Entering the bar, Michael Fassbender clapped Matthew on the shoulder, pointed to a blonde woman facing away from them, and asked, "is that her?"
The actress had been made up during filming, and the lighting in the bar wasn't very bright, so he wasn't sure.
Matthew glanced over. "That's her."
He found a four-person table and sat down. James McAvoy ordered drinks and poured a glass for everyone.
James McAvoy looked around. "Tom Hardy doesn't seem to be here yet."
"Good opportunity," Matthew said with a smile to Michael Fassbender. "Don't you claim to be an expert? Let us see your skills."
Michael Fassbender glanced at the blonde woman. "You guys wait, ten minutes at most!"
With that, he stood up and walked over.
"Let's drink!" James McAvoy raised his glass to Matthew.
Matthew took a small sip of his drink, his eyes occasionally darting towards the blonde woman's table. They were quite far apart, and the bar was a bit noisy, so he couldn't hear their conversation, but he saw Michael Fassbender sit down opposite the blonde woman after only a few words.
"This shark…" Matthew couldn't help but shake his head. "He's actually quite skilled."
He and James McAvoy hadn't even finished their first drink when Michael Fassbender returned with the blonde woman.
"Liz, let me introduce you." He pointed to Matthew and James McAvoy. "These two are my friends and also actors in the crew. This is Matthew Horner. This is James McAvoy."
Michael Fassbender then introduced the blonde woman. "This is Elizabeth Koster."
The three of them greeted each other, and the blonde woman, at Michael Fassbender's enthusiastic invitation, sat down at their table.
"We met this afternoon." She looked at Matthew, who nodded and raised his glass to her. "We acted together this afternoon."
Elizabeth Koster picked up the drink James McAvoy had poured for her, gestured to the three of them, and said, "It's a pleasure to meet you all."
After finishing their drinks, the atmosphere gradually grew livelier. Michael Fassbender was clearly a seasoned pro, charming Elizabeth Koster so much that it seemed something might happen tonight.
Outside the bar, Tom Hardy had just gotten out of his car, his gloomy expression showing he was in a terrible mood.
The reason he was so late was that he had called his agent, who, after communicating with the crew, had delivered extremely bad news: apart from the scene already filmed, he only had one more scene to shoot—his death in a car accident!
In other words, all his other scenes had been canceled by the crew, and the next time he went to the set, he would only need to lie on a stretcher as a corpse!
This made Tom Hardy quite angry, but he was powerless to do anything about it.
Fortunately, there was still a beautiful woman he could flirt with; he could vent his frustrations tonight.
Entering the bar, Tom Hardy quickly scanned the room, looking for his target, and then his gaze fell on the table where three men and one woman were seated.
The first person he saw was Michael Fassbender, that bastard who always stole the male leads in the college theater group when they were in school, snatching them from him several times.
Tom Hardy made no secret of his disgust, then saw the other two, especially the guy they filmed with that afternoon, who had shaken his head at him after a take, clearly mocking him, which was very annoying.
Finally, his eyes landed on Elizabeth Koster. Seeing her and Michael Fassbender chatting and laughing intimately, he instantly flared up and strode over.
Because their seats faced the bar entrance, Matthew was the first to see Tom Hardy. He gave Michael Fassbender a look, stood up, and greeted, "Hey, Tom, come join us for a drink!"
Elizabeth Koster looked back, then, as if she didn't recognize Tom Hardy, continued to chat and laugh with Michael Fassbender.
Tom Hardy's face darkened as he walked over.
James McAvoy had already called a waiter to add a chair next to their table.
Matthew, Michael Fassbender, and James McAvoy all smiled at Tom Hardy, and Elizabeth Koster also looked at him with a curious smile.
But in Tom Hardy's eyes, all these smiles were mockery.
He came to the table but didn't sit down; his gloomy expression only deepened.
Tom Hardy first glared at Elizabeth Koster, then spoke, "Don't think I don't know what you're trying to do!"
He slammed his hand on the table, his voice suddenly rising. "Aren't you just trying to mock me? Huh? Mock me for having most of my scenes canceled by the crew?"
Matthew and James McAvoy exchanged glances. They had indeed intended to do that when they called Tom Hardy over, but they hadn't expected him to beat them to it.
"Mock me, huh?" Tom Hardy looked ferocious. "Are you mocking me? Go on, mock me if you dare!"
