The used ford was parked by the roadside. Matthew pointed to a very conspicuous small building and said, "This is the fitness club. All three floors are part of it."
Elena Boyar sat in the passenger seat, only glancing at it before lowering her head to adjust her digital camera. Digital cameras of this era were relatively cumbersome to operate.
Matthew patiently waited for Elena Boyar; she had more experience in this area.
After about five minutes, Elena Boyar fixed the camera lens, which had temporarily malfunctioned, and told Matthew, "Just be natural, pretend I'm not here."
"Make sure I look handsome," Matthew instructed. "If you make me look ugly, I'll come back for you."
Elena Boyar waved her hand. "Go on, I'm experienced. Posed street photography is a piece of cake for me."
Just as Matthew was about to get out of the car, several people suddenly emerged from the fitness club and stood near the entrance talking. Elena Boyar called out to him, "Wait a bit, until they leave."
Although he had already informed Nebula and the fitness club, he couldn't disrupt the fitness club's daily operations. Matthew knew his influence wasn't great enough, so he waited patiently.
"is all street photography posed like this?" Matthew asked curiously.
"The street photography you see in newspapers and online, the kind that's either stunningly beautiful or incredibly handsome..." Elena Boyar stated with certainty, "I can guarantee 100% that it's pre-arranged and posed."
Matthew said knowingly, "No wonder many celebrity street photos feature beauties and handsome guys who look perfect from every angle."
Elena Boyar snorted and said, "Most of these street photos are collaborations like ours. Photos that aren't beautiful simply won't pass the scrutiny of the celebrity's Agent or public relations manager."
Matthew nodded. He had originally been outside the circle, just observing from afar, unable to see clearly. Only after entering this industry did he realize how much a celebrity needs to manage.
He was just starting to make a name for himself; strictly speaking, he was still an ordinary actor who needed to manage himself. After waiting for less than five minutes, the people at the entrance of the fitness club left. Matthew pushed open the door and got out of the car, carrying a garment bag and wearing a fitted short tracksuit, and walked towards the fitness club's main entrance.
At the same time, Elena Boyar also got out of the passenger seat, quickly walked to the side of the fitness club, found a good position and angle, aimed her camera lens at Matthew, and continuously pressed the shutter.
Looking through the lens, Matthew's legs were long and strong, his muscles robust, and his entire being exuded a masculine vigor.
"This guy..." Elena Boyar mumbled while taking photos, "He really seems to have a lot of potential."
Hollywood has always favored male actors with muscles, especially in commercial entertainment films.
Matthew had already entered the fitness club. Elena Boyar put away her camera, quickly adjusted the photos she had taken, and initially checked the shooting effect. If most of them were not good, she would have to call Matthew out and shoot again.
Fortunately, the photos were all good, so she also entered the fitness club.
A staff member came to lead the way, taking Elena Boyar to the boxing training gym upstairs. She entered through the glass door and found that Matthew had already changed and started warming up. She immediately raised her camera and began taking a series of shots.
No one in the fitness club came to stop her, Elena Boyar guessed that Matthew must have given them a heads-up.
After warming up, Matthew went to a sandbag and performed basic punching exercises, making the sandbag thump loudly. Elena Boyar came to the opposite side, aimed her camera lens this way, and occasionally pressed the shutter.
Matthew was a regular here, and he had already given them a heads-up.
Other people who came to train did not cause trouble or join in the fun.
Halfway through the shoot, Nebula walked over, deliberately stood in front of the camera, and pretentiously instructed Matthew for a while, though his eyes occasionally drifted towards Elena Boyar, seemingly curious about such a Female Reporter.
This was a posed shoot, not a training session. Matthew then performed several other exercises, and stopped once Elena Boyar had taken enough photos.
Matthew took the towel Nebula threw him, wiped his sweat, and saw Elena Boyar on the opposite side disassembling her camera lens. He quickly walked over and asked, "How are the results?"
Elena Boyar didn't even lift her head. "Excellent. If you can't make it as an actor, you can consider switching to modeling."
"Why be a male model? They're all gays!" Nebula walked over, stood next to Matthew, and said boisterously, "You should go into professional boxing!"
He clapped Matthew's arm. "Matthew! With me as your coach, you'll definitely become a big star in the boxing world!"
Elena Boyar glanced at Nebula. Nebula extended his hand and proactively said, "I'm Nebula, Matthew's boxing coach."
