"He lacks the proper respect for the Academy and the Oscars," remarked an elderly man with gray hair and glasses, looking toward where Matthew Horner sat. He addressed Tom Sherak, "You shouldn't have approached him."
Tom Sherak shook his head. "Bill, do you know the size of the funding gap for the museum project?"
He walked ahead toward the theater lobby, and when the gray-haired man caught up, Sherak continued, "Who in Hollywood doesn't know that Matthew Horner has no interest in the Oscars? Do you think I don't know that?"
The gray-haired man didn't respond.
Tom Sherak sighed. "Matthew Horner is truly wealthy. He's the richest person in Hollywood. If we're talking about financial power, he's even wealthier than Spielberg and George Lucas."
Bill had to agree; Matthew Horner was known for his wealth. No one else in the industry could rival his ability to generate income.
Matthew Horner was regarded as Hollywood's money-making machine.
Some even speculated he might already be the wealthiest person in Hollywood.
"Would he be willing to donate?" Bill asked.
"No, he wouldn't." Tom Sherak shook his head again. "He's too shrewd and cautious, entirely unmoved."
He waved it off. "Forget it; we'll have to seek other channels."
The people in the lounge gradually entered the theater. Matthew found his seat, waiting alone for the awards ceremony to start.
A few people around him came over to greet him, and he responded politely to each one.
Unexpectedly, he noticed an old acquaintance taking the seat to his left.
Angelina Jolie walked over alone, glanced at the card on the seat, then looked at Matthew before sitting down. The two sat side by side, making it impossible to ignore each other.
Matthew greeted her first. "Good evening, Jolie."
Angelina Jolie nodded at him. "Good evening, Matthew."
At that moment, she felt conflicted. No one knew better than she did how far this superstar had once fallen.
However, once someone rises to fame, especially someone like Matthew Horner, their past hardships become legendary stories of resilience and determination.
Resilience? Sure, there was some, but there was also a lot of ruthlessness.
After her split with Brad Pitt, she looked back over the last decade, noticing several unexplained events. Strangely, things made more sense when she factored in Matthew Horner.
Her divorce from Johnny Lee Miller went smoothly. He had demanded a supposed tape from her, then faded from Hollywood…
She even suspected the entanglements among herself, Jennifer Aniston, and Brad Pitt might also somehow involve him.
Unfortunately, there was no proof of any of this.
Matthew noticed Angelina Jolie's tense expression and sighed. Strictly speaking, Jolie had been helpful during his entry into Hollywood, especially in the early stages.
He would never have gotten his first role in "Girl, Interrupted" without her, and without that role, Helen Herman would probably never have signed him.
And the acting classes he'd relied on early in his career? Those had been her recommendation as well.
Though their cooperation had largely been transactional, the help was real.
In that sense, he was a classic case of someone who forgets favors received.
It wasn't that he regretted it; if given another chance, he'd do it all over again without hesitation.
He just felt a little nostalgic.
For a moment, he understood those old Academy members. As people age, they grow nostalgic for past experiences and struggles. The old folks in Hollywood long for the so-called Golden Age, and as he grows older, he too begins to reminisce about his youth.
It's like the Pacific, where he'd watch Michael Bay's "Transformers" movies despite knowing they were subpar. He'd watch them repeatedly for the nostalgia of his childhood's Optimus Prime and Megatron.
Just like Disney's reboot of Star Wars banks on the audience's nostalgia.
"Jolie, what have you been up to lately?" Matthew asked, "You look a lot thinner than when we first met."
Now, Angelina Jolie was so thin she appeared skeletal.
Jolie, slightly surprised, looked at him before replying flatly, "What else? Work, filming, charity…" Her tone softened. "And taking care of the kids."
Matthew nodded, responding calmly, "I suddenly realized I owe you a thank-you."
"You don't owe me a thank-you," Jolie retorted bluntly. "You owe me an apology."
