Chapter 128: Bastards Everywhere

The gates of Edwards Air Force Base opened, and nearly a hundred male actors walked out in succession, preparing to head to the nearest airport to catch a charter flight directly to Morocco. The filming of "Black Hawk Down" was on a tight schedule. Producer Jerry Bruckheimer had been preparing there since the beginning of the year, and director Ridley Scott had also arrived early, just waiting for these actors to arrive and start shooting.

The ten-day training had ended, and almost everyone was relaxed and in a good mood, except for one person who was an exception, lagging more than ten meters behind the group.

Tom Hardy, dragging his suitcase, came out of the base's gate alone, his gaze sharp as an eagle's, fixed on one person in the group.

Johnny Lee Miller!

This bastard had actually sacrificed him for his own benefit!

After that day, of course, he refused to quit the crew voluntarily. However, Johnny Lee Miller called his agent, and under immense pressure from the agent, Tom Hardy had to step back. Despite his respectable family background, he couldn't change the fact that he was just a minor actor, powerless against the giants of Hollywood agencies.

Although the agent promised compensation in other areas, Tom Hardy still felt deeply wounded, especially in his spirit.

He had considered Johnny Lee Miller a friend, a partner he could collaborate with. And Johnny Lee Miller? When needed, he didn't hesitate to make him the scapegoat.

As the actors began boarding two buses, Tom Hardy walked to the SUV that had come to pick him up, looking at the two buses shining coldly in the bright sunlight. He suddenly realized that perhaps this industry was even colder than the metal itself.

"I want to become a star!" Tom Hardy clenched his fist, "To become a big star! Only by doing so can I repay Johnny Lee Miller for today's events, and make that despicable, shameless, and sinister bastard Matthew Horner pay!"

He put his luggage in the back seat and sat in the passenger seat, telling the driver, "Back to Los Angeles!"

Tom Hardy had made up his mind. Hollywood was too dangerous, full of thorns and traps, bastards everywhere. It would be better to first develop his career in England and then return to Hollywood once he had made a name for himself.

As the SUV drove past the buses, kicking up dust, Johnny Lee Miller watched from a window on the bus, seeing the SUV leave.

He knew Tom Hardy was unwilling to let things go and harbored resentment, but he didn't care. What was more important, Tom Hardy or his own future? Was there even a choice?

The contents on the tape were too risky to gamble with.

Suddenly, laughter came from the front door of the bus. Johnny Lee Miller looked up to see Matthew Horner, that shameless bastard, and James McAvoy getting on the bus, passing by him as if they hadn't seen him, and heading to the back seats.

Thinking of having to work with such people in the same crew for a long time made Johnny Lee Miller uncomfortable all over. But for the sake of that tape, he had to endure it.

"You're not giving it to him now?" James McAvoy asked Matthew, speaking in a low voice, after sitting down and looking ahead.

"Of course, he has objections!" Matthew also felt a headache, "I've been trying to stall. I told him I'm a big star and he's just a minor actor. He can mess with me anytime in the crew, so I have to wait until the filming is over to give it to him."

"Does he agree?" James asked.

Matthew shook his head, "Stall for a day is a day, I guess. Once my part is done filming, I don't have to deal with him anymore."

Yesterday, they just got the detailed filming schedule. Matthew's role was relatively early in the sequence, estimating that it could be completely finished by the end of January or the beginning of February.

Ben Foster came over, and James waved at him, then leaned closer to Matthew, whispering, "Do you really have that kind of tape?"

"No," Matthew simply shook his head, "I lied to Johnny Lee Miller."

"What?" James raised his voice unintentionally, then covered his mouth. After a while, he lowered his voice again, "I'm really impressed by you, being able to lie about such a thing."

Matthew expressed his helplessness, "What choice did I have? At that moment, it was two against one, and they had a taser. I could only think of this way to protect myself."

James gave Matthew a thumbs up, "I actually admire you, really."

Although not fully aware of what Matthew had done, managing to deceive Johnny Lee Miller was commendable.

Ben Foster approached, and Matthew greeted him. He had to thank him for that day. If it weren't for him informing James McAvoy, who then brought some familiar actors to knock on the door, they might not have deceived Johnny Lee Miller so easily.

