The scorching sun beat down like fire; Morocco in January offered no respite from the heat.
However, the film crew's shooting schedule continued uninterrupted.
With the film set for release at the end of the year and still behind schedule, Ridley Scott had re-adjusted the production plan, making the schedule incredibly tight, and overtime was gradually becoming the norm.
Matthew, after finishing his makeup, slung his CAR-15 rifle over his shoulder and, carrying his helmet, entered the set.
In just a few dozen meters, he felt his military uniform become soaked with sweat.
Having just returned from the cool climate of Los Angeles, it was difficult to adjust.
He had recently gone back to North America, spending New Year's Day 2001 in the City of Angels with Britney, only to be recalled to Morocco a week later by a call from the production team.
Unconsciously, time had already moved into 2001, and he had been here for two years...
Thinking these thoughts, Matthew walked onto the film set, felt something underfoot, quickly focused, dodged the broken bricks in front, and arrived at the crashed Black Hawk helicopter.
Of course, the U.S. military would not actually provide a helicopter for the crew to crash; this was a meticulously crafted prop by the production team.
Under the assistant director's guidance, Matthew took his designated position.
Within minutes, numerous actors playing American soldiers had gathered in the area where the Black Hawk helicopter had crashed.
Filming then began, with continuous gunshots and explosions occasionally erupting into the sky.
Throughout the entire afternoon, the crew filmed scenes of the U.S. military engaging in firefights with Somali militia.
Unlike the filming before Christmas, perhaps because Ridley Scott had reduced the screen time for Black extras, the shooting proceeded smoothly.
Most scenes were completed in a single take, and as evening approached, the scenes for this location were nearing completion.
"Matthew! Matthew Horner!" Big Beard Jack's voice rang out, "Come over here! To the helicopter."
Returning his straw cup to the assistant, Matthew quickly went to Big Beard Jack, who was standing in front of the Black Hawk helicopter, surrounded by many actors.
Seeing Matthew approach, Big Beard Jack instructed, "When we're filming, Matthew, after you throw the prop grenade, you guys need to run fast.
The pyrotechnics team just buried a large amount of explosives, and the power is a bit greater than what was buried before, understand?"
Matthew nodded slightly, "Understood."
In the next scene, his character, Sergeant Hoot, was to blow up the crashed Black Hawk helicopter.
Although it was just a model, the gunpowder usually used for filming was merely for show and certainly wouldn't achieve the desired effect.
Everything was ready.
The crew then cleared the area, leaving only the actors involved in the scene near the helicopter, with Matthew being the closest to it.
"Action!" Ridley Scott personally called for the start of filming.
"Attention! Attention!" Matthew shouted loudly as he approached the Black Hawk helicopter, took out a grenade, twisted it open, and threw it.
He then turned and ran backward, shouting loudly as he ran, "Watch out for the explosion! Watch out for the explosion! Take cover! Take cover!"
He ran incredibly fast, like a soldier evading a bomb, even covering several large strides to get ahead of the actors who were originally behind him.
Boom—
An explosion sounded, and a column of flame shot into the sky.
Matthew instinctively felt a wave of heat from behind, quickly lowered his head and body, and ran even faster.
Fortunately, this explosion only looked powerful; the gunpowder used was mainly to create pyrotechnic effects and was not very destructive in reality.
"Cut!" Ridley Scott called a halt to filming and immediately announced, "That's it for today."
After removing his makeup and washing away the gunpowder and sweat, Matthew returned to the hotel and immediately fell asleep.
The next day, he arrived on set before six o'clock to continue filming.
The first scene to be shot today was Orlando Bloom's final scene in the film.
Orlando Bloom's character, the new recruit Todd Blackburn, fell during rappelling, resulting in serious injuries and a series of chain reactions.
This scene was beautified and enhanced by the production team.
In "Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War," which Matthew had read, new recruit Todd Blackburn fell during rappelling.
Todd Blackburn was an assistant gunner for the M60, carrying a lot of ammunition, which accelerated his descent.
Additionally, because the helicopter was delayed slightly when entering the control point, the hover height was a bit higher than planned, at 70 feet, resulting in Todd Blackburn almost directly hitting the ground, causing severe neck injuries.
"Perhaps it looked too embarrassing for 'well-trained' soldiers to accidentally make such a mistake themselves, so the screenwriter fabricated a plot where the pilot threw him off to avoid an RPG-7 rocket."
This was Matthew's idle speculation while observing the filming.
The filming went smoothly, and Orlando Bloom successfully dropped from a platform over a meter high onto a mat below.
"Hey, Matthew." As Orlando Bloom was preparing to remove his makeup, he passed by Matthew and said, almost boastfully, "I'm finally free."
