The golden sun dipped below the horizon, painting the ocean red as a massive yacht cut through the glowing waters and slowly approached the marina at Santa Monica. Once the yacht docked, two men of contrasting heights stepped off: Matthew and Kevin Tsujihara.
"We're agreed then," Matthew said, extending his right hand.
Kevin Tsujihara gripped it firmly. "I can't wait to squash that annoying fly."
A Cadillac and a Mercedes-Benz pulled up in succession. As the host of the meeting, Matthew first saw Kevin off into the Cadillac before climbing into his own Mercedes business vehicle.
Barely seated, and before they had left the marina district, Matthew's phone buzzed. It was David Ellison calling.
"How did it go?" David asked over the phone.
"As smoothly as expected," Matthew replied simply.
David pressed on. "Did you tell him about our plan?"
"No," Matthew said directly, showing no hesitation even with his driver, Brown Williams, present. "The fewer people who know before we act, the better."
Matthew and Kevin's agreement was straightforward: when an opportunity arose to strike a blow against Harvey Weinstein, they would pool their resources to suppress him as much as possible.
Kevin had also shared some insights during their conversation. Many within Hollywood's Big Six studios had little love for Harvey Weinstein. But because these studios were both competitors and collaborators, it was rare for them to align against a single target. There had never been a united effort to take Weinstein down.
Hollywood, as a hyper-competitive business ecosystem, wasn't a place where alliances came easily.
However, Matthew believed that once an opportunity arose to hit Weinstein while he was down, these people wouldn't need any reminders—they would leap at the chance on their own.
After finalizing his alignment with Kevin, Matthew and Helen Herman met with Elena Boyar, someone with whom they had over a decade of working relationship and trust. Elena, now an executive vice president at TMZ, was immediately intrigued when Matthew and Helen hinted at some of their plans. Always eager for big stories, she pledged her support, promising access to significant online media resources when the time came.
Meanwhile, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey enjoyed its second weekend at the North American box office. The film grossed $45.2 million over the weekend, holding strong as the top movie despite new releases. Including weekday earnings, the film had amassed $168.52 million domestically.
With more international markets added, the film's global box office soared past the $500 million mark.
The blockbuster earnings only intensified the frustration of those who had missed their chance to be part of the project. Harvey Weinstein, while promoting his own Oscar-contending films Silver Linings Playbook and Django Unchained, didn't let up in his attacks on Matthew, Kevin Tsujihara, and their respective companies.
His outrage stemmed from both personal bitterness and strategic necessity.
Weinstein's tirades against Matthew and Warner Bros. attracted widespread attention, conveniently boosting the visibility of his own Oscar campaigns. Masterfully exploiting controversy and generating buzz, Weinstein was playing a game he had perfected over decades.
Awards season was in full swing, though these early events were just appetizers. The real action would begin after the New Year, during the lead-up to the Oscars.
Los Angeles was already abuzz with activity, particularly in Beverly Hills, home to countless stars, agents, and the Academy itself. Wilshire Boulevard, where the Academy's headquarters were located, was teeming with well-dressed entertainment agents and professional publicists at all hours.
Before Christmas, the Screen Actors Guild hosted a New Year's party at the Beverly Hilton, drawing a large number of Hollywood stars. Given the significant overlap between SAG members and Academy voters, the party was also a prime opportunity for Oscar hopefuls to campaign for votes.
Matthew attended the party as well, using the occasion to connect with actors he knew and to quietly help Michael Fassbender in his Oscar bid.
Michael, along with his close friend James McAvoy, was also present at the event.
"How did it go?" James asked as Matthew returned from mingling in the ballroom's corner. "Think you got a few votes?"
Matthew shook his head slowly. "Hard to say. You know I don't have much influence when it comes to the Oscars."
He had just been chatting with Nicolas Cage, who had promised to cast his vote for Fassbender.
"It's crazy to think about, isn't it?" James said, looking contemplative. "Back when the three of us were shooting Band of Brothers in England, rolling around in the mud as nobodies… Now look at us. And Michael's going for an Oscar."
Michael, having overheard the latter half of James's comment as he approached, grinned his signature shark-like smile. He joked, "In every other area, we'll never surpass Matthew. At least let me beat him in awards."
"Exactly!" James laughed in agreement. "We'll never outdo him in anything else."
Matthew didn't respond to their banter but instead shifted the topic. "If you want to win, you need to ramp up your PR efforts."
Michael nodded lightly. "The competition is fierce. The cost of campaigning keeps going up every year—it's becoming insane."
"Isn't there another way?" James asked, frowning.
Michael pointed toward a crowded section of the room. "Unless you're Harvey Weinstein."
In the center of the throng, Weinstein's corpulent figure stood out, surrounded by stars like Anne Hathaway and Bradley Cooper. Bradley, in particular, was seen as one of the top contenders for Best Actor this year.
Matthew glanced toward Weinstein's group. "Harvey Weinstein is an unavoidable force when it comes to the Oscars. You two should keep your distance from him."
The time would come when Matthew's plans would be set into motion. Anyone closely associated with Weinstein might end up tainted by the fallout.
"We don't have any dealings with him," James assured Matthew, catching the undertone in his words. "Don't worry. You're our closest friend. Why would we side with your enemy?"
Michael didn't say much but nodded firmly in agreement.
By now, all of Hollywood was aware of the sharp and irreconcilable tension between Matthew and Weinstein.
Matthew's gaze shifted to Weinstein's group, which included big names like Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Meryl Streep, Judi Dench, and Jamie Foxx. He couldn't help but wonder how they would react when Weinstein eventually fell. Would they still circle around him as they did now?
"I hear Weinstein is gearing up August: Osage County to help Meryl Streep aim for another Best Actress Oscar next year," James remarked, his penchant for gossip as strong as ever. "I wonder if Meryl has done what Judi Dench allegedly did and tattooed Harvey's name on her body."
Michael shrugged nonchalantly. "If she did, it's probably on her butt. Like branding."
Matthew glanced at Judi Dench, recalling an interview with Weinstein he had recently watched. In it, Weinstein recounted the infamous incident where Dench supposedly showed off her tattoo in gratitude.
"She invited me to dinner at the Four Seasons," Weinstein had said on the show. "She told me, 'You're a man who has everything. I don't know how else to express my gratitude.' Then, in front of an audience of guests—including Carly Simon, Mike Nichols, and Nora Ephron—she unbuckled her belt, revealed her rear, and showed everyone her tattoo: 'JD Loves HW.'"
What had once been a rumor about Judi Dench had, like so many Hollywood tales, morphed into fact.
It was shocking, wasn't it? But such was the hidden cost of Oscar campaigns—who knew what other startling truths lay beneath the surface?
It was no wonder that rumors swirled around Meryl Streep. Her collaborations with Weinstein had run far deeper than Judi Dench's ever did.
Everyone knew what kind of person Weinstein was. To secure his backing, one would inevitably have to make certain sacrifices.
As Matthew pondered these thoughts, Weinstein's gaze landed on him from across the room.
In the grand ballroom filled with hundreds of people, Matthew was like a lighthouse on a stormy coast—radiant, unmissable, and impossible for Weinstein to ignore.
Matthew met his gaze and, with deliberate nonchalance, nodded at him.
Weinstein smiled faintly in return, muttered something to the person beside him, and began striding purposefully toward Matthew.
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