Filming continued, but after Matthew finished his battle scenes, he temporarily no longer had to act as a background extra. As per the crew's notice, he went to the press room closest to the main entrance of Hatfield Aerodrome to prepare for an interview with three other actors and media reporters.
The night before, the crew's public relations officer had communicated extensively with them, emphasizing what not to say.
On this point, Matthew would not act recklessly and would certainly follow the crew's requirements.
Matthew was not familiar with the three actors who were being interviewed with him; he only knew them. They were all principal actors who had trained with Damian Lewis.
Among the character actors, only Matthew was present.
Led by the crew's public relations officer, the four of them entered the press room, and a warm atmosphere immediately enveloped them. Countless flashbulbs lit up, accompanied by the chaotic sounds of camera shutters.
Although heavyweights like Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg were not present at this press conference, the appearance of Damian Lewis and the four actors, including Matthew, still attracted the attention of media reporters.
Especially since they were all wearing the 101st Airborne Division paratrooper uniforms from World War II.
This was also an important activity in the crew's early promotion and publicity.
After the four actors, including Matthew, posed for a group photo, the public relations officer assigned them to four different areas in the press room to interact directly with media reporters.
Compared to the others, Damian Lewis was the most famous actor, and since he was playing the legendary soldier Captain Richard Winters, he attracted the most media reporters.
The other two principal actors had some minor fame in the industry, but to media reporters, they were unfamiliar faces. Some were even less familiar with them than with Matthew. Most of the people present were entertainment reporters, and some, upon seeing Matthew, immediately recognized him as the MV male lead who had been rumored to be dating Britney Spears.
Therefore, after Damian Lewis, Matthew attracted the second-largest number of reporters.
This situation was completely unexpected by the public relations officer. Before the media reporters could ask questions, he quickly dispatched his most experienced assistant to Matthew's side, to prevent the young actor from saying anything inappropriate under the collective assault of the media.
"Don't say anything out of line," the middle-aged assistant whispered from behind Matthew, "If there's a difficult question, wait for my cue before answering."
Matthew didn't speak but nodded gravely.
Then, a large number of reporters swarmed over. Fortunately, there were staff members maintaining order, so the scene wasn't too chaotic.
"One question per person!" a staff member shouted, "Think carefully before asking Mr. Matthew Horner!"
The first to ask questions were media partners of the production team, and the questions had been pre-discussed between both parties.
"Mr. Horner!" a reporter with a Warner TV badge around his neck asked, "is it true that you underwent rigorous training before filming began?"
"Yes!" Matthew said with a stern expression, just like when he was portraying Ronald Speirs during filming, resembling a true soldier. "We had to be proficient in combat skills and learn to use weapons. We lived and ate outdoors, carrying 40 pounds of equipment while practicing five-mile forced marches..."
These were all carefully prepared statements that Matthew had discussed with the crew. Although they were all fabricated, he delivered them very smoothly. "At a certain stage of training, we could only sleep 3 hours a day, and you couldn't even fall asleep because you'd be shivering from the cold in the tent. But after experiencing all of that, I had a strong sense of accomplishment."
The production team would prepare what the media reporters and audience wanted to see during promotion, rather than just publicizing the facts. Matthew, having been involved in several productions, vaguely understood this point and wasn't resistant to speaking untruths, as this was inherently an actor's job.
"The training brought the actors closer together!" he continued to fabricate as per the crew's instructions, "So when we actually started filming, the camaraderie between us bound us into a cohesive unit, just like a real Band of Brothers!"
Behind him, the middle-aged assistant couldn't help but nod slightly. The production team would only communicate the specific intentions to the actors, not fully draft the questions' dialogue and answers, otherwise, it would seem too fake. Many times, actors needed to improvise.
This young actor named Matthew Horner was doing quite well, much better than he had expected.
In fact, Matthew had done a lot of work after attending the public relations officer's briefing last night, so he was well-prepared.
Although he still lacked experience in dealing with the media, having the crew as a backup meant he wasn't nervous.
Another reporter from Empire magazine, owned by Warner, asked, "May I ask which character you are playing?"
Matthew maintained his soldier-like demeanor, "Ronald Speirs, the fourth company commander of Easy Company."
A reporter from Entertainment Weekly then asked, "Do you have any special feelings or insights from filming? If so, could you share them?"
These three reporters were all from media outlets affiliated with the same group as HBO. Their questions were not only polite but also very cooperative with the crew's promotional needs.
