At Chicago O'Hare International Airport, over a dozen airport security guards stood in formation, keeping a close eye on two distinct groups of people facing them. One group consisted mainly of teenagers, numbering about a hundred, while the other group carried long lenses and cameras—clearly about ten or so reporters.
The security personnel had been notified to prevent these people from entering the interior of the airport.
"There's also a welcoming party."
Among the reporters, a Female Reporter looked over there and asked a male reporter from another newspaper beside her, "The Crew is very popular."
The male reporter pointed at the fans, "It seems they're here to welcome a specific person."
He had specifically rushed over here; two thousand dollars wasn't a lot, but it was nearly half a month's income, and the Crew was currently an entertainment hotspot, so the newspaper was paying close attention to news in this area.
"The time is almost up." On the fans' side, a leader checked his watch and said to the people around him, "Let's begin!"
The surrounding fans took various posters out of their bags and held them high above their heads. Although the poster designs varied, the protagonist on most of them was the same—the scorpion king!
However, at the very edge, there was a different one.
A fan in his early twenties was holding a poster that wasn't of the scorpion king, but of an American Soldier holding a chicago typewriter submachine gun amidst the smoke of artillery fire!
"Who are you?"
The girl next to him looked at his poster and asked, "Why are you holding a poster like that?"
The man pointed at the girl's poster and asked, "Are you all here to welcome Matthew Horner?"
"Yes," the girl said in a proud tone, as this wasn't her first time doing this, "we are all supporters of Matthew Horner."
"So am I." The man lowered his poster and showed it to the girl, "I really like Captain Ronald Speirs played by Matthew in 'Band of Brothers'. This is a poster of Ronald Speirs."
"Oh..." The girl realized that he wasn't exactly in the same camp as them.
On the reporters' side, seeing the posters held up by the fans, many were puzzled. "the scorpion king? Matthew Horner?"
"the scorpion king has had a very good response among fans." The male reporter, who knew how to work for the money he was paid, said to his colleagues, "Matthew Horner is said to be a rapidly rising newcomer in Hollywood. Since his debut, he has appeared in 'Girl, Interrupted' alongside Angelina Jolie and Winona Ryder, played a supporting role in Ridley Scott's 'Black Hawk Down', served as the lead actor in a Britney Spears MV, and was personally selected by Tom Hanks to play the fourth company commander in 'Band of Brothers'..."
He finally added, "And none of them were background roles; even in the first film he participated in, he had a speaking role."
Hearing a long list of big names, many reporters were intrigued, and someone said, "Looking at this resume, this actor is quite extraordinary. I'll focus on interviewing him in a bit."
Disordered footsteps came from the airport exit as people began to emerge. After another three minutes, the flow of people gradually thinned out, and a group of men and women dragging luggage and wearing sunglasses appeared.
"They're here!"
A sharp-eyed reporter alerted the others; the people coming over were indeed the main cast and staff of the Crew.
"Matthew Horner..."
Chaotic shouts immediately came from the fans' side, "the scorpion king! Look over here!"
"Matthew, we love you!"
"I love the scorpion king..."
These shouts immediately reached the Crew's side.
Rachel Weisz glanced over there and followed the staff toward the parking lot on her own.
Matthew naturally saw the posters the fans were holding and couldn't help but admire their professionalism.
The posters focused on the scorpion king, but were interspersed with Evelyn and Imhotep, so as not to arouse suspicion.
Reporters were the first to swarm around; the fans also wanted to come forward but were blocked by security.
Some reporters first blocked Rachel Weisz, who was walking in front, but even more reporters blocked Matthew's path.
"Mr. Matthew Horner," a male reporter asked loudly, "are you surprised that so many fans came to welcome you?"
"Yes! It's a huge surprise!" Matthew acted as if he was so moved he didn't know what to say, "I'm very excited! I didn't expect fans to love my character so much. I can't express how I feel right now..."
Brendan Fraser, who was trailing behind because of a phone call, just happened to come out of the airport exit. Seeing nothing but posters of the scorpion king and hearing the media reporters and Matthew Horner shamelessly flattering each other, he felt nauseous.
"Do those fans and reporters have no brains?" Brendan Fraser glared over there, feeling depressed, "I am the lead actor! I am the lead actor!"
After the reporters finished interviewing Matthew, they began to interview others. The fans' enthusiasm over there didn't wane; though blocked by airport security, they kept shouting.
"Matthew! Matthew Horner!"
"We love you, Matthew!"
"the scorpion king is so cool!"
The accompanying producer Shawn Daniel saw this and nodded slightly, then came over to remind Matthew, "Go give them some autographs."
