The richest actor in Hollywood.

"Former fiancés Matthew Horner and Charlize Theron engage in a street brawl, hair flying like wild tigers!" 

In mid-June, this headline appeared across numerous websites and entertainment media outlets, accompanied by a photo of Charlize Theron with her hands around Matthew Horner's neck while he appeared to struggle to breathe. It was an eye-catching image.

Compared to last year's "I Am Legend," Warner Bros. did not employ any particularly surprising promotional strategies for "Hancock." The two films had entirely different release windows—summer being a natural advantage for blockbusters.

After pouring a significant amount of money into marketing, news about "Hancock" flooded the North American audience like a hurricane.

"'Hancock' is about to be released, and Matthew Horner plays a hero once again!"

There were countless similar promotional reports, making it almost impossible for anyone with even a passing interest in movies not to hear about "Hancock." Additionally, numerous articles were written to praise the film.

Naturally, the primary subject of this praise was Matthew, the male lead.

The *Los Angeles Times* wrote about the upcoming film: "Currently the most bankable star in the world, Matthew Horner is undoubtedly the box office guarantee for 'Hancock.' He stated that 'Hancock' is different from the typical superhero movie."

"He's a superhero, but he's also a drunk. When he's drunk, he can be dangerous," Matthew said. "We wanted to break the conventional genre mold and bring something new to the audience."

Thanks to the careful packaging by the crew and Warner Bros., even the relatively inexperienced director, Peter Berg, became a subject of media praise.

"Peter Berg is a quintessential Hollywood multi-hyphenate. From being a set crew member, bit-part actor, and supporting actor to leading man, director, and screenwriter, he has done it all. As a moderately successful actor, screenwriter, and director, Berg effortlessly transitions between theater, film, and television."

Charlize Theron also graced the cover of the latest issue of *CQ* magazine and made some slightly shocking statements to grab attention.

In an exclusive interview, she provocatively stated, "Many people seek therapy because they can't handle the troubles of daily life. These people need an hour of therapy each week to stay sane. As for me, my therapy is acting."

"Maybe that's why I'm so boring—because I don't have a lot of issues to talk about."

In the interview, Charlize Theron expressed that she feels fortunate. "I have some talent, but there are many more talented people than me who don't get as many opportunities. I've been really lucky. For instance, I got to work with Matthew Horner on 'Hancock.' Although it won't be released until next month, the predicted reviews and reception are already quite good."

From the production team to the director and lead actors, everyone was doing their best to create news and generate buzz.

In today's era, a movie that sells well must first be one that generates a lot of discussion, regardless of its quality.

So when Matthew and Charlize Theron appeared at the same promotional event, reporters naturally steered the conversation toward their relationship.

After all, everyone knew they were once engaged.

Facing a crowd of reporters and fans, Charlize Theron candidly spoke about their collaboration.

"Matthew and I working together was inevitable. I always thought it would be a perfect match. We discussed many ideas to find a film that would give us both enough room to perform."

After more than a decade in Hollywood, Charlize Theron knew how to say things that would attract attention. "We found 'Hancock' and decided to team up again."

She added, "Matthew is a very energetic person. I wanted to work with someone who pushes me to move forward in my work."

"Can you talk about this collaboration, Matthew?" a reporter asked. "From the trailers, it looks like you and Charlize have some intense action scenes."

Matthew glanced at Charlize Theron beside him and, with a deliberately dissatisfied expression, said, "Speaking of that action scene, it was awful! I wanted to protest, but no one listened."

Without waiting for questions, he launched into his performance. "In the movie, my character is beaten by Charlize's character. During filming, the fake fighting turned into real fighting."

Charlize Theron played along perfectly. "Really?"

"Do I need to remind you?" Matthew continued, showing their seamless chemistry. "During the action choreography, we agreed to just go through the motions, but on the first rehearsal, you hit me so hard that I didn't have time to react."

A reporter immediately asked, "Miss Theron, is this true?"

"I remember now," Charlize Theron improvised on the spot. "I didn't intend to actually hit Matthew. But when I swung my hand, instead of dodging, his face moved right into it, so I couldn't stop myself."

The crowd of reporters and fans erupted in laughter.

For entertainment reporters, this was perfect material for gossip. They could easily spin it into stories like "Charlize Theron Strikes Matthew Horner on Set to Avenge Old Grudges."

Many of the seasoned entertainment reporters knew the two were just acting, but none of them would call it out. The entertainment media needed such stories, the audience loved them, and the film crew was happy to release such news.

It was a win-win for everyone.

After a light-hearted atmosphere, a reporter asked a more pointed question, "Mr. Horner, Miss Theron, you were once engaged, but then you broke off the engagement. Why didn't you two end up getting married?"

Just as Matthew was about to answer, Charlize Theron interjected, "That was my fault."

The reporter quickly followed up, "Can you elaborate?"

Charlize Theron glanced at Matthew, exchanged a look with him, and then said, "I never fantasized about marriage. Marriage doesn't guarantee lasting love, and not getting married doesn't mean it's easy to maintain a long-term relationship."

Over the past few years, Matthew had stayed in touch with Charlize Theron and knew that after everything she had been through, she had become strong like a queen—not just the red carpet queen she appeared to be on the outside, but a queen through and through.

"This might have something to do with my unique background," Charlize Theron continued, now able to face her past with calmness. "As you all know, I grew up in South Africa, where racial conflicts were rampant. When I was 15, my mother shot and killed my father, who was an alcoholic and had been abusing us for years."

Matthew, concerned, nudged Charlize Theron with his foot.

Charlize subtly shook her head at him and continued, "I could have grown up to be an irresponsible person, constantly complaining about not having a good father to look up to. I did have a role model, but it was a bad one. However, I used that as an example of what not to do."

She smiled faintly. "So, I chose to walk away."

Matthew could see that Charlize Theron's emotions were stable, and she seemed fine.

"Even though we broke off our engagement, Matthew and I are still good friends," Charlize Theron added. "We both agree that we'll maintain this friendship until the day we're too old to recognize each other."

In this situation, Matthew could only go along with it. "Yes, I hope this friendship lasts us until the end of our lives."

His past engagement with Charlize Theron was bound to be a topic of discussion, but what he hadn't expected was for Charlize to address their relationship in such a fitting way.

The press conference was a great success, as marriage is always a hot topic in modern society.

Like many former Hollywood couples, not everyone's breakup was as tumultuous as Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman's.

The promotional campaign for the film continued, with Warner Bros. and director Peter Berg stating that, given the excellent response from test screenings, they were already considering making a sequel to "Hancock."

Moreover, the focus of the promotion was heavily on Matthew.

The fan support website run by Felice Beretta featured many related articles, which were then disseminated to other websites, creating a dense bombardment of publicity.

Nicknames like "Child of the Times," "National Idol," "Fresh Prince," and "Box Office Bomb" were all attached to Matthew.

One article about Matthew even became a trending topic on Twitter and Facebook.

"Matthew Horner, who has dominated Hollywood for years, seems to be born lucky. With both looks and talent, he is the epitome of the tall, handsome, and rich man everyone envies. Blessed by the heavens, he could easily be as arrogant as Tony Stark, yet he possesses the old-fashioned gentlemanly demeanor of Superman and the cool, analytical mind of Bruce Wayne. This allows him to effortlessly win the admiration of fans while portraying a dazzling screen image—everyone loves Matthew Horner because he's just that likable!"

Thanks to the early buzz, Warner Bros. easily secured 4,200 theaters across North America for the release of "Hancock."

As soon as the Independence Day holiday began, the film would hit the summer box office with enormous momentum.

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