Inside the office, the atmosphere was tense. Matthew frowned, looking at Naomie Harris. Were his words not clear enough? Did he really need to call the building security to drag away this clueless Black actress? He truly didn't want to do that unless absolutely necessary. He was a celebrity actor who had climbed up from the bottom, and a very lucky one at that, so he knew how difficult the climb was.
There were many actors in the industry similar to Naomie Harris, who had slept their way up during their climb.
Perhaps thinking of his own struggles at the bottom, Matthew didn't speak again, just watching Naomie Harris, waiting for the actress to leave quickly.
However, Naomie Harris stood still.
In just a few seconds, her not-so-bright mind came up with an idea. Since the weapon that had worked a hundred times before was ineffective, she thought of another.
A powerful tool unique to Black actors, which all of Hollywood was currently catering to.
Naomie Harris quickly straightened her clothes and dropped her smile, making her dark face look more serious.
"Ahem... ahem..." She cleared her throat first, then said seriously, "Matthew, Eva Green is a White actress, and I am a Black actress. is that why you rejected me?"
Matthew couldn't possibly fall into such a simple linguistic trap, so he immediately replied, "Of course not."
"Not?" Naomie Harris demanded sternly. "Then why did you just call me the N-word? You are clearly racist!"
Matthew looked at the Black actress, suddenly unsure what to say. Just because he refused to sleep with her, was that now considered discrimination?
Naomie Harris had no intention of stopping and continued, "After I leave, I will contact my talent agency and media reporters and make public everything about you calling me the N-word."
Matthew sighed, "Miss Harris, this kind of lie and trick is boring. You have no proof, and no one will believe you."
The thought process of a considerable number of Black actors in Hollywood differs significantly from normal people: if the Crew hires them, it's a given; if the Crew doesn't hire them, it's definitely discrimination against Black people.
Naomie Harris had just transferred from the United Kingdom to Hollywood and was clearly influenced by this mindset. She said, "I don't have proof, but I am a Black actress. As long as I say this to the media, you will be plagued by negative scandals of racial discrimination. Given the current climate in Hollywood..."
She let out a cold snort. "You won't have an easy time of it!"
Matthew nodded. "I understand." He paused for two seconds and asked, "What do you want me to do?"
Naomie Harris said directly, "Help me get the role of the Witch." She seemed very generous. "Don't worry, what I offered earlier still stands. My skills are top-notch."
After speaking, she even winked at Matthew.
Seeing the flirtatious look Naomie Harris gave him, Matthew suddenly felt the urge to vomit. If murder weren't illegal, he would have felt the impulse to rush up, crack open this actress's skull, and see what bizarre structure lay inside.
However, thinking about the Black political correctness that had been escalating around Hollywood over the past two years, he felt resigned.
They say the squeaky wheel gets the grease, but why do they get the grease? To put it bluntly, they've been spoiled rotten.
One day, those who constantly clamor for Black political correctness will suffer the consequences of their own actions.
Perhaps one day, a role that should have belonged to them will be stolen by a Black actor due to so-called political correctness; perhaps one year at the Oscar ceremony, the golden statue that normally would have been theirs will be snatched by a Black film that is far inferior in critical reception, quality, and popularity, but is highly politically correct.
For some reason, Matthew suddenly thought of the trailer he had once seen for *Star Wars: The Force Awakens*, specifically the Black lead actor in it.
It was truly speechless, causing him, who wasn't overly interested in Star Wars to begin with, to completely lose the desire to watch it.
Looking at Naomie Harris's dark face opposite him, Matthew was truly too lazy to continue arguing with her. He pointed to a framed poster on the wall behind him and, mimicking Helen Herman's tone, said lightly, "Miss Harris, do you see that decorative cylindrical object on the frame?"
Hearing this, Naomie Harris glanced over. When she saw the cylindrical object painted with pirates of the caribbean characters on the frame, she estimated its size and her heart skipped a beat. Did this Matthew Horner have some sort of kinky fetish, wanting to use that thing...? But thinking of her extensive experience, she gritted her teeth and said, "Whatever game you want to play, I'll see it through with you!"
Matthew was truly speechless this time. The thought process of this Black actress was completely on a different plane than that of a normal person.
He realized that when talking to someone like this, he couldn't beat around the bush at all, or they definitely wouldn't understand.