Matthew thought for a moment and then said solemnly, "Before, I had never experienced that sudden rush of adrenaline, but now I have. Because once filming started, the entire set was chaotic. People were constantly falling, and bombs were exploding one after another near you. I can imagine the scene of soldiers falling in droves amidst a hail of bullets and shells back then. Our eyes were filled with fear. We knew it wasn't real, but precisely because of that, we were truly afraid. How did the soldiers back then endure it?"
"Also!" he added, "The camaraderie among comrades in war must condense into a force that overcomes the enemy. Brotherhood is above all else."
After speaking, he subconsciously glanced back and saw the middle-aged press assistant giving him a discreet thumbs-up, which immediately put him at ease.
The middle-aged press assistant lowered his thumb and watched Matthew continue to field questions from reporters, nodding repeatedly. When he first saw this young actor last night, he wondered why the production team had chosen such a non-main actor to participate in the press conference. Now it seemed the production team had made thorough preparations; this actor named Matthew Horner was no worse at spinning tales than those professional public relations people.
What a talent! He suddenly had an idea: if this actor couldn't make it as an actor, he could actually become a public relations officer or a professional media publicist; he would be perfectly capable.
Matthew understood the value of opportunity. For a character actor at his level, a press conference facing so many media outlets was a rare and coveted chance. Now that he had the opportunity, he naturally had to give it his all. Whether it was his stern soldierly appearance or his answers to every question, he had prepared to some extent beforehand.
In Helen Herman's words, every appearance in the media represented a qualification, and it could potentially play a role in the competition for the next role.
The interview continued, but the questions gradually deviated from the series and character. After all, many reporters were there because they recognized Matthew as Britney's former rumored boyfriend.
Thus, the questions inevitably shifted towards gossip.
"Mr. Matthew Horner!"
A reporter from a famous tabloid loudly asked, "Do you know Britney Spears? And is your relationship not simple?"
Matthew turned to look at the middle-aged press assistant, who slightly shook his head. Matthew immediately said, "Sorry, I don't answer questions unrelated to this production."
The crew staff immediately pointed to another reporter, one who had been pre-approved by the crew, and he asked a question related to Band of Brothers.
The interview lasted for over half an hour. At the end of the interview, Matthew, at the reporters' request, struck several cool soldier poses, allowing the reporters to take photos.
His facial features were sharp, his features well-defined, his stature tall, his demeanor steady, and his expression stern. From any angle, he looked exactly like a formidable soldier!
"The crew really knows how to pick actors..." the faint murmurs of reporters could be heard, "An actor like that is born to be a soldier."
Another person echoed, "Exactly, it's a pity he didn't join the army."
Matthew's expression remained unchanged, but internally, he was complaining about the reporters a hundred times: Join the army? To be cannon fodder for the Americans? No way!
The interview concluded smoothly, and the reporters gradually dispersed. Matthew let out a sigh of relief. The middle-aged assistant stepped forward and whispered, "Well done!"
Matthew smiled at him. Only he knew how hard it was to deal with these reporters.
The middle-aged assistant called out, "Let's go."
He knew he hadn't played any role at all; this actor named Matthew Horner had handled everything very appropriately.
The four actors gathered again, allowed reporters to take a few more photos, and then the press conference concluded.
Afterward, Matthew continued to immerse himself in filming. Ronald Speirs had limited screen time, and for most of the filming, he acted as an extra. However, he didn't relax at all; for someone who had just started in the industry a year ago, every appearance on camera was an extremely valuable experience.
During the filming of Band of Brothers, Matthew celebrated his one-year anniversary since arriving here. In that year, he transformed from someone who had almost nothing, where even accommodation and food were becoming problems, into a character actor who successfully broke into Hollywood and resolved his basic living issues.
He self-assessed his progress as relatively successful; at least his path was currently moving upward, not downward.
Of course, this was still very, very far from the goal of becoming a Hollywood star.
Matthew's filming at Hatfield Aerodrome continued until April. In late April, he finished all of Ronald Speirs's scenes and prepared to return to North America.
This time, upon leaving the set, barring any major unforeseen circumstances, he would not be returning. Moreover, he would also need to prepare to attend the premiere red carpet for Gladiator!
Helen Herman had secured this opportunity, and Matthew certainly wouldn't waste it. He was very much looking forward to walking such a red carpet for the first time.