On the sea, a small speedboat circled around and gradually approached the hotel beach. Maneuvering near the shark net, the man driving the speedboat slowly adjusted the speed to stabilize the boat as much as possible. Behind him, a bald black man raised his camera, its long lens aimed at a man and a woman standing motionless at the edge of the beach.
"Is it them?" the driver shouted, "I paid one hundred and fifty dollars for this tip from inside the hotel."
"Steady! Steady!" the black man first cautioned, then added, "Yes, it's them! The leads! And in swimsuits! They're the only couple on the beach, are they on a date? Looks like they're arguing..."
He loudly said to the man in front, "This one hundred and fifty dollars was well spent!" then muttered, "It'd be great if we get a steamy beach scene. 'Pirates of the Caribbean's' leads caught in a wild beach rendezvous would sell for a big price!"
The speedboat moved away along the shark net, and the man in front skillfully turned the boat around to head back. The bald black man switched to another angle, continuing to shoot with his telephoto lens.
"What a sight!" he shouted to the man in front, "Max, you should see this, this couple is really rare!"
The man in front didn't look back and asked loudly, "What are they doing? They aren't starting something on the beach, are they?"
"No!" the black man replied while pressing the shutter, raising his voice, "They are standing side by side looking this way! Both in swimsuits, and the female lead, Keira Knightley's chest, is smaller than the male lead, Matthew McConaughey's!"
He suddenly laughed, "Haha... this photo has a striking contrast, gossip newspapers will love it, we can sell it for a good price!"
If rumors started about these two, it would be even more interesting. The woman having a smaller chest than her boyfriend, such a pair would certainly become the subject of ridicule in the gossip media.
"How about now?" the man in front shouted again.
The black man put away his camera, saying, "No more juicy shots, they're heading back to the hotel."
The man in front shouted again, "Take a few pictures of them going back, we can write that they spent a lovely evening together."
Although the entire 'Pirates of the Caribbean' crew stayed at this hotel, such gossip wouldn't be credible, but paparazzi and tabloids thrive on such fabrications to attract attention.
"Are those two reporters?"
At the beach entrance to the hotel, Keira Knightley glanced back. The speedboat on the sea had become a dot, "Are you sure, Matthew?"
Matthew didn't look back, heading straight for the changing room near the hotel's back door, "It's likely, I saw someone with a camera."
Keira Knightley was indifferent, "Let them be, we aren't doing anything shameful."
After changing, they went to the hotel's ground floor bowling alley, with Keira Knightley teaching Matthew how to bowl.
Meanwhile, in the hotel's second-floor café, Helen Herman was meeting Keira Knightley's agent.
"Hello, James."
They had met before and were acquainted. Helen Herman stood up to shake his hand, "We meet again."
James Barnes sat down, asking, "You wanted to see me?"
Helen Herman smiled slightly, "What do you think about my last proposal?"
"Pairing Matthew with Keira against Johnny Depp?" James Barnes shook his head, "Haven't you noticed? Their relationship is good on set, which also benefits promotion."
"It's not about Matthew and Keira teaming up against Johnny Depp!" Helen Herman emphasized, "It's about you and I teaming up against Johnny Depp's agent! We fight for our clients' deserved rights on set, trying not to involve Matthew and Keira."
James Barnes didn't reply immediately, weighing his options.
Helen Herman continued, "Resources like 'Pirates of the Caribbean' are rare. If the movie succeeds, with proper promotion, Matthew and Keira can definitely rise to the second tier. But Johnny Depp is the biggest name with the best acting skills, and currently, his role seems the most outstanding. Although he's a bit eccentric and indifferent to many things, he has a very assertive agent who demands the promotional resources focus on Johnny Depp, which diminishes what Matthew and Keira receive."
James Barnes still didn't speak, but he agreed with Helen Herman's assessment. Johnny Depp's agent was indeed assertive, and some demands were excessive, diluting the resources available to Keira Knightley.
After a moment, he asked, "What do you suggest?"
"We approach from multiple angles," Helen Herman spoke in a low voice, discussing at length with James Barnes.
"Okay, that works. Even if we don't gain more, it won't be worse than the current situation," James Barnes agreed with what Helen Herman suggested. However, he added, "There's one issue; Keira is not yet eighteen, we need her family's consent."
Helen Herman nodded, "Fine, you contact Keira's family. When the time is right, we'll approach Jerry Bruckheimer. I'm sure he won't refuse."
James Barnes stood up, extending his hand to Helen Herman, "Pleased to cooperate!"
Helen Herman shook his hand, "Pleased to cooperate."
Five days passed in a flash, and after rejoining the shooting, Matthew found Keira Knightley seemed to have issues with him. He asked her about it, and she handed him an American newspaper with their photo on the beach in swimsuits, standing side by side. The tabloid specifically circled their chests, emphasizing Matthew's broad chest muscles compared to Keira's flatness.
The tabloid used an exaggerated headline - "Hollywood's Most Incongruous Couple!"
Matthew didn't read the content, knowing it was fabricated stories about him and Keira Knightley.
For the next two days, whenever Matthew entered or exited the hotel, paparazzi and reporters would ask about his supposed romance with Keira Knightley.
He didn't respond recklessly, consulting Helen Herman first. She advised him to neither confirm nor deny.
Matthew also asked Keira Knightley, who had already discussed it with her agent. The agent's stance was similar to Helen Herman's, not responding to the inquiries.
So, Matthew set the matter aside and focused on filming Will Turner's scenes.
"Dead men tell no tales…"
On the rail of the Interceptor, many actors peered out. Beside Matthew, Angus Barnett looked at the sea, saying, "This route has claimed the lives of many fine sailors!"
Matthew stared at the calm blue sea, silent.
Angus Barnett turned and walked back, Matthew followed, curious, "How did Jack get that compass? Do you know?"
"Before Jack Sparrow went to Tortuga Island…" Angus Barnett pulled hard on a rope, "Not many know about his past."
Angus Barnett moved to the other side, "He was obsessed with finding the treasure of Isla de Muerta." He took out a flask to drink, "I met him when he was captain of the Black Pearl."
Matthew's face showed disbelief, "What? He never mentioned it!"
Then, they started discussing pirate treasures and Jack Sparrow's past.
This long dialogue scene, surprisingly, was approved by director Gore Verbinski in just one take - a first for Matthew for such a lengthy scene.
Unable to see the footage, Matthew guessed the smooth filming was mainly due to Verbinski's less strict requirements, especially for his character, which focused more on physicality and appearance than Johnny Depp's. Standards were slightly lowered.
For scenes with Will Turner and Jack Sparrow together, the requirements were the same, but when Will Turner appeared alone, Verbinski was a bit more lenient.
Secondly, as David Asters said, although Matthew's acting progress wasn't obvious, it had improved, not stagnating.
After this scene, Will Turner's scenes in the Caribbean were all completed.
The quick completion of the Caribbean shoot was also related to the recent speedboat accident involving Matthew, Johnny Depp, and Keira Knightley. Originally, there were night scenes planned in the Caribbean, but after the accident and discovering frequent tidal phenomena in the area, Jerry Bruckheimer decided for safety to shoot some scenes in a studio.
Otherwise, any accidents involving the crew would have been more troublesome than altering the shooting plan.
The next day, Matthew and most of the crew took a charter flight back to Los Angeles. Upon returning, the crew didn't start shooting immediately but took a long break, planning to regroup in early October at the Disney studio to shoot the remaining scenes.
After spending over ten days in the Caribbean, though not overly busy, Matthew still rested well for two days after returning, considering his health as the foundation of his career.
Soon, he was contacted by Rachel McAdams, who specifically called him.