Matthew had not seen the film's director, Gore Verbinski, even after more than ten days of pre-filming training since joining the crew. This was quite rare, even in Hollywood's producer-driven system. He guessed that Gore Verbinski might not be heavily involved in other crew work apart from filming.
After the first day of training, Matthew stopped basic training. Robert Anderson, after consulting with Jerry Bruckheimer and action director George Ruger, redesigned a more challenging set of action routines better suited for him, aiming to enhance the excitement of the fight scenes in the future film.
To assist Matthew's training, Robert Anderson specifically reassigned Mark Ivy, who was responsible for training the pirate actors, to exclusively spar with Matthew.
Of course, while the action design was adjusted, the primary focus of fancy sword fighting remained its aesthetic appeal.
Matthew already had good body coordination and very agile footwork. After more than two weeks of additional training, he could even perform some very difficult sword techniques.
Johnny Depp completed his basic sword training, and under Robert Anderson's guidance, Matthew and he began rehearsing some combat scenes.
Unlike Matthew's sparring with Mark Ivy, the rehearsals with Johnny Depp were broken down into countless small segments, much like actual filming. Each action sequence would not exceed three seconds, because if it was any longer, Johnny Depp simply couldn't keep up with Matthew's rhythm.
As Matthew and Johnny Depp rehearsed more often, they gradually became familiar with each other. Although they didn't communicate much outside of rehearsals, Matthew could tell that while Johnny Depp was a bit eccentric, he was a relatively straightforward person.
Johnny Depp was somewhat spontaneous in his actions, often doing whatever came to mind. This seemed a bit like Van Diesel, the troublemaker Matthew encountered on set. However, apart from occasionally being late because he overslept, there was a fundamental difference between them. Johnny Depp never used his star power to forcefully override anyone on set; instead, he was quite friendly. If someone asked for his help, he rarely refused, as long as it was within his capabilities.
Additionally, Depp was very generous. Sometimes, if he wanted a particular food for lunch, the takeout he ordered would inevitably be enough for everyone present to have a share.
Perhaps some might think this was a way to win people over, but in Matthew's judgment, Johnny Depp didn't seem to care much about money and was simply accustomed to spending lavishly.
In short, Johnny Depp, despite his eccentric personality and somewhat spontaneous nature, was not difficult to get along with.
The atmosphere on this set was relatively harmonious. Even Keira Knightley, who was British, came from a good background, and seemed to carry a hint of British arrogance, got along quite well with everyone on the crew.
Matthew, of course, was even better. As long as no one stood in his way, he was very good at building relationships.
For example, after a month of training, both Johnny Depp and Keira Knightley, his co-stars in the film, thought he was a pretty good guy.
Training was exhausting and consumed a lot of energy, but Matthew enjoyed it. When a person focuses their energy on one thing, they naturally forget about others. A month of training also allowed him to completely shake off the gloom of his breakup.
Some things, once they're over, are over.
"John, hold your sword steady!"
In the training hall, Matthew said to Johnny Depp opposite him, "Don't let me knock your sword away again!"
His saber pointed at Johnny Depp, who held a pirate cutlass and seemed to have already entered into Captain Jack Sparrow's state, holding his hand in a feminine gesture and saying in a flamboyant manner, "You use less force."
"Alright!"
Matthew's sword thrust straight out.
His sword strike was not fast, nor was it powerful. It was a pre-set routine. Johnny Depp swung his cutlass to block, and the sword and cutlass met, emitting a crisp metallic clang.
The cutlass in Johnny Depp's hand was directly knocked away, but Matthew's sword continued its trajectory. Fortunately, having practiced for many days, he stopped in time, and the aluminum alloy saber halted about a foot from Depp.
"Oh..." Johnny Depp yawned, "I drank too much last night, and my limbs are still a bit weak. How about we stop here?"
Matthew shrugged, "Whatever you want."
Johnny Depp stretched, placed the pirate cutlass on the weapon rack, and said, "I'm going to get some sleep." He winked at Matthew, "Call me if anything comes up."
"Go ahead." Matthew waved his hand; it wasn't the first time this had happened.
This was Johnny Depp: free-spirited, preferring to be unrestrained.
As Johnny Depp left, Mark Ivy was coaching Keira Knightley on body coordination training. Matthew had no sparring partner, so he simply went to the resting area on the far left, grabbed a bottle of water, and sat on a chair, drinking and watching Robert Anderson train the group of oddly-faced pirates.
After watching for a while, Matthew started thinking about the filming that would begin soon. Although Johnny Depp was free-spirited, on the training ground, he would usually embody Captain Jack Sparrow, acting crazy, fidgety, and quite amusing.
