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"Listen to me, Matthew."
The makeup artist was applying makeup to Matthew, and Bearded Jack stood nearby, reminding him, "In about twenty minutes, Ridley and Jerry Bruckheimer will be coming over. The audition is right here. Don't be nervous; they're just here to see your look."
"Okay." While the makeup artist went to get something, Matthew turned his head and smiled at Jack, "Thank you."
Jack shook his head slightly, "It's a small matter." He added, "My family and Helen's are old family friends; I definitely have to help her out."
Matthew could understand the subtext; Jack didn't seem to want to have too much to do with a small actor like him, and the help was entirely for Helen Herman's sake.
He could accept this calmly. According to Helen Herman, Bearded Jack's career goal was to become a gold-medal producer like Jerry Bruckheimer, and he was currently just accumulating seniority and experience.
The black hawk down Crew was holding internal auditions, which were relatively simple and far less tedious than open auditions, and the number of actors participating was not large.
The makeup was quickly finished. Since the audition was for a soldier role, similar to the makeup on the band of brothers Crew, the makeup artist simply outlined Matthew's facial lines to highlight a tough and resolute temperament, making his features more three-dimensional and distinct.
Subsequently, the Stylist selected two well-fitting military uniforms for Matthew. Matthew had been preparing for the audition for a while, so he naturally recognized that one of these uniforms belonged to the Army Delta Force and the other to the Rangers.
Both sets of uniforms were combat fatigues, but without helmets or weaponry.
Matthew was still in the dressing room changing into the Army Delta Force uniform when footsteps suddenly sounded outside, followed by Jack's voice greeting someone, and then the voices of two other men speaking.
He surmised that Ridley Scott and Jerry Bruckheimer had arrived.
"This actor is named Matthew Horner, a Texan." Voices came from outside; Bearded Jack was clearly helping him. "Matthew Horner has played several war roles in the past. He played the Barbarian Leader of the Germanic tribes facing the Roman legions in Gladiator, and also participated in the DreamWorks and HBO collaboration band of brothers. From last November to this May, he has been maintaining military training."
Jerry Bruckheimer didn't seem particularly impressed; Matthew only heard him say flatly, "Mhm, I see."
Outside the dressing room, Jack stopped talking. He was only an executive producer and had already informed Jerry Bruckheimer of all of Matthew Horner's advantages; saying more might be counterproductive.
Ridley Scott remained silent. Jerry Bruckheimer checked his watch. The dressing room door opposite them suddenly opened, and a tall soldier walked out, came to stand opposite them, stood at attention, and gave a standard American military salute.
Jerry Bruckheimer looked at Matthew, slightly puzzled. Had they encountered an actual soldier?
"Have you served in the military before?" he couldn't help but ask.
"No!" Matthew knew his carefully prepared entrance had worked. "During my time filming band of brothers, I underwent rigorous military training."
Jerry Bruckheimer withdrew his gaze,
turning instead to Ridley Scott beside him, "You're the director, what do you think?"
Ridley Scott said nothing, only nodded.
"Alright, let's stop here," Jerry Bruckheimer said to Matthew. "No need to change into the second set."
As the powerful producer of the Crew, he walked directly up to Matthew and extended a hand, "Welcome to the Crew, Matthew Horner."
Matthew quickly stepped forward and shook Jerry Bruckheimer's hand firmly, "It's my honor."
Jerry Bruckheimer didn't say much more, turning to Ridley Scott, "Let's go. Jonny Lee Miller and his Agent should be arriving soon. Let's go talk to them."
"Jonny Lee Miller?" Matthew caught a familiar name.
Ridley Scott and Jerry Bruckheimer left. Matthew didn't immediately go to remove his makeup and change clothes, but asked Jack, "is Jonny Lee Miller also here for an audition?"
This wasn't a secret, and Jack said casually, "He's here to discuss a contract. Originally, the Crew invited Ewan McGregor, but his schedule didn't fit, so he recommended Jonny Lee Miller to the Crew."
Jack asked Matthew curiously, "You know him?"
"I don't," Matthew quickly made up an excuse. "I've seen Trainspotting starring him and Ewan McGregor. I really liked their performances."
Jack didn't doubt him and said, "Go remove your makeup. I'll go notify Helen first. Let her handle the contract negotiations for you and try to sign it as soon as possible to avoid any unnecessary changes."
"Mhm." Matthew nodded, "Thanks for the trouble, Jack."
He knew it was safest to get the contract settled quickly; it wasn't unheard of in Hollywood for an actor to pass an audition and then be replaced later.
