Even though the person standing across from him was Paul Walker, someone who had once been on the same team as him, Matthew Horner wouldn't share his thoughts about the "Fast & Furious" series. They hadn't seen each other in years, and casually mentioning business ideas would be extremely foolish.
So, he came up with an excuse.
However, seeing the female director across from him piqued Matthew's interest. After all, she was a female director, quite different from actresses and models.
"I'm going to say hello," Matthew said to Paul Walker with a wink, asking, "Did you change your phone number?"
Paul Walker replied, "Did you change yours? If not, I'll call you after the premiere."
"I didn't change it." Matthew glanced again at the female director, confirming her name.
There weren't many famous female directors in Hollywood. Even though he hadn't interacted with her before, he had seen her pictures and name many times in magazines and media over the years.
In the Hollywood director community, she was definitely considered one of the more attractive ones.
"I won't keep you then." Paul Walker quickly excused himself.
Without hesitation, Matthew took the opportunity when no one was around the female director and approached her directly.
"Hello..." He confidently stood before the female director and said, "You must be Sophia Coppola, the director?"
Sophia Coppola had noticed Matthew as he approached. She nodded lightly, "Hello."
Matthew introduced himself, "I'm Matthew Horner, just a small actor."
"I know who you are." Sophia Coppola's voice had a subtle nasal tone, "You're a big star, not a small actor."
She tilted her head to look at Matthew. The man in front of her was tall and striking, with an outwardly rugged and wild appearance, yet with a mature and steady aura underneath. He seemed even more attractive in person than on screen.
Of course, good looks aside, Sophia Coppola was already thirty and quite mature in her outlook. She didn't give Matthew any more time to speak, immediately asking, "Is there something you need?"
Her words clearly implied: if not, please move on.
Matthew didn't expect Sophia Coppola to shut down the conversation so quickly.
He thought fast and said, "I do have a little something." He looked around, then lowered his voice and improvised, "I want to get into directing. Ms. Coppola, you're a successful example in this field, and I'd like to learn from your experience."
"Oh?" Sophia Coppola's nasal tone persisted, whether out of habit or natural inclination, "You want to be a director too?"
Matthew nodded seriously, continuing his charade, "An actor who doesn't want to be a director isn't a good actor."
Sophia Coppola looked at Matthew and said, "When your acting career becomes something everyone criticizes, you'll find it's the best time for a transition."
Hearing this, Matthew wasn't sure if Sophia Coppola was joking, but he played along, "I understand."
Sophia Coppola was just being dismissive, but she became a bit curious and asked, "What do you understand?"
Matthew thought of the Coppola name and intentionally said, "Your mindset when you transitioned to directing."
"Hmm?" Sophia Coppola responded with a vague nasal sound.
In this brief interaction, Matthew could tell that Sophia Coppola wasn't one of those immature twenty-something actresses, so he adjusted his approach.
He said softly, "Being a Coppola, excellence is expected, but any slight flaw is magnified."
Sophia Coppola was taken aback by Matthew's words. He had touched on a nerve. People often saw the advantages her last name brought her but rarely understood the pressure and burden that came with it.
As a Coppola, Sophia was destined to "ride on her father's coattails," but she found the expectation to live up to her family's legacy exhausting.
Sophia Coppola shook her head and smiled, whispering, "At that time, I just wanted to be a good girl. Because my father wanted me to act, I did it..."
She stopped abruptly, realizing that the person in front of her wasn't a friend and clammed up.
In that brief sentence, Matthew had found a way to connect with Sophia Coppola. His mind raced as he spoke, "I can imagine your situation. People wouldn't like you just because you're a Coppola. In their eyes, you're just a spoiled rich girl. So, if you don't want to be seen as a joke, you have to prove yourself in your own way."
He continued quickly, "And you did. You became the first female director in the history of the USA to be nominated for Best Director."
Sophia Coppola pursed her lips. This was something she was immensely proud of.
Matthew had been observing Sophia Coppola closely, gradually understanding her mindset. He added at the right moment, "You didn't tarnish the Coppola name; you made it even more prestigious."
Sophia Coppola laughed softly, the nasal tone still present in her laughter.
