Chapter 167: Counterattack When the Moment is Right

Inside the dressing room, the usually reticent Steve Brand quickly announced his decision, with Dave Billiard all ears, and Clark Bernard showing his full support.

"Alright!" Clark Bernard said with a resonant voice, "Let's do it! Give him a good thrashing! If it weren't for the fact that I've finished all my action scenes with him, I'd turn his face into a pig's head!"

"Still, we should be cautious," Dave Billiard cautioned, "Didn't you see the promotion by the crew? It seems he has received professional training."

"Cautious?" Steve Brand scoffed, "You believe in the promotional stuff from the crew?"

Dave Billiard opened his mouth but then chose to remain silent.

The dressing room returned to its quiet state until a crew member knocked on the door. The three men picked up their gear and left the dressing room, heading to the studio.

Leaving the dressing room, Dave Billiard said, "You guys go ahead, I need to use the restroom."

Steve Brand and Clark Bernard didn't say much and proceeded directly to the studio.

Since joining the crew for their respective auditions, the three had bonded over drinks, chats, grievances about their unfair treatment by the agencies, and criticisms of Matthew Horn's lack of acting skills.

Steve Brand and Clark Bernard hadn't given it much thought.

Dave Billiard went back to the dressing room, waited for a bit, then left to check the corridor, which was empty. He quickly headed in the opposite direction of the other two. The lead actor's dressing room was located further inside, and under normal circumstances, the lead would enter the studio later than these supporting actors.

"Matthew Horn should still be in his dressing room, right?" He pondered this as he turned into a perpendicular corridor.

Dave Billiard's thinking was thorough. Aligning with the others against Matthew Horn, even if successful, wouldn't benefit him but rather Steve Brand, with even the hefty Clark Bernard ranking ahead of him in benefits. What good would come to him? He thought it better to stand on the other side. As long as the film didn't flop, Matthew Horn would certainly gain some fame, and since the resources he enjoyed didn't conflict with his own, he could potentially reap some benefits by following along.

He knocked on the door of Matthew's private dressing room, and a familiar voice invited him in. Dave Billiard entered.

Meanwhile, in the studio formerly used for "Spartacus," Chuck Russell and the set designer were making final checks. The crew had borrowed the set built for "Spartacus," making suitable adjustments to turn it into the final battleground for the protagonist Murias and the arch-villain Manon.

Action director Tim Madison came over with his assistants to inspect the site for shooting action scenes.

"Tim!" Chuck Russell greeted, "How's everything coming along?"

"No problems!" Tim Madison approached, "We're doing a final sweep of the area. Matthew and Steve Brand have practiced this scene during pre-shoot training."

Chuck Russell nodded, "Matthew should be fine, but how about Steve Brand?"

Tim Madison responded, "Steve Brand has been training consistently these past days, and his condition is quite good."

As the shooting progressed to its final stages, the crew's coordination became seamless, quickly getting everything ready.

On the other side, Matthew also entered the studio and, after waiting a few minutes in the actor's rest area with Kelly Hu and Steve Brand, entered the shooting area to discuss the scene with the director and action director.

The set included a platform with many tables made of hard foam, clearly meant for a banquet scene. Thick mats were laid underneath to prevent actors from getting hurt if they fell.

Despite the platform being just over a meter high, the crew took every precaution to prevent accidents.

Matthew, standing on the platform, glanced at Steve Brand across Kelly Hu. Steve was the quiet type, often the kind whose bite was worse than his bark.

However, Dave Billiard had already informed him of Steve's intentions, and he was determined not to let him succeed.

Even without Dave Billiard's warning, Matthew was cautious of both Steve Brand and Clark Bernard.

"Kelly!"

As the shoot approached, Tim Madison gave his final instructions, "Stand here by me. Soldiers will come from that exit, and your task is to take them down!"

For this action scene, the crew planned to use a long take, so Tim Madison came over to give some additional instructions. He then turned to Matthew and Steve Brand, "Your duel should follow the training, but don't be rigid. This is a long take spanning several minutes, and your actions might be affected by various factors, so be adaptable."

Matthew nodded in understanding.

For short scenes lasting ten to twenty seconds, actors could stick closely to the choreographed routines. However, for longer scenes, improvisation was necessary.

