America achieves both fame and fortune

Chapter 712 Fair and square competition

Matt Damon, who arrived early in the morning, went into the meeting room with his agent.

Jon Berg personally received the two.

He shook hands with the two men and said, "Our film did very well at the box office; now we'll see how it fares during awards season."

The agent immediately began praising their client, saying, "Matt's influence is undeniable."

The film "Moneyball" was released in September, and by mid-December, it had grossed $70 million in North America and over $100 million worldwide, while the film's production cost was only $50 million.

Matt Damon has a naturally honest and simple look, and his smile is shy: "I haven't done anything good during awards season in a long time, and I hope that with Warner Bros.' support, I can achieve something this time."

Jon Berg said, "Warner Bros. will go all out for this film's Oscar run."

Although DVD sales in North America have declined since Avatar, DVDs remain one of the most important sources of revenue for a movie, and even the most profitable.

If the "Moneyball" DVD sells well, his pressure will be less.

The film's preparation was fraught with difficulties. After Jon Berg took over, he appointed Mike DeLuca as producer, which propelled the project's initiation and led to the creation of "Moneyball".

Compared to films like The Hangover Part II and Harry Potter 9, Moneyball feels more like Jon Berg's own son.

The agent said, "CAA is also preparing to push Matt to the Oscar for Best Actor! Even someone with Leonardo DiCaprio's acting skills can win the Best Actor Oscar, it's Matt's turn too."

Matt Damon stated his position: "What does Warner need me to do? I'll fully cooperate."

Jon Berger said, "In terms of public relations, it's not just the company that needs to put in the effort; you all need to do more too."

The agent added, "We will do our best."

"I have a meeting to attend to, so I'll call it a day." Jon Berg stood up. "Please wait a moment; someone will come over to discuss the specifics with you."

Only Matt Damon and his agent remained in the meeting room.

The latter said, "Warner Bros.' support is just the foundation and cannot guarantee us an award. As things stand, the competition this year is not particularly fierce, but there are still strong competitors."

Matt Damon, who has been in the industry for nearly two decades, has been vying for the Best Screenplay award and is on good terms with Harvey Weinstein. He sees things clearly: "Recently, there's been a lot of news about Martin Davis and 'The Martian' in the media. Their goal can't just be Best Picture; they'll definitely be aiming for Best Actor."

He grinned and grimaced: "Those sob stories make it seem like all the suffering in the world has fallen on Martin Davis, and this bastard is being touted as a model of a prodigal son who has turned over a new leaf!"

The agent, however, said, "The media and the public buy into this."

Matt Damon couldn't help but exclaim, "This is absolutely outrageous! Last year, Leonardo DiCaprio won Best Actor by playing ugly, and this year Martin Davis is trying to win Best Actor by playing the victim? Is this still the Oscars? What kind of rubbish are they even comparing?"

The agent disagreed: "Martin's chances of winning an award are slim, aren't they? After all, The Martian is a science fiction film."

"No, Martin Scorsese is the biggest competitor!" Matt Damon was absolutely certain he wasn't mistaken: "It has nothing to do with the genre of the film, it has to do with who he is!"

The agent, being older and more experienced in the industry, naturally held outdated views: "How can a science fiction film with a non-realistic subject compare to our biographical films? Martin Davis's Oscar for Best Supporting Actor wasn't for his role or acting skills, but rather an award from Hollywood and even the entire United States..."

Matt Damon interrupted him: "Don't you think this makes it even stronger? The PR and publicity skills are frighteningly strong."

The agent thought about it again and realized there was some truth to it: "We can't have a few more thugs jumping out at this moment..."

Matt Damon shook his head: "Last year, Leonardo DiCaprio successfully played the victim, supposedly with Martin Davis's advice. Today, he's playing the victim again, which shows he's confident."

Thinking of the Affleck brothers and Harvey Weinstein, Matt Damon suddenly felt like quitting. Martin Davis was often like a mad dog, biting people until they were on the verge of death.

The agent then said, "No matter who the competitors are, we can't give up. Opportunities to qualify for the Olympics as good as this year are rare."

Upon hearing this, Matt Damon's mind raced. This was normal Oscar competition. In recent years, Martin Davis had received multiple Best Actor nominations but had never won. The winners' acting careers were all going smoothly, without any unexpected setbacks.

As soon as he thought about it, his vision suddenly opened up, and the strategies for winning the Olympics that he had been exposed to by Harvey for many years immediately rushed into his mind.

After considering it for a few minutes, Matt Damon said, "Against an opponent like Martin, it's not enough for us to just do our best."

CAA has worked with Harvey Weinstein before, and the agent looked at Matt Damon: "Smear him?"

