Hearing the woman introduce herself and seeing her charming face, Matthew immediately thought of one character—Harley Quinn! Even without pigtails or clown makeup, he recognized this unforgettable face in an instant. That movie was truly awful in every respect, yet it managed to have one standout character: Harley Quinn.
Margot Robbie... Matthew suddenly remembered her name. Recently, her name was on the list of potential candidates for the role of Jay in G.I. Joe 2: Retaliation. At the time, Stephen Sommers had favored Adrianne Palicki, and Matthew had agreed without giving much thought to the other candidates.
Matthew took her extended hand and gave it a firm shake. "Hello, Ms. Robbie."
"Oh, finally! I've been waiting for you," she said, not even trying to hide her bluntness. "I've been coming to this club every day, practicing shooting here for almost half a month, just hoping to run into you."
Matthew looked her up and down. "So you've been waiting specifically for me?"
Margot Robbie made no attempt to deny it. "Yes." She sounded almost helpless as she explained, "I tried other ways to reach you, but messages kept getting blocked by your agent, assistants, and bodyguards."
"That's not their fault," Matthew said calmly. "I get tons of calls and messages every day. It's difficult for people who don't know me directly to reach me."
Margot Robbie took off her cowboy hat and said, "I understand. Big stars...oh, and big-time producers, too—always busy. So, I had to resort to this clumsy method."
Though her intentions were clear, her openness made it hard for anyone to feel annoyed with her.
She made it clear that this was no coincidence, nor was it a casual encounter. She was here deliberately to see him, and her honesty felt refreshing compared to empty formalities.
Matthew decided to skip the small talk. "So, you need something from me?"
"Yes, I do," she said straightforwardly. "I auditioned for American Sniper. I passed the initial audition for Taya Kyle."
Matthew nodded. "The second round of auditions will be starting soon."
"But I doubt I'll get the role," Margot Robbie replied.
"Since the second audition hasn't even started, nothing's certain yet," he said offhandedly.
She tilted her head, looking at him with a candid gaze. "I competed for the role of Jay, too. I made it through the initial audition, but then the second audition got canceled, and they chose Adrianne Palicki for the part."
"The team thought Adrianne Palicki was a better fit for that role," Matthew replied, not feeling the need to explain further.
Margot Robbie didn't show any frustration. Instead, she responded brightly, "I know. This is Hollywood. If you fail, it means there's something you need to improve."
Her words made Matthew chuckle. This woman was indeed interesting.
"I know there are plenty of small actors in Hollywood just like me," she said quickly. "Matthew, could you give me a fair chance in the second audition?"
"All depends on the audition results," he replied.
Margot Robbie smiled. "Thank you."
That smile made her resemble Harley Quinn even more.
Matthew couldn't help but glance at her again, feeling a little curious. Was she truly this straightforward, or was there more to it?
Margot Robbie gestured toward the lounge. "Let me buy you a drink. Though, they only have water and soft drinks here."
Such an invitation was hard for a gentleman to refuse, so Matthew agreed. They went back to the lounge, but Chris Kyle was no longer there; his newspaper was still on the table, along with their water cups.
Matthew waved to a server and asked where Kyle had gone. The server replied, "Mr. Kyle went to pick up two veterans. It seems their car broke down."
Matthew nodded and invited Margot Robbie to sit at a table nearby. He had already made up his mind. Sitting near the newspaper table would allow Margot Robbie to overhear the upcoming conversation with the veterans about Iraq and the movie, which could be useful for her second audition.
Hopefully, Margot Robbie would pick up on this subtle help.
Margot glanced at the newspaper and had noticed Matthew chatting with American Sniper's real-life inspiration earlier. She assumed they had been discussing something related to the movie.
"What would you like to drink?" she asked him.
"Nothing for me," Matthew replied, shaking his head.
Margot called a server over. "Two waters, please."
Soon, the server brought two fresh white ceramic cups and cleared away the previous ones.
