14. Talent

Early in the morning after dropping someone off, Matthew hurriedly rushed to Universal Studios and met up with his agent, Dennis Kurt. He didn't mention anything about yesterday's events; it wouldn't help now.

With the accompaniment of his agent, he signed another agreement with the production crew and then put on makeup and changed into a lab coat, entering the studio to wait for the filming to begin.

Perhaps due to having lines, the assistant director gave him a script for his role, albeit just a single page with a few lines written on it.

The role was quite simple. He would walk through a corridor, passing the female lead Winona Ryder, and then enter the room of the supporting actress Angelina Jolie.

Although Matthew's role was more significant than that of a stand-in actor, it still fell short of that of a regular cast member.

Matthew was still wearing the lab coat from the previous day as he stood outside the filming location, looking at the script. Dennis Kurt peeked over from behind, his eyes scanning the script.

"Not only is there a close-up shot, but there are also two lines!" Dennis Kurt exclaimed in surprise, muttering under his breath, "Roles like this usually require a formal audition. Otherwise, it's because of connections within the crew..."

Matthew shrugged, saying nothing.

Dennis Kurt looked at him in astonishment. Yesterday, Winona Ryder had sidelined him, but there was a complete turnaround in the evening. Who exactly was this person named Matthew Horner?

Did he have a connection with Angelina Jolie? Dennis Kurt shook his head. Angelina Jolie was just a supporting actress, unable to compete with Winona Ryder!

Suddenly, he thought of a possibility. Could Matthew be connected to another producer, Georgia Kennedy?

The more Dennis Kurt thought about it, the more likely it seemed. Otherwise, there was no way to explain all of this. It couldn't possibly be someone high up in Sony Columbia Pictures directly intervening, could it?

Unable to suppress his curiosity, he leaned close to Matthew and whispered, "Do you know Georgia Kennedy?"

Matthew turned his head, giving Dennis Kurt a slight smile but remaining silent, neither confirming nor denying.

Dennis Kurt immediately took this as confirmation and quickly began to calculate in his mind how he could profit from this. One thing he was sure of was that he needed to keep Matthew Horner satisfied and not repeat the same poor performance as yesterday.

"Um... Matthew," he felt he should explain, "Yesterday, I really had an urgent matter..."

"I know," Matthew tapped the script, saying, "I'm memorizing the lines."

Dennis Kurt quickly raised his hand, saying, "Okay, okay, I won't bother you."

Matthew remained silent, focusing on memorizing his lines, ensuring he remembered every detail. The script was simple, and understanding it was not a problem. There were only two lines, and they weren't complicated.

After a while, Angelina Jolie arrived on set. Matthew smiled at her, and Angelina Jolie nodded slightly. Just like yesterday, Winona Ryder, the female lead and producer, was the last to arrive.

Director James Mangold completed the preparations for the shoot, gathering the actors together for a rehearsal. Matthew was also called over.

"Let's run through it," James Mangold instructed a few actors as they entered a prepared corridor. When they reached the door of the first room, he said, "In this scene, the female lead and supporting actress haven't met yet. Winona, your character is curious about the supporting actress and sees the male orderly walking towards her room."

He pointed to Matthew. "Follow his back as you walk, until he enters Lisa's room."

Winona Ryder nodded lightly; this scene was too simple for her.

James then gestured to the door. "The two characters pass each other at this point."

He looked at Matthew. "You continue down the corridor at a normal pace, not too fast or too slow, just a normal walking speed. Then enter the room. Understand?"

Matthew quickly said, "Understood."

James gestured to his assistant, and then said, "Let's go through it once."

Assistant directors came over to arrange their positions, and Matthew knew he couldn't mess up. He followed the crew's instructions completely.

Angelina Jolie entered the room, Winona Ryder stood at the door of the previous room, and Matthew took the medical kit handed to him by a prop assistant, waiting in the lobby where they had filmed yesterday.

Two cameramen were ready, and someone held a reflector beside him.

Although it was just blocking, it looked no different from an actual shoot.

Seeing this, Matthew felt a bit nervous. His legs trembled slightly. While he had dreams of being a Hollywood star, lying in piles of money, and rolling around with beautiful women, this was his first time performing in front of a camera.

Nervousness was normal.

"Relax," the person holding the reflector beside him suddenly reminded him in a low voice. "Your role is simple. Just relax and be natural."

Matthew turned to him, giving a slight smile and nod.

But he also sighed inwardly. Adding frosting to the cake was easy, but providing timely help in the face of difficulties was hard. Yesterday, everyone avoided him, but today, someone was actively giving him advice...

