Shortly after the New Year in 2009, the casting for "Inception" was finalized. Besides Matthew playing the lead role of Dom Cobb, also known as the "Extractor" in Christopher Nolan's vision, the other roles were also filled with suitable actors. James McAvoy was cast as Arthur, the "Point Man," and Michael Fassbender took on the role of Eames, the "Forger."
Both of Matthew's recommendations had successfully passed the auditions.
Additionally, Emma Roberts, with the help of her aunt Julia Roberts, secured the role of Ariadne, the "Architect," and Anne Hathaway signed on to play Mal, Dom Cobb's wife, also referred to as the "Shade."
Two long-time collaborators with Christopher Nolan were also cast: Cillian Murphy as the target, Fischer, and Michael Caine as the professor, Miles. These two were widely recognized as Nolan's go-to actors.
Ken Watanabe was also cast as the Japanese businessman.
The cast of "Inception" was star-studded, and the crew behind the scenes was equally impressive. This included Christopher Nolan and other industry veterans like the cinematographer, editor, costume designer, and special effects supervisor, many of whom were frequent attendees at the Oscars. These top talents from Hollywood's industrial system were set to come together.
For example, the score was to be composed by Hollywood's top commercial composer, Hans Zimmer.
On the first day when all the main actors assembled, Warner Bros. organized a grand press conference.
The media's focus was primarily on Matthew and Christopher Nolan.
This was expected, as within any crew, there is always a hierarchy, and the lead actor and director naturally garner more attention than the rest.
With "The Dark Knight" nearing a billion dollars at the global box office, Christopher Nolan's new film was highly anticipated.
After asking a few questions to the supporting actors, the reporters first inquired about the film's subject matter. Christopher Nolan vaguely mentioned that it involved dreams and theft but refrained from revealing any specifics.
The reporters knew they wouldn't get much information about the film's content, so they shifted their focus to the collaboration between Matthew and Christopher Nolan.
"Nolan, this is your first time working with Matthew," a reporter from The Hollywood Reporter asked, "Why did you choose Matthew for the lead role?"
Christopher Nolan smiled and said, "Matthew has a certain elegance that comes with maturity." He glanced at Matthew, not sparing any words of praise, "There's a timeless quality to Matthew, much like another Jack Nicholson or Al Pacino."
He emphasized, "Matthew is going to be an eternal movie star!"
Such high praise, coming from a commercial director like Nolan, was naturally more satisfying than hearing it from an entertainment reporter.
After asking Nolan a few more questions about the film, the reporters eventually turned their attention to Matthew.
A reporter from Entertainment Weekly stood up and asked, "Matthew, what led to your collaboration with Nolan on this project?"
Matthew effortlessly came up with a response, "A very outstanding script." He was always a master at generating buzz during interviews, and this time was no different. "To be honest, the first time I read the script that Nolan sent over, I didn't understand the story at all."
Another reporter from Empire asked, "Do you understand it now?"
Matthew didn't directly answer but smiled and said slowly, "This story has been brewing in Nolan's mind for ten years; he knows it inside and out. But it took me several readings before I started to grasp it, and then I was completely hooked."
Since Christopher Nolan had been so generous with his praise earlier, Matthew didn't hesitate to return the favor. "It's a grand concept, and in preparing for the role so far, Nolan has helped me a lot. He set up the character, helped me flesh it out, and told me to establish an emotional connection with the character."
Matthew emphasized, "This really is an outstanding script. Nolan is sure to deliver a movie that packs a punch. These days, it's hard to make a film that's truly innovative, but Nolan has already proven that he's the best at it."
The reporters glanced at Matthew, then at Christopher Nolan, noting how the two were showering each other with praise, as if trying to elevate one another to the highest pedestal.
Indeed, in Hollywood, it wasn't just the stars who had thick skins—the more famous someone was, the thicker their skin seemed to become.
"Just now, Nolan mentioned that this film is about dreams," a female reporter stood up to ask Matthew, "Have you ever had any interesting dreams?"
