The Best Movie Actor In Hollywood! Chapter 69

"Eion, get me a drink!" Michael Cudlitz’s slurred voice echoed from the bar. "Fill everyone's glasses!"

Eion Bailey, bottle in hand, poured whiskey into the glasses of Matthew, Michael Cudlitz, James, and Michael Fassbender one after another.

James called out, "My turn to spin!"

He grabbed a spoon, set it on the table, and gave it a sharp twist. The spoon whirled around before its handle finally came to a stop, pointing directly at Matthew.

Matthew sighed, having no other choice. He picked up the card in front of him, careful not to peek at the front, took the piece of double-sided tape Michael Fassbender offered, and stuck the card to his forehead, face out.

It was obviously a game.

The cast and crew had a two-day break, and with nowhere else to be, Matthew had spent the day exploring London with the guys. Now, they were spending the evening drinking and playing games.

It was a guessing game. Each of them had written the name of a famous movie character on a card. The cards were then shuffled and dealt out. The person whose turn it was had to stick their card to their forehead without looking at it, so everyone else could see the name. They could then ask each of the other four players one question to try and guess the character.

The penalty for guessing wrong was, of course, to drink.

Even though the cards were all famous movie characters, the range was still enormous. Matthew didn't expect to get it right away. He turned to Fassbender first. "Is the character American?"

Michael nodded.

Matthew paused, thinking, then turned to James. "Is he male?"

James answered without hesitation, "Yes."

Matthew thought about the card he himself had written, then asked Michael Cudlitz, "Does he save the world?"

Michael opened his mouth as if to protest, but then conceded, "Yes."

Matthew stopped asking questions. Reaching up to his forehead, he declared, "Superman."

He peeled the card from his skin and froze. It didn't say Superman. It said Batman.

"Who wrote this?" Matthew demanded, looking around at the others.

Michael cut him off. "Matthew, you lost."

Matthew picked up his glass and downed the whiskey in a single swallow, his expression unchanged. "Again," he said.

"Well, look what the cat dragged in," James muttered, glancing toward the bar's entrance. He nudged Michael Fassbender. "It's your old nemesis from drama school."

Michael Fassbender followed his gaze, a flicker of animosity in his eyes.

Matthew turned to see who they were talking about. A young man had just walked in—not particularly tall, but with a powerful build.

"Who's that?" Matthew asked.

"Tom Hardy," Michael Fassbender answered instantly. "A nasty piece of work."

The man, Hardy, spotted Michael Fassbender and sauntered over with a smirk. "Well, fancy seeing you here, Mike."

"It is, isn't it?" Michael Fassbender replied, his smile sharp as a razor. "Pull up a chair. Have a drink with us, friend."

Tom Hardy let out a dismissive laugh. He stepped forward and leaned a hand on the back of Matthew's chair. "Drink with you lot? Are you serious, Mike?"

He shook his head. "No, thanks. I'm meeting a friend."

Matthew could clearly sense the animosity between Tom Hardy and Michael Fassbender. For now, they were keeping it civil, their hostility confined to thinly veiled sarcasm.

He didn't know the history between them and decided to stay out of it. But when Hardy went to lean on his chair again, Matthew abruptly scooted forward, making the man's hand grasp at empty air.

Hardy shot Matthew a look, registered the unfamiliar face, and gave an arrogant huff. After forcing out a few more clipped remarks, he stalked off to find an empty table.

A moment later, the friend he was meeting arrived. To the surprise of Matthew and the others, it was the show's lead actor, Damian Lewis.

Lewis walked over to Tom Hardy's table without a word.

"You got a problem with that guy?" Michael Cudlitz asked, glancing curiously over at Tom Hardy.

Michael Fassbender didn't bother hiding it. "It's not like we're mortal enemies. We were just rivals back in drama school. Competed for the same roles. Sometimes I won, sometimes he did."

Michael Cudlitz seemed to lose interest at such a mundane story. "That's it? You act like a couple of kids with a grudge because of some old school rivalry?"

James took a sip of his drink. "It's more than that. Hardy's father is a screenwriter with some pull in London, and he used to make things difficult for Michael."

Michael Fassbender shrugged, looking unconcerned. "It was nothing major."

He said it casually, but Matthew could see a flicker of old hurt in his eyes. And judging from the incident with Tom West, Fassbender wasn't the type to swallow an injustice and keep it to himself.

After Hardy's departure, the mood at the table wasn't as relaxed as before. They had one more round of whiskey before Matthew suggested they call it a night, and they left the bar.

As they walked down the cold, windy street, Michael Cudlitz asked, "So, what's next? Hit up a club?"

"Forget about it." James was clearly worn out, the alcohol finally hitting him. "My head's spinning. I'm ready to crash."

"Same here," Michael Fassbender added.

Matthew glanced at his watch. "Alright then, let's head back to the hotel and get some rest."

Filming meant early mornings every day. Makeup alone took ages, and the production wouldn't wait for a bunch of supporting actors like them.

Back at the hotel, Matthew showered and fell into an unusually deep sleep, not stirring until his cell phone rang the next morning.

He fumbled for the phone under his pillow and answered without checking the caller ID, his voice rough with sleep. "Who is it?"

"It's me, Helen." The voice on the other end was unmistakably hers. "I'm in London. I'm heading out to the set at Hatfield, but I'll be at your hotel in about fifteen minutes."

Matthew sat bolt upright. "Helen? What are you doing here?"

"I have some business to attend to," Helen said, her voice its usual even tone. "And I'm stopping by to make sure you're not in any trouble."

Matthew didn't bother responding to that. "I'm already up," he said. "I'll meet you in the restaurant downstairs."

After hanging up, he quickly washed his face, changed into something more presentable, and headed down to the first-floor restaurant. It was a buffet breakfast, and he figured he could take his time while he waited.

Matthew grabbed a plate of food and found a table near the entrance. He had just finished a slice of bacon when Helen appeared.

She spotted him immediately and strode over to his table.

"Have you eaten?" Matthew asked, gesturing toward the buffet line. "They've got enough food here to feed an army."

The production had provided the actors with meal vouchers for the hotel and the on-set catering. Just like on Gladiator, they were being treated exceptionally well when it came to food.

Dressed in a sharp business suit, Helen pulled out a chair and sat opposite him. "I already ate at the airport," she replied.

Matthew speared a piece of bacon with his fork and took a bite. Helen glanced at her watch. "I have a meeting at ten, so—"

She was cut off as a man approached their table from behind, calling out loudly, "Hey, Matthew!"

Helen looked up at the man, who met her gaze.

It was Michael Cudlitz. He looked from Matthew to Helen and asked, "Matthew, is this your girlfriend?"

Before Matthew or Helen could answer, he stuck out his hand. "Hi, I'm Michael. Michael Cudlitz."

Helen didn't take his offered hand. "You're mistaken," she said coolly. "I'm Matthew Horner's agent."

Michael froze for a second, then looked embarrassed. "Oh. Sorry."

Helen gave a curt nod and pointedly ignored him. Matthew shot Michael a quick wink.

Michael took the hint and beat a hasty retreat, muttering, "I need to get an agent like that."

"He's one of the actors from the show," Matthew explained. "We've become friends."

"I see." Helen lowered her voice slightly. "Time is short. I have to leave in a minute."

Matthew put on a deliberately disappointed expression. "Leaving so soon?"

Helen ignored his comment, as always. "I got you an opportunity to walk the red carpet at the premiere of the film you were in."