"Action!"

James Mangold's voice rang out, and Matthew immediately stopped his wandering thoughts, lifting his foot to move forward. But as soon as he took the first step, James voice rang out again, "Stop!"

He looked at Matthew. "You're too slow!"

Matthew smiled apologetically, about to say something, but James loudly said, "Back to your position, let's start over!"

No one wasted any time. Both the actors and crew quickly returned to their positions, and this time, Matthew didn't overthink. He focused on waiting for the director's command.

"Action!"

As soon as James gave the command, the crew sprang into action.

Matthew walked down the corridor, Winona Ryder approached from the opposite direction. As they were about to meet, Winona Ryder turned her head to look at Matthew. The camera filming her moved accordingly.

Matthew noticed the movement of the camera.

"Cut!" James Mangold called out, "You looked at the camera!"

Matthew knew the director was talking to him. He quickly apologized, "It was subconscious..."

"Be careful next time!" James seemed to have a good temper. "Everyone back to their positions, let's do it again!"

Although he was just a set director, he understood the dynamics of the crew very well. Winona Ryder had even nodded to Angelina Jolie, indicating they had reconciled. Apparently, it was this two-bit player who had helped Angelina Jolie in some way.

James didn't want to get involved in these messy affairs. A stand-in would do.

Matthew returned to his starting point, and Dennis Kurt unexpectedly stood nearby. Seeing Matthew come back, he said, "Don't be nervous! You don't have to act! Just walk and talk as you normally would. Don't think of this as acting!"

Taking two deep breaths, Matthew nodded slightly. This agent had questionable morals, so what he said now was more trustworthy.

The other crew members didn't return to their positions as quickly as the actors did. Matthew stood there, slowly adjusting his breathing, letting go of all the cluttered thoughts, and clearing his mind. After a few seconds, the trembling in his legs stopped, and his nervousness eased.

When James called "Action" again, all of Matthew's nervousness disappeared. He walked forward confidently, his eyes focused on nothing, not the camera, the director, or his agent. He didn't even see Winona Ryder approaching him; he just walked forward naturally.

He passed Winona Ryder, heading straight for Angelina Jolie's room. Winona Ryder turned to look at him, and the camera followed her gaze, capturing Matthew's tall figure.

Matthew entered Angelina Jolie's room and, in his usual tone of voice, said, "Lisa, you must take your medicine on time! Otherwise, I'll report to Dr. Potts."

These were his two lines.

"Cut!"

Hearing this voice, Matthew shook his head, then heard James announce, "That's a wrap for this scene!"

Matthew was confused. "A wrap? Wasn't this just blocking?"

"It's normal." Angelina Jolie, who was across from him, seemed to hear his question. "When the blocking captures the right shots, the director will use them."

She stood up. "In Hollywood, time is money."

Matthew smiled and politely said, "Thank you."

Although Angelina Jolie always kept her distance from him and sometimes appeared aloof, she was relatively friendly to him on this set.

Matthew guessed that perhaps he had indeed helped Angelina Jolie in some way during these two instances.

Angelina Jolie left the semi-enclosed room, ready to shoot the next scene, while Matthew's work on this set was complete.

However, he had signed a daily wage contract. Even if he had worked for less than half a morning, he would still receive two hundred dollars in compensation.

"If only I could make two hundred dollars every day," Matthew sighed with emotion. "With an income of over five thousand dollars a month, life would be much easier."

Unfortunately, opportunities like these weren't available every day. For a newcomer like a stand-in actor, they might not come across one for several months.

"You did great!"

Outside the set, Dennis Kurt followed beside Matthew, his fat face smiling so much that his features were indistinguishable. "For a newcomer, being able to nail a scene within three takes is rare!"

"Really?" Matthew asked, then chuckled. This chubby guy was obviously trying to please him.

Dennis Kurt, however, said earnestly, "Based on my experience, you have some talent in this area! I won't say it's exceptional, but above average is definitely no problem."

Matthew didn't take his words seriously at all. Dennis Kurt asked him, "Are you leaving?"

"I'll watch for a bit," Matthew didn't plan to leave immediately. He didn't know when the next time he'd be called into the studio would be.

Dennis Kurt hesitated for a moment before saying, "I'm leaving. I still need to handle your pay."

Matthew nodded. "Go ahead."

As the crew prepared for the next scene, Matthew stood on the outskirts of the set, his eyes mostly on Winona Ryder and Angelina Jolie, both of whom were targets for learning in the world of fame.

Suddenly, someone walked up to him and asked, "Are you Matthew Horner?"

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