Matt Damon recalled what Harvey often did during awards season: "Get some critics and retired astronauts to nitpick 'The Martian,' especially the technical aspects; the film is full of bugs. Also, what the competition is trying to do is what we oppose. Martin Davis was playing the victim, wasn't he? He's not pitiful at all now; he's worth hundreds of millions and has a whole bunch of women he's connected with."

He pondered for a moment and said, "These things are easy to find out. We can expose him to the media, expose his wealth, expose his relationships with a bunch of women, so he can't play the victim anymore! So he can't gain any sympathy!"

The agent said, "These are easy."

Celebrities are public figures after all, so it's really easy to check these things, especially someone like Martin Davis who doesn't pay much attention to such matters.

Matt Damon then pointed out a crucial point: "You handle these things personally, keep it a secret, and don't let anyone know that we're the ones doing these things."

The agent nodded: "I understand."

The two chatted for a while when there was a knock on the door of the meeting room, and people from Warner Bros. came in.

After the meeting, Matt Damon's agent immediately contacted people he worked closely with in the media and consulting firms.

Regarding gossip and scandals, although everyone knew Martin Davis had a reputation as a notorious playboy, his agent was still taken aback when he saw the exact gossip he had collected.

His official girlfriend was Elizabeth Olsen, and he had many other long-term lovers, including Louise, Julie, Aniston, Charlize, Daddario, and others—too many to count on two hands.

There are also rumors that the supermodel group and Taylor Swift's best friend group will undergo a test to join the group.

Although there is no evidence, once these rumors circulate in the entertainment industry, they are generally true.

When the agent saw Martin Davis's assets, he was not just surprised, he was shocked.

Since entering Hollywood in 2004, Martin Davis, this country bumpkin, has amassed a fortune far exceeding that of Matt Damon, who has struggled for nearly two decades!

The agent immediately took the documents to Matt Damon and said, "Look at this, it's amazing!"

Matt Damon skipped the part about women and went straight to his assets: "I didn't expect he also invested in Apple and Netflix; the stocks of both companies have been appreciating."

The agent said, "I didn't expect that either."

"Don't mention this to anyone else for now," Matt Damon said. "The Academy will officially mail out Oscar ballots after the Christmas holidays, and Academy members living in major North American cities will receive their ballots by December 30th. That will be the peak period for the voters to make their choices."

As a member of the Academy himself, he has ample knowledge of this: "Finding people to nitpick 'The Martian' will begin after the Christmas holidays. This will take a few days to develop. As for those about Martin himself, that will start on December 30th."

The agent agreed: "Countless past cases have proven that this is the best time to go, as it can influence the choices of many judges."

Since the opponent's main strategy was to play the victim and gain the judges' sympathy, Matt Damon broke that mold: "I want everyone to know that Martin Davis is a billionaire and his life is anything but miserable!"

…………

Burbank, Davis Studios.

Bruce pushed open the office door and limped in.

Martin looked up from behind the monitor, staring at him in surprise: "How did you get hurt? Were you caught in a terrorist attack?"

"More terrifying than a terrorist attack!" Bruce swayed his pelvis, feeling slightly relieved, and said, "I can't understand how such a frail woman could possess such terrifying fighting power?"

Martin stated directly, "Because you're a rusty old junk, and she's fertile land."

Before sitting down, Bruce specifically took a soft cushion and placed it under his buttocks: "If I stay up one more night, my pelvis will definitely be shattered."

Martin expressed sympathy but felt helpless, so he changed the subject and asked, "How did things go?"

Bruce said, "Jordy compiled the previous videos and cut out a lot of clips about Matt Damon. Several of the women Harvey forced back then were pressured by Matt Damon afterward to finish the relationship. Matt Damon can't escape this responsibility."

He handed a storage disk to Martin and continued, "When I arrived, Jody had already contacted several women that Matt Damon had pressured. These women trusted Jody a lot, mainly because Jody helped them get enough compensation from Harvey, and they said they were willing to come forward and accuse Matt Damon."

Martin opened the storage drive, glanced at it, and then handed it to Bruce: "Go find Jessica and have her contact the media. Those people who accused Matt Damon, don't go on TMZ. Find a way to get them interviewed on talk shows or in mainstream print media."

These are not difficult tasks for Davis Studios today.

Bruce responded and asked, "What exactly is the time?"

"Leo, Jack, and I have discussed it," Martin said, having already set the date: "We'll reveal it at the end of this month, on December 30th!"

Before Christmas, Martin returned to Atlanta, where he stayed for three days before returning to Los Angeles to prepare for the Oscars.

He wants to compete fairly and squarely for the Best Actor Oscar this year.

(End of this chapter)