After leaving the border between Kenya and Somalia, the delegation headed towards the border between Kenya and Uganda. Like Somalia, Uganda was also a chaotic country and one of the poorest and most underdeveloped nations in the world. The delegation ventured into Uganda for a tour.
Throughout the trip, Matthew and Emma Watson appeared to interact as usual during the day, but each night, Emma would sneak into Matthew's room.
Since Hermione Granger herself was willing, Matthew certainly didn't refuse.
Once inside Uganda, the sights were shocking. While Kenya, except for Nairobi, was also quite poor, it was wealthy compared to other African countries.
Matthew saw a lot, and he made sure to capture it on film. Once back, he planned to create a special feature for Disney Studios and Buena Vista International, with Amanda working together with them to use the footage for promoting Fast & Furious 4.
With such excellent charity-related material, Hollywood's expertise would surely make a spectacle of it.
The promotional and distribution budget for Fast & Furious 4 was a staggering $120 million. Disney had fronted $60 million, and Matthew and David Ellison had raised another $60 million themselves for marketing.
Although Matthew had promised to donate the profits for children's charities, there was plenty of room for maneuvering. Still, a portion of the profits had to be set aside.
Even if Fast & Furious 4 was a huge success, the profits wouldn't be that high.
Matthew and David Ellison were mentally prepared for this. The primary goal of Fast & Furious 4 was to revive the franchise, with future installments in mind. After the failure of Tokyo Drift, the series had almost died, and this film was about saving it. There were plans for a trilogy afterward, and as long as the profits were substantial, making it to Fast & Furious 20 wasn't out of the question.
The most urgent task was to ensure Fast & Furious 4's success, propelling the franchise into the mainstream of Hollywood's commercial film series.
Even Matthew couldn't deny that, despite the success of the first Fast & Furious, it was still considered a niche commercial film.
Of course, the number of characters in the "Fast Family" had to be controlled. Too many, and the screen time would be spread thin, potentially compromising the basic storyline.
As for redeeming villains, it had to be done carefully. Characters who had severely harmed the "Fast Family" should never be redeemed; otherwise, the franchise's reputation would suffer.
Matthew vaguely remembered watching Fast & Furious 8, where Jason Statham's character, a pretty-boy killer, was redeemed. He wondered if Han would come back from the grave...
With the series still touting its "family" mantra, it was no surprise the audience reacted negatively to such plot points.
Now fully stepping into the role of producer, Matthew often pondered the future of the Fast & Furious series. Jason Statham had expressed interest in collaborating, and there was a high chance he'd join a future film. They could perhaps use the revenge plotline from Fast & Furious 7 and simply kill off the villain.
There was also Charlize Theron—bringing her in as a major villain could work as well.
Perhaps her character could be an ex-girlfriend of the protagonist. With Dom Toretto's story possibly concluding, it would pave the way for a new lead, creating more opportunities for the franchise's future.
Suddenly, Matthew thought of Gal Gadot. The Israeli actress had returned to Israel after filming Fast & Furious 4 and hadn't taken any more Hollywood roles since. His previous interest in her had faded over time.
It was a pity that Warner Bros. owned the Wonder Woman rights and wouldn't let them go. With the rise of the women's movement in the coming years, releasing a Wonder Woman film could have been a huge success.
Wonder Woman was one of the few films Matthew had gone to see in theaters. After work, he borrowed a coworker's scooter and drove to the mall to watch it alone.
To be honest, the plot wasn't even mediocre, but Wonder Woman herself was incredibly cool. The film was practically a showcase of Gal Gadot's beauty from every angle.
With his Hollywood experience now, Matthew could see that while casting Gal Gadot contributed to the film's success, the real key was the rise of the women's movement.
Nowadays, films about Black Lives Matter, feminism, or LGBT themes were tricky to criticize without risking backlash.
With his limited memory of the future, Matthew was certain he needed to remain steadfast in his commitment to supporting women's rights and children's welfare.
When the time came, he would lead by example, standing up for women when necessary.