Matthew reached out and high-fived him, "Congratulations, Orlando, you're one step closer to hell."
Orlando Bloom laughed, "My next stop is the City of Angels, where cool weather and beautiful girls await me."
He suddenly leaned closer and whispered, "I heard Johnny Lee Miller complaining about you this morning.
You should be careful."
"Thanks." Matthew knew that the conflict with Johnny Lee Miller had spread among the trained actors.
Such matters are hard to keep secret if witnessed by a third or fourth party.
He was quite confident, "Johnny Lee Miller wouldn't dare do anything to me."
"You should still be careful." Orlando Bloom reminded again, "James and Ben have both left."
Matthew nodded cautiously.
Regardless, Orlando Bloom had good intentions.
Although their time together wasn't long, Mr. Bloom left a very good impression on him; he seemed like a warm and cheerful young man in every way.
"Alright." Orlando Bloom waved to Matthew, "I'm leaving."
Matthew also waved, "Let's meet up again in Los Angeles."
Subsequently, the crew filmed another scene and then moved to the exterior of a street building to shoot some scenes at the U.S. military camp.
In other words, most of what was to be filmed were dialogue scenes, which was precisely Matthew's weakness, especially the dialogue scene between his character, Sergeant Hoot, and the male lead, Josh Hartnett, at the end of the script.
This scene was crucial to the film's theme, and Matthew encountered some difficulties in his performance.
"Are you going back?" Josh Hartnett asked as he entered the tent, "Leaving already?"
Matthew held a plate, like a true soldier, ignoring the blood and dirt on his hands and face, eating his food self-absorbedly, "There are still brothers in the war zone..."
"Cut!" Ridley Scott called a halt to filming and immediately said, "Matthew, your problem."
Matthew put down his mess tray and raised a hand.
Ridley Scott continued, "Your expression! Your expression! You're worried about your comrades! I don't see your worry!"
He said to those around him, "Reset, let's start filming again!"
Matthew quickly adjusted himself, recalling the content he had simulated and practiced.
Over the past year or so, he had simulated the performances of many skilled actors, and he quickly found content suitable for this scene.
Such a performance, to some extent, was a shortcut, or as his teacher at the Los Angeles School of Performing Arts, David Astor, would say, such a performance lacked soul.
However, it was sufficient for this kind of scene; after all, it didn't require a major acting outburst, and Ridley Scott only asked for a performance that was slightly above average.
The filming continued with several NGs, and things started to become less smooth, but Matthew had one advantage: he wouldn't repeat the same mistake twice.
Of course, Josh Hartnett opposite him wasn't much better; as Matthew once put it, they were equally matched.
More precisely, their styles were somewhat similar: both were tall, strong, handsome, and generally average young actors.
Normally, actors with similar styles in the same crew can easily clash, but Matthew and Josh Hartnett got along quite well.
On one hand, there was a significant difference in their character's status, and on the other hand, Josh Hartnett was relatively low-key and humble, not easily getting into conflicts with people.
After more than ten NGs, and having made mistakes in almost every important part, Matthew finally found the deep feeling required for the character.
"Every time I go home, they ask me." Matthew not only adjusted his facial expression but also fully utilized small gestures like looking left and right, "Hoot, why did you join the army?
Are you addicted to fighting?
I don't say a word.
Why?
They won't understand, they don't understand why we fight.
We fight for our brothers in arms! It's that simple!"
After a long pause, Matthew suddenly added, "It's very simple!"
With that, he put down his mess tray, picked up his magazine and weapon, and turned to walk out of the tent, leaving only a heavy silhouette for the camera.
This take finally passed.
Matthew went to touch up his makeup, while Ridley Scott replayed the recently filmed footage, with Big Beard Jack standing behind him.
"What a pity..." Ridley Scott shook his head.
Big Beard Jack knew his boss had something to say and asked appropriately, "Pity about what?"
"Helen's client, dedicated, hardworking, with excellent looks, intelligence, and other qualities." Ridley Scott stood up, looking in the direction Matthew had left, "His acting still needs refinement."
"Hmm." Big Beard Jack chimed in, "He can't handle overly complex roles yet.
I heard Helen say that his current positioning is temporarily as an action actor."
Matthew's filming in Morocco began to become intermittent, with him leaving twice, though his holidays were never long, none exceeding a week.
By early February, Sergeant Hoot's scenes were finally all completed.
He returned to Los Angeles, stayed for only two days, and then flew to France to prepare for the premiere of "Band of Brothers."
Johnny Lee Miller, who had also completed his scenes, contacted him.!!