The Best Movie Actor In Hollywood! Chapter 71

"Replacing him isn't an option," Eric explained. "Tom Hardy has an official contract with the production."

As one of the key figures on the show, he had to consider far more than the director's immediate frustrations. A contract was in place, and there was no sense in the production paying a breach-of-contract penalty for such a minor actor.

Frenkel immediately understood Eric's implication and, after a moment's thought, said, "He's having trouble in front of the camera, and I have a tight shooting schedule. I'm not going to waste time pointing out every single mistake he makes."

"If that's how you feel, we can compromise." Even though the actor had been recommended by London's Central School of Speech and Drama, Eric wasn't bothered. "Just don't fire him. Otherwise, do as you see fit."

"Excellent." Frenkel called over the assistant director and the cinematographer and issued his orders. "Adjust the shooting schedule. All of Tom Hardy's close-ups are canceled."

"What about his close-ups in this scene?" the cinematographer asked.

Frenkel replied matter-of-factly, "Get behind him, shoot over his shoulder, and give the close-up to Matthew Horner's character."

He looked at the cinematographer and the assistant director and asked, "That's not going to be a problem, is it?"

The two of them replied in unison, "No."

"Get ready," Frenkel said with a wave of his hand before turning to Eric. "Hardy's character dies in a car crash anyway. I don't see the need for him in any other scenes."

Eric considered this for a moment and said, "Alright, I'll let Hanks know the situation as it stands."

Frenkel gave a slight nod. "Call Hanks as soon as you can. One more actor like that, and I'll go insane!"

The two exchanged a few more words and agreed that Tom's discipline was so amateurish that the crew shouldn't waste any more time on him, especially not for the role of a disposable medic.

As for the London drama school that had recommended him, neither Eric nor Frenkel cared. In fact, they were slightly annoyed that such a prestigious school would put forward such an unreliable actor.

Shortly thereafter, shooting resumed.

Matthew noticed the crew had adjusted the camera's position, and it now seemed to be angled more favorably for his shots.

However, he didn't dwell on it. He remained as focused as before, concentrating on doing his job to the best of his ability.

Hardy was a little nervous when they started, but the shoot went smoothly. The director didn't call 'cut' until Matthew's character at the other end of the room had made his exit.

Being only in his early twenties, Hardy didn't notice anything unusual. When he heard the director yell that the scene was a wrap, he immediately got dressed, approached the actress, and whispered, "Are you free tonight? I'll be at the Cronai Bar near the hotel later."

The blonde actress smiled at him but said nothing.

Taking her silence as encouragement, Hardy gave her the address of the bar and urged her to come. He then finished dressing and was about to head to his trailer to prepare for the next take when he heard the assistant director shout.

"We have a schedule change!" The assistant director's voice was quite loud. "The next scene is canceled. We're moving to the outdoor set for the street scenes instead!"

"My scene is canceled?" Hardy froze. "Why?"

He hurried over to the assistant director and demanded, "When is my scene scheduled to be filmed?"

"Never," the assistant director replied, looking at him with something like pity. "It's been cut from the series."

"What?" Hardy was bewildered and upset. "Why?"

The assistant director answered impatiently, "It's the director's decision. How should I know why?"

Hardy's good mood from his exchange with the beautiful actress vanished. He started, "But—"

"Sorry," the assistant director said, not bothering to explain further. "I've got work to do."

With that, he walked away.

Hardy stood there, looking around. The actress from the scene was long gone, the annoying actor from across the room was nowhere in sight, and the rest of the crew was busy packing up equipment to move to the next location. It seemed he was the only one on set with nothing to do, and the feeling was anything but pleasant.

...

"I just called Hanks," Eric said to Frenkel as they were leaving the studio. "He said you're the director, so it's your call."

They were shooting more than five times the amount of footage that would make it into the final cut of each episode, so cutting such a minor role didn't matter in the slightest.

Eric could see clearly that Tom Hardy was overly arrogant, perhaps due to his youth, and that attitude had carried over into his work on set—something a minor actor couldn't afford.

He shook his head. The kid was too green to make a name for himself without another seven or eight years of experience under his belt.

Matthew Horner, on the other hand, was also a young actor but was far more mature and intelligent.

...

On the outdoor street set, Matthew was standing on a curb at the side of the road.

The crew was still setting up cameras and adjusting the scenery, so shooting wouldn't be starting for a little while.

Michael Fassbender and James McAvoy walked over, both dressed in U.S. Army uniforms, apparently to act as background soldiers during the shoot.

"Matthew, that actress who was just in the scene with Hardy," Michael began, seeming starved for female company on the male-dominated set. "What did you think of her?"

Matthew replied, "She's pretty, and has a great body."

Michael slapped James hard on the shoulder, grinning. "See, James? I told you there's something wrong with your taste! Maybe you prefer guys?"

James grimaced with disdain.

Matthew clapped James on the other shoulder and said pointedly, "In James's eyes, Michael is the most handsome one here."

"Go to hell!" James irritably shook Matthew's hand off his shoulder.

"He's trying to hit on that girl," James said, hastily changing the subject and gesturing toward Michael.

Michael didn't bother denying it. "So what? Is there a more beautiful woman in the cast?"

"No," Matthew answered with absolute certainty.

From the actors to the people behind the scenes, there weren't many women on this set at all.

"But Michael," Matthew informed him, "Hardy already asked her out. Said he'd meet her tonight at the Cronai."

"Did he?" Michael frowned. "He's trying to get in my way here, too."

James, standing off to the side, chimed in, "He's been getting in your way ever since he showed up. You did all the training but ended up with very little camera time. Hardy skipped the training but got several close-ups in a single episode. I'm sure his father pulled some strings."

Michael shrugged. "I can only blame fate. If I had an influential father, I wouldn't be standing here talking to you guys."

Matthew completely agreed with Michael, who was the son of a chef. Tom Hardy, according to James, came from a family of actors. There was an inherent gap between them.

However, while the advantage of a family background objectively existed, it didn't guarantee a smooth takeoff into the industry.

"I have some good news," Matthew told them with a smile. "I heard from the AD that all of Tom's scenes have been canceled, except for the one where he dies in a car crash."

Michael, despite knowing Matthew wouldn't joke about something like that, still had to ask, "For real?"

"Of course."

A gloating expression appeared on James's face. "Isn't Tom meeting that girl at the pub? Why don't we go join the fun?"

"Yeah," Michael agreed without a second thought. "I'm in!"

They both looked at Matthew, who said, "If I don't have any scenes tonight, I'll go."

"Deal!"

The two guys hurried off when they saw the assistant director starting to position the background actors.

Then, director Frenkel came over, gave Matthew a few pointers, and the cameras started rolling.

The timing for this scene had to be perfect: Ronald Speirs, carrying a collection of silverware and other valuable spoils of war to ship home, steps out into the street and nearly collides with a jeep driven by Captain Lewis Nixon.

According to the script, the scene was somewhat dangerous, but it was filmed with minimal risk. The jeep itself would be moving slowly; it was the camera, mounted on a dolly track, that would rush past at high speed, something Matthew could easily dodge.

As everyone knows, cinema is the art of deception.

During filming, however, Matthew couldn't quite get the balance right, and he let the silverware on the tray fall to the ground twice in a row. They didn't get a usable take until the third try.

There were no more scenes involving Matthew for the day, and the crew wrapped before evening. Matthew returned to the hotel, removed his makeup, changed into more comfortable clothes, and headed to the Cronai Bar with James and Michael.