After removing his makeup and changing back into his own clothes, Matthew left the styling room and went to a lounge. Helen Herman wasn't there; she was likely talking to the Crew about his contract.
From the time he arrived at the Crew this morning until now, Matthew also felt that time was indeed very tight, and the Crew's efficiency was quite high.
Based on this situation, as long as Helen Herman's terms weren't too far from the Crew's, the contract issue could be resolved today.
After sitting in the lounge for a while, more people started walking in, mostly actors and Agents. Matthew could occasionally hear them talking. Some of these people had already passed their auditions and were waiting to sign with the Crew, while others were queuing up for auditions.
Matthew looked around and didn't see any familiar faces. James McAvoy's audition was scheduled for the coming days.
"Jonny Lee Miller won't be coming here, will he?" He looked toward the lounge entrance and muttered, "I wonder if he'd recognize me."
He probably wouldn't. Regarding that videotape incident, the only people who truly knew the truth were him and Angelina Jolie. Angelina Jolie wouldn't leak the news, and he certainly wouldn't blabber about it himself.
Counting it up, he had only delivered models to Jonny Lee Miller twice and had only met him twice.
Just as Matthew was about to look away, a familiar figure flashed into the lounge entrance. His brow furrowed slightly as his gaze landed on this person.
As soon as Tom Hardy entered the lounge, he keenly sensed someone staring at him, and then he discovered a face that had left a deep impression on him.
Without thinking, he walked straight over and said, "Matthew Horner!"
"Long time no see, Tom." Seeing his aggressive manner, Matthew smiled and pointed to the chair next to him, "Don't be a stranger, have a seat."
Tom Hardy stared at Matthew for a while, then noticed that the people in the lounge were all looking at him. Thinking of the crowd Matthew had incited at the bar that time, he quickly pulled out the chair and sat down.
"What are you doing here?" After Tom Hardy asked this, he immediately realized and pointed at Matthew, "Are you also going to be in black hawk down?"
Matthew shrugged, "That's right, I've already passed the audition."
"Good!" Tom Hardy looked at Matthew and suddenly nodded, saying in a strange tone, "Good! Very good!"
"I think it's good too," Matthew said deliberately. "Tom, we can have a screen showdown again. Your performance last time left a deep impression on me."
Tom Hardy's face instantly darkened. The last time they performed together on screen was simply the humiliation of his life!
"Matthew!" Helen Herman's voice came from the lounge entrance, "Matthew Horner!"
Matthew stopped worrying about Tom Hardy, stood up, and waved over there, "Helen, I'm over here."
Helen Herman glanced this way and tilted her head slightly at him, "Come with me, I need you to sign."
Matthew immediately walked out of the lounge, following Helen Herman toward the elevator bank, and asked, "The contract was settled that quickly?"
"The Crew is short on time and has an ample budget," Helen Herman said as she walked. "Your past three roles also fit the Crew's requirements perfectly. The terms they offered are generally quite generous, so there wasn't much need for haggling."
Turning into the elevator bank, an elevator happened to arrive. The two entered the elevator, and seeing no one else inside, Helen Herman asked directly, "Did you have a conflict with someone?"
"No," Matthew thought for a moment and said, "That guy also appeared in band of brothers and did a scene with me. His performance was terrible, which angered director David Frankel, and most of his scenes were cut. I don't know what he's thinking, but he actually blamed it on me."
Helen Herman, thinking of Matthew's usual behavior, didn't quite believe him, "Really?"
"Of course it's true." Matthew spread his hands helplessly. "This happened in front of everyone on the Crew; many people know about it."
The elevator opened, and Helen Herman stepped out first, saying, "Don't easily get into conflicts with people."
Just as Matthew was about to defend himself, she added another sentence, "But even more so, don't fear competition!"
"Uh..." Matthew thought for a moment and said, "I understand."
He followed Helen Herman into an office near the elevator. The executive producer in charge of this for the Crew had already drafted the contract. Matthew took it and gave it a general browse. After the lawyer and the Actors Guild representative arrived, he signed his name on the contract.
The benefits of this contract were similar to his in the mummy returns, but there was a significant increase in the salary, which reached one hundred and fifty thousand dollars.
Although it couldn't compare to the salaries of famous actors, Matthew was still very satisfied. Right now, he didn't have any major roles under his belt; band of brothers hadn't finished post-production, the mummy returns wouldn't be released until next summer, and although Gladiator was a huge hit, his role had very little screen presence... After signing the contract, Matthew would go back to pack his bags and prepare to set off. Before following the Crew to Morocco, all actors playing US soldiers, regardless of their fame, had to go to a US military base for a ten-day intensive training session.