Back in Los Angeles, Helen Herman immediately contacted the fast & furious Crew about an audition for Matthew. News came back quickly: because of scheduling conflicts with the mummy returns, the originally planned supporting role was no longer viable. He had two choices—either drop fast & furious entirely or switch to a smaller part with far less screen time.
Matthew asked Helen Herman specifically; she said the switch was easy to arrange, and fast & furious would start shooting in July. One bit-part recruit appeared in the early filming block and wouldn't clash with the mummy returns.
His actor contract for the mummy returns contained no restricting clauses, so taking the minor role was no problem.
Besides, the part only had a handful of scenes.
Following the principle of more practice, more learning, more money, Matthew decided to stay in the fast & furious audition—only now for the smaller role instead of the original supporting part.
If possible he'd have loved a lead; he knew the franchise might explode, but the odds were basically zero. By the time Helen Herman first sent the materials, the two leads were already locked—and he now knew their names: Paul Walker and Vin Diesel.
That brought other memories: the former was the actor who would die young; the latter, the bald head of the racing family.
After all, he'd watched pirated copies of the later fast & furious films; the details were hazy, but he remembered the basics.
Two days later Matthew went to Universal Studios, where the fast & furious Crew was holding auditions. Among the candidates for the bit part his résumé was strong, and with his powerful build, solid reading, and a little behind-the-scenes push from Helen Herman, he booked the role.
The pay was only six thousand dollars, split in two: three on signing, three when his scenes wrapped.
It was exactly why he hadn't wanted to pass: his cash was low. the mummy returns fee was a fat hundred grand, but the first installment wouldn't hit until he reported to set; the other two wouldn't arrive until after shooting and post were finished.
Six thousand would keep him afloat until the mummy returns rolled, no need to borrow from Angel Talent Agency again.
A lot of ideas baked into his bones wouldn't turn overnight—like living on credit.
If his dates with Britney hadn't cost money, he'd never have taken that three-thousand-dollar advance from Angel Talent Agency.
Landing the fast & furious part was good news, and he got another: Britney's world tour would pause at the end of June, bringing her back to Los Angeles for next month's MTV Video Music Awards.
She'd still be frantic before the show, but at least they could stay in the same city for a decent stretch.
Until the awards ceremony Matthew had no work. His fast & furious scenes required a few training sessions in July, then a week at most of shooting.
Until then his calendar was open.
Free time didn't mean loafing. He had Helen Herman line up a Westwood gym whose trainer, she claimed, had whipped Hugh Jackman into Wolverine shape for X-Men.
Both gym and trainer were top-tier, and top-tier costs. Matthew gloomily realized that the first paycheck from fast & furious...
...would just cover the membership and coaching fees.
He'd planned to keep running, but after talking to pros—including a body-sculptor friendly with Helen Herman—he learned that clean, elegant muscle needs real resistance work, not miles on a track.
He was training for the scorpion king role, and the Crew still carried a director who disliked him; he wouldn't slack. In Helen Herman's words: in Hollywood you can be a diva, but you'd better be a pro.
The price stung, but payment plans eased the pain, and he wouldn't be broke when Britney returned—he could still afford a hotel Room if needed.
Worst case, he could take a loan; with a signed contract for the mummy returns, a few grand was easy—though he'd avoid it unless desperate.
After buying the membership and handing the trainer the first installment, Matthew realized something: his income had risen, but so had his expenses—not on houses or cars, but on the job itself. He lived cheap, yet money was still tight; once he became a "small name," income would climb, but so would the cost of keeping up appearances.
The thought made him scratch his head—the shiny side of the profession had a shadow he hadn't seen.
Still, he wouldn't waver; he'd chosen the path and would walk it to the end.
From then on, besides mimicry, reading, and writing, he added gym work: five days a week at the club, following a program the trainer built for him.
Evenings were for writing practice, one method being updates to his web blog.
"Feeling great—landed two roles in a row and will soon be part of fast & furious and the mummy Crew. Hope both films hit theaters soon; band of brothers shot last year still hasn't aired. Rumor says editing just started. When will HBO finally show it? Can't wait..."
Only three people followed the blog, and only Elena Boyar ever left a comment.
After posting, he opened the trainer's flash drive with photos the gym had shot for him, created a new post, and uploaded the pictures.
Several showed him in full gear sparring with the coach.
Boxing was part of his daily regimen. The trainer called it prime fat-burn work: drills, coordination, conditioning, mitt and bag work, situational sparring—all to raise fitness and reflexes.
Mixing boxing into regular lifting kept workouts from feeling like a grind.
Truthfully, Matthew enjoyed combat sports; the old Matthew had roamed the streets and fought plenty of backyard brawls.
The boxing program was custom-built: the trainer knew Matthew aimed for action films, not just beach muscles, and better coordination would let him handle stunt work.
By late June, out of interest, Matthew asked the trainer to add one situational spar a week—full pads, almost zero injury risk.
In the first bout the pro coach had him swinging at air, but it only sharpened his resolve; down the road he'd likely shoot action flicks, and knowing a combat skill could only help.
The first half of 2000 slipped by in study and training, and July arrived bringing good news—Britney was back in Los Angeles!