It was two in the morning, and the sky was still pitch black. Matthew had already entered Pinewood Studios and was sitting in a makeup trailer outside the soundstage, beginning the long process of getting his makeup done. Fortunately, he had filmed "Gladiator" before, so he was mentally prepared for this. Moreover, while the makeup artist was working, he wasn't completely immobile, so he pulled out the script and began to read.
Matthew had carried the script with him ever since he boarded the flight to London, taking it out to read whenever he had free time.
According to his and Helen Herman's investigation and understanding, Stephen Sommers was a rather stubborn person. When working under such a director, it was best to follow the script he had written.
In addition, he wore a small Walkman, so he could listen to the ancient Egyptian lines through headphones at any time.
The Scorpion King didn't have many lines in the film, and they were all in ancient Egyptian. When Matthew finished his audition, the crew hadn't informed him of this, nor had they asked him to prepare specifically. It was only after arriving in London that they gave him a cassette tape and told him to master it as soon as possible.
There were only five very short sentences on the tape. Although Matthew quickly memorized them, he was somewhat worried about his language ability and would take it out to listen from time to time.
The makeup alone took nearly three hours. By the time Matthew had changed his clothes and completed his entire look, it was already 7:30 AM.
Outside the makeup trailer, the sky was bright, and Matthew's stomach was rumbling. Filming wouldn't start for a while.
According to the contract, this was his dedicated makeup trailer, and the makeup artist was also his dedicated makeup artist during the days the crew was filming.
"One more thing..." the female makeup artist said, with the help of her assistant, as she temporarily pinned Matthew's wig to his head and covered it with a cap. "Once this is done, you can have breakfast."
She checked her watch and said, "The crew will be officially starting work soon, and your assigned assistant should be here any minute."
Matthew asked, "Sasha, is the assistant male or female?"
The makeup artist smiled and said, "It could be a man or a woman. Before filming began, the crew recruited many young men and women new to the industry from both the UK and the US."
She gestured to Matthew, "Stand up."
Matthew cooperated and stood up. Sasha and her assistant together applied a special makeup oil to his bare upper body and the parts of his legs exposed beneath his armored skirt.
The oiled muscles appeared more defined and smooth, as sharply chiseled as rock, and even to the naked eye, they looked increasingly robust and powerful.
After applying the oil, Sasha walked around Matthew several times, front and back, to ensure everything was perfect. "Alright, finally done."
A knock suddenly sounded, and Matthew called out casually, "Come in."
A girl who looked to be in her early twenties walked in. She was wearing a white short-sleeved T-shirt and denim capri pants. Beneath her black medium-length hair was a typical Asian face.
The girl walked directly to Matthew's side and introduced herself, "Hello, Mr. Horner, I'm Mila Wang, your assistant during the filming period."
Matthew glanced at her. This girl looked very much like an Asian mixed-race. Perhaps in the Western aesthetic for Eastern women, like Lucy Liu, she might be considered ordinary, but in the Eastern aesthetic, she was quite good-looking.
"Are you..." he probed, "Chinese?"
The girl shook her head. "No, I'm British, of Chinese descent."
"Hmm." Matthew didn't pursue that topic further and said, "Do you know where the crew's catering truck is?"
"Do you need me to get breakfast?" The girl named Mila clearly had a good understanding of her assistant duties. "What would you like to eat?"
Makeup artist Sasha interjected, "Bread or other easy-to-eat food would be best." She then told Matthew, "You need to be careful when eating and drinking."
Matthew wasn't a novice and naturally knew to maintain his makeup. He told Mila, "Please get me some bread, thank you." He then asked Sasha and her assistant, "What would you two like to eat?"
"We're fine." Sasha walked to the sink, turned on the tap, and said while washing her hands, "I'm done, I'll go myself."
Mila left first, followed by Sasha and her assistant, who also exited the makeup trailer.
Matthew sat in his chair, and in less than five minutes, Mila pushed the door open and walked in. She brought several different kinds of bread.
After carefully eating some food, Sasha and her assistant returned. Soon after, a crew member came to inform Matthew to enter the soundstage to prepare. He picked up his weapon and shield and was the first to leave the makeup trailer.
Unlike the minor roles he had played before, the Scorpion King was an important supporting character. The crew had specially assigned him a makeup artist and an assistant. During filming, the makeup artist would inevitably be on set for touch-ups, and the assistant would also be on standby at all times.
Matthew didn't have the habit of ordering people around, but just like asking Mila to get breakfast, once he was in makeup, his movements would inevitably be restricted.
Entering the soundstage, yellow sand was spread on the ground, and all around, besides the camera positions, large green screens had been set up.
