Chapter 155: The Female Lead

A second-hand Ford parked by the roadside, Matthew pointed to a very conspicuous small building, saying, "This is the fitness club, all three floors of it."

Elena Boyar sat in the passenger seat, glanced over there briefly, and continued to fiddle with her digital camera, which was relatively complicated to operate given the era's technology.

Matthew patiently waited for Elena Boyar, as she had more experience in this area.

After about five minutes, Elena Boyar fixed the camera lens that was temporarily malfunctioning and said to Matthew, "Just act natural, as if I'm not here."

"Make sure I look handsome, okay?" Matthew reminded her, "I'll come back to you if the photos turn out ugly."

Elena Boyar waved her hand dismissively, "Just go ahead, staged street photography is a piece of cake for me."

Just as Matthew was about to get out of the car, a few people suddenly came out of the fitness club and stood talking near the entrance. Elena Boyar stopped him, "Wait a bit, let them leave first."

Although they had informed Niebora and the fitness club beforehand, they couldn't interfere with the club's daily operations. Matthew knew he wasn't influential enough and patiently waited.

"Is all street photography like this, staged?" Matthew asked curiously.

"The kind of street photography you see in newspapers and online, where everyone looks stunningly beautiful or drop-dead handsome..." Elena Boyar said confidently, "I can guarantee that 100% of those are pre-arranged shots."

Matthew nodded in understanding, "No wonder many celebrity street shots feature 360-degree flawless beauty and handsomeness."

Elena Boyar snorted, "Most of these street shots are like our collaboration here. Unflattering photos would never pass the celebrity's agent or PR manager's review."

Matthew nodded, realizing that being an outsider, he had only seen the surface of things. Only by entering the industry did he understand the extensive management stars require.

He had just begun to gain some recognition and, strictly speaking, was still an ordinary actor who needed to manage his image...

After waiting for less than five minutes, the people at the entrance of the fitness club left. Matthew opened the car door, carrying a bag of clothes and dressed in a fitted, short sports outfit, he headed towards the entrance of the fitness club.

At the same time, Elena Boyar got out of the car and quickly walked to the side of the fitness club, finding a good position and angle. She aimed her camera lens at Matthew and kept pressing the shutter.

Through the lens, she saw Matthew's long, powerful legs and well-muscled body, exuding a masculine vigor unique to men.

"This guy..." While photographing, Elena Boyar muttered, "He does look quite impressive."

Hollywood has always favored muscular male actors, especially in commercial entertainment films.

Matthew had already entered the fitness club, and Elena Boyar put away her camera, quickly checked the photos to preliminarily confirm the shooting effect. If most of the photos were unsatisfactory, she would have to call Matthew out for another shoot.

Fortunately, the photos turned out well, and she entered the fitness club shortly after.

A staff member came over to guide Elena Boyar upstairs to the boxing gym. She entered through the glass doors and found Matthew had already changed and started warming up. She raised her camera and began shooting again.

No one in the fitness club came over to stop her, which made Elena Boyar guess that Matthew must have informed them.

After warming up, Matthew approached a punching bag for basic punching practice, making the bag thud loudly. Elena Boyar positioned herself opposite him, with her camera lens aimed his way, pressing the shutter from time to time.

Matthew was a regular here and had informed them beforehand, so the other patrons did not cause any disturbances or gather around out of curiosity.

Midway through, Niebora came over, deliberately standing in the shot to give Matthew some pointers. However, his eyes occasionally drifted towards Elena Boyar, seemingly curious about this female journalist.

This was a staged shoot, not a training session. Matthew then proceeded with a few other training exercises until Elena Boyar had taken enough photos, then they stopped.

Matthew took the towel Niebora threw at him, wiped off his sweat, and walked over to where Elena Boyar was dismantling her camera lens. He eagerly asked, "How did the shots turn out?"

Elena Boyar didn't look up, "Very good. If acting doesn't work out for you, you could consider modeling."

"What, become a male model? That's all for gays!" Niebora came over, standing beside Matthew, and said bluntly, "You should go pro in boxing!"

He slapped Matthew's arm, "With me as your coach, you could definitely become a star in the boxing world!"

