The Most Famous Actor in Hollywood

At one o'clock in the afternoon, flashbulbs lit up the press hall of the Beverly Hills Four Seasons Hotel.

After signing the contract, Matthew Horner stepped back to let Cindy Crawford and the marketing director of Rolex complete the exchange of contracts. Once they shook hands, he stepped forward, shook hands with Rolex's marketing director, and then exchanged contracts with him.

This was Rolex's global spokesperson signing ceremony in Los Angeles. As Roger Federer was attending the French Open, only Matthew Horner and Cindy Crawford participated.

Since early June, Helen Herman had been negotiating on behalf of Matthew with Rolex, and after several rounds of discussions, they finally reached an agreement.

As Helen Herman had mentioned before, Rolex signed a five-year contract with Matthew, with a total endorsement fee of $15 million. However, after negotiations, Helen Herman also secured an additional right for Matthew.

The $15 million endorsement fee did not involve TV commercials. If Rolex wanted Matthew to shoot a TV commercial, they would have to pay an additional fee.

The scope of the endorsement specified in the contract mainly included print media advertisements and appearances at events like the red carpet, the Oscars, or other media occasions, where Matthew was required to wear Rolex watches. In return, Rolex would provide him with a full range of high-end watch products.

Matthew was aware that Cindy Crawford had signed a similar contract with him.

After exchanging contracts, Matthew and Cindy Crawford stood in front of the large Rolex logo, allowing the media to take photos.

Then, both briefly accepted interviews, expressing their pleasure to collaborate with Rolex.

The signing ceremony ended quickly, and Matthew and Cindy Crawford didn't linger in the press hall. They immediately went up to the next floor of the Four Seasons Hotel, entering their respective temporary makeup rooms to prepare for the Rolex print advertisement shoot.

Due to Matthew's request, the shoot was compressed into a single day because he had other commitments to attend to and would be joining a film crew in the Dominican Republic in a few days; his schedule was very tight.

Fortunately, Helen Herman and Cindy Crawford's agent had communicated sufficiently beforehand. Since Cindy had previously met Matthew and he had once helped her daughter, she had no major objections.

After makeup, dressed in a dark suit and wearing a classic Rolex Submariner watch, Matthew entered the newly set up temporary photography studio, led by a staff member.

Originally a large conference room at the Four Seasons Hotel, it had been temporarily transformed into a photography studio by a professional team hired by Rolex to shoot the print ads for Matthew and Cindy Crawford.

Since women's makeup took longer, the photography team started with Matthew's individual print advertisement.

Matthew stood in front of the backdrop, following the photographer's directions to pose in various ways, emphasizing the Rolex watch on his left wrist. After completing a set of photos, he would switch to a new Rolex watch with the assistance of his aide and continue with the next set.

"Move a little to the left, a bit more to the left," the photographer adjusted Matthew's posture through the camera lens, commanding, "Raise your left hand a bit more, face the watch towards the camera."

Listening to the photographer, Matthew patiently adjusted his posture, posing like a thinker in the night.

"OK! Hold that for five seconds!"

The photographer adjusted his camera lens, continuously snapping photos.

At the door, Cindy Crawford walked in with an assistant and a little girl, staying away from the shooting area.

"Huh…" The little girl looked at the shooting area, blinking her confused eyes for a while before hesitantly asking, "Mom, have we seen that person before?"

Cindy Crawford pulled up a chair, first seating her daughter on it, then pulling another chair beside her and sitting down, explaining, "Don't you remember, Kaia? We met him at the gallery."

The little girl scooted forward, letting her legs dangle from the chair, and said, "I remember now, that was when I was playing hide and seek with mom."

Cindy Crawford pinched her daughter's cheek, "Kaia, you're so smart."

At that moment, a staff member approached, signaling it was Cindy's turn to shoot. She told her daughter, "Kaia, mommy has to work now, will you stay with the auntie?"

The little girl nodded seriously, "Okay, mommy."

Cindy Crawford instructed her assistant briefly before following the staff to the shooting area.

Matthew noticed Cindy Crawford and nodded at her, "Hi, Cindy."