The question was rather dull, but Matthew still answered, "I rarely dream. As soon as my head hits the pillow, my brain is so tired it just wants to shut down for a few hours. Most of my dreams I don't remember, as if I never had them at all."
He tried to steer the conversation back on track, "In fact, for this film, I even tried reading Freud's 'The Interpretation of Dreams,' but I quickly gave up. Instead, I found it more helpful to chat with Nolan."
This was one of the few honest statements he made. He still hadn't finished the books Nolan had given him.
Philosophical reflections and similar topics were too abstract for him.
Matthew paused briefly, then continued, "Through my conversations with Nolan, I've come to understand that we all suppress many things—emotions, thoughts. When we dream, we mistakenly believe we're experiencing reality. It's only when we wake up that we realize this reality exists only in our minds."
Another reporter stood up and asked, "What are your personal dreams? Can you share them with us?"
"My personal dreams?" Matthew didn't want to dwell too much on this question, so he simply said, "To continue being an active actor on screen, to play good roles, and to present the best version of myself to the audience."
Of course, this was just a small part of his dreams; the rest were far grander and more lofty.
While Hollywood was full of people with even grander dreams, most of those dreams would never become a reality. But Matthew was confident his dreams would come true, one by one.
Of course, there was still one major obstacle to achieving these dreams.
That obstacle was so terrifying that he didn't even dare to mention its name.
As the press conference ended, Matthew and Christopher Nolan headed to the lounge together.
"The crew will start shooting after the Oscars ceremony this year," Nolan reminded him, "Make sure to adjust your schedule accordingly."
He knew that all the big-name actors in Hollywood were busy, and Matthew was no exception.
Matthew nodded lightly, "I understand." He gave a heads-up, "During filming, I'll need to take a trip to Africa. The schedule is similar to the crew's; I'll be joining the UNHCR team in Morocco. Also, I have some promotional events for 'Fast & Furious 4' that I need to attend."
"No problem," Nolan thought for a moment and said, "Just give me a copy of your schedule."
"I'll have someone send it to your email today," Matthew replied.
As Nolan started chatting with Michael Caine, who had joined them, Matthew pulled out his phone and sent a text to Bella Anderson, instructing her to send his schedule for the next six months to Christopher Nolan and to keep in touch with the crew.
The crew couldn't fully adapt their schedule to his, so both sides would need to make some concessions to reach an agreement.
James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender approached, and Matthew waved at them, inviting them to walk with him to the parking lot.
"Want to come over to my place tonight?" Matthew offered, "I've got a few good bottles of wine; we can have a drink together."
"I don't have time," James McAvoy replied, "My agent has arranged a meeting with an executive at 20th Century Fox."
Michael Fassbender also shook his head, "I have a date tonight."
Hearing this, Matthew couldn't help but ask, "A date? With a woman?"
"That's a loaded question!" James McAvoy suddenly laughed, "If Michael isn't dating a woman, is he dating a man?"
Matthew joked, "Maybe Michael's had enough of women and wants to try something different."
"You've been with more women than I have," Fassbender retorted, "Are you tired of it?"
Matthew quickly shook his head, "No way! I'll never get tired of it."
On this topic, he had no other thoughts.
"You two are too much," Fassbender said, feigning a serious and somber expression, "You're going to corrupt a good man like me."
James McAvoy, however, said, "Come on." He gave Matthew a knowing look, "Do you know who Michael's been dating recently?"
"No idea," Matthew shook his head.
McAvoy leaned in conspiratorially, "A Black actress."
Matthew looked at Fassbender, "Are you serious?"
"He's got quite the taste," McAvoy added.
Fassbender shrugged, "Just having some fun, not getting married." As they entered the parking lot, he lowered his voice and said to Matthew and McAvoy, "I'd suggest you try it too. Smooth skin, great stamina, and incredible flexibility—it's really something."
McAvoy thought for a moment, "It does sound appealing."
Matthew considered it briefly, wondering if there were any particularly attractive Black actresses in the industry, but he hadn't really paid attention.
After saying goodbye to McAvoy and Fassbender, Matthew was just about to get into his car when he heard footsteps behind him.
Then, a woman called out to him, "Matthew..."
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