"Shocking! 'Pirates of the Caribbean' lead actors Matthew Horner and Keira Knightley developed feelings for each other on set and have been caught shopping together. Matthew Horner bought Keira Knightley a Tiffany black pearl necklace as a token of their love..."
Yahoo Entertainment was the first to break the news, accompanied by numerous intimate photos of Matthew and Keira Knightley shopping together.
The internet's reaction is extremely fast, far exceeding traditional newspapers and magazines. A little later, another website published photos taken by other paparazzi, detailing how Matthew and Keira Knightley's characters in the film were a couple.
In the following period, rumors about Matthew and Keira Knightley, along with the promotion of "Pirates of the Caribbean," continuously appeared in newspapers and online. However, neither of them ever responded directly, even when attending "Pirates of the Caribbean" publicity events together. They stuck to the pre-arranged statement that they were very good friends.
As April began, Matthew, in addition to cooperating with various promotional hypes, also specifically met with his lawyer, Wilson. Wilson then timely submitted his tax return.
As a country of heavy taxation, tax filing in the US is very troublesome. The tax system and April 15th each year, the so-called Tax Day, are notorious and reviled. Let alone newcomers like Matthew, most Americans don't fully understand it and rely heavily on professionals in this area.
It is said that Intuit, the financial software service provider for the IRS, spends a considerable amount of money lobbying in Washington every year to prevent the promotion of simplified tax filing procedures... Personal income tax in the US is filed annually, and generally, April 15th of each year is the final filing deadline for the previous year. Moreover, personal income tax accounts for more than half of the US tax revenue. Once tax evasion is confirmed, it's not as simple as just paying back the taxes; there will be endless troubles.
However, there are also a series of policies such as consumer tax refunds.
Anyway, Matthew wasn't very clear about it, so he left everything to professionals.
In addition, most Hollywood stars engage in legal tax avoidance. Matthew's hired accountant is also discussing this with his agent, Helen Herman. The most effective method is to establish a charitable foundation, but this needs to wait until he gains greater fame.
Hollywood film crews are different from those across the Pacific. Many celebrities' salaries across the Pacific are after-tax income, with the film crew paying personal income tax on their behalf. Hollywood film crews have long established a practice where all salaries, whether for the twenty-million-dollar club or other amounts, are pre-tax income. If you want to pay taxes, please file them yourself.
This also has its advantages. While Hollywood actors' salaries are high, their proportion in the total production budget can be controlled within a reasonable range, allowing the film crew to invest more funds into actual production.
As May gradually approached, another summer blockbuster season in the North American film market began, with various film-related news flooding the internet and newspapers. The rumors between Matthew and Keira Knightley also progressed to a new stage.
In a newly released set of photos by Yahoo Entertainment, the two were seen together watching "The Matrix Reloaded," and emerged holding hands, seemingly confirming their relationship.
Entertainment gossip and rumors have always been an important part of the public's leisure life, and the two gradually attracted a lot of attention.
Even Johnny Depp mentioned Matthew and Keira Knightley in an interview.
"Matthew and Keira had a very good relationship on set," Johnny Depp said in an interview with Yahoo Entertainment. "Isn't it fitting for them to be together? If it's true, I'll wish them well."
It was another picturesque afternoon, and Matthew and Keira Knightley walked into the Staples Center in Los Angeles to watch the Lakers play against the Spurs in the Western Conference semifinals.
A week before the game, Helen Herman pulled some strings to get tickets for the seats often occupied by Hollywood stars at the Staples Center.
That area is a focal point for cameras during timeouts, and as a strong NBA team located in Los Angeles, the Lakers have many celebrity fans.
Matthew and Keira Knightley sat in the second row, with the adjacent seats temporarily empty. However, less than ten seats to their left, Matthew saw many famous figures.
Leonardo DiCaprio, not yet fat enough to sink the Titanic, was intimately chatting with his girlfriend Gisele Bündchen; directly in front was Denzel Washington, who had recently won an Oscar for Best Actor; not far away, always wearing sunglasses, was Jack Nicholson; two blonde women sitting together seemed to be Drew Barrymore and Cameron Diaz... Looking around, Matthew could only sigh, he and Keira Knightley could be considered unknown minor actors.
However, this was expected, as their appearance here was to gain exposure. The more big-name stars there were, the more often the cameras would focus on this area during the game and broadcast.