For example, the first scene shot in the studio was a long take. Mostly, Matthew adhered to the choreographed routine but also improvised when necessary.

Steve Brand also acknowledged, "Understood."

He hadn't yet shot a long action scene in this film but had seen Matthew do it. He knew it wasn't possible to follow the choreography to the letter, so he chose this moment to act, knowing that injuries during action scenes were common.

Previously, when filming Manon's sword practice, another actor had hit him on the arm with a wooden sword, causing pain for half a day.

He glanced at the prop sword in his hand. Though made of resin, getting hit by it would be no laughing matter. If Matthew Horn were unable to take roles for a long time, would Helen Herman find someone more suitable than him among the agency's actors for roles like those in "Band of Brothers," "Black Hawk Down," "The Mummy" series, and the lead in this film?

This was Hollywood, where miracles happened. Catching one opportunity could catapult him to stardom!

Matthew twiddled a thread on his leather armor with one hand and held the prop sword's hilt with the other, no longer looking at Steve Brand.

On his way here, he had already devised a strategy.

Kelly Hu, standing between Matthew and Steve Brand, perhaps sensing the tension, stepped back. She instinctively wanted to side with Matthew, whom she had a good impression of, but knew better than to get involved in the common backstage conflicts.

"Follow one principle in this scene!" Tim Madison's final instruction came, "Matthew, you start by retreating. Steve, you're determined to kill him, chase him down fiercely!"

He looked at both actors, "Then, Matthew, you get knocked down, and Steve doesn't let up. At the crucial moment, you turn defeat into victory."

Matthew simply nodded, as did Steve Brand on the other side.

"Alright!" Tim Madison prepared to leave the set, "Let's shoot a take and see how it goes."

He left the set, and Matthew drew his sword, moving to his starting position, while Steve Brand positioned himself opposite.

Matthew, Kelly Hu, and Steve Brand were ready when the assistant director's voice rang out, "Scorpion King, scene 113, take 21, action!"

From the moment the command was given, Matthew was fully alert. As soon as the director shouted 'action,' Steve Brand's prop sword came slashing towards him with a swift and whooshing sound.

Matthew dodged, then retreated towards the edge of the platform, with Steve Brand pursuing him. Each of Steve's strikes carried a whooshing sound and a fierce expression, as if he were fully immersed in the role of Manon, determined not to rest until Murias, portrayed by Matthew, was dead.

Their swords clashed several times, and Matthew could feel that Steve Brand was exerting much more force than during rehearsals, confirming Dave Billiard's warning.

Steve wouldn't foolishly attack directly; his intent was hidden within the choreographed moves. Where five units of force were supposed to be used, he applied eight, and even with this increased effort, Matthew, agile as a deer, evaded every strike, prompting Steve to use full force.

Bang—

Steve kicked a hard foam chair, sending it flying towards Matthew.

Matthew couldn't dodge in time and blocked it with his arm, sending the chair flying to one side. Then, Steve's sword came slashing towards him again.

Matthew retreated once more, with Steve advancing aggressively.

Behind one of the cameras, Tim Madison watched the action unfold, nodding in approval. The scene was devoid of any fanciness, filled with realistic fighting force and straightforwardness, making it incredibly believable.

This was the effect the crew had been striving for.

Matthew's performance in the action scenes was consistently excellent, but Steve Brand's performance, especially his expression and movements while chasing Matthew, was surprisingly good, vividly conveying Manon's determination to kill Murias and his own strength.

At that moment, Tim saw Matthew trip over a table and fall near the edge of the platform, dropping his weapon.

Murias was to be defeated by Manon, then counterattack from a desperate situation...

Tim Madison remained still and silent, impressed by the excellence of this long take and the actors' great condition.

Matthew lay on the ground, tense as a bowstring, having been taught how to counterattack upon falling during his freestyle fighting training. The trip had been deliberate, allowing him to distance himself from Steve Brand while setting up a counterattack as scripted.

As per the necessary flow of the shoot, Murias was to be defeated by Manon at least once.

Steve then charged forward, stabbing with his sword directly at Matthew, just as described in the script...

Though the prop sword was far away, Matthew could clearly see that its target was his face.

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