Cindy Crawford smiled slightly, "Hello, Matthew."

After a brief exchange, they immediately got into work mode. Under the photographer's direction, they posed for various classic male and female shooting styles.

Of course, the focus was still on the Rolex watches on their wrists.

After a few poses, Matthew realized that despite being virtually retired from the runway, Cindy Crawford's presence was still powerful. Perhaps print shooting was a model's basic skill, and he felt increasingly overwhelmed by her aura, prompting

 him to focus even more.

"Relax, being too tense will make your body stiff," Cindy quietly advised him during a break, "Try to be natural, as if I'm not here."

Matthew nodded, "Thank you."

Compared to a supermodel like Cindy Crawford, he was severely lacking in experience shooting print advertisements.

The shoot continued, and perhaps Cindy's advice was effective because Matthew's performance noticeably improved. The dynamics of a duo in print ads are starkly different from solo shoots; a partner's excellent condition can easily affect those around them.

Cindy Crawford, though thirty-nine, still looked youthful and attractive, possibly due to good maintenance. She didn't age like typical Western women, her nearly perfect figure and skin still resembled those of someone in their twenties.

Even now, she was one of the world's most featured cover girls, appearing on fashion magazines far more often than other models.

The once-famous top five supermodels—Cindy Crawford, Claudia Schiffer, Christie Turlington, Naomi Campbell, and Linda Evangelista—had set the pinnacle of the modeling industry. Even though Matthew was not particularly knowledgeable about the modeling industry, he knew that none of the Victoria's Secret Angels could compare to the heights reached by the top five supermodels.

Perhaps in the future, Empress Gi might reach the height of the top five supermodels.

Of course, admiration aside, Matthew had no other intentions toward Cindy Crawford. Cindy was thirty-nine and in a stable marriage.

Like Diane Kruger, he wouldn't interfere with someone else's marriage. There were plenty of women in Hollywood and the modeling world, so why take a risk that could severely damage his reputation?

A playboy might be envied and resented, but a homewrecker would be despised.

Angelina Jolie, to this day, first comes to mind as a homewrecker, especially on the internet. Without "Mr. & Mrs. Smith," the criticism against her was overwhelming.

The shoot went smoothly, and by four o'clock, Matthew had completed all his shots. Cindy Crawford continued with her individual print advertisements.

These were initial promotional ads, requiring relatively few shots. According to Helen Herman, if the print ads received positive feedback, Rolex might negotiate an additional TV advertisement contract with them.

Historically, Rolex hadn't used Hollywood stars for advertising very often. Sean Connery, the original James Bond, had been a spokesperson for Rolex, but sports celebrities more frequently represented the brand.

This aligns with Rolex's branding, emphasizing durability and ruggedness.

Perhaps in many people's minds, Rolex seems like the quintessential show-off accessory for the nouveau riche, but there's a saying in Hollywood—there are only three kinds of watches in the world: Patek Philippe, Rolex, and others.

Matthew headed towards the exit, passing through the rest area where he saw a familiar child.

"Hi, Kaia," he remembered she was Cindy Crawford's daughter, "We meet again."

The little girl waved to an assistant nearby, who reached out to help her jump down from the chair. She said in a childish voice, "Hello, I remember you, we met at the gallery."

Matthew crouched down to her level, "Yes, we met at the gallery. You've grown since then."

"I'm four years old now," the little girl stood with her hands behind her back, swaying slightly, "Of course, I've grown."

Matthew laughed, about to ruffle her curly hair but thought better of it and withdrew his hand, saying, "Yes, you will grow as tall as your mom."

He had noticed during the shoot that Cindy Crawford, in her eight-inch heels, was nearly as tall as he was.

"Thank you," the little girl seemed very polite and well-mannered.

"You're welcome," Matthew replied politely, slowly standing up, "I have to go now. Goodbye, Kaia."

The little girl waved, "Goodbye."

After leaving, Matthew went to the temporary makeup room to remove his makeup, then drove back to Horner Manor to meet Charlize Theron. They didn't have much time left together; according to an agreement reached by several parties, he and Charlize Theron were soon to dissolve their engagement.

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