His and Keira Knightley's recent rumors, fueled by Disney and the film crew, were quite hot. Their appearance here would surely generate a fresh batch of news.
Players were warming up on the court. Matthew only recognized Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant, whose figures frequently appeared in Los Angeles newspapers, big and small.
As for the Spurs, he didn't recognize a single player.
"Do you understand basketball?" Keira Knightley asked from beside him.
"Not really," Matthew said, shaking his head and pointing at the lines on the court. "I just know that shots made outside that line count as three points, and inside the line are two points."
Keira Knightley pouted, "I know that too."
Both of them were complete basketball novices, coming to the court just to ride the coattails of the event.
"Hello, may I pass?"
A crisp girl's voice sounded from beside Matthew. Matthew quickly pulled his feet back, and Keira Knightley also retracted her legs.
Although this was the VIP section of the stadium, and the seats were relatively spacious, getting in and out wasn't particularly convenient.
"Thank you."
The girl thanked them and walked past Matthew and Keira Knightley, sitting in the seat next to Keira Knightley.
Matthew naturally glanced over. The girl was wearing slim-fit jeans and a white T-shirt, outlining a tall and sexy figure. Beneath her long brown hair was a sweet and pleasing face. Her skin wasn't fair; it was a mixed-race chocolate color.
The girl looked a bit familiar. Matthew was sure he had seen her in a movie before, but she shouldn't be an A-list star, otherwise he wouldn't even remember her name.
The girl was very beautiful, and Keira Knightley also took a few extra glances.
Probably noticing Keira Knightley, the chocolate girl also looked over. After recognizing Keira Knightley's face, she proactively said, "You are... Keira Knightley?"
"Yes," Keira Knightley responded politely with British grace. "Hello, I'm Keira Knightley."
Compared to Keira Knightley, the chocolate girl seemed more enthusiastic and introduced herself, "Hello, I'm Jessica Alba."
At this point, she looked to Keira Knightley's other side, where Matthew was clearly with Keira Knightley.
Keira Knightley then introduced, "This is Matthew Horner, my friend."
"Hello," Matthew extended his hand. Jessica Alba lightly shook his hand. "Hello, I've seen your 'The Scorpion King,' a very wonderful film."
Matthew didn't know what movies she had acted in, so he simply said, "Thank you."
The name Jessica Alba made him remember a little. He seemed to recall that the Invisible Woman in "Fantastic Four" was played by Jessica Alba.
He honestly couldn't remember her other works.
The game started quickly. Matthew watched for a while, then his attention shifted to Keira Knightley and Jessica Alba. The two girls were constantly chatting. More precisely, Jessica Alba, as a Lakers fan, was explaining some basketball rules to Keira Knightley, correlating them with the situation on the court.
When Keira Knightley saw the camera turn their way, she would also deliberately whisper a few words to Matthew, appearing very intimate.
"Are you two dating?" Jessica Alba curiously asked Keira Knightley. "Recently, many media outlets have been hyping up your romance."
Keira Knightley glanced at Matthew, who gave her a look. Keira Knightley just smiled at Jessica Alba and said nothing.
Matthew was still relatively cautious. Who knew what kind of person Jessica Alba was?
Disney Pictures, the "Pirates of the Caribbean" crew, and their respective agencies had already set up a plan and determined the official public announcement time. He and Keira Knightley would walk the red carpet together at the premiere of Disney's animated blockbuster "Finding Nemo" at the end of May, which was next week.
More precisely, they were going to piggyback on Pixar Animation Studios' popularity.
Just as they were piggybacking on the Los Angeles Lakers' popularity today, the constantly breaking rumors about Matthew and Keira Knightley weren't simply about walking around, shopping, and eating. If it were, the media and public would quickly grow tired of it. Recently, whenever there was a hot event near Los Angeles, they would appear there, ensuring the media and public didn't forget them, while also riding the wave of popularity.
Throughout the game, apart from showing affection with Keira Knightley, Matthew's energy was not focused on watching the game at all. After the game ended, he only knew that the Los Angeles Lakers had lost by looking at the score on the big screen.
Unlike the dejected Lakers fan Jessica Alba, as soon as the game ended, Matthew and Keira Knightley left the arena, preparing to move on to the next hot spot.
However, before chasing the next hot spot, he received the script Sean Daniel had sent to his agency.