Pointing to the newspaper table, Margot asked, "That was Chris Kyle, wasn't it?" She smiled, adding, "I'm pretty blunt. I just say whatever's on my mind, so don't take it the wrong way."
Matthew shrugged. "It's fine. I like talking to straightforward people."
Margot sighed. "Being straightforward isn't exactly Hollywood-friendly. I've been in Los Angeles for a few years now, and my bluntness has probably rubbed a lot of people the wrong way. I'm still just a small-time actress."
"I started out in the industry's lower ranks, too," Matthew said slowly. "You need patience to wait for the right opportunity, and when it comes, you can't miss it."
Margot Robbie, direct as always, replied, "Actually, I have two opportunities right now."
Matthew looked at her, waiting for her to continue.
And true to her character, she didn't make him wait.
"One is for your American Sniper, and the other is Leonardo DiCaprio's The Wolf of Wall Street, which he's both producing and starring in. The filming schedules overlap, so I can only choose one."
Matthew asked, intrigued, "Why did you choose American Sniper?"
Since she was here, she had obviously prioritized this project and the role of Taya Kyle.
Margot didn't hold back. "Because you're more successful than Leonardo DiCaprio." She flashed him a sweet smile. "In terms of box office, fame, and track record, you far surpass him, so I figured I'd have a better shot at success by going with you."
These practical words would usually be off-putting, but her blunt delivery made them feel oddly refreshing to Matthew.
After all, Hollywood is a place where everyone wants to be a star. Pretending otherwise would just come off as insincere.
Matthew chuckled. "Who knows, you might be passing up a golden opportunity."
"I don't think so," Margot replied, shaking her head firmly. "I've reviewed the stats on your movies over the past five years. Everything indicates that following your lead increases the chances of success."
He liked hearing that, but he didn't dwell on it. Instead, he shifted the conversation to her previous works, which gave him a sense of her background. Since 2009, Margot Robbie had transitioned from Australian projects to Hollywood, taking small roles in shows like Pan Am and films like About Time.
Every actress wants to be a lead, and Margot Robbie was no exception.
In recent years, she had auditioned for several lead roles or prominent parts, only to meet with failures like in G.I. Joe 2.
As they chatted, Matthew found himself wondering whether he should approach Warner Bros. and DC Comics about acquiring the rights for Harley Quinn.
Meanwhile, about ten miles from the shooting club, Chris Kyle spotted two men waiting by the roadside and pulled over in his pickup truck.
Rolling down the window, he called out, "Chad, Eddie, get in!"
Chad Littlefield opened the passenger door and sat up front, while Eddie Ray Routh took the back seat.
As they drove back toward the club, Kyle asked, "What happened? Car trouble?"
Eddie was about to answer, but Chad beat him to it. "We took a cab, but then one of the tires blew out. So we had to call you."
"Bad luck…" Eddie muttered, frustrated.
"No worries," Chris Kyle said, waving it off. "We're close now. We'll be there in no time."
Chad asked, "Is Matthew Horner here? Do you think we'll actually get a spot on his crew as advisors?"
Chris Kyle chuckled. "It won't be that easy. There's still an interview."
"Piece of cake," Chad said confidently. "The SEAL training we went through was way tougher than any interview."
Chris and Chad kept chatting in the front about American Sniper, a source of pride for Chris Kyle.
In the back seat, Eddie found himself increasingly irritated. No one was talking to him, and the two men in front were entirely focused on American Sniper, ignoring him completely.
Staring at them, he suddenly felt his frustration boiling into anger.
"I'm just sitting here alone, with no one talking to me." Eddie's face turned pale as he thought, "They've forgotten me, and that's wrong!"
Just then, the truck pulled to a stop, and Chris called out, "We're here. Let's get out."
_________________________
[Check out my Patreon for +200 additional chapters in all my fanfics! $5 for all!!]
[w w w . p a t r e o n .com / INNIT]
[+50 PowerStones = +1 Chapter] [+5 Reviews = +1 Chapter]