The Box Office King of Hollywood

It was probably his phone call that did the trick, or perhaps Fox-Sherman really had high expectations for him, a rising star. When Matthew returned to the film crew and headed to the Alpulco area in the Caribbean, he received a text from Helen-Herman. Her little client had passed the audition.

After getting off the plane, Matthew first took a car, then transferred to a ferry, swaying towards the island of Alpulco. He felt fine, but many in the crew started to feel seasick.

"Ugh..."

Seeing Keira-Knightley rush out of the cabin, leaning on the railing and vomiting into the sea, a plainly bored Johnny-Depp said to Matthew, "That's the third time now."

Matthew watched Keira-Knightley's assistant bring her water and said, "You're keeping track?"

The three main actors were treated noticeably better than the other crew members, staying in first-class cabins on the ferry. However, this being Mexico, the so-called first-class wasn't much to speak of – the smell of engine oil was just slightly less overwhelming.

Johnny-Depp, not picking up on Matthew's remark, continued on his own track, "I want to make a bet with you."

Matthew, familiar with his eccentricity after rehearsing and training together for so long, asked, "Bet on what?"

"According to the journey, we're still twenty nautical miles from our destination," Johnny-Depp, still eyeing Keira-Knightley, said, "I bet she'll vomit at least two more times before we arrive, making it no less than five times in total."

He thought for a moment and added, "Dry heaves count too."

Matthew felt rather helpless and said to Depp, "You're really bored, aren't you?"

Johnny-Depp admitted, "Riding a boat is boring, so why not have some fun?"

"Hey, Depp..." Matthew said in a low voice, "Keira is seasick and vomiting, don't you have any sympathy?"

Johnny-Depp, ignoring the question, asked, "Are you in or not?"

Matthew was also bored and replied, "Fine, I'm in! Keira won't vomit more than five times in total." He then asked Depp, "What's the stake?"

Johnny-Depp raised a finger, "One hundred dollars."

Just then, Keira-Knightley returned, leaning on her assistant. Matthew raised his eyebrows at Johnny-Depp, "You're going to lose."

He stood up, approaching Keira-Knightley with concern, "Are you okay?"

Keira-Knightley, clearly in discomfort, didn't speak, just shook her head.

Matthew then said, "I'll go get some seasickness medicine from the doctor. It'll help."

"Okay," Keira-Knightley quickly nodded.

As Matthew left and returned with the medicine, handing it to Keira-Knightley who took a pill right away, Johnny-Depp watched and then accused him, "You're cheating."

Matthew, of course, denied it, "It's concern, not cheating." He asked Johnny-Depp, "Is there a problem in not wanting to see Keira suffer?"

Johnny-Depp still didn't play along and gave Matthew a peculiar look, "I get it now."

Confused, Matthew asked, "Get what?"

Johnny-Depp subtly pointed a finger towards Keira-Knightley, "You're trying to hit on her."

Matthew, exasperated with Depp's off-topic manner, leaned back in his chair, "Depp, would you be interested in a girl with a smaller chest than yours?"

After pondering seriously for a while, Johnny-Depp admitted, "I would."

Matthew decided to stop the conversation. From his perspective, Johnny-Depp was a pure-hearted big boy turned playful rogue.

His phone vibrated suddenly. It was a text from Rachel-Mcadams.

"Have you landed yet?"

Matthew thought for a moment and replied, "Landed, now on a boat."

Rachel-Mcadams quickly responded, "I have some good news, I got the role you mentioned!"

Matthew could imagine Rachel-Mcadams' excitement from the text. The role of Erica, the female vampire in the script, had a good number of lines and scenes, making it a substantial supporting role.

Matthew replied promptly, "Congratulations, Rachel."

Rachel-Mcadams' response was swift, "Matthew, I really owe you one! The casting director told me that my audition went well because of your recommendation."

Realizing this was Fox-Sherman repaying a favor, Matthew texted back, "Don't mention it, you were impressive."

No more texts came from her end for a while. As Matthew was about to put away his phone, another message arrived.

"You've done me a huge favor, how can I thank you?"

Without a second thought, Matthew replied, "I know the film's investor, just casually mentioned it to him, no big deal. We don't need to be so formal with each other."

After a long pause, Rachel-Mcadams replied, "I don't like owing people favors. Matthew, I don't have much to offer compared to you, maybe I could repay you in kind?"

Seeing this message, Matthew was momentarily speechless, not knowing how to respond. The thought of Rachel-Mcadams made his heart race.

Just then, the ferry docked. Matthew decided not to reply and woke up the drowsy Keira-Knightley, calling Johnny-Depp to disembark together.

Their luggage was with the assistants, making their exit seem effortless. Matthew, besides his backpack, had everything else handled by the crew's errand staff.

All three main actors of the film crew had their own cars, a standard Hollywood luxury that Matthew enjoyed without guilt.

In the car, he asked his assistant Mira-Wang, "Did you get seasick?"

"No," Mira-Wang turned and replied, "I used to frequently take boats to France. I don't get seasick."

The long convoy, carrying hundreds from the crew, grandly arrived at a hotel. The production, with deep pockets, had booked the entire hotel for the upcoming shoot.

The crew only rested for one night before beginning filming.

The shooting of "Pirates of the Caribbean" was quite intense due to a tight schedule. Disney's distribution label, Buena Vista, had already set the film's release date. Since the project was greenlit relatively late and to avoid clashing with other blockbuster releases, the schedule for "Pirates of the Caribbean" wasn't ideal – the weekend following the Fourth of July holiday next year.

Typically, the Fourth of July is the best slot in July, a national holiday in the US that has historically seen blockbuster releases.

Unfortunately, before Disney and Jerry Bruckheimer Films decided on "Pirates of the Caribbean," Warner Brothers had already announced "Terminator 3" would release during the next year's Fourth of July holiday. Despite James Cameron not directing, nobody dared underestimate the power of the "Terminator" series combined with Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Usually, no two major films would premiere on the same weekend, as it often leads to mutual losses.

However, the summer season is the busiest for North American cinemas, with significant film premieres nearly every weekend. Finding a slot without major competitors both before and after is extremely difficult.

Moreover, the later the summer season goes, the less effective the release dates are, especially towards the end of July and in August, when moviegoers' enthusiasm and budgets are generally depleted.

In this era, it's rare for a major production to release in August.

The slightly pressing schedule naturally reflected in the filming. The ship "Lady Washington," serving as the "Interceptor," had arrived at the Alpulco docks, and the specially constructed "Black Pearl" was also ready, kickstarting many sea-based scenes.

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