Like so many little girls, Nicola Peltz has always idolised her father. From when she was tiny, she would watch intently as the abrasive businessman conducted his work affairs ruthlessly.
This approach, say those who have worked for Nelson Peltz, is why he became a billionaire. If there was something he wanted, he got it – and he took no prisoners on the way.
It doesn’t take a psychologist to deduce that as young Nicola watched her father succeed in every field he turned his hand to – an activist investor who made his name in frozen foods – she would have absorbed his hardball tactics.
So perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised at what steely Nicola has done now.
With her reputation in tatters following her public fall-out with her in-laws David and Victoria Beckham, after she and husband Brooklyn snubbed all of the former England captain’s 50th birthday celebrations, Nicola has begun her fightback.
And just like her father, I can reveal she’s going in hard – by hiring Harvey Weinstein’s former attack dog to act for her.
This week Nicola, 30, took on Matthew Hiltzik, a crisis management specialist, who acted for the disgraced former Hollywood mogul.
Hiltzik is known for his aggressive manner, which he employs with relish when attempting to bulldoze the press on both sides of the Atlantic into not printing any negative stories about his clients.
Those who know Nicola say she’s desperate to manage her reputation after she was accused of controlling Brooklyn, with some in the Beckham camp referring to Brooklyn as the ‘hostage’
A source who knows the Peltz family told me: ‘Nicola grew up watching her dad throw money at everything. If there was a problem, cash would solve it. Now it seems like she’s doing the same.
‘Nicola’s dad was – and still is – a proper rottweiler when it comes to business. He gets what he wants. Hiltzik is very much like that. He will go to war for Nicola.
‘Hiltzik is regarded as the most hardcore PR in America, he can be rude and aggressive and that’s why people hire him.
‘It is a real statement that Nicola wants to bullishly lead the narrative. It’s very telling just how desperate she is to come out of this looking good.’
I can attest to Hiltzik’s tirades, having recently been bombarded with threatening text messages from him, after the PR man was set on me by a famous friend who didn’t like an article I had written.
Recently, the controversial American influencer Jimmy ‘Mr Beast’ Donaldson hired Hiltzik after a series of allegations were made against the YouTube star, including accusations of rigging giveaways, hiring individuals with criminal backgrounds and mistreating video participants, which he denies.
He also represented actor Johnny Depp in his fight against ex-wife Amber Heard.
Hiltzik, pictured, is known for his aggressive manner, which he employs with relish when attempting to bulldoze the press on both sides of the Atlantic into not printing any negative stories about his clients
The Peltz Beckhams have also instructed Harry and Meghan’s lawyer Jenny Afia, a senior partner at London law firm Schillings, to represent them just weeks after the two couples met at a dinner party in Montecito, California.
What, then, do these expensive hires indicate about Nicola and Brooklyn’s plans for the future?
Those who know Nicola say she’s desperate to manage her reputation after she was accused of controlling Brooklyn, with some in the Beckham camp referring to Brooklyn as the ‘hostage’. This determination to wrestle back control of the media narrative is rooted in Nicola’s laser-focus on growing her movie career.
She got her first agent aged 12, and a year later had made her film debut in Christmas Comedy Deck The Halls.
In 2008 she appeared in comedy Harold and starred in the music video for Miley Cyrus’s 7 Things.
While her professional output has been mixed recently – and that’s a kind interpretation of some of the scathing reviews Nicola has received lately – she believes she can still make it in Hollywood.
‘There is talk there is something in the pipeline,’ said one insider. ‘But it won’t be a blockbuster.’
Nicola is also fighting another battle: her court case against dog groomer Jony Ceballos, manager of the HoundSpa, who treated her beloved chihuahua Nala before she died. Nicola has now been ordered to appear in court by a New York judge for a deposition before October 30.
Nicola said her pet was fit and healthy before the appointment, but came out struggling to breathe and died within hours.
David and Victoria Beckham at the Portrait Gala in 2019. While the Beckhams are keen to become grandparents, a new arrival in the middle of a feud would be tricky
‘She is leaving nothing to chance now,’ said one source.
And that’s for good reason – as one source said: ‘Many believe that she has already lost the PR war against Victoria and David. There is a lot of drama and directors don’t like that.
‘There is a lot at stake for Nicola. Acting is where her heart is and there is no way she will want all of this noise going on to affect her chances of succeeding.’
It’s somewhat ironic, then, that the man who inspired her tenacity has also caused her problems with prospective employers.
Sources say Nicola was ‘furious’ at the negative press around her father’s proxy battle against The Walt Disney Company which saw him fail to gain seats on the board.
Following the defeat, Nelson sold his entire stake in Disney, including the shares owned by his firm Trian Fund Management.
The sale left a bad taste in Hollywood. Some say Nicola believed it could have ended her career.
Nor do the omens look good for an imminent rapprochement between Brooklyn, 26, and his parents. Two weeks ago, Brooklyn took to social media to make it clear whose side he was taking. In an Instagram post, Brooklyn wrote alongside a clip of him and Nicola speeding around Beverly Hills: ‘My whole world x I will love you forever x I always choose you baby x you’re the most amazing person I know xx me and you forever baby.’
Just days before, the couple visited London for a photoshoot with clothing brand Moncler – but didn’t tell his family they would be in town.
This week, they took part in a joint interview – and steamy photoshoot – for the German edition of Glamour magazine.
‘There will always be people who talk. The important thing is we’re happy together,’ said Brooklyn, before Nicola added: ‘It’s not always easy.’
The couple added that they are looking forward to having their own family – something which would be difficult for David and Victoria to hear. While the Beckhams are keen to become grandparents, a new arrival in the middle of a feud would be tricky.
A month ago, I revealed that David and Victoria, 51, were ‘done’ with Nicola.
Meanwhile, Brooklyn has stopped seeing some friends whose parents are close to his mother and father. This includes Gordon Ramsay’s son, Jack, and Guy Ritchie’s son Rocco.
David and Victoria had been angered by associates of Nicola briefing TMZ that they didn’t attend any birthday celebrations because Romeo’s girlfriend Kim Turnbull would also be present, claiming this would be uncomfortable as Kim dated Brooklyn.
This was false – she had enjoyed a romance with Rocco Ritchie.
This week, though, the Mail revealed Romeo and Kim, a well-known DJ, had split.
A family source said: ‘Kim unfairly was put at the centre of the feud. But it will be interesting now to see what reason they will give to avoid the gatherings.’
Surely with their new crack PR team, Nicola and Brooklyn will concoct a reason – though whether anyone will believe them is another matter entirely.
