Chapter 123: Old Acquaintances Meet

The day after signing the actor's contract, Matthew received a notification from the production team to gather on September 15th. They would take a collective drive to Edwards Air Force Base near Los Angeles to undergo basic military training provided by the military, then board a charter flight to Morocco for four to five months of filming.

He was cast as Sergeant Hutt, a member of the Delta Force, essentially portraying a tough military man.

In this regard, Ridley Scott and Jerry Bruckheimer, with their rich experience, had a precise eye for casting actors.

Subsequently, Matthew received a call from James McAvoy, who had also passed the audition. His role was a soldier named Eurick.

This was good news, as it meant having a familiar face in the crew.

With less than a week left before the crew's training camp, Matthew didn't wait idly in Los Angeles but took a trip to East Asia to meet Brittany in Japan. Japan is a major market for American pop culture, and Brittany's record and management companies certainly wouldn't miss the opportunity to capitalize and expand their influence in the Japanese market. Brittany was scheduled to perform concerts in five different cities across Japan.

As before, Matthew and Brittany's meeting was brief, with hardly any time to spend together. Due to the impending assembly of the "Black Hawk Down" crew, Matthew stayed in Tokyo for less than two days before returning to Los Angeles.

Upon his return, he began preparing for the upcoming trip to Africa.

In Matthew's view, Africa was synonymous with chaos and poverty, but he found out online that Morocco was in a much better situation, being one of the rare politically stable countries in Africa. However, located at the northwestern tip of Africa and directly adjacent to the Sahara Desert, the climate was quite hot.

Therefore, Matthew specifically went to Chinatown in Los Angeles to purchase essential heat-relief items like essential balm, cooling oil, and Huoxiang Zhengqi water, just in case.

On the day of departure, Matthew called a taxi and arrived on time at the crew's base in Pasadena City with a large suitcase.

He wasn't early, and the small building and lobby where the crew was located were already crowded with actors, but Matthew didn't see anyone he knew. He found a spot near the glass curtain wall in the lobby and patiently waited.

Soon after, he saw James McAvoy enter and quickly waved him over, "James, over here."

James McAvoy, carrying a backpack and dragging a suitcase, made his way to Matthew.

"When I was coming over..." James pointed outside the glass curtain wall, "I saw Tom Hardy."

Matthew shook his head slightly, "Let's just pretend he doesn't exist."

James put down his suitcase and said, "Too bad Michael isn't here."

Not to mention auditioning, Michael Fassbender didn't even receive an invitation to audition from the crew.

Matthew patted his shoulder, "That's not for us to decide."

"Look!" James nudged Matthew, "Tom Hardy is coming in."

Matthew turned to look towards the door and saw Tom Hardy entering with another person he knew, frowning slightly, "Why is he with Johnny Lee Miller?"

The person with Tom Hardy was Angelina Jolie's ex-husband, Johnny Lee Miller.

James didn't find it strange and casually mentioned, "Tom Hardy and Johnny Lee Miller have the same agent."

Matthew nodded, not dwelling on the matter any further, and shifted the topic. He chatted with James for about twenty minutes until the crew's rented buses arrived in front of the building. They dragged their luggage and lined up to board the bus.

Edwards Air Force Base was about 150 kilometers away from Los Angeles. After boarding, James took out his phone to play a game but soon dozed off, while Matthew, unable to sleep, began reading the script.

Although he hadn't had the script for long, he had already memorized the parts for Sergeant Hutt. His main focus now was to place his character within the broader context of the story.

For a film based on real events and involving military and international politics, actors needed to understand not only their roles but also the background of the entire film. Limited by his social class and previous exposure, Matthew was not sensitive to international politics and could only rely on the materials at hand for understanding.

According to Matthew's understanding after reading the materials, the chaos in Somalia was surely the result of Western countries' colonialism and plundering of Africa. The US military's presence in Somalia seemed to respond to the UN's invitation, but in reality, it was a face-saving project for Clinton.

