23. Learn

As night fell, the dining area was brightly lit, and the white lights illuminated the tables. Matthew could tell that Michael was not happy, and he sighed inwardly but said nothing more.

He knew that once the balance in someone's heart was disturbed, it was very difficult to restore it, perhaps even impossible.

Suddenly, his phone rang, and Matthew answered it. It was Helen calling, so he quickly went to a trailer on the set to participate in a temporary audition for a role.

It was a small role, and since he wasn't a member of the actors' guild, the audition was straightforward. After the casting director and an assistant sent by Ridley Scott looked at Matthew's appearance and had him roar a few times, they nodded in satisfaction.

After the audition, Helen took care of the rest. Matthew walked alone back to the town, returned to the hotel where he was staying, took a quick shower, and went to bed early. He had been busy all day, and had to get up early tomorrow. He didn't have any time to waste.

Matthew didn't know when Michael had returned. When he woke up, it was almost three o'clock in the morning. After washing up, he went straight to the restaurant. Just as he arrived at the restaurant, he ran into Helen and her assistant Amanda at the entrance. The three of them had breakfast together, and Helen handed over the other extras to Amanda to take care of, personally accompanying Matthew to the set.

Ridley Scott had given Angel Agency this role, so Helen would definitely show the appropriate respect for it.

At the very least show some respect for Ridley Scott.

The crew was about to start work early in the morning, and many people were already heading out of town. Matthew had always been curious about this role. Now that there were only two of them, he couldn't help but ask tentatively as they walked, "Wasn't this role originally planned for someone else?"

"It was a last-minute decision," Helen Herman, wearing a blue-black professional suit today, seemed to be in a good mood and explained briefly, "The actor originally cast for this role had a contract with the crew that stipulated a minimum of five lines."

Her flat shoes made crisp sounds on the hard ground as she continued, "The actor who joined the crew the day before yesterday found that all five lines were similar to the shouting you did yesterday, which he was very unhappy about. There was some friction with the crew, and Ridley Scott decided to replace him."

"Was that actor fired?" Matthew asked with concern.

As they left town and walked towards the forest set, Helen continued, "No, he's a union actor. Firing him would be very troublesome and would mean a breach of contract for the crew, which would have to compensate him for a month's salary. His daily salary is $8000, which is not cost-effective."

Matthew thought of some unpleasant things and asked again, "Does the crew have a non-breach way of sidelining him?"

"The crew will temporarily make him play the role of a barbarian soldier, and then have an assistant director specifically shoot a scene with five lines for him." Helen said casually, "By the end of post-production, they'll discard all his scenes for a few hundred dollars."

"I see..." Matthew pursed his lips, "Is that even allowed?"

Helen said lightly, "He's just an ordinary British actor."

Matthew nodded. An ordinary actor, even a union member, couldn't compete with a production of the scale of "Gladiator."

On second thought, the British actor mentioned by Helen was probably impulsive, wasn't he?

Arriving at the forest set, Matthew followed Helen into a large makeup trailer, where he received specialized service.

A very charming male makeup artist and his female assistant worked together to do Matthew's makeup. This makeup session was quite meticulous, especially the beard on Matthew's face, which was painstakingly applied one by one.

It was obvious that the treatment of actors who appeared in long shots was completely different from those who had close-up shots.

Makeup was quite troublesome and lasted a long time. At one point, Matthew even almost fell asleep during the process, and he was awakened by angry shouts from outside the makeup trailer.

"Who is that guy? Whose relationship did he use to get here? How dare he steal my role! I'll show him..."

"Meakin..." It seemed like someone was trying to calm him down.

The noise outside the makeup trailer quickly quieted down, and Matthew guessed it might be the British actor mentioned by Helen.

The young female assistant makeup artist stuck a beard on Matthew's face and whispered, "That Brit, he's been to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, always looking down on people. He thought Ridley Scott would help him because they're both British, but he forgot this is America!"

"Hehe..." Matthew didn't know how to respond and simply laughed twice.

The makeup continued until the sky was bright, and Matthew's look was finally completed.

"Thank you!"

Preparing to go to the costume and props department, Matthew left the trailer very politely. "Thank you both for your hard work!"

