The Most Famous Actor in Hollywood

To expand his fame and influence, the best way was to increase exposure. With the filming of the next two sequels of "Pirates of the Caribbean" upcoming, Helen Herman had secured an opportunity for Matthew to be interviewed by "The Hollywood Reporter."

The interview was scheduled just before the filming of "Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man's Chest" to align with Disney's preliminary promotions.

In the days following, Matthew primarily focused on studying the script and his character, practicing advanced fencing and combat skills, and keeping tabs on some recent events related to him.

He specifically asked Bella Anderson to monitor any media activity by Naomi Harris. Over the past few days, there had been no news leaks from Naomi Harris, which probably meant that while she wasn't the brightest, she wasn't foolish enough to misjudge the situation.

Meanwhile, at the "Pirates of the Caribbean" production team, Eva Green had successfully passed the audition for the role of the witch. After a rare consensus between director Gore Verbinski and producer Jerry Bruckheimer, who had previously clashed, they both agreed that Eva Green's appearance and aura perfectly fit the character of the witch.

Eva Green also took the number from Helen Herman and called Matthew, offering to treat him to a French meal as a token of her gratitude.

Naturally, Matthew wouldn't refuse, but he was currently too busy. His schedule was packed up until the filming started, including the interview with "The Hollywood Reporter."

Since it was a print media interview, no video recording was necessary, so the interview was set in Matthew's office.

Print interviews are relatively straightforward. On the day of the interview, only a female reporter and a photographer arrived.

Before the interview started, Matthew sat behind his desk, using the promotional poster of "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" as a backdrop while the photographer took some routine shots.

Then, the one-on-one interview began.

"Hello, Matthew." The reporter shook hands with him and introduced herself, "I am Sophia Alteta from 'The Hollywood Reporter', and I'll be conducting this interview today."

Matthew gestured for her to sit, "Please, have a seat." As the reporter sat down across the desk, he half-jokingly said, "Try not to ask too tricky questions, okay? I get headaches when I can't answer."

In reality, Helen Herman and a press officer from the production team were sitting at Bella Anderson's desk nearby, and there had been plenty of pre-interview communications.

The reporter smiled, placed a recording pen on the table, and took out a pen and notebook, "Shall we start?"

"Anytime," Matthew responded with a smile.

"The filming of 'Pirates of the Caribbean' is about to start," Sophia began with her first question. "Have you been looking forward to this for a long time?"

Matthew nodded emphatically, "I've been looking forward to it for a long time. Not just me, but Johnny Depp and Keira Knightley too. We are all eager to embark on another Caribbean adventure."

Although there had been prior discussions, Sophia, as an experienced reporter, knew to adapt on the fly. She immediately followed up on Matthew's response, "Could you comment on your two co-stars?"

"Johnny Depp is an incredibly dedicated and outstanding actor. 'Pirates of the Caribbean' made him fall in love with the pirate life," Matthew spoke highly of his colleagues and friends, "Johnny loves playing Captain Jack Sparrow. He himself is like the captain, a complex character—mysterious, and you can never guess what's going on in his mind. Yet, he is a man of integrity, always ready to step up when things get tough. He's told me he hopes he is the captain."

After speaking about Johnny Depp, he mentioned Keira Knightley, "Keira and I had a relationship because of some reasons, and we eventually returned to being good friends. Keira is at the peak of her acting career. She has a mysterious power that always helps both me and Johnny."

Sophia timely asked, "Can you talk about the director, Gore Verbinski?"

Matthew had anticipated this question, "Gore Verbinski is a genius. His works range from whimsical rom-coms like 'The Mexican' and suspenseful horrors like 'The Ring'. He has a perfect blend of humor and suspense, and his control over details and overall pacing is exceptional."

After a brief pause, he praised again, "'Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl' distinctly proved Gore's capabilities, so Disney was very confident in handing over the sequels to him."

"Can you talk about the sequels?" the reporter persisted.