He extended his finger, pointing successively at Michael Fassbender, Matthew, and James McAvoy. "Keep laughing, huh? Keep laughing! Mock me!"
Perhaps they hadn't expected Tom Hardy to do this, or perhaps they were instantly intimidated by his fierce demeanor, but James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender were stunned.
Because Tom Hardy's voice was very loud, many people around looked over, staring at Matthew and the others in surprise, not knowing what was happening.
Tom Hardy slammed the table again and opened his mouth to speak… "Ha… haha… ha…" Matthew's sudden laughter interrupted him. "Haha… haha…"
As he laughed, Matthew also wore a sneering expression. "Haha… haha…"
"You… you!" Tom Hardy pointed at Matthew, demanding, "What are you laughing at! You actually…"
Seeing that everyone around was paying attention, Matthew deliberately raised his voice. "Hey, you're the one who told me to mock you." He looked around and asked, "You guys, did he tell me to laugh?"
People who enjoy a spectacle never mind a big fuss, and besides, Tom Hardy had indeed just said it, so a jumble of voices erupted around them.
"Yes, I heard it!"
"You told him to laugh, and he laughed. is there a problem?"
These voices also reminded James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender. Both of them simultaneously slapped the table and burst into laughter, their sneers clearly visible to anyone.
Then, a chorus of laughter also erupted around them, as if the entire bar had started laughing.
Tom Hardy had never been mocked by so many people at once. His handsome face flushed crimson, and he raised his hand again, pointing at Matthew. "You… you…"
His other hand clenched into a fist.
Matthew's body instantly tensed, and he became fully alert.
Michael Fassbender and James McAvoy had been watching Tom Hardy. Seeing him clench his fist, the former raised his voice, "What do you want to do?"
James McAvoy quietly gripped a beer bottle, a sinister smile appearing on his lips. "Tom, there are three of us!"
Just then, a familiar voice came from the bar entrance. "What's going on here?"
The big man, Michael Cudlitz, was looking at Matthew's group with concern.
Then, several other voices chimed in, "James, need any help?"
"Michael, Matthew, don't worry, we're here!"
Six or seven people entered the bar, all actors who had trained together. Because of Tom West, their relationships were far better than those of typical crew members.
Tom Hardy only glanced at them, then instinctively withdrew the hand he was pointing at Matthew. He glared fiercely at Matthew, Michael Fassbender, and James McAvoy, then turned around and walked towards the bar entrance without looking back.
"Tch, I thought he was some big shot, but he got scared and ran off!"
"Just a spineless guy!"
"He looks like a wimp, and he acts even wimpier."
"No guts to fight, but he still provokes. He's got issues!"
Unable to see a spectacle, the people in the bar were disappointed, and various jeers followed one after another.
Tom Hardy paused, then finally walked out of the bar.
"That guy actually has some brains." James McAvoy released the beer bottle and sat back in his chair. "I really wish he had stayed to fight us."
Michael Fassbender picked up his glass, drank the contents, and said, "He's not that foolish."
Matthew, however, didn't bother with the departed Tom Hardy. He said to Michael Cudlitz and the six or seven others, "Thanks, everyone. Drinks are on me tonight!"
He was always good at handling people.
As it grew late and they had filming the next day, Matthew and the others quickly dispersed. Michael Fassbender successfully took the blonde woman to another hotel to get a room, while the rest went back to rest.
After this incident at the bar, Matthew only saw Tom Hardy once more on set. He was lying on a stretcher, playing a dead body, and the camera quickly panned over him, marking the end of his scenes as the orderly.
As he wasn't a main character in any of the episodes, Matthew's scenes weren't numerous. After filming his parts in Episode 9, he once again became background scenery, either an American soldier on the roadside whose face wasn't shown, or a German soldier who had been killed.
After entering March, the town of Foy, which the crew had built at the outdoor set, was declared complete. David Frankel moved to the outdoor set and began filming Episode 7.
In this episode, Matthew took on Ronald Speirs's most important scenes. Ronald Speirs would transition from a lieutenant in D Company to the new commander of E Company.
Matthew was also prepared, especially since he had recently resumed some military training. This war scene required him to film it himself.
On a bright sunny afternoon, the crew assembled over a hundred actors. After Matthew finished his makeup, he saw Gary Goetzman, Erik Bork, and several other producers near the director's chair, suggesting that the crew had other matters to attend to besides this particular shoot.