string of roles waiting for you to play."
"It's not as exaggerated as you say," Orlando Bloom said with a hint of showing off, "There are quite a few crews sending me invitations, but unfortunately, they are all male leads in small productions. There isn't a single one with an investment exceeding 100 million dollars."
In today's Hollywood, one hundred million dollars is definitely the dividing line between A-list projects and other projects.
Matthew instantly understood that Orlando Bloom was ambitious now and didn't even consider male leads in small productions.
However, Orlando Bloom certainly had the capital for this now; Legolas was simply too popular, so popular that even someone with a stable mindset like him couldn't help but feel envious.
"A hundred-million-dollar big project?" Matthew deliberately said, "Orlando, how many hundred-million-dollar big projects are there in Hollywood in a year?"
Orlando Bloom smiled, "Don't you want to prioritize taking on male leads in such big projects?"
Matthew looked at the chicken wings, quickly flipped them once, and then said, "Only a fool wouldn't want to!" Seeing that the time was right, he said, "My agent and I are trying to get the male lead in a super big production from Universal Pictures, with an investment of at least 150 million dollars.
But it's very difficult to get."
Orlando Bloom's ears perked up immediately when he heard 150 million dollars.
Matthew looked completely like someone complaining, "My agent has contacted Universal Pictures, and they believe my fame is too small, I don't have a fan base, and I don't have box office appeal. Using me would be too risky."
Stephen Sommers and this project at Universal Pictures were still in the planning stage and had not been publicly announced. Very few people knew about it. If he hadn't participated in Stephen Sommers' two "Mummy" related projects and left a very good impression on him, Helen Herman would not have been able to obtain the relevant information.
Moreover, in his judgment, since Stephen Sommers had repeatedly disclosed information to Helen Herman, it might not be without the intention of making him one of the male lead candidates.
While flipping the chicken wings, Matthew kept shaking his head, glancing at Orlando Bloom. If Orlando Bloom wasn't interested and knew he wanted to compete for the male lead in this project without getting involved, then there was nothing he could do.
Conversely... Actually, Matthew's strategy was very simple. "Van Helsing" and "Pirates of the Caribbean" had some time conflicts, and people's energy is limited. It's unlikely to get major roles in both at the same time.
Once these two projects are announced, they will inevitably be the focus of competition for many people in the industry. The resources in an agent's and actor's hands are limited. When facing fierce competition, should they disperse resources or focus on one of them?
Shrewd agents would likely choose the latter.
Just like Helen Herman, she really wanted Matthew to land the male leads in both projects, but she also knew she had to concentrate resources and try for one first before considering the other.
Matthew saw that the chicken wings were grilled, took a ceramic plate, and started plating them, then put the vegetables into another large tray.
"That... Matthew." Orlando Bloom thought for a moment, then asked with a smile, "Universal Pictures' 150 million dollar project? How come I haven't heard of it?"
"It's still confidential." Matthew seemed to genuinely treat Orlando Bloom as a friend, with no intention of keeping it a secret. "The only reason I know is because of Stephen Sommers."
He explained, "Stephen Sommers and Universal Pictures, due to the success of the 'Mummy' series, are planning to launch a larger-scale fantasy adventure series, an action film entirely centered around a very cool male protagonist."
He specifically emphasized "very cool male protagonist" and "action," which were currently Orlando Bloom's greatest strengths.
Matthew sighed, "They plan to invest a minimum of 150 million dollars! Too bad, I..."
He shook his head again.
Orlando Bloom took Matthew's words to heart. Looking at Hollywood as a whole, productions with a 150 million dollar investment were extremely rare, and such a male lead role was truly hard to come by.
He didn't doubt Matthew's words. This kind of thing hadn't spread yet, probably because no one was specifically paying attention. He could confirm it by having his agent make some inquiries through their connections when he got back.
Matthew handed Orlando Bloom the tray of chicken wings. After he took it, Matthew picked up another plate of grilled vegetables and walked towards the table. After a few steps, he seemed to remember something, turned back to Orlando Bloom, who had followed him, and said, "This project is still confidential at Universal Pictures. Don't tell anyone else, or I'll be in trouble."
Orlando Bloom immediately assured him, "Don't worry, I won't mention it to anyone!"
He certainly wouldn't say anything; only a fool would. If he did, the advantage of knowing first would be gone.
The two arrived at the round table. Matthew put down the vegetables, sat next to Michael Fassbender, and said, "Tonight, let's drink until we drop!"
He pointed to the pile of wine bottles near James McAvoy and said, "We have to finish all these bottles tonight, or no one leaves!"
"Alright!" Ben Foster grabbed one of the bottles and said, "This bottle's mine!"
"Come on! Come on! Come on!" James McAvoy shouted, "Let's toast together! Tonight, we must drink all of Matthew's wine and make him a pauper!"
Everyone cheered, eating and drinking, and the atmosphere was very lively.
The barbecue party continued until half past ten in the evening before gradually dispersing. Matthew saw off James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender, who were the last to leave, and then made a call to Lister. The cleaning staff from Red Penguin Company had been on standby nearby and quickly came over to finish up.
Matthew stood at the gate, looking in the direction where Orlando Bloom and Liv Tyler had left earlier, still unsure if Orlando Bloom was truly interested in what he had told him.
When trying to influence someone else's future choices, no one has a hundred percent guarantee, but doing something is always better than just waiting idly.
If he just waited, even if "The Scorpion King" was a box office success, he didn't believe his fame could surpass Orlando Bloom's. Legolas's boosting effect was simply too powerful.
And he couldn't even tell Helen Herman about this. How would he explain it if she asked? He couldn't just say his gut told him "Van Helsing" would flop, that would be ridiculous.
Standing at the doorway, Matthew pondered what to do next. He had no idea how Orlando Bloom got the role of the young blacksmith, but he hoped he liked Van Helsing, and that Stephen Sommers liked him too.
Perhaps he could also help him appropriately, for example, by introducing him to Stephen Sommers. If there was a suitable opportunity, he could also say a few good words for him in front of Stephen Sommers.
Who knows, Stephen Sommers might actually take a liking to him?
In less than half an hour, the Red Penguin Company cleaners had tidied the courtyard spotless and removed all the equipment, leaving the lawn empty again.
On the other side, Liv Tyler parked Orlando Bloom's car in front of a hotel. Orlando Bloom looked apologetic, "Sorry, Liv, I can't stay with you tonight. My agent needs me for something."