"Cut!"
On the set, Chuck Russell's voice first rang out, calling for a halt, then he shouted loudly, "Relax! Matthew, relax a little, okay?"
Matthew propped himself up from the sheepskin blanket, which only had half a tent over it, and Kelly Hu, who was beside him, also sat up and whispered, "You're too stiff..."
This was already the fourth NG, and Matthew felt a bit embarrassed, saying, "Sorry, this is my first time shooting this kind of scene..."
Shooting scenes like this was not simple. Director Chuck Russell waved his hand and shouted, "Reset! We'll reshoot in fifteen minutes!"
Two costume designers came over to help Matthew and Kelly Hu put on the clothes they had torn off during the previous shot. These clothes were easy to tear off but quite cumbersome to put on, especially Kelly Hu's costume, which looked like a few rags but was very difficult for a non-professional to wear properly.
Matthew noticed Kelly Hu looking at him and quickly said, "Sorry, Kelly."
With his Eastern way of thinking, he felt that in such scenes, the actress always got the short end of the stick. After all, every NG meant he had to tear off Kelly Hu's clothes once... not to mention the other intimate contacts in between.
However, Kelly Hu, despite her Eastern features, was a genuine American and had been in the industry for over ten years, so she wasn't particularly bothered by such things.
"You're too nervous," she replied to Matthew with a smile, "Relax."
Matthew nodded and took several deep breaths. If a woman like Kelly Hu wasn't bothered, why should he be nervous?
When shooting the most intense scenes, he at least had a pair of tight boxer briefs, while Kelly Hu had no other fabric on her body except for a pair of incredibly small underwear.
And she didn't even ask for a closed set for the shoot.
Not to mention the shooting itself, even now, Kelly Hu stood confidently on the set in her underwear, allowing the costume designer to dress her, seemingly not at all bothered by showing off her good figure.
Of course, Matthew was also well aware that Kelly Hu indeed had a great figure.
The shooting quickly resumed, and perhaps because he had relaxed his mind, this time it went smoothly. After a passionate prelude between Matthew and Kelly Hu, Matthew successfully pinned Kelly Hu beneath him.
"OK!" Chuck Russell was generally satisfied, "That's enough for today!"
Matthew climbed off Kelly Hu, who then draped herself in a blanket brought by an assistant, her eyes suddenly glancing at Matthew's bulging boxer briefs.
She was just a little curious, as their bodies had been in contact during the shoot...
After finishing this segment, Matthew also let out a complete sigh of relief. Such scenes looked alluring and seemed desirable to everyone, but for the actors involved, it was not at all what it seemed.
These scenes couldn't be truly intimate, so there was nothing exciting or stimulating about them.
With camera lenses pointed at them on set, a large crew following, and performing with an actor who had just become a filming partner, the director judging every caress and moan, ready to call cut at any moment, Matthew now deeply understood that shooting such scenes was the opposite of hot and sexy; it was an awkward and tense experience.
Of course, audiences loved watching it and enjoyed imagining themselves in it.
For example, some male viewers might imagine themselves as Matthew, having a wild time with Kelly Hu while watching.
In fact, Stephen Sommers' script had a detailed description of this scene, and perhaps because his primary job was directing, his scripts often contained something akin to shooting guidelines.
However, Chuck Russell wouldn't follow it completely. For instance, the passionate scene they had just finished shooting was more of his on-set design.
Matthew knew that Stephen Sommers was observing from the periphery of the set, but the shooting didn't stop because of it, indicating that Stephen Sommers wasn't too bothered by it.
He thought about it and generally understood that there was a difference between a passionate scene written down and one performed. The screenwriter could provide detailed acting instructions, but on the actual day of shooting a passionate scene, there would be many changes because such scenes were too subtle and difficult for actors to control.
However, Matthew wasn't excited during the shoot, which was completely different from being with Britney.
Since the main actors were going to shoot posters for early promotion later, today's filming concluded. Matthew walked towards the dressing room, and Kelly Hu followed him from behind.
As they walked and chatted, they talked about the scene they had shot today.
"How can you manage to relax?" Matthew was genuinely seeking advice.
There would undoubtedly be many more such scenes in the future.
"I'm the kind of person who has no taboos, and it's the same when I shoot things," Kelly Hu said casually, "Being nude in front of the camera isn't a big deal, so it's never been an issue for me."
She suddenly laughed, "The problem is with the crew. These scenes are interesting. I don't care, just like today, we both controlled it very well, but those people aren't like that. Matthew, did you see the way those people were staring at me? They looked like wolves, but in reality, they're all fragile inside."