Matthew chuckled, ignoring her response, "Jolie, thank you for the help you gave me."
She looked at him and, realizing he wasn't joking, nodded slowly after a while. "You're welcome." She exhaled and added, "Meeting you… I still don't know if it was good luck or bad."
Matthew was unfazed and asked, "What do you mean by that?"
"You helped me get rid of Johnny Lee Miller," Jolie replied directly. "And you humiliated that bitch Winona Ryder, but…"
She looked at him, her voice soft. "But my children lost their father."
Matthew, of course, wouldn't admit to such an accusation. "Pitt took those projects from me," he replied, emphasizing the word "took."
Jolie shook her head. "Forget it; I don't want to argue. I have no evidence, but since I helped you, at least stay away from Brad Pitt. He's already stuck with low-budget, subpar films, working off his debts."
She continued, "No matter what, he's still the father of my three children."
How could she tell her kids that if they asked where their dad went, he was off somewhere in the San Fernando Valley?
Though she was completely separated from Pitt, she occasionally checked in on him for the children's sake. Recently, she'd heard people from the San Fernando Valley had approached him, offering to settle his debts in exchange for him filming a low-grade romantic action movie there.
If that happened, how would her kids look up to him?
She strongly suspected that Matthew was somehow involved.
Matthew shook his head slowly. "Jolie, Pitt's situation has nothing to do with me."
Any plot against Brad Pitt was connected to Disney, and he'd never admit it. Since Pitt's complete bankruptcy, he hadn't even paid attention to the former Hollywood star.
Jolie said, "On behalf of the children, thank you."
Matthew extended his right hand, responding indirectly. "Jolie, we've been friends for a long time."
After a moment's silence, Jolie hesitated but eventually reached out and shook his hand. "Thank you."
Matthew withdrew his hand without saying more. Despite everything, they'd never be friends, but they didn't have to be enemies either.
Could this be considered "a smile to bury the hatchet"?
Matthew's attention shifted to his right, where a young blonde girl had just taken her seat.
"Hello," Matthew greeted her.
The girl had already noticed him, turned, and responded with a smile, "Hello, Matthew." She introduced herself, "I'm—"
Matthew cut her off. "Don't tell me; let me guess."
The girl, intrigued, wondered if he actually recognized her, but she waited eagerly to hear her name.
Matthew gave her an appraising look, nodded confidently, and said, "You're Miss Olsen."
The girl's face instantly lit up with surprise.
"I've met Mary-Kate and Ashley," he said, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "So, you must be their younger sister. You're Elizabeth!"
The girl covered her mouth, clearly thrilled.
"Hello, Miss Elizabeth Olsen," Matthew said formally. "It's a pleasure to meet you."
Elizabeth Olsen hurriedly replied, "No, no… Matthew, the pleasure is mine." She patted her chest, calming her slightly quickened breath. "Call me Lizzie; that's what my friends call me."
The two struck up an easy conversation, only stopping once the awards ceremony began.
This year's host was Billy Crystal. Last year's experiment with co-hosts had been a flop, so the Academy had brought him back.
Last year, James Franco and Anne Hathaway had co-hosted and performed so poorly it was now considered a cautionary tale.
Rumor had it that Franco had taken drugs before the show and hadn't followed the script, leaving Anne Hathaway scrambling to keep up. He even publicly called her "big mouth" and said she was as slow as a rock.
Since then, the nickname spread quickly in Hollywood, and Hathaway and Franco had become bitter enemies.
This time, there were no surprises. Everything proceeded smoothly, and even the final winners were predictable.
Harvey Weinstein's production, The Artist, took home Best Director, Best Picture, and Best Actor, making it the night's biggest winner.
_________________________
[Check out my Patreon for +200 additional chapters in all my fanfics! $5 for all!!]
[w w w . p a t r e o n .com / INNIT]
[+50 PowerStones = +1 Chapter] [+5 Reviews = +1 Chapter]