Besides the sand, the most numerous people on set were extras. There were hundreds of extras like Matthew, shirtless and holding weapons.
All these people were to serve as his background.
Matthew, led by the assistant director, entered the filming area and stood in front of a group of extras.
Director Stephen Sommers, after checking the cameras, walked into the filming area and then saw Matthew. He first frowned, a hint of displeasure rising in his heart, then stopped and carefully scrutinized him.
"It seems his physique is even more muscular than during the audition?"
Stephen Sommers quickly confirmed this and immediately realized that this actor must have done a lot of preparation after the audition.
This lessened his aversion somewhat.
At least physically, this actor seemed to have prepared thoroughly.
Then, Stephen Sommers came in front of all the actors and waved to Matthew, "Come here!"
Matthew didn't say a word and quickly walked to Stephen Sommers's side.
Stephen Sommers was a director after all, and he quickly suppressed some of his inner thoughts, prioritizing work. He said, "You stand on the rock in front of them and command them to attack, doing as the script says."
Matthew replied very seriously, "Yes!"
Stephen Sommers looked at his styling again and said, "Remember to use ancient Egyptian."
Matthew again replied without hesitation, "Yes!"
Stephen Sommers called over an assistant director, no longer bothering with Matthew, and went to coordinate the extras' positions.
Shield in his left hand, sword in his right, Matthew walked onto the rock at the very front of the army. He looked at the green screen opposite, then turned his head to look behind him. Stephen Sommers was meticulously busy with his work.
This was undoubtedly a dedicated director. From their brief conversation, Matthew could roughly tell that Stephen Sommers still didn't like him, but he could suppress his personal feelings and prioritize work above all else.
After all, Matthew had already signed a contract with the crew, and without major changes, he couldn't alter this fact.
Matthew then turned back, mentally reviewed the script, and muttered the strangely pronounced ancient Egyptian lines to himself, temporarily pushing Stephen Sommers out of his mind.
He would try his best to avoid any unpleasantness with Director Stephen Sommers. Before coming to London, he had already decided to be professional, patient, humble, and maintain good relationships with others on set. If possible, it would be best to improve his relationship with Stephen Sommers, at least to prevent the director from always having a cold face when looking at him.
After coordinating the extras' positions, filming immediately began.
"Ha ah..."
A chorus of powerful male shouts echoed on set. Matthew stood at the front of the line, wearing a uniquely shaped scorpion bracelet on his right hand, raising his sword and roaring loudly, "Ha ah..."
He was strong and had a large lung capacity, full of vigor, so his voice could easily be distinguished even amidst the shouts of hundreds of people.
"Ha ah! Ha ah..."
Matthew was still shouting. After nearly two months of professional training, his physique was even more like Michelangelo's David, but his brave and fearless expression surpassed thousands of statues!
Matthew had already played this type of tough guy or warrior role twice, so he was experienced. Coupled with many practice sessions during the preparation period, playing the Scorpion King now felt relatively easy.
At the entrance of the soundstage, a man and a woman walked in. Both were dressed in 1930s or 1940s attire.
"Brendan, is that the Scorpion King?" The female lead, Rachel Weisz, asked the male lead next to her, Brendan Fraser. Brendan Fraser nodded, "It should be him."
Because they were filming, both spoke in very low voices.
Rachel Weisz stared intently at the set. "He's so strong! He looks like a god of war."
"He is." Brendan looked down at his slightly out-of-shape physique and said with a smile, "I'm a little envious."
"Ha ah..." Matthew raised his sword and shouted a few more times.
The expression on his face gradually turned fierce, and he roared out a few lines in ancient Egyptian.
The soldiers played by the extras behind him shouted and ran forward, with Matthew leading the charge, his long legs carrying him ahead of everyone.
"Cut!"
Stephen Sommers called a halt to filming. The crew immediately stopped working, but he didn't speak. Instead, he pressed the replay button on the director's monitor to rewatch the recently shot footage.
His focus, of course, was on the Scorpion King.
Shouting, no problem; physique, no problem; expression, no problem; costume and props, no problem; Matthew Horner's performance and demeanor, still no problem!
If a perfect score was 100, this shot could easily get 80 points!
For a commercial entertainment film, this was not only enough but more than sufficient!
Stephen Sommers pressed the pause button, and the screen happened to stop on a close-up of Matthew.
This person was indeed not as strong as Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, but that indescribable warrior quality was even more evident. If Dwayne Johnson was an incredibly strong man, Matthew Horner, seen through the camera, looked like Ares, the god of war, had descended upon the soundstage.
"This take is good!"
He couldn't find a reason not to approve this shot.