The Box Office King of Hollywood

As Matthew sat in the resting area, he noticed Keira Knightley approaching. She grabbed a bottle of water and took a seat beside him.

"I just saw Gore Verbinski," she mentioned. Although she only came to the studio twice a week, her outgoing nature had made her fairly familiar with Matthew. "He came with Jerry Bruckheimer."

Matthew, who hadn't met Verbinski yet, looked around curiously and asked, "Where are they?"

Keira unscrewed the cap of her water bottle and took a sip before answering, "They had just left when I came over." She then inquired about the director, "Is he really that mysterious?"

"It's not about being mysterious," Matthew explained. "I heard from my agent that he's busy with a horror film called 'The Ring.'"

"I've heard of that movie," Keira said as she fanned herself, seemingly sweating. "It stars Naomi Watts, who was in David Lynch's 'Mulholland Drive.'"

She suddenly showed a fan-girl side, "When will I get a chance to be in David Lynch's cast?"

"Keira…" Matthew felt awkward interrupting her daydream, "Who is David Lynch?"

"You don't know David Lynch?" Keira looked astonished, "How can you not know him?"

Matthew spread his hands helplessly, "There are so many directors in Hollywood; I can't know them all."

Keira seemed at a loss for words. After a pause, she said, "You must be living on the moon."

"Is he that famous?" Matthew was genuinely curious. "More famous than Michael Bay?"

"Michael Bay?" Keira covered her distinctive square face, appearing defeated by Matthew's response. "You're comparing Michael Bay with David Lynch? That's the worst I've heard David Lynch being dissed."

Matthew shook his head, "You've said so much, and I still don't know who David Lynch is."

Keira, not yet eighteen, was frustrated to hear her favorite director dismissed so casually. "Forget it, I won't talk about it anymore," she said, sipping her water.

Matthew didn't mind. He continued watching Anderson train the pirates, not bothering to argue with a seventeen-year-old girl about such matters.

After a while, he noticed Johnny Depp had returned, now dressed as Captain Jack Sparrow, minus the hair and makeup. Matthew wasn't surprised; Depp was known for his eccentricity.

Depp didn't approach but instead started to practice walking in a peculiar manner, seemingly trying to capture the essence of his character.

Matthew remembered a phrase he once read on a smartphone: "An actor must be mad to be effective." He himself wasn't quite there, but Depp seemed to embody that saying.

"Hey, Matthew," Keira, who had been sulking, perked up noticing Depp. "Do you know what happened between Johnny Depp and Winona Ryder back in the day?"

Matthew shrugged, "How would I know?"

"It's a pity, really…" Keira, still quite young, was notably gossipy. "Why did they break up? I remember the reports; it was like losing faith in love."

Hearing her, Matthew thought of Britney Spears. They had texted once during the month, but with her tour resuming, they couldn't go back to how things were.

Keira continued gossiping, now about Winona Ryder. "It's such a pity, especially for Winona. After breaking up with Depp…"

She stopped mid-sentence, noticing Matthew zoning out. Annoyed, she waved her hand in front of him, "Hey, I'm talking to you!"

Matthew snapped back to attention, "I've been listening, Keira. What about Winona Ryder?"

His impression of Ryder was far from an innocent white lotus. He thought, it's harder to find a white lotus in Hollywood than it is to find money falling from the sky.

"She was deeply hurt by love but still helped others find happiness," Keira gossiped. "Do you know Christian Bale?"

Matthew nodded, "I've heard of him."

Keira was like a gossip machine, "Christian Bale and his wife Sibi Blazic were introduced by Winona. Sibi was Winona's personal assistant. They met while Winona and Bale were filming 'Little Women'."

"Really?" Matthew found the gossip about Batman interesting.

"Of course!" Keira was excited to have Matthew's attention. "Winona introduced Sibi to Bale."

"Interesting!" Matthew gave Keira a thumbs-up. "You're well-informed!"

This reminded him of James McAvoy, another well-informed person, though Keira's focus was more on gossip.

Keira beamed with pride. Then she continued, "It's a shame about Winona, getting sued for shoplifting."

"What?" Matthew turned to her in surprise. "Winona Ryder, shoplifting?"

"You didn't know?" Keira was sure Matthew was unaware. "Last year, Winona was arrested for shoplifting. She took clothes and accessories worth over $4,000 from Saks Fifth Avenue in Beverly Hills, removed the security tags, and hid them in her bag. She was caught on camera and later sentenced to three years probation, sixty days community service, and a $10,000 fine."

Keira asked, "Didn't you pay attention to the media coverage?"

"I missed it," Matthew guessed he was too busy filming to notice the news.

Keira went on gossiping about others while watching Depp's eccentric walk, growing curious.

"Why does the pirate walk so wobbly?" she asked Matthew.

Without hesitation, Matthew gave a standard answer, "That's how the character is written in the script."

Keira was almost defeated by Matthew's response, biting her lip, "Why is it written that way?"

"Maybe to show he's drunk…" Matthew speculated, "Or that pirates get land-sick, like to be mysterious, pretend to be weak to deceive, and have a quirky personality."

He thought, after all, this is the captain. If the captain walked normally, he, having seen the finished film 'Pirates of the Caribbean,' wouldn't accept it!

"Pirates get land-sick?" Keira was completely baffled by Matthew's response, feeling like she was talking to someone from the moon.

"Seriously, I've thought about it!" Matthew wasn't joking. He had pondered why the character was written that way. "A pirate who spends years at sea might get land-sick."

Keira didn't seem convinced.

Matthew continued, "Don't you think there's a kind of bohemian quality to it? A natural, decadent charisma that makes people want to sway with him."

Keira watched Depp for a while, then admitted, "It's hopelessly charming."

"So, you see…" Matthew spoke like an experienced actor, "It's an external representation of the character's traits. Flamboyant, effeminate, a blend of masculinity and femininity, appealing to kids since it's a Disney movie."

He added, "Also, it could appeal to female audiences. What do women want most? Understanding, sympathy, empathy."

Keira nodded, acknowledging his point. "You do have a point."

"Have you read the entire script?" Matthew knew some actors only focused on their parts.

"Yes," Keira answered.

Matthew, completely serious now, analyzed based on the script. "It keeps Jack Sparrow always in a 'seemingly not present' daze. As a pirate captain, he's not just a person but a conceptualized, ghostly, wandering spirit. He always seems confused, as if what's happening around him doesn't concern him. He's unpredictable, making others blindly follow him when his oddities become the norm."

Hearing this, Keira set aside her prejudices about the 'moon person' and assessed Matthew seriously. "I didn't expect you to have such insight."

"Just a small observation…"

Matthew stood up, ready to train. He had limited insights; if Keira asked more, he might get caught bluffing.

Keira watched Matthew pick up his rapier and enter the training area, muttering, "Strange guy."

To her, Matthew Horna was sometimes even stranger than Johnny Depp.

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