There was no choice. In the face of societal trends, individual power seemed insignificant.
Fortunately, over the past couple of years, in addition to his film career, his charitable work had flourished. He had close ties with several women's and children's organizations across the U.S. and was known as a supporter of the feminist movement in Hollywood.
While he hadn't been as actively involved in the Black civil rights movement, he was still one of the many "liberals" in Hollywood.
In Hollywood, maintaining a positive image was crucial.
Tom Cruise had almost seen his image collapse, and his career had hit a rough patch before bouncing back in recent years.
After a tour of Uganda, the delegation returned to Nairobi, preparing to fly to London.
"Did you see that?" Emma Watson was still discussing what they had witnessed in Uganda as they rode to the airport. "I wasn't wrong, was I?"
Matthew sighed, exasperated. "Maybe there are factors we don't understand."
Emma thought for a moment and then said slowly, "Perhaps, but from what I saw, those people would rather sit and wait for aid than work for themselves."
As the car stopped at the airport terminal, Matthew gestured for Emma. "Let's go." Before getting out of the car, he added, "Let what we saw and heard stay in Africa."
He didn't spell it out, but he had already decided to scale back his efforts in Africa. The two charitable foundations would focus more on the burgeoning women's movement in North America, while aid in Africa would be primarily for children.
Most of the charity funds were raised through donations, after all, and he intended to maintain his halo as a philanthropist.
Accompanied by UN and Kenyan officials, Matthew and Emma had no trouble exchanging their boarding passes and passing through security into the departure lounge.
While passing through the airport's shops, Emma spotted a magazine with Matthew on the cover and made a point of buying it.
"Matthew, you're on the cover of Time magazine."
Once inside the VIP lounge, Emma sat next to Matthew and waved the magazine. "It seems to be about our trip to Africa."
Matthew nodded lightly. "That was arranged before we came."
He glanced at the magazine in Emma's hand. The cover featured a photo of him holding a frail African child, with a grateful crowd of locals in the background.
The image had been well-captured and produced, even the expressions of gratitude on the locals' faces were visible.
"Not bad," Matthew said, nodding as he looked at the cover. "I'm still so handsome."
Emma rolled her eyes and smirked. "Overconfident."
"Am I wrong?" Matthew leaned closer and whispered, "That's what you said last night."
Emma ignored him and looked at the magazine. "Oh, the headline says, 'Philanthropist Matthew Horner.'"
Flipping through the magazine, she quickly found the cover story, which detailed Matthew's African trip and his charitable work over the years. It also mentioned his pledge to donate the future profits of Fast & Furious 4.
"So detailed," Emma commented as she skimmed through the article. With only Matthew's bodyguard, Brown Williams, nearby, she didn't hold back. "Did you write it yourself?"
Matthew shook his head. "I barely finished high school. Do you think I could write an article like that?"
"Did you arrange it before we came?" Emma closed the magazine and asked.
"Yes," Matthew admitted openly. "My principle is that good deeds should be recognized. It sets a public example."
The cover figure of a magazine is a crucial element that reflects the value and status of the publication. Time magazine's cover stories usually feature important figures who influence their industries or even history, highlighting the representative aspects of social life.
Although Time's influence had waned with the rise of the internet, the cover figure was still known as "the world's eye," holding significant sway.
After some more conversation, they boarded the plane and spent most of the flight sleeping. Emma, in particular, was groggy for most of the journey.
It was no wonder—she hadn't slept well since that night, often feeling like she was floating at night.
Upon arriving at London Heathrow, the two went their separate ways, with Matthew seeing Emma off to her car.
"Will you miss me?" Emma smirked.
Matthew shrugged slightly and played along. "Yeah, I'll miss you."
Emma leaned in and whispered, "No pressure. Let's stay friends." She winked. "Don't get any ideas—you're just my spoils of war."
Matthew chuckled, patting her hand and pointing to the car. "Off you go."
Emma got into the car to head home, while Matthew made his way to the set of Inception.
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