But deceiving Johnny Lee Miller also had its consequences. Where would he get such a tape to give him? He couldn't possibly ask Johnny Lee Miller to strip and shoot one now, could he?

Matthew planned to drag it out until the filming of "Black Hawk Down" was finished, then leave and ignore Johnny Lee Miller. After all, Johnny Lee Miller's name wasn't among the Hollywood stars he remembered, implying he wouldn't become very successful.

As long as it didn't affect the normal filming, the crew of "Black Hawk Down" wouldn't care about personal conflicts between the actors.

After the incident, the person in charge of the Edwards Air Force Base section, Big Beard Jack, also inquired about it. Although Matthew didn't go into specifics, he admitted to having some conflict with Johnny Lee Miller and Tom Hardy. Big Beard Jack only warned them not to cause trouble on set, showing no intention of intervening.

In the matter of deceiving Johnny Lee Miller, Matthew had made up his mind to act shamelessly.

Disembarking from the bus and boarding the crew's chartered plane, nearly a hundred actors grandly headed to Morocco. Looking around the plane, apart from a few flight attendants, it was all men.

This crew was even more exaggerated than "Band of Brothers," with virtually no female members, not just among the actors but also the behind-the-scenes staff.

As James McAvoy said, after a few months of shooting in Morocco, seeing a black woman would seem more attractive than Marilyn Monroe.

Matthew vaguely remembered that Morocco wasn't a predominantly black country.

On a plane filled with hundreds of men, the most entertaining activity was flirting with the flight attendants. Orlando Bloom, the crew's acknowledged handsome man, was hitting it off with a flight attendant.

Orlando Bloom wasn't a star yet; his role in "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" would only be released next year.

Matthew had seen the entire "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, and Legolas was one of the most memorable characters. Once "The Fellowship of the Ring" was released, Orlando Bloom was sure to become extremely popular, easily surpassing Josh Hartnett and Johnny Lee Miller in minutes.

Unfortunately, Orlando Bloom had taken on "Black Hawk Down" before the release of "The Fellowship of the Ring," in a very minor role with low pay.

After arriving in Morocco, they rested for a day to adjust to the time difference, and then Matthew, along with the other actors, dove into filming.

Ridley Scott had taken over this project midway, but "Black Hawk Down" had been long planned by Jerry Bruckheimer. Even after Simon West resigned from the directorial position, the preparatory work never stopped. The crew was only a month late starting filming, a testament to Jerry Bruckheimer's significant contribution as a producer.

Moreover, the film had immense political significance. Even Matthew, who was politically indifferent, could feel it. The Moroccan government and the Pentagon provided enormous support to the crew.

The Moroccan government not only allowed a Delta Force squad and Black Hawk helicopters to be filmed but also mobilized its own troops to assist in the shooting.

According to Matthew's understanding, this was also related to the significant benefits the crew brought to Morocco. Nowadays, many Hollywood movies involving deserts and Africa were filmed in Morocco, such as "Star Wars: The Phantom Menace" released two years ago.

Morocco was even humorously referred to by many media as "Morollywood."

On the first day of filming, there was no scene for Sergeant Hoot, played by Matthew, but he left the cool hotel and braved the scorching sun to go to a sandy set, experiencing the filming firsthand to better get into character.

Matthew's dedication was unquestionable.

The filming set was chaotic. Since they were shooting scenes set in Somalia, the extras had to be hired from Africa, though they were mostly Moroccans who looked like Somalis. Despite speaking various languages, directing them wasn't easy even for an experienced director like Ridley Scott.

Matthew even noticed some black actors making faces at the camera during filming, which was exasperating.

"The director must be frustrated," Matthew muttered under a shaded tent, watching the filming. Orlando Bloom, who was also observing, came over, "There's nothing that can be done about it. We can't just fire these people."

Matthew looked at him curiously, and Orlando Bloom, appearing very humble, explained, "One of the conditions for the Moroccan government's support of the filming was that all temporary actors had to be Moroccan."

"I see," Matthew nodded.

Of course, the government welcomed foreign crews to film there, but they also wanted benefits, and Morocco wasn't foolish.

Filming continued, and Matthew chatted with Orlando Bloom for a while, leaving a good impression of him.

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