He could tell that Johnny Depp's acting skills were far beyond his own. While judging acting quality was subjective, the difference was very obvious when two actors had such a wide gap in skill.
Leaving aside acting, Jack Sparrow's character, by design, offered more scope for acting than Will Turner. If it weren't for this, he wouldn't have vied for the role of Will Turner.
Johnny Depp's acting was better than his, his fame was greater, his status was higher, and his unique, maverick personality was also very appealing, making him naturally more likely to stand out.
Just think of Orlando Bloom back then; it was clearly a dual-protagonist film, yet he was suppressed into a supporting male role... Matthew didn't want to be suppressed by Johnny Depp in such a way. He knew that, given all the combined conditions, it was inevitable that he would be suppressed by Johnny Depp, but being suppressed was one thing; being suppressed like Orlando Bloom was truly a bit hard to accept.
How could Will Turner also shine under the brilliance of Captain Jack Sparrow?
This was a question Matthew had been pondering lately.
To be honest, his closeness to Johnny Depp was also deliberate; he wanted to observe Johnny Depp closely to find ways to his advantage during filming.
And surprisingly, he did discover some things.
Johnny Depp's prolonged alcoholism, coupled with past drug use, meant his health wasn't great. That effeminate and delicate aura was partly an act, and partly inherent to him.
Perhaps this was also a lingering effect of acting in too many Tim Burton films.
Johnny Depp lacked that masculine quality. If he were to play a pure tough guy, he would definitely fail miserably.
So, after this period of contemplation, Matthew essentially settled on a strategy: to do the opposite, and strive to showcase Will Turner's masculine and powerful side.
By now, he had a very clear understanding of his own characteristics on camera.
He had a rugged face, was strong and robust, and possessed far superior physical fitness and combat skills compared to Depp. He could absolutely try to create a stark contrast with the effeminate pirate!
As he understood it, such a contrast should create a complementary dynamic, which seemed more beneficial for the film.
Just as Matthew was thinking, the two people standing at the training hall entrance walked out together, discussing what they had just seen as they headed towards the studio exit.
"Johnny Depp is notoriously eccentric in personality and temper," Jerry Bruckheimer said, looking at director Gore Verbinski beside him. "During filming, we need to be careful to coordinate our relationship with him."
Gore Verbinski nodded, "Once filming starts, he absolutely cannot be as free-spirited as he is now."
"He won't be." Jerry Bruckheimer had already taken precautions, and Johnny Depp was only a second-tier actor, so he could control him and his agent. "The contract the crew signed with him includes relevant clauses, unless he voluntarily gives up a portion of his salary."
"That's good." Gore Verbinski had only been with the crew for a few days and had limited information. "I watched Matthew Horner's two audition tapes, and I just observed him closely. Matthew Horner is very strong, and his fighting skills seem quite good."
Jerry Bruckheimer said, "He's been practicing swordsmanship for over half a year, and for the past two years, he's been filming war and action movies, so his related physical training has never stopped. He's a very excellent action actor."
"Jack..." Gore Verbinski tentatively suggested, "Can't we make appropriate adjustments to Will Turner's scenes based on Matthew Horner's actual situation?"
"Terry Rossio and I also had that idea." The person Jack Bruckheimer mentioned was the head screenwriter of the crew. "Leaving aside the characters, just looking at the actors, Matthew Horner and Johnny Depp are completely different, like positive and negative poles."
Gore Verbinski agreed with this view, "Yes! Exactly!"
Jack Bruckheimer was open to other people's opinions and asked, "Tell me your thoughts first."
Gore Verbinski didn't hold back and said directly, "How about this: we set the pirate and the blacksmith as two characters with completely opposite temperaments. The pirate is effeminate, the blacksmith is masculine. The temperaments of the two characters complement each other, which might create a wonderful chemical reaction."
"Actually, I was thinking the same thing." Jack Bruckheimer said seriously, "If I hadn't wanted to consult you, the director, I would have already had Terry Rossio change it."
This encouraged Gore Verbinski, who then added, "After watching Matthew Horner and Johnny Depp's sword fight, I also had an idea: the pirate's fighting style is more insidious, focusing more on cunning schemes in combat! The blacksmith, on the other hand, has higher combat power and is extremely formidable in battle, which perfectly matches Matthew Horner's fighting skills and appearance."
"Gore, bringing you on as director was absolutely the best decision I've ever made!" Jack Bruckheimer laughed. "Our views are completely consistent!" 8)