"Hello," Elena Boyar shook his hand lightly and replied politely, "Elena Boyar, a reporter for Yahoo Entertainment."
Nebula left Matthew alone and flashed an eager smile at Elena Boyar. "Elena, are you interested in fitness? I have many programs suitable for ladies here. Would you like me to show you around?"
Elena Boyar gave him a sidelong glance and directly refused, "No, thank you, I still have work to do." She then turned to Matthew and said, "I need to go back to the editorial department to process the photos. Call me if anything comes up."
"Okay!" Matthew nodded slightly. "Feel free to call me if you need anything else."
Elena Boyar packed her things and quickly left the fitness club.
"Are you still training?" Nebula asked, watching Elena Boyar's retreating figure.
"Of course." Matthew called a staff member over to help him put on boxing gloves. "Time is precious, can't waste it."
Training continued until five in the afternoon, when he finally left the fitness club, got into his car to go home, and suddenly received an unfamiliar call.
Matthew didn't start the car, but answered the phone. "Hello, this is Matthew Horner."
"Hello, Matthew." A somewhat familiar voice came through the receiver. "Long time no see."
Who was this? Matthew seemed to recall the owner of the voice, but couldn't confirm it for a moment. The other person introduced himself, "It's me, I'm Lister."
Matthew immediately remembered that this was his former boss. He couldn't help but feel a little curious as to why he was calling. However, he didn't stop talking, smiling as he said, "Hello, Lister, it really has been a long time."
"When are you free?" The tentative question came from the other side. "Let's grab a coffee."
"I've been very busy lately," Matthew politely declined. "I probably won't have time in the short term."
"is that so..." Lister said with a smile, "I really miss the time we worked together."
Matthew politely replied, "Me too."
Compared to the other two from Red Penguin Company, Lister left a better impression on him. In some ways, he even helped him when Red Penguin Company dismissed him.
If it had been those other two calling him, he would have hung up long ago.
"Matthew..." Lister's words on the other end were somewhat ambiguous, "If you need any special services, you can contact me anytime."
Hearing this, Matthew was a bit stunned.
Lister added, "You know, Red Penguin Company and I have always had a very good reputation."
Matthew instantly understood Lister's meaning, chatted with him casually for a couple of sentences, and then hung up the phone.
"is Red Penguin Company trying to do business with me now?" Matthew couldn't help but shake his head. "These guys really know how to find clients."
He had worked at Red Penguin Company for a considerable amount of time, so he naturally knew what "special services" Lister was referring to.
Matthew started the car and drove home, not intending to respond to Lister's overture. After all, he had a girlfriend now and had no intention of breaking up with Britney.
Back home, after taking a shower and relaxing, he had a simple dinner, then prepared to watch the performance editing videotape he had just exchanged from David Astor, when his phone rang again.
He looked at the number, had no intention of answering, and simply hung up. It was a call from Jonny Lee Miller.
Jonny Lee Miller hadn't called in a long time, and Matthew actually knew that after such a long delay, Jonny Lee Miller had probably realized that he didn't have such a videotape at all.
However, the two hadn't met again, and since Matthew stopped answering calls after the initial ones, Jonny Lee Miller couldn't do anything about him for the time being. As for what Jonny Lee Miller would think, Matthew couldn't care less. He looked at the number displayed on his phone and simply added it to the blacklist.
Perhaps he wouldn't cross paths with Jonny Lee Miller for several years... Just as this thought crossed his mind, Matthew suddenly remembered that the movie hadn't been released yet, and given their characters, both should be invited to the premiere.
He couldn't help but scratch his head, then simply tossed the thought aside, deciding to deal with it when the time came.
While Matthew was preparing for the film and his role, the Crew also began intense and busy preliminary preparations. Stephen Sommers temporarily put aside the monster mash-up film he was planning with Universal Pictures, and fully invested in the planning with Sean Daniel.
"The Action Director is already in place. I've had someone sign a formal agreement with him," Sean Daniel said to Stephen Sommers, who was sitting behind the computer. "We can notify the actors to attend training now."
"The female lead hasn't been decided yet," Stephen Sommers reminded him.
"I know." Sean Daniel only had issues with black people; he was somewhat lacking in other aspects. "I've seen the candidate you recommended. Overall, she's not bad. The only problem is that she's a bit old."