On the side of Acapulco facing the sea, a small dock had clearly been renovated in a typical medieval style. Not far from the dock, a three-masted sailboat was anchored, and from the dock, busy figures could be seen on board.
On the sailboat, Matthew had just finished his makeup and was standing by the rail, getting familiar with the pirate cutlass used by Johnny Depp.
Soon, he would have an action scene as the main focus here.
This was an action scene divided into dozens of short shots, where Will Turner and Captain Jack Sparrow, for their own purposes, seized a warship from the British forces.
Since there were only two of them and a small team of British soldiers, a conflict would erupt between the two sides.
The conflict would end with Will Turner and Jack Sparrow seizing the Interceptor. However, the current filming was taking place on the Lady Washington, which was serving as the Interceptor. The crew had slightly altered the deck's layout to make the set look different from the Interceptor.
This was the open sea, and the crew didn't have a second real wooden sailboat available, so the ship-jumping scenes would have to wait until they returned to Los Angeles.
Matthew tried Depp's pirate cutlass, swinging it a few times, and found it too light—half the weight of his prop sword—making it impossible to put any force into it.
Johnny Depp, having finished his makeup, also boarded the ship. The crew was almost ready, and director Gore Verbinski came over to give a few instructions, specifically reminding Matthew to be careful with the force of his movements during the upcoming action scene.
During filming in the studio blacksmith shop, there was an action scene where Will Turner defeated Jack Sparrow in a sword fight, and then Jack Sparrow used a gun. However, when Matthew was fighting Johnny Depp's stunt double, he didn't control his strength well and hit a bit too hard, almost causing injury to the stunt actor.
Matthew hadn't done it on purpose; he just hadn't controlled his strength, and since then, he had become more careful.
After all, this was a Hollywood film crew, not highly professionally trained coaches in a gym.
With the crew ready, Matthew and Johnny Depp went near the helm, and filming immediately began.
The camera suspended in the air slowly retreated. Johnny Depp, wearing a dirty pirate hat, walked with a swagger, holding a flintlock pistol, cautiously emerging first from behind the helm. Matthew, holding his pirate cutlass, followed from the other side.
Just like the previous shoot, his appearance was in stark contrast to the flamboyant Johnny Depp.
Two buttons on Matthew's shirt were intentionally undone, subtly revealing his muscular chest as he moved. Coupled with the shirt that was deliberately dampened to connect with the previous scene, his excellent physique was fully displayed.
Jack Sparrow's selling points were very prominent, and Matthew's were equally so. The crew had put a lot of effort into Will Turner's styling as well.
In most of the scenes featuring Matthew and Johnny Depp, director Gore Verbinski would arrange for a dedicated camera to capture close-ups of the two, in addition to the main camera.
On the platform below the helm, a small team of British soldiers was loading cargo. Johnny Depp sauntered down the stairs with an enchanting cat-like walk, while Matthew vaulted over the helm platform's railing and jumped directly down.
This part of the scene was changed later; in the earliest script, it was a brief literary scene, but after revision, it became similar to the action scene in the blacksmith shop, using action to shape Will Turner's character.
When facing Elizabeth Swann, Will Turner pretended to be a polite gentleman, but most of the time, especially when action was required, he was like a blacksmith's furnace—a fierce man full of fire.
With Elizabeth Swann captured by pirates, Will Turner was the most anxious to rescue her and couldn't descend slowly like Jack Sparrow.
"Don't move!"
Johnny Depp's single-shot flintlock was aimed at the small team of British soldiers.
The platform was only four feet high, and Matthew and Johnny Depp worked in perfect sync, jumping down from above.
Landing between two British soldiers, he swung his left fist, knocking down the soldier on the left, then smashed the hilt of his sword onto the head of the soldier on the right.
The two soldiers fell cooperatively.
The British soldiers were moving cargo and had no weapons in hand, so they all rushed forward. Matthew swung his cutlass, hitting the face of the foremost soldier, then kicked the vital spot of the person behind him. These action scenes were rehearsed beforehand but couldn't last long. Soon, director Gore Verbinski called a halt to filming, handing the camera work to Action Director George Ruger. Robert Anderson also entered the set to coordinate Matthew and Johnny Depp's action sequences.
However, Johnny Depp readily swapped in his stunt actor, and the subsequent filming became fragmented, with Will Turner and Jack Sparrow's scenes completely broken down and shot separately.
Their fighting styles were completely different: Matthew's was straightforward and powerful, while Johnny Depp's stunt double used various small tricks, continuing to form a sharp contrast.