Having been at the bottom of society for many years, he still knew how to be polite.

"Not at all." The female assistant smiled.

However, the very charming male makeup artist suddenly stepped forward, slipped a piece of paper into Matthew's hand, and said in a low voice, "Hey handsome, my phone number is on it. Give me a call when you have time to hang out."

Matthew was first stunned, then he understood, and without saying a word, he quickly threw the piece of paper into the trash can after walking a distance away from the trailer.

Next, he went to the costume department to change into a thick fur costume and picked up a long-handled war hammer with a tribal totem embedded in it from the props department.

When leaving the props department, Matthew noticed that Helen was standing outside the trailer of the props department, apparently waiting specifically for him.

Seeing Matthew approaching, Helen asked, "Did everything go smoothly?"

Matthew nodded, "It was okay, just took a bit long."

Now that the sun was up high, it was probably past eight-thirty already. The makeup process alone had taken over four hours. Fortunately, all the scenes for this role could be completed today.

Helen led the way, and Matthew followed her, walking towards the location where they had filmed yesterday.

Passing through the path in the woods, the two arrived at the edge of the open space, where hundreds of temporary actors had already gathered, waiting for today's scenes to start filming.

Michael leaned against a tree, and he saw Matthew at a glance. Even though there was some distance between them, he could still see very clearly. The well-made fur coat on Matthew's body and the wild and barbaric makeup on his face looked extremely authentic, especially the beard, which looked no different from real. In contrast, Michael's makeup was clearly fake, with a world of difference between them.

"He's only been in Los Angeles for a few months?" Michael felt very uncomfortable in his heart, "I've been in Los Angeles for over three years!"

Shouldn't friends help each other out at critical moments? But he refused to help himself...

Thinking of this, Michael walked over briskly, "Hey, Matthew."

Matthew was chatting casually with Helen, when he heard the familiar voice. He immediately turned his head and greeted, "Hey, Mike."

He behaved as if nothing had happened yesterday, as if yesterday's incident had never occurred.

"Yesterday..." Michael hesitated intentionally, "I was a bit hot-headed and said some things that went too far."

Matthew shook his head, "What happened yesterday? I've already forgotten about it."

Michael smiled, seemingly relieved that Matthew still regarded him as a friend.

Helen didn't understand what the two were talking about. She glanced at Matthew and then at Michael.

Seeing Helen's eyes turn to him, Michael immediately smiled and said, "Hello, Helen. I'm Michael, Matthew's good friend and also your actor."

"Hmm." Helen remembered seeing him yesterday, "Hello, I remember you. You worked as a mover."

"Yeah!" Hearing her words, Michael's smile became even brighter, "That's me! I met Matthew at the time, and our common interests turned us into friends. Matthew played a role in..."

He subtly emphasized his tone, as if reminding Helen, "He played a role once, while I've played over twenty roles. When we chat, Matthew often asks me for advice."

Helen's eyes were hidden behind her glasses, making it hard to read her expression. She maintained a faintly professional smile on her face, "Is that so?"

Matthew also smiled faintly, but his smile was obscured by the thick beard on his face.

Just trying to look familiar, Michael was really improvising.

At this moment, Ridley Scott walked onto the set with the big-bearded man. Helen said to Matthew, "Uncle Scott might be directing this scene personally. Let me introduce you."

Matthew couldn't ask for more and followed Helen as they walked.

Michael also followed, but after only a few steps, Helen noticed him and said, "Your scene is about to start filming. Go back and get ready."

Hearing this, Michael had to stop, watching Matthew and Helen approach Ridley Scott.

"Uncle Scott." Helen Herman greeted first, "Are you going to direct this scene personally?"

"Yeah." Ridley Scott nodded, "Is your actor fine?"

Helen Herman approached him and pointed to Matthew, saying, "This is Matthew Horner. He played a role in 'Soul Lady' last month, working with Winona Ryder and Angelina Jolie."

Seeing Matthew's tall and strong figure and his rugged, barbaric appearance, and hearing Helen's words, Ridley Scott felt relieved and instructed the big-bearded man, "Get ready to start filming!"

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