She re-evaluated Matthew, finding him more interesting than she initially thought, "I'm not sure now if this is really our first meeting."
"It's our first face-to-face conversation." Matthew smiled, seeing the impact of his words, "But I've been studying you for a while."
"Studying me?" Sophia Coppola frowned.
Matthew quickly explained, "I want to pursue directing. You're a successful role model and someone I admire."
Hearing this from a big star, even someone as mature as Sophia Coppola found it pleasing. She modestly said, "Actually, I had no choice but to become a director because my acting career failed, and I was unsuccessful in other areas. So, I tried directing, and to my surprise, my first film, shot in just twenty-seven days, succeeded."
Despite her modest words, Matthew could hear the hidden pride in Sophia Coppola's nasal voice.
As they continued talking, they grew more familiar with each other. Sophia Coppola's nasal laughter became more frequent.
Not far from them, a middle-aged African American man with glasses, about fifty years old, entered the VIP area. After greeting Clint Eastwood near the entrance, he spotted Matthew and Sophia Coppola laughing together.
Matthew Horner was already known to him. His friend, Francis Lawrence, had lost the directing job for "I Am Legend" because of Matthew's behind-the-scenes maneuvering. Matthew was also a well-known playboy in Hollywood, his reputation rivaling even Leonardo DiCaprio's.
Sophia Coppola, his ex-wife, was now laughing with a playboy.
Even though they had been divorced for two years, Spike Lee hadn't given up. Sophia Coppola had initiated the divorce; he had never wanted to leave her, especially not the Coppola family.
Sophia Coppola had caught him cheating multiple times and successfully sued for divorce.
Spike Lee had come to the premiere knowing Sophia Coppola would be here. For the past six months, he had been keeping tabs on her, following her moves, hoping to win her back.
Earlier this year, his film "Inside Man" was released to critical acclaim and widespread praise from the media and critics. It had a strong chance of doing well during the awards season. With the Coppola family's support, he might even win the Oscar for Best Director.
Therefore, winning back Sophia Coppola was crucial.
His plan was to regain Sophia Coppola's trust before the awards season, and maintain it until the Oscar ceremony next year.
After the Oscars, if everything went well, Sophia Coppola would no longer matter to him.
Spike Lee saw the two talking and frowned, striding over.
Back in the day, he had used sweet talk and deceit to lead the inexperienced and romantically inclined Sophia Coppola into marriage, leveraging the Coppola family's influence to fast-track his career.
He had landed several directing gigs thanks to the Coppola family's influence.
But now, Sophia Coppola was no longer the naive girl she once was. She was a mature woman who could easily be charmed by a young, attractive man.
He also knew that Sophia Coppola hadn't been lonely these past two years.
Looking at the older, established actresses in the industry, many of them had younger, good-looking men as lovers.
Spike Lee remembered clearly that Sophia Coppola and Matthew Horner didn't know each other previously, given Matthew Horner's typical behavior...
"Hi, Sophia." Spike Lee called out before he even reached them, "I've been looking for you. So here you are."
Hearing the raspy voice from his right, Matthew turned and saw a familiar African American face. If he remembered correctly, this should be Spike Lee, a prominent African American director.
He seemed to recall that Spike Lee had a film released earlier this year that was well-received.
"Hello, Matthew Horner."
The middle-aged African American man greeted him proactively. Matthew responded politely with a nod, "Hello."
Spike Lee walked over to stand beside Sophia Coppola and said, "I'm Spike Lee, Sophia's husband."
Matthew was slightly taken aback. Was Sophia Coppola married?
Sophia Coppola stepped away, creating some distance from Spike Lee, and said coldly, "Ex-husband, and we're not on good terms."
She seemed disinterested in Spike Lee and told Matthew, "I'm heading into the theater now. It was nice chatting with you. Let's have tea sometime. Goodbye."
Without waiting for a response from Matthew, she turned and walked towards the entrance.
Seeing Sophia Coppola leave, Matthew had no intention of lingering with Spike Lee and also prepared to head into the theater.
"Mr. Horner," Spike Lee suddenly called out, "May I have a word with you?"
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