The Best Movie Actor In Hollywood! Chapter 70

Helen's words instantly reminded Matthew of a recent newspaper article he'd read. Girl, Interrupted, a film he had a part in, had racked up several Oscar nominations, including Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress. That meant the cast would be walking the red carpet at the Academy Awards next month.

A surge of anticipation went through him. "Is it for Girl, Interrupted?" he asked eagerly.

"What?" Helen arched an eyebrow. "I'm talking about a movie premiere red carpet, not the Oscars."

She continued, "I spoke with Jack from the Gladiator crew—the one with the beard. You can attend the North American premiere."

"That's fantastic." Matthew couldn't hide his excitement. Gladiator was a blockbuster production with a budget of over a hundred million dollars; the premiere was bound to be a major event. He immediately pushed thoughts of Girl, Interrupted and the Oscars aside. "When is it?"

"Late April," Helen replied, clearly prepared. "I'll coordinate with the Band of Brothers production team before I head back to Los Angeles, so you won't have to worry about scheduling conflicts."

Matthew nodded. "That's perfect."

Helen added, "I also spoke with Eric Bork on the phone. The cast might be doing a press conference soon, and he's going to try to get you included as one of the actors being interviewed."

She glanced at her watch and stood. "But again, he's not making any promises."

"Right, right," Matthew assured her. "I know."

"I'm heading to Warner Studios in London," she said, walking to the door. "I'll let you know if anything comes up."

After seeing his agent out, Matthew finished his breakfast, returned to his room for a nap, and spent the rest of the day reading the newspaper.

...

Filming resumed the next day, and Matthew was busy.

The director for this block of episodes was David Frankel, and most of Matthew's scenes were for the seventh and ninth episodes.

One day on set, Matthew spotted Tom Hardy.

"Didn't think I'd see you again," Tom Hardy said. He looked like he'd just gotten a haircut and a shave, the short stubble on his jaw combined with a faintly arrogant expression giving him a smug look. "And now we're even in the same scene."

He leaned in closer. "But since we are, you should know—I'm going to steal the whole scene."

The next scenes they were shooting were for the ninth episode, where Matthew's character, Ronald Speirs, gets promoted to commander of Easy Company, and Tom Hardy was playing a new recruit.

Matthew just gave a slight nod, saying nothing.

He took off his helmet, handed it to a crew assistant, picked up his Thompson submachine gun, and walked over to the door of the set, ready for filming to begin.

Tom Hardy shot Matthew a smirk as he walked past him and through the doorway.

The actress entered the set as well. In contrast to Matthew's military uniform, the blonde woman was wearing only a nightgown.

It was one of the few intimate scenes in the entire script.

"That girl's cute."

On the sidelines, many of the onlookers were eyeing the lead actress, and Michael Fassbender was no exception. He turned to James, "You know everyone. Who is she?"

James raised his eyebrows. "Got your eye on her, Michael?"

Michael Fassbender scratched his chin. "What, you don't think she's pretty?"

"That's because you've spent way too much time on this set," James said sarcastically. "The cast is full of men. If we're stuck here any longer, even Whoopi Goldberg will start looking like a beauty queen to us!"

"Shut up," Michael said, slapping him hard on the shoulder. "So, do you know who she is or not?"

Having been stuck on a nearly all-male set from last November to February, the sight of an attractive woman was enough to get many of the male actors worked up.

"I think her name is Isabella Seibert," James replied, proving he really was well-informed. "She's a British actress, just starting out in Hollywood."

Michael glanced at the actress's slender figure beneath the nightgown. "Damn. Hardy beat me to it again."

"Places, everyone!" Director Frankel's voice boomed across the set. "We're rolling in five!"

The actress hurried through the door. From his position opposite the camera, the director signaled for Matthew to close it. The room was a three-walled set, so even with the door shut, he could still see everything happening inside.

Both actors undressed for the scene. The woman went topless, while Tom Hardy stripped down completely.

Matthew wasn't a newcomer; he knew this was a normal part of the job. Unless you were a superstar, you couldn't just ask the director to cut a sex scene.

