The Most Famous Actor in Hollywood

In the reception room of Angel Brokerage, Helen Herman welcomed a visitor, Mike Stan, representing Disney Studios. Sitting on a spacious armchair, Mike looked at Helen with earnestness, "Due to some internal issues at Disney, the sequel to 'National Treasure' had been delayed. Now that Disney Studios is back on track, we plan to move forward with the second part of 'National Treasure.'"

"That's great news," Helen knew Mike had been the production manager on the 'National Treasure' project, so his involvement was not surprising. "Matthew and I have been looking forward to this project."

Mike smiled, "The box office success of 'National Treasure' owes a lot to Matthew's personal appeal. We intend to invite the original team back for the sequel."

Helen nodded slightly, "Matthew is very satisfied with his collaboration with Disney Studios and looks forward to continuing."

However, she quickly followed up, "Is director Jon Turteltaub also returning?"

"Yes," Mike wasn't lying, "We have already been in touch with Jon Turteltaub."

After a brief pause, Helen said, "Matthew is also keen to continue with the series. He is very interested in this type of intellectual adventure film."

Mike seemed relieved by this smooth initial contact.

Disney Studios sent him because he had been the production manager on 'National Treasure' and was familiar with Matthew and Helen. His position wasn't high enough to make final decisions, so even if Helen put forward excessive demands, there was still room for negotiation.

Additionally, his task was to probe the bottom line of Matthew Horner and his agency.

Matthew Horner was no longer the same as before.

Disney was well aware of this and wanted to understand Matthew's pricing. Ideally, they would reach an agreement directly with Angel Brokerage.

After some more conversation, Mike cautiously asked, "Helen, does Matthew have any special requirements regarding his compensation?"

"No special requirements," Helen's tone was casual, "Just the usual conditions as with the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' crew."

Mike nodded, as these were not issues.

However, Helen added, "As for the salary, we would ask for a reasonable increase."

"That's possible," Mike assumed 'reasonable' meant something modest. "The company has planned for this."

He then asked, "Helen, could you tell me what salary Matthew is asking for?"

"Twenty million dollars!" Helen stated calmly.

Mike almost stood up in shock, his eyes widening, "Twenty... million dollars?"

This was far from reasonable—it was a lion's demand!

Helen continued without pausing, "Twenty million dollars is the base salary, plus ten percent of the global box office revenue!"

While not the top-tier demand of twenty million plus twenty percent, twenty million plus ten percent of box office revenue was still rare and high compensation in Hollywood.

Mike certainly couldn't agree, and even if he did, Disney would not accept it.

"That's impossible," Mike stated clearly, knowing Disney's limits, "The salary you're asking for is too excessive!"

Helen didn't relent, "This is the sequel's salary."

Mike argued, "Even for a sequel, the salary you're asking for is too high."

"Not at all," Helen said slowly, "Starting from 'The Scorpion King', 'Pirates of the Caribbean', 'Dawn of the Dead', 'National Treasure', 'Mr. & Mrs. Smith'..."

She emphasized, "Matthew has had five consecutive blockbuster hits, even the lowest-grossing, 'Dawn of the Dead', reached two hundred million dollars globally!"

Mike knew these were facts.

Helen continued, "Please tell me, looking at the active stars in Hollywood, who has achieved such results? Who has shown such market appeal?"

Mike thought but couldn't find a name to counter Helen's argument.

"Twenty million dollars!" Helen's voice grew firm, "Plus ten percent of the global box office revenue, that's our bottom line."

Mike's smile faded, "Miss Herman, only a few stars today can command such a fee."

Helen calmly replied, "For 'National Treasure', Matthew is one of those limited stars! Don't forget the market research data released by several organizations, one-third of North American viewers chose to watch 'National Treasure' because of Matthew."

The main actor in a sequel naturally has an advantage in negotiations, and Mike was aware of this. However, the conditions Helen set were too much.

As part of the production team, his role was to lower the price, "Miss Herman, I can't feel the sincerity you're talking about."

Helen knew Mike didn't have the final say and didn't bother with a lengthy discussion, "Well, Mike, you can take my conditions back to Disney Studios."

After considering, Mike nodded slightly, "I will report your demands to the company accurately." He stood up, adding pointedly, "Miss Herman, I hope we still have a chance to talk further."

Helen smiled

 faintly but didn't respond, simply shaking hands with him as he left.

Watching Mike leave, Helen sat back down, reflecting on the current situation. It was a stark contrast to when Matthew had first fought for the lead role in 'National Treasure'. Matthew might not need the sequel, but the sequel certainly needed Matthew. If 'National Treasure' was to continue with Ben Gates, it wasn't about camaraderie or a pleasant collaboration—it was all about the hefty salary.

Moreover, Helen saw the sequel as not particularly meaningful for Matthew beyond the substantial salary. With two more 'Pirates of the Caribbean' films and other significant projects like '300' and the one with Aziva Gosman lined up, Matthew was not short on substantial roles.

Since the primary value of the 'National Treasure' sequel was the salary, they naturally had to aim high.

If 'Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest' was released and was a box office hit, she would dare to demand a top-tier salary of 20+20%.

However, Helen was well aware that, despite Matthew's rising star status, convincing Disney to hand out such a staggering sum would not be easy.

Either way, she and Matthew were not in a hurry. They could afford to negotiate slowly; Disney would not risk changing the lead actor unless absolutely necessary.

Now that they were beyond the initial stages, having Matthew as an ace up her sleeve meant more than just financial gain—it increased her status within the industry and her negotiating power with production companies.

Helen knew her most important task was to retain Matthew and prevent him from being poached by other agencies.

Having known Matthew since his days as an unknown, she considered herself the person who understood Matthew Horner the best. If someone made him a substantial offer, Matthew would not hesitate to replace her with another agent.

It wasn't just Matthew; this was a common scenario in the industry.

To keep a star she had helped rise, Helen considered three strategies: their years of cooperation, which meant some genuine connection despite Matthew's flaws; securing greater benefits for him, which she believed he wouldn't forsake for another agency; and centralizing his entire service team around her, making it costly for him to switch agencies.

Reflecting on these strategies, Helen removed her glasses and massaged her temples. Being an agent was not an easy job.

She recalled a magazine article from the 1990s that mythologized Hollywood agents, suggesting figures like Tom Hanks, Tom Cruise, Julia Roberts, and Steven Spielberg were mere pawns at the agents' disposal. If only that were true, Hollywood wouldn't see so many stars changing agents.

Without star clients, agents are troubled; but even with them, they face headaches.

Helen felt that agents were indeed the vulnerable group in Hollywood.

Yet, she also knew that when dealing with ordinary actors, agents held a dominant position.

Who the real vulnerable groups in the industry were, Helen might not be sure, but she knew who held the power—and even the smallest actors were aware of it.

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