Elena Boyar glanced at Niebora, who extended his hand, introducing himself, "I'm Niebora, Matthew's boxing coach."

"Nice to meet you." Elena Boyar shook his hand lightly, politely responding, "Elena Boyar, a journalist for Yahoo Entertainment."

Niebora, leaving Matthew aside, turned his eager smile towards Elena Boyar, "Elena, are you interested in fitness? I have many programs suitable for ladies. Would you like me to show you around?"

Elena Boyar gave him a brief look and declined directly, "No thanks, I have work to do." She then turned to Matthew, "I'm going back to the editorial office to process the photos. Call me if anything comes up."

"Sure!" Matthew nodded, "Let me know if you need anything else."

Elena Boyar packed up her things and quickly left the fitness club.

"Shall we continue training?" Niebora asked, watching Elena Boyar's retreating figure.

"Of course." Matthew called over a staff member to help him put on boxing gloves, "Time is precious; can't waste it."

The training continued until five in the afternoon when he left the fitness club, got in his car, and prepared to go home. Suddenly, he received a call from an unknown number.

Matthew didn't start the car but answered the call, "Hello, this is Matthew Horna."

"Hello, Matthew." A somewhat familiar voice came from the handset, "Long time no see."

This is? Matthew seemed to recall the voice's owner but couldn't immediately confirm. The person on the other end introduced themselves, "It's me, Lester."

Matthew immediately remembered his former boss and couldn't help but be curious about why he was calling. Still, he didn't stop talking, smiling, "Hello, Lester, indeed, it's been a long time."

"When are you free?" Lester's voice sounded tentative, "Let's have coffee together."

"I've been very busy lately." Matthew declined politely, "I might not have time in the near future."

"I see..." Lester said with a laugh, "I miss the times we worked together."

Matthew responded politely, "Me too."

Compared to the other two from the Red Penguin Company, Lester left a better impression on him. In some ways, Lester even helped him when the company fired him.

If it were the other two calling, he would have hung up already.

"Matthew..." Lester's words carried some ambiguity, "If you need any special services, feel free to contact me."

Hearing this, Matthew was a bit stunned.

Lester added, "You know, my reputation with Red Penguin Company has always been very good."

Matthew instantly understood Lester's intention, made some small talk, and then hung up.

"Red Penguin Company is extending their business to me now?" Matthew shook his head, "These guys really know how to find clients."

He had worked at Red Penguin Company for quite some time and, of course, knew what Lester meant by "special services."

Matthew drove home, not planning to entertain Lester's overtures. After all, he had a girlfriend and had no intention of breaking up with Brittany.

After getting home and taking a shower to relax, he had a simple dinner. Then he prepared to watch a performance tape he had exchanged with David Astor when his phone rang again.

He glanced at the number and decided not to answer, directly hanging up. It was Johnny Lee Miller's call.

Johnny Lee Miller hadn't called him for a long time. Matthew pretty much knew that after dragging it out for so long, Johnny Lee Miller must have realized he didn't have such a tape in his possession.

But since they hadn't seen each other again and Matthew had stopped answering calls after the initial contact, Johnny Lee Miller had no way to do anything for the time being. As for what Johnny Lee Miller might think, Matthew couldn't care less. Seeing the displayed number, he simply added it to the blacklist.

Maybe he wouldn't have any interactions with Johnny Lee Miller for many years...

Just as he had this thought, Matthew suddenly remembered that "Black Hawk Down" hadn't been released yet. Given their roles, both were likely to be invited to the premiere.

He scratched his head and simply put it aside; that could be dealt with later.

Matthew was preparing for the film and his role, while the production team had also started the busy preliminary work. Stephen Sommers temporarily set aside the monster ensemble film he was planning with Universal Studios and fully invested in planning "The Scorpion King."

"The action director is already in place; I've had someone sign an official contract with him."

In the office, Sean Daniel told Stephen Sommers, who was sitting behind the computer, "We can notify the actors to join the training now."

"The female lead is still undecided," Stephen Sommers reminded.

"I know." Sean Daniel was only biased against black people; otherwise, he was less concerned about other aspects. "I've seen the candidate you recommended. Overall, she's not bad; the only issue is she's a bit older."

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