"I can give you a bit of a secret," Matthew said mysteriously, "The next two sequels of 'Pirates of the Caribbean' are very clever and entertaining movies. The scripts are fantastic, and I have complete confidence

 in these films."

Sophia felt an urge to flip him off for his evasive answers, but professionalism prevailed, "'The Curse of the Black Pearl' was a huge success. Did you expect that?"

After a moment's thought, Matthew responded, "Many didn't expect it to succeed. They thought we were making a Disney children's movie, and pirate films had been absent for a long time. Every attempt to revive them was met with harsh criticism. But 'The Curse of the Black Pearl' stunned everyone—from the exquisite direction and scriptwriting to the actors' superb performances, everything was executed to perfection, leading to global success."

The interview paused momentarily as Sophia busied herself with her notes. Matthew took a sip of water provided by Bella Anderson, waiting for the interview to resume.

About three minutes later, the reporter continued, "Shall we start again?" She added, "Matthew, the next questions will focus on you personally."

"No problem," Matthew nodded gently, "I'm ready."

Taking advantage of the time, Sophia asked, "Now that you've achieved success, if you could look back, what advice would you give to your younger self?"

This question was tricky and wasn't pre-discussed, but luckily, this wasn't a live broadcast interview. Matthew had plenty of time to think, and if he couldn't find an appropriate answer, Helen Herman was ready with a whiteboard on the other side to cue him.

However, Matthew didn't look that way; he had his answer, "Learn more, try to get into a good university. Having a solid foundation of knowledge gives you the confidence to pursue acting in Hollywood or any other profession without constantly worrying."

Across from him, Helen Herman stopped sliding her pen across the whiteboard and quickly wiped it clean. Matthew's response, if not a ninety, was at least a passing grade.

Actually, this response fit Matthew's persona well—a star who climbed up from the bottom with little cultural education and a huge thirst for knowledge.

Helen Herman put down her pen, realizing that Matthew probably didn't need her prompts anymore.

Over the past two years, she had clearly seen that Matthew was not like Johnny Depp or Mel Gibson. He was quite sober in his actions, and even his occasional blunders were minor and inconsequential. In facing the media and in his core acting work, he had shown significant improvement through the years.

"You are friends with Johnny Depp, who has organized bands and loves to sing," Sophia's questions continued. "Has he invited you to join his band?"

"No," Matthew shook his head.

"Why not? Haven't you thought about releasing an album or something?"

"Because I sing terribly," Matthew admitted candidly. "Do you know what's the worst thing about singing?"

He didn't wait for her to answer, "You think you sound great and get completely absorbed, but you're actually off-key."

Then, he answered the follow-up question, "Even if I were decent at singing, I wouldn't release an album. I'm an actor, and I want to be the best actor. A person's energy is limited; you can't be the best at both acting and singing at the same time. People like Barbra Streisand who have succeeded in both didn't do it simultaneously; she focused entirely on one at each stage."

He left unsaid the time he sang at a cheap karaoke bar with some coworkers; after that, they never invited him again. Someone had described it—others get paid to sing; he'd be charged with a crime.

The reporter's next question came, "Is it hard being a public figure?"

Matthew made a few meaningless gestures, "It requires an adjustment process. Of course, I can't always be at the center of attention, which I'm actually thankful for. If I had the exposure of someone like Tom Cruise, I would find it very difficult to adjust. I feel lucky not to be as famous as him; my success is still within a manageable scope."

Hearing this, the reporter slyly asked, "Have you ever lied?"

"Of course, everyone lies," Matthew responded quickly, "But I definitely won't go into details with you."

After touching on this sensitive topic, the reporter pulled back, and the questions started to become more routine until the last one.

She asked another question that hadn't been discussed beforehand, "Matthew, what are you most proud of?"

Matthew wanted to say he had made millions and slept with numerous female stars, but such answers could only be kept to himself. So, he gave a very stylish response.

"I've always strived to become a better, more outstanding, and more successful person."

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