The scenes on the Lady Washington took five days to shoot, on and off. With Geoffrey Rush's arrival in Acapulco, Matthew temporarily had some free time. He didn't return to Los Angeles but explored Acapulco, appreciating the different Latin flair.
However, the crew had specifically warned him not to enter certain areas, as Mexican Drug Traffickers were rampant and even dared to kill police officers.
Matthew, of course, wouldn't take risks and only generally explored the bustling areas of Acapulco. In truth, besides the passionate Latin ladies, there wasn't much else to see.
Two brief, uneventful days passed quickly, and he soon returned to filming. Jerry Bruckheimer also arrived in Acapulco, accompanied by his Agent, Helen Herman.
"The Caribbean scenery is quite beautiful," Helen Herman said, standing behind Matthew on a yacht rented by the crew. "It's a great place for a vacation."
"That breaks my heart," Matthew said, dressed in Will Turner's attire, looking at the faintly visible island in the distance. "I thought you came specifically to visit the set."
Helen Herman stepped forward, holding onto the railing beside her, and changed the subject, "I heard you have a good relationship with Johnny Depp and Keira Knightley."
Matthew nodded in acknowledgment. "It's alright. Hmm... how should I put it, this crew is full of camaraderie." He thought for a moment and added, "Depp is an eccentric, but not a bad person. Keira, she's a girl not yet eighteen, from a good family background, and has a good personality too."
Some people in the crew said Keira Knightley was extremely insecure, which led to extreme arrogance and a very difficult personality. However, what he saw was the exact opposite. Perhaps, like most Hollywood actors, Keira Knightley had different faces for different people.
For him and Depp, who held comparable status in the crew, she was naturally all smiles and laughter, but her attitude might not be as good towards ordinary actors or staff.
This was human nature and very normal in Hollywood.
In any case, with Jerry Bruckheimer's reputation as a golden producer, the atmosphere on set was genuinely quite good.
The only slightly discordant aspect was that some paparazzi had followed them from Los Angeles to Acapulco, often causing harassment when they went out.
Helen Herman smoothed a strand of hair disheveled by the sea breeze and said, "You two continue to be united and friendly. I'll handle the matters of tearing faces apart and competing."
Matthew was not at all polite. "Isn't that what an Agent does?"
An Agent is not only a buffer between the actor and the crew but also between actors.
He was actually very clear that the hidden competition between the three roles—Will Turner, Jack Sparrow, and Elizabeth Swann—had never ceased. However, these rivalries were confined to the Agent level, and he had never discussed such matters with Johnny Depp or Keira Knightley.
Including Keira Knightley, who was not yet eighteen, all three were intelligent people.
Facing the slightly salty sea breeze, Matthew gazed into the distance; the speedboat for picking up cast and crew had not yet returned.
Today's outdoor location for the crew was a small sandy island. The water level near the island was too shallow for the yacht to pass, so they had to rely on the speedboat that came with the yacht for shuttle service. Fortunately, there were no large-scale shots here, nor was there a need to transport large equipment.
After waiting for a full twenty minutes, the ten-meter-long speedboat finally returned. Matthew boarded the speedboat, but Helen Herman did not follow.
The speedboat turned around and returned to the island. This island was indeed very small; from a distance, it looked to be at most a dozen square kilometers, and it only had an old wooden pier.
Upon reaching the pier, Matthew found that Johnny Depp and Keira Knightley's scenes were not yet finished, but they were down to the last one.
Matthew did not go to the beach but followed an Assistant Director to a group of uniquely dressed actors near the pier, and waited.
After the beach scenes concluded, director Gore Verbinski quickly brought the crew over. Those who had finished their scenes left by speedboat first, while those with remaining scenes continued filming.
Keira Knightley, however, did not leave. While waiting for the next shot, she quietly walked up to Matthew and whispered, "Depp brought two good bottles of wine. The three of us will leave last after we're done."
Not far away, Johnny Depp turned his head and winked at Matthew, who gave him a thumbs-up, indicating his full agreement.
Although that speedboat was not small, there were many people on the pier now, so the speedboat would need to make at least three round trips.
Actually, back in Los Angeles, Keira Knightley had already been clamoring to go drink at Depp's Black Mamba Bar, but her mother was in Los Angeles at the time and often came to supervise the set, so she couldn't find an opportunity.
Matthew had also heard Johnny Depp say earlier that he had specifically brought several bottles of excellent whiskey for this trip to the Caribbean Sea, and after arriving in Acapulco, he even spent a lot of money to find someone to get some top-grade Mexican tequila.
Matthew certainly wouldn't refuse such an invitation.