With the Cold War over, Somalia was neither a strategic location nor possessed valuable resources, leading the US to initially lack interest in deploying peacekeeping forces. However, when the UN formally requested American assistance, Bush took on the project, sending troops to deliver relief supplies.

As the situation in Somalia continued to deteriorate, the UN passed a new resolution to enforce peace through military force.

Clinton, having just been elected president, might have seen this as an opportunity to show the world that American intervention could bring peace and sustenance to the Somali people, thus deciding to continue the project.

And so, the Black Hawk helicopters were shot down.

Of course, his understanding of politics and military affairs was extremely limited, and these were merely his speculations after reviewing the materials.

The background of such events was undoubtedly much more complex than he, or even the script, could convey.

Thinking about these things and reading the script, Matthew eventually fell asleep and only woke up as the bus was leaving the Los Angeles area.

"Hey, buddy!"

An actor around twenty years old from across the aisle leaned over and asked, "Got any gum?"

Matthew searched his bag and handed him a whole pack, "Take it."

The man, likely easy-going by nature, accepted it without hesitation and thanked Matthew, "Thanks, buddy."

After popping a piece of gum into his mouth, he introduced himself, "I'm Ben Foster."

"Matthew Horna," Matthew introduced himself and pointed to the still-sleeping James McAvoy, "That's James McAvoy, my friend."

The two chatted quietly for a while, and with Matthew's probing, the forthright Ben Foster soon spilled everything about himself.

He was from Massachusetts, of Jewish descent, and had played minor roles in "Silver Linings Playbook," "Freedomland," and "Future Shock."

"What role are you playing?" asked Ben.

Matthew didn't hide it, "Sergeant Hutt."

"Your role is better," Ben said enviously, "You have much more screen time than my soldier."

After chatting for a bit more, Matthew noticed the bus quieting down as more people fell asleep. He ended the conversation with Ben and tried to get some sleep himself.

Finally, after a two-hour drive, the bus arrived at the entrance to Edwards Air Force Base. Since it was one of the US military's most important bases, the bus couldn't enter, forcing the nearly one hundred actors, including Matthew, to disembark and walk.

After getting off the bus and collecting their luggage, James McAvoy, still groggy, followed Matthew towards the base's entrance.

At the front of the line, Big Beard Jack and the Pentagon's liaison with the crew were negotiating with the guards.

As the bright sunshine woke James fully, he reached for his phone only to find it missing. He quickly told Matthew, "I left my phone on the bus."

Matthew took his suitcase, "The bus hasn't left yet, go get it. I'll wait here."

James didn't hesitate, handing over his backpack to Matthew and running towards the bus. As he left, the base's guards began allowing the actors to enter, moving in scattered lines towards the interior.

Matthew stood still, waiting for James to return.

Seeing the line moving, several high-profile actors who had been avoiding the sun on the bus also came over. Matthew spotted the lead actor, Josh Hartnett, followed by Johnny Lee Miller and Tom Hardy.

Behind them, James McAvoy was jogging back with his phone.

As James returned to Matthew, Josh Hartnett passed by. Matthew smiled at him, and the tall actor returned the gesture.

Then, Matthew felt a sharp gaze from Tom Hardy but ignored it, preparing to move on with James, who shot a glare back at Tom before taking his backpack and suitcase...

Suddenly, Johnny Lee Miller, walking with Tom Hardy, slowed down. He turned to look at Matthew, showing a moment of disbelief on his face.

Matthew noticed Johnny Lee Miller's gaze, even sensing a hint of recognition, but calmly continued with his luggage, keeping some distance from Tom Hardy and Johnny Lee Miller towards the base's entrance.

"Does Johnny Lee Miller recognize me?" he wondered.

As Johnny Lee Miller entered the base and looked back, seeing the two behind still going through security, he asked, "Tom, do you know those two?"

"I do," Tom Hardy quickly replied, "The tall, muscular one is Matthew Horna, and the other is James McAvoy, both jerks."

Johnny Lee Miller shook his head slightly, "It doesn't make sense."

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