"Miss Harris, you misunderstood." Matthew pointed over there again and said very directly, "That is a surveillance camera I use to deter thieves. It operates twenty-four hours a day and has real-time recording capabilities. All of our conversation just now was captured."
Even if Naomie Harris's mind was simple, she understood the meaning of his words. Her face... was still dark, and she raised a finger, pointing at Matthew, saying, "Are you crazy? Installing something like that in an office!"
Matthew was completely speechless. He picked up the phone, ready to dial the building security number, only to see Naomie Harris turn around and rush out of the office, slamming the door shut behind her with a loud bang.
Putting down the phone, Matthew couldn't help but shake his head. He had asked Bella Anderson to install the camera with no ulterior motive whatsoever. Since he worked with the Crew year-round and Bella Anderson, as his temporary assistant, often followed him, the office was frequently empty. If anything happened, the surveillance would help with the investigation.
This Black actress must have given up.
Thinking this, Matthew simply walked over to another computer connected to the surveillance system, found the footage that had just been recorded, and permanently saved it.
Following a normal person's logic, the other party would definitely keep silent upon returning, but some people cannot be measured by normal standards.
Doing this was just a precaution.
If that Black actress went out and spouted nonsense, he would have the evidence, wouldn't he?
After staying in the office for a while longer, Matthew saw that Bella Anderson still hadn't returned, so he simply left and drove to Nebula's fitness club to continue his workout and training.
Over the past few months, Matthew had consistently adhered to his fitness plan, unless he was too busy with work. In contrast, the time he spent reading, looking at newspapers, and practicing writing had relatively decreased.
After years of effort, normal reading and writing were no longer problems for him. He could generally understand a standard script after reading it twice, and as for those obscure and difficult scripts, he wouldn't even consider them.
Furthermore, his acting practice was essentially stagnant. First, his current acting level was sufficient for commercial entertainment films. Second, having reached this stage, simply mimicking performances in front of a mirror or video could no longer lead to improvement.
He needed to hone his skills more through actual filming.
Frankly speaking, he was much busier than before and had much less free time. He currently had two commercial endorsements, and his film shooting schedule was booked out for more than two years. He also had to assist Helen Herman and Bella Anderson in integrating fan organizations scattered across America. Helen Herman and Angel Talent Agency were setting up a Charitable Foundation for him... Once reaching the status of a top-tier star, having one or even several Charitable Foundations was extremely necessary. It allowed for legal tax avoidance, boosted his reputation through charity, and even allowed him to list some of his personal expenses under the foundation's name.
The benefits were numerous, and Matthew only understood the surface level, as it was still in the planning stages.
Even so, he knew why so many wealthy people and celebrities were willing to establish Charitable Foundations. It was undeniable that Charitable Foundations genuinely helped many people, but the benefits for the founders were also self-evident.
As for the "naked donations" (giving away all wealth) by American tycoons that he had seen on the internet, such things should be taken with a grain of salt.
Perhaps one day, he would also donate all his assets to his own Charitable Foundation. Not only would he avoid taxes, but his living expenses wouldn't be affected either.
Matthew had seriously considered this point. He could then fool a few patsies worldwide into donating to his Charitable Foundation. Given the operation and regulation of Charitable Foundations in America, he wouldn't need to exert much effort to achieve the great goal of enjoying life using other people's money.
Of course, he didn't understand the laws and regulations of America, so he was just thinking about it out of boredom.
However, the establishment of the Charitable Foundation was genuinely moving forward.
Previously, Helen Herman had listed three ways for him to boost his image. Because becoming a superstar was extremely difficult, relying solely on films might take more than ten years. To continue climbing after becoming an A-list star, there were other ways to boost one's image besides the films themselves.
These three methods were: being an environmental activist and cooperating with Environmental Organizations; being an animal welfare advocate; and establishing a Charitable Foundation and serving as a United Nations Goodwill Ambassador.
The first point was automatically voided when Matthew became the spokesperson for the Mercedes-Benz G-Class SUV. He couldn't very well drive a large-displacement SUV with a V8 Engine while constantly preaching environmental protection, could he? That would be too ridiculous.
The second point was vetoed by Matthew himself; not eating meat would kill him.
Therefore, he and Helen Herman both chose the last option.
Currently, Helen Herman was still advancing the plan; becoming a United Nations Goodwill Ambassador wasn't easy either.
What Matthew needed most was still to continue increasing his fame and influence.