Matthew broke away from the reporters and immediately went over to the fans. He took a pen from one fan and continuously signed the notebooks and posters they handed him. A few fans even asked him to sign their t-shirts, and Matthew fulfilled every request.
He maintained a warm and friendly smile as he faced these fans.
On the other side, several reporters approached Brendan Fraser. Just as Brendan Fraser was secretly sighing that these reporters weren't stupid and had some taste, one of the male reporters asked a question that made him quite embarrassed.
"Brendan..." The reporter's voice was quite loud, "The response to your character has been poor, far inferior to the scorpion king. What do you think?"
"What do I think?" Brendan Fraser had accumulated too much anger recently, and it was easily ignited. Fortunately, he still knew how to control himself. "I have no opinion!"
After saying that, he turned around and walked toward the parking lot.
The male reporter deliberately shook his head and said, "It seems he has a lot of opinions about Matthew Horner."
The person next to him agreed, "Having your spotlight stolen by a supporting actor, how could he not be angry? But this is even better; we have something to write about now."
Several reporters laughed. This kind of gossip was what people wanted to see; news about a harmonious Crew—never mind them, even readers would know it was fake at a glance.
Even in the most ordinary commercial companies, there's constant infighting, let alone in Hollywood, where fame and fortune are magnified countless times.
The other actors left one after another, but Matthew was still interacting with the fans while reporters took photos around them. Out of his own considerations, Shawn Daniel didn't rush him, but instead stood nearby with a staff member and waited.
The other actors entered the parking lot and got into the vehicles provided by the hotel the Crew was staying at—a large, luxurious van. Such vehicles were much more comfortable to ride in than ordinary sedans.
Brendan Fraser sat in a spacious seat, his expression not very good. All the way from Los Angeles, countless fans and media had been chasing Matthew Horner as if he were the lead actor of this film.
Compared to Matthew Horner, he felt he was being given the cold shoulder. Moreover, at every stop and during every interview, reporters would basically ask about the lead actor being upstaged by a supporting actor. Even if he had been in a good mood, it would have vanished without a trace.
Furthermore, he could see that Matthew Horner's attitude toward him was also changing. From the earliest filming at Pinewood Studios in London up until the premiere, the other party had just been his junior in the Crew.
And now? Matthew Horner no longer took him seriously.
The van was quiet; no one spoke. There were two empty seats near Brendan Fraser, but no one went there. The others weren't stupid; they saw clearly and didn't want to provoke Brendan Fraser's bad mood.
"Why aren't we driving yet?" Brendan Fraser suddenly spoke up. "How long are we going to wait?"
No one responded to him. The driver turned back and said, "Sorry, sir, not everyone is here yet."
Seeing that the producer Sean Daniel hadn't arrived either, Brendan Fraser refrained from speaking further and continued to wait. Thinking about the scene at the airport and what happened in every city, he was too restless to sit still.
If he weren't under contract, he would really want to pull out of this promotional tour!
The driver suddenly opened the door, and an assistant got on first, followed by Matthew and Sean Daniel, one after the other, still talking and laughing, seemingly very happy.
The two of them got on the vehicle, looked around, and sat in the seats next to Brendan Fraser.
With an apologetic look, Matthew said to everyone, "Sorry, sorry for making everyone wait."
This kind of thing was common in a Crew; the others smiled and shook their heads, saying it was no problem.
Only Brendan Fraser kept a stiff face, hearing Matthew say to Sean Daniel over there, "The fans and reporters were just too enthusiastic, and I lack experience in dealing with them..."
Wasn't this just showing off after getting the benefits?
Brendan Fraser instantly flared up and couldn't help but turn his head and say, "Do you have no sense of time? Making a whole van of people wait for you alone?"
"Sorry." Matthew turned to look at Brendan Fraser, deliberately showing a smug smile. "I'm very sorry for making you wait."
These words sounded very sincere, but Brendan Fraser could see the smugness on Matthew's face, and his anger grew even more. "Matthew Horner! You..."
"Enough!" producer Sean Daniel interrupted Brendan Fraser and said to the driver, "Drive!"
Brendan Fraser gave Sean Daniel an angry look but didn't speak again.
The van left the airport and soon arrived at the hotel booked by the Crew. Many fans were also gathered at the hotel entrance, a considerable portion of them holding posters of the scorpion king.
As the Crew members got out of the vehicle, it was almost a repeat of what happened at the airport... "is the scorpion king that popular?" Arnold Vosloo was very curious. "In every city we pass through, there are large numbers of supporters."
The rest of the Crew were all nodding. Whether it was the reaction from the local media or the support from fans, it clearly told them that the scorpion king was indeed a highlight of the film and was very popular.