Chapter 119: A Modern War Story

Sunlight filtered through the curtains, dispelling the darkness of the room. Matthew opened his eyes, feeling a headache, a terrible hangover sensation. He shook his head vigorously and got out of bed, heading straight to the bathroom for a shower.

Last night, he had partied with a few lead actors from the crew, and being the guest of honor, he ended up drinking a few too many glasses. He arrived back in a state of semi-drunk consciousness, skipped the shower, and fell asleep as soon as he hit the bed.

After freshening up, Matthew felt fully awake, and the headache from the hangover had significantly subsided. He checked the time, went out for breakfast, then hailed a taxi with his luggage to head for Heathrow Airport, planning to catch a flight back to Los Angeles.

He wanted to rest properly for a few days.

Strictly speaking, since the auditions for "Almost Famous," "The Mummy Returns," and "Fast & Furious," he had been constantly busy, without any real rest, even between auditions.

Now that "The Mummy Returns" had wrapped up and there were no new roles to vie for, work was the last thing on his mind.

In the taxi, Matthew texted Britney, "Are you busy?"

There was no reply, indicating Britney must be preoccupied.

As the taxi neared Heathrow Airport, his Nokia phone finally beeped with a message alert. Checking it, he read, "The choreographer redesigned the dance routine for one of the songs, need to get familiar with it quickly. Took a water break, heading back now."

Matthew didn't reply, pocketing his phone. After the taxi stopped at the terminal, he disembarked, pulled his luggage into the airport, and was about to retrieve his ticket when his Nokia rang.

It was a call from Helen-Herman.

Helen never called him for personal matters; it was always about work.

He answered, "Hi, Helen."

"You haven't boarded yet, have you?" Helen asked before informing him, "The 'Band of Brothers' crew notified me, they need you for post-production voice work."

Matthew, thinking the crew was still in London, asked, "Should I stay in London?"

"No! 'Band of Brothers' is currently undergoing post-production at Warner Bros. Studios..."

"When does recording start?" Matthew inquired. "Not tomorrow, right?"

"You need to report to the crew by Wednesday."

"Alright." Matthew had no objections, given the contract with "Band of Brothers," "I guess I'll only get back to Los Angeles tonight."

Even though his flight to Los Angeles was direct, it would still be a long ten-hour journey.

As he was about to hang up, Helen mentioned, "One more thing. Jack leaked news that Ridley Scott has taken over a war movie project for Sony Columbia Pictures on short notice, with a very tight schedule. The crew plans to hold internal auditions, prioritizing actors with military role experience. You might want to consider it."

"No need to think about it."

With Ridley Scott's reputation, Matthew didn't hesitate, "Helen, sign me up."

He was open to any legitimate film and role, far from being in a position to pick and choose. Securing work after a job was already a good fortune.

Helen agreed, "That's what I thought. Okay, I'll contact Jack."

After hanging up, Matthew collected his boarding pass, entered the waiting area, and sat pondering Ridley Scott's war movies. He remembered Scott directed a version of "The Prince of Egypt" and a war film about Jerusalem, which had a significant disparity between its theatrical release and the version he downloaded online, both in reception and box office performance. It couldn't be those, could it?

After a while, he couldn't recall, guessing he hadn't seen this particular movie before.

His familiarity with Ridley Scott's work mainly revolved around "Alien" and the Jerusalem film.

Arriving back in Los Angeles late at night, Matthew went straight to bed. The next day, after texting both Britney and Helen, he continued to rest in his apartment until Wednesday morning, feeling rejuvenated and ready to head to Angel Agency.

Unexpectedly, Helen was out handling other agency business in Malibu.

She didn't just represent Matthew; she had many other clients, which not only brought revenue to Angel Agency but also kept competitive pressure on Matthew, ensuring he remained motivated.

Matthew called Helen, who had someone give him a stack of documents and instructed him to collect his paycheck from "The Mummy Returns" at the agency.

Although "The Mummy Returns" crew had only paid the first installment of $30,000, with two more to wait for, Matthew had also received a $30,000 severance from the "Fast & Furious" crew. Even after paying Helen's 10% agent fee, he still had a considerable sum, enough to ease his living expenses.

With his basic financial concerns addressed, Matthew could fully focus on his acting career, specifically, his ambition to become a Hollywood star and enjoy the associated fame and lifestyle.

He decided not to spend this money immediately, recalling his experience walking the "Gladiator" red carpet and recognizing the substantial expenses actors incur, despite their seemingly high incomes.

After signing for the paycheck, which was transferred to his account, Matthew stayed at Angel Agency, reviewing the documents in the conference room on the first floor and having a long phone conversation with Helen for a better understanding of the project.

The project, titled "Black Hawk Down," was a modern war movie adapted from the true story of a 1993 secret operation in Mogadishu, Somalia, by 160 elite operatives from the US Army Delta Force and Ranger units. The script was based on journalist Mark Bowden's non-fiction book "Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War."

Ridley Scott hadn't initially planned this movie but took over spontaneously. The film was originally proposed by director Simon West, who persuaded producer Jerry Bruckheimer to purchase the book's filming rights. However, due to internal changes at Sony Columbia Pictures, West left for "Tomb Raider," and Bruckheimer approached Scott, who was interested in the subject, resulting in a quick agreement.

Despite not being a mid-production takeover, Scott faced tight deadlines and other challenges, with Sony Columbia Pictures aiming for a release before the end of the next year, leaving limited time for production.

To save time, the producers and Sony agreed to conduct internal auditions for most roles and shortened the mandatory military training for actors from one month to ten days, prioritizing those with recent military roles.

Sony Columbia Pictures allocated a budget of $80 million to $100 million for "Black Hawk Down," a significant investment by Hollywood standards at the time.

Matthew felt hopeful about securing a role in "Black Hawk Down," given his recent military training for "Band of Brothers" and knowledge of Helen's close relationship with Ridley Scott, often referring to him as "uncle" rather than by professional titles.

He understood that landing a substantial role in such a major production could pave the way for lead roles in smaller projects.

The filming location was a concern, though not in the chaotic Somalia but in Morocco, Africa, for four to five months. If he got a significant role, he would spend most of the next six months there.

"Africa it is, then..." he mused, "Well, there are airplanes now."

After reviewing the materials and calling Helen again for clarification, Matthew left Angel Agency to buy "Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War" from a bookstore, preparing for the next day's voice work for "Band of Brothers," with Michael Fassbender also expected to attend.

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