Matthew smiled but said nothing. Kelly Hu was truly an actress with a strong inner self.
The two turned into the corridor where the dressing rooms were located, just as the crew's publicist and Sean Daniel walked towards them. After exchanging greetings, Matthew and Kelly Hu entered their respective dressing rooms.
The publicist looked back and asked, "Matthew and Kelly Hu seem to have a good relationship?"
"They seem quite familiar," Sean Daniel continued walking, "Matthew is very good at handling interpersonal relationships."
"I suddenly had an idea," the publicist followed Sean Daniel, "Our crew has always lacked heavyweight news in terms of promotion, especially for the most important pre-release promotional phase next year, and we haven't found suitable material yet."
Sean Daniel, an experienced producer, immediately understood what he meant and said, "This kind of thing requires the actors' opinions. How about this, I'll inform both their agents to discuss it."
The publicist first nodded, then said, "Sean, do it as soon as possible."
"It's not just that," Sean Daniel thought of the handshake with Matthew and said, "Matthew's hands can also be a promotional point, especially for internet promotion."
He thought for a moment and told the publicist, "Remember to tell the photographer later to take a few close-ups of Matthew's hands and then upload them to the official website."
The publicist was puzzled, "Matthew's hands?"
Sean Daniel didn't elaborate, "You'll understand when you see them."
Back in the dressing room, Matthew reapplied his makeup, changed into a brand new leather armor and weapon equipment, and returned to the studio. Led by the staff, he entered the green screen photo room specially prepared beforehand, and under the photographer's direction, struck various poses to shoot preliminary poster images.
Just like him, the main actors' poster photos were basically shot individually and then composited using post-production technology.
Matthew fully cooperated with the photographer's work. Whatever pose the photographer asked for, he struck it. This was the crew's photographer, who also knew what kind of photography style suited him.
Although he hadn't seen the photos the photographer took, Matthew guessed from the various poses he struck that it would be a series of images showcasing strength and masculinity.
However, what he didn't expect was that as the half-hour shoot neared its end, the photographer wanted to take pictures of his hands. The crew's publicist even came over to explain that they wanted to use his hands for publicity.
Matthew also cooperated, allowing the photographer to take close-ups of his hands. After all, it was for his promotion and beneficial for increasing his personal fame. The crew couldn't possibly be promoting it as the 'Hand of the Masturbation God' on the official website, could they?
When he came out after the shoot, he happened to see Daf Villa, Clark Bernard, and Steven Brand. They also played major roles in the film and were there to shoot promotional posters.
Matthew specifically looked at Clark Bernard and Steven Brand. He didn't know if it was a preconceived notion, but he felt that their gazes towards him were unfriendly.
But he didn't linger, pretending not to have seen them, and quickly returned to the dressing room, removed his makeup, changed back into his clothes, and left Warner Bros. Studios.
Since he didn't want to go back and cook, Matthew drove around Burbank, specifically looking for a Chinese restaurant. After eating Americanized Chinese food, he finally went home.
Upon returning home, he first called Britney, who was in Irvine shooting a music video for another song and was also very busy. Then he chatted with Helen Herman on the phone about the crew's promotional plans, took a shower, and after coming out, remembered the close-up photos of his hands taken earlier. He specifically turned on his computer and logged onto the official website to take a look.
This official website had links on several other websites, such as Yahoo Entertainment, and Matthew's personal blog also had a link on the official website.
Recently, his blog's traffic had surged, directly related to the official website's promotion.
On the homepage of the official website, Matthew found the newly released news, with an eye-catching headline—The Toughest Man in the Crew!
He clicked on the news page, and the first thing he saw was a full-body close-up of himself, fierce like a beast.
Next, there were two close-ups of his palms. The palms were shot with a high-definition lens, appearing particularly rough and covered with calluses.
Below the pictures, there was a special note for these two hands.
"Matthew Horner's hands are full of calluses, the result of his intense weightlifting in the gym and during crew training. Some people wear gloves when lifting weights in the gym, but actually, what's wrong with a man being a bit rough? Hands with calluses are more durable and won't get injured from minor bumps. This is the toughest man in the crew, the Matthew Horner I know!"
Seeing this news, Matthew was in a good mood, and many print media reprinted it the next day.
After filming concluded that morning, Matthew Horner received a call from Helen Herman during lunch, saying that he should stay after work that evening, as the crew needed to discuss promotional matters together.