And so, right now, Tom Hardy and the blonde actress were about to perform an intimate scene in front of the entire crew.

Tom Hardy and the blonde actress finished undressing and got into position on the bed, one on top of the other.

"Episode nine, scene four, take one!" the script supervisor called out.

The scene immediately began, with Tom Hardy and the actress starting their action. Matthew stood a couple of meters from the door, waiting for his cue from the assistant director.

The assistant director gave him the signal. Matthew walked to the door, pushed it open, and saw Tom Hardy rolling off the bed, exposing both his own naked body and that of the actress.

Matthew was fully in character as Ronald Speirs as Tom Hardy stood before him and snapped to a military salute.

His expression, however, remained dismissive and arrogant.

"Cut!" Director David Frankel yelled, halting the scene. He turned to Tom Hardy. "What's with that look on your face, kid?"

Matthew shrugged slightly and glanced over at the blonde actress. Maybe it was just from spending so much time on a set full of men, but he had to admit, she was pretty attractive.

The actress seemed to notice his gaze. She pulled her nightgown around herself and gave him a small nod.

Matthew nodded back, his eyes subconsciously drifting down to her chest.

Meanwhile, David Frankel was pointing out Tom Hardy's mistake. "You're a private. How does a private look at his commanding officer?"

With that, David Frankel commanded, "Back to one! Let's take it again!"

Matthew backed away from the doorway, pulling the door closed as Tom Hardy and the blonde actress got back onto the bed.

Filming started again shortly after, only to be stopped at the exact same moment by the director's shout.

The shot was a close-up on Tom Hardy's character just as Matthew, as Ronald Speirs, entered the room.

David Frankel pointed at Tom Hardy, his voice tight with irritation. "Your expression. That's what's not working. Just act!"

Tom Hardy nodded and turned his head toward Matthew, his brow instantly furrowing. That bastard who's always hanging around with Michael Fassbender...

Before the thought could fully form, he saw Matthew, across the set, shake his head slightly and walk out of the room, an apparent look of contempt on his face.

Tom Hardy's frown deepened, his face hardening with anger.

Hardy hadn't been in the industry long and certainly couldn't claim to have brilliant acting skills yet. Over the next several takes, Director David Frankel repeatedly berated him for the same mistake, and the director was not known for his patience.

Matthew was also baffled by the repeated mistakes. Tom Hardy was about his age, but he seemed completely out of sorts. Still, Matthew kept his mouth shut.

After several more takes were cut for the same reason, Frankel finally lost his temper. "Are you stupid, kid?!" he roared at Hardy.

Pointing at Matthew, he yelled, "He's your superior officer! Why is the only thing I'm seeing on camera pure arrogance? Are you trying to sabotage this shoot on purpose?"

"I'm sorry," Tom Hardy said. He shot the director a defiant look, a flash of anger in his eyes, but he held it back. He wasn't a fool, after all. "I promise," he said with conviction, "it won't happen again."

Frankel yelled, "We're going again in three minutes! I need a break."

When filming resumed, Matthew maintained his cold expression as he pushed open the door and stepped inside. Tom Hardy rolled off the bed, scrambled to his feet, and immediately saluted him.

"Cut!" Everyone could hear the unrestrained fury in David Frankel's voice. "You idiot! Do you still not get what I want from you?!"

He was an experienced enough director to see that the actor was deliberately holding onto his arrogant expression.

It was a simple shot that he'd expected to get in fifteen minutes, and now nearly an hour had passed.

David Frankel had stopped the take six times in a row for the same problem. With each attempt, Tom Hardy seemed to be getting worse, unable to make even the most basic adjustment.

"Dammit!" His temper flared.

This actor isn't even at an amateur level. What the hell was the Central London Dramatic School thinking, recommending an idiot like this?

Tom Hardy was getting angry too. He felt he was acting perfectly naturally, but the director kept insisting he was doing it wrong.

Frankel suppressed his rage, beckoned Eric Bork over, and ordered in a low voice, "Get rid of him. The kid can't act. He belongs in the background."

Eric Bork quickly shook his head. "With all due respect, director, replacing him isn't practical."