"Angelina Jolie is breaking up with Brad Pitt?" Matthew asked upon hearing the news from Helen Herman in the meeting room, though he wasn't particularly surprised. "It's just a matter of self-preservation."
Helen, holding a cup of coffee, nodded. "There's confirmation that Angelina Jolie has already moved out of Brad Pitt's place and returned to her Beverly Hills home."
Matthew understood Jolie's decision. "With over $180 million in debt, I'd say goodbye too."
Hollywood stars, shaped by the cutthroat nature of the industry, were highly pragmatic—Matthew included.
"I heard Brad Pitt wanted Jolie to help cover his financial hole," Helen shared the latest gossip. "But Angelina broke up with him instead."
Taking a sip of water, Matthew chuckled. "That's insane," he sighed. "Funny thing is, we were the reason those two got together in the first place."
Helen smiled. Back when they were fighting to cast Mr. & Mrs. Smith, she, Matthew, and Elena Boyar had orchestrated the infamous affair that led to Jennifer Aniston catching Brad Pitt cheating, which ultimately caused his divorce from Aniston and paved the way for his relationship with Jolie.
"Is this karma?" Helen joked. "They got together because of you, and now they're splitting up after taking one of your projects."
Matthew shrugged. "None of it has anything to do with me."
Setting her coffee down, Helen added, "At least Jolie never married Pitt. He's done for."
Matthew agreed. With debt that large, there was no way for Brad Pitt to just walk away from his responsibilities.
The news spread through Hollywood quickly, and Jolie's spokesperson soon held a press conference, officially announcing the split. Naturally, the reason for the breakup wasn't Brad Pitt's failed investments or his astronomical debt.
Instead, Jolie's camp claimed it was due to Pitt's long-term alcohol abuse and unstable emotions. For the sake of their children's well-being, as a responsible mother, she had chosen to leave him.
It was a common strategy among Hollywood stars—presenting themselves in the best possible light.
Since Pitt and Jolie had neither married nor gotten engaged, the breakup was relatively simple. Had they been married, dividing their assets would have caused a much larger scandal, perhaps even on the level of Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman's infamous divorce.
Maybe Jolie and Pitt had once come together for love, but very few Hollywood relationships could withstand the test of time.
Without a reliable prenuptial agreement, divorce for any major Hollywood star usually results in financial disaster.
Take Morgan Freeman, for example. Earlier this year, amidst the scandal of his "grandfather-granddaughter" relationship, he finalized his divorce. Whether his new relationship was real love or not, the divorce cost him over $100 million in alimony, practically bankrupting him.
In a way, Matthew respected Freeman—few had the guts to take such risks.
Maybe when he grew older, Matthew would also want a young, beautiful woman by his side. As a wealthy, famous man, it wouldn't be difficult to find women willing to invest in such a high-reward opportunity.
Of course, some women who sought quick returns might find themselves trapped instead.
Freeman continued to take acting roles and win awards despite his scandal, proving that even near financial ruin, his career was unaffected.
From Matthew's perspective, such a scandal would be a career-ending blow for anyone in the spotlight. But in North America and Hollywood, these things barely registered as an issue.
The differences between Hollywood and the other side of the Pacific were striking. Had this happened overseas, Morgan Freeman would have been done for.
In North America, though, it seemed both the public and media knew what to expect from Hollywood stars—a collection of scandalous, self-serving people.
Most Hollywood stars, like Matthew, didn't bother to hide their private lives.
Older actresses often pursued younger men, while younger actresses flocked to established male stars. These famous men not only juggled their careers but also managed complex relationships.
Many had played the dating game so much that they grew tired of it, leading to an increase in same-sex relationships or bisexuality.
Anyone looking for a chaste, traditional woman wouldn't find her in Hollywood, where relationships start as soon as two people feel a spark, and formal partnerships only last as long as the feelings do.
If someone were publicly dating multiple Hollywood actresses at the same time, their love life would be in constant flux.
Even Meryl Streep, known as a good woman, had been caught having an affair while married.
Maybe there were good women in Hollywood, but Matthew hadn't met any yet.
That said, Angelina Jolie had shown signs of slowing down in recent years—perhaps becoming the mother of so many children had indeed changed her.
Since Pitt and Jolie hadn't married, he wouldn't be able to claim alimony from her, even if he went bankrupt.
Alimony wasn't gender-specific.
A few years ago, when Madonna divorced British director Guy Ritchie, she had to pay him over $75 million in alimony, setting a record for the highest payment from a woman to a man.
While Jolie and Pitt were making headlines with their breakup, Matthew received good news: Clint Eastwood had read American Sniper and was, in principle, interested in directing the film adaptation.
Of course, this was only an initial agreement. There was still room for negotiation before anything became official.
Matthew tasked Bella Anderson with handling the contract negotiations for Eastwood as director.
Eastwood wasn't like Sofia Coppola or Patty Jenkins. He was a genuine A-list director, and Matthew was ready to shell out a significant salary to secure him.
At the same time, Matthew began assembling a team of writers to adapt the memoir into a screenplay.
However, he didn't have the time to focus on this himself. For now, both Helen Herman and Bella Anderson would oversee these tasks.
Matthew's priority at the moment was promoting Inception, which was set to release during the Independence Day holiday.
Alongside traditional marketing methods, Warner Bros. had employed viral marketing for the film.
The first phase had launched as soon as filming wrapped last year. Warner's marketing team had spread out clues to stoke public curiosity.
When Warner Bros. first launched the official Inception website, most visitors were baffled by the spinning top on display. What was this movie about? What did the top have to do with the plot? What did Inception even mean?
Rather than reveal too much too soon, Warner's marketers teased audiences with small hints, giving them just enough to understand the film but leaving them with more questions. This strategy fueled public curiosity and word of mouth.
Christopher Nolan had explained to Matthew early on that Inception's marketing needed to strike a balance. It was crucial to familiarize the audience with the film's concept without giving too much away, allowing for a fresh experience during the actual screening.
That was easier said than done. Many films spoiled their entire plot during marketing, causing viewers to lose interest before they even saw the movie.
To avoid this, Warner Bros.' marketing team focused on the film's core concepts, like "dream-sharing technology" and "thought crimes," using slogans such as "Your mind is the crime scene" and "The dream is real."
This approach helped audiences grasp the key concepts before watching the film, making the experience more enjoyable.
It's a basic rule of the movie market—films that confuse audiences don't succeed.
The key to viral marketing is to spark interest. Without that, even the best strategies are wasted.
As the release date approached, Inception's marketing team shifted focus. Along with Matthew and the main cast's promotional appearances, they moved from online campaigns to physical advertising, placing massive posters on landmark buildings in cities like New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago. These posters were designed to create optical illusions, making it seem as if scenes from the movie were happening in real life.
One poster showed a building's facade curling upward, revealing the floors inside. Another depicted a massive flood pouring out from a skyscraper's top-floor windows.
The posters were visually striking and perfectly aligned with the film's final marketing slogan: "The dream is real." As soon as they were posted online, they went viral, attracting attention and building even more buzz for the film.
Viral marketing is a tool, not a guarantee. If done well, it can have a massive impact, but the commercial success of a film doesn't depend solely on its marketing.
As Christopher Nolan had once told Matthew, viral marketing is fun, but if the movie itself doesn't deliver, no one will care about your tricks.
If the film doesn't resonate with audiences, viral marketing will backfire, spreading negative reviews at lightning speed online.
This sci-fi movie built on dreams was about to unveil its secrets, eagerly awaited by Matthew and Nolan's fans alike.
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