The Best Movie Actor In Hollywood! Chapter 48

On the day of the audition, Matthew woke early, took a cab to Warner Studios in Burbank, and arrived an hour ahead of schedule. He met with Helen before heading into the production offices for "Band of Brothers," steeled for the audition ahead.

Stepping inside, Matthew saw they weren't the first to arrive. Several other actors were already seated on benches in the hallway, some of them, like him, accompanied by their agents.

"We'll wait." Helen found a bench and sat down.

Matthew sat beside Helen, waiting, a knot of anxiety tightening in his stomach. This role wasn't just about his future; it was about the immediate paycheck.

The Los Angeles District Court had approved Wilson's motion for an out-of-court settlement, and his lawyer was now in negotiations with the company behind the adult film. A settlement, when reached, would undoubtedly come with a hefty price tag.

The paycheck for this part could free him from the debt of his broken contract, once and for all.

Matthew's mindset had shifted. He desperately wanted the part, but the decision rested with powerful figures like Tom Hanks. He and Helen were ultimately powerless.

Before the auditions officially began, actors were called into the styling room. This was a costumed audition, where each actor would be transformed into a soldier of the 101st Airborne Division before entering the room to perform.

Matthew leaned back in his chair, the tension and anxiety etched into the furrow of his brow growing more pronounced.

"Nervous?" Helen watched Matthew, her eyes catching his unease. "It’s not like you."

She remembered a cocky, audacious Matthew, more akin to a hot-headed teenager in the throes of puberty.

"I'm not even twenty," Matthew said, needing to talk to someone, to unwind. "I’ve never been in a situation like this before, with a lawsuit breathing down my neck and no idea if I’m about to land the role that could fix everything."

Helen was struck by the reminder that he was, in fact, only nineteen.

Matthew rubbed his face, feeling the muscles gradually unclench. Then he said, "I'm feeling better now."

He told Helen, "The moment you started talking, I felt myself relax."

"Hmm?" Helen didn't quite catch his meaning.

"You have a calming presence," Matthew explained, forcing himself to let go of his nerves and fully relax. He muttered, "You’re the only thing I can really count on right now."

Helen turned her gaze away from Matthew, seeing that he was slowly returning to his usual self.

Feeling more at ease, Matthew got to his feet and surveyed his surroundings. More than a dozen actors were seated in the long hallway, nearly all of them solidly built and strong. With the right costumes, he figured, any one of them could pass for a convincing tough guy on screen.

In terms of physique, he was on equal footing with all of them.

Matthew knew this audition was different from the others. He would have to offer more than just his looks to impress the casting crew.

More to the point, he had to impress Tom Hanks himself.

Just then, the door to the styling room opened from within, and a young man stepped out. "Matthew Horner?" he called out.

Matthew immediately got to his feet and raised a hand. "Here."

"Come on in." The young man turned and went back inside.

Helen stood up as well and gave Matthew an encouraging nod. "Go on. You've got this."

Matthew shot Helen a quick glance but said nothing as he followed the young man into the styling room.

It was an enormous room, divided into three main sections: to the left of the entrance was the makeup department, consisting of a dozen vanity tables; to the right was the props department, filled with various American weapons and gear from World War II; and directly across from the door stood a rack of uniforms next to a changing area.

Matthew already knew that this session wasn't just for the role of Ronald Speirs; they were also casting three other characters with slightly smaller parts.

He first followed the young man to the makeup section, where he sat before a mirror and let the makeup artist get to work. The process was simpler than he'd anticipated. Given the nature of the role, the artist skipped foundation entirely, instead just shaping his eyebrows and accentuating the contours of his face to give him a more mature, rugged look.

After the quick makeup session, Matthew moved to the wardrobe section. A costumer helped him find a uniform in his size, handed him a pair of military boots and a steel helmet, and directed him to a changing room to get dressed.

Stepping out of the changing room, he stood before a large mirror near the door. Matthew noticed his uniform was wrinkled and was tugging at the hem to straighten it when the costumer walked over.

She told Matthew, "Go over to props first. I’ll help you with the final adjustments once you have all your other gear."

Matthew nodded, made his way to the rows of weapon lockers, and received one piece of "weaponry" after another from the props master.

It was a full-costume audition, meaning every actor was outfitted to look as close as possible to how they would on a real film set.

And he was no soldier, so he found it hard to fathom how an ordinary paratrooper could possibly carry so much equipment.

With the gear in hand, Matthew was led back to the large mirror by the costumer. She stood before him and began to help him put on the various pieces of equipment, from head to toe.

The costumer was remarkably adept, methodically fitting Matthew with the helmet, a gun belt, a Thompson ammunition pouch, and a pistol ammunition pouch.

Next, she attached a canteen, a ration pack, a pistol, and a grenade pouch to his belt.

"Soldier," the costumer said, gesturing to the prop gun. "You can pick up your weapon now."

Matthew picked up the Thompson submachine gun. Drawing on his professional training with Hawk Breton, he held it in his right hand, the stock tucked under his arm and the barrel pointed toward the floor—one of the most common carrying positions used by American soldiers during World War II.

The costumer stepped back to look him over, then came forward to adjust his helmet. She knelt, tucking the cuffs of his trousers neatly into his boots.

Matthew stood still before the mirror, letting the costumer complete the transformation.

He relaxed his body and cleared his mind, forgetting where he was. Gazing into the mirror, he saw not himself, but a paratrooper preparing for battle.

Finally, the costumer pointed to a waiting area near the door. "Wait over there. They’ll call you when it’s your turn."

Matthew nodded and walked over to the designated spot.

When he reached the waiting area, Matthew didn't sit. He stood as straight as a spear, patiently waiting for someone to call him for his audition.

Time ticked by. One by one, other actors returned from their auditions—some dejected, some excited, some impassive—but all of them quickly removed their makeup and left the room.

Matthew waited for nearly an hour before an assistant finally called his name.

The assistant stood in a doorway and called out, "Matthew Horner?"

Just as before, Matthew raised a hand to signal his presence.

The assistant beckoned him over. "Come with me. Audition room five."

Without a word, Matthew followed the assistant down a long corridor. They turned left toward a door, and he waited as the assistant opened it, then stepped inside after him.

The moment he crossed the threshold, Matthew straightened his posture, carrying himself like a soldier.

He stepped into the audition room, his eyes quickly scanning the space before they landed on the renowned Tom Hanks.