The Best Movie Actor In Hollywood!

Chapter 139

On set, Matthew studied the bow in his hand, waiting patiently outside the tent where the scene was being filmed.

He was supposed to burst in later. An assistant director, headphones clamped over his ears, stood nearby, waiting for the signal from inside to cue him with a wave of his hand.

When no signal came after a long wait, the assistant director just shrugged and gestured vaguely.

Matthew got the gist: they were still rolling inside.

He lowered his bow and deftly slid three strangely shaped arrows back into the quiver slung across his back.

From the sound of Chuck's voice drifting from the tent as he spoke with the actors, Matthew knew it would be a while before they were ready for his scene.

A chair was suddenly placed behind him, and he heard his assistant Mira’s voice. "Take a rest. You’ve been standing for half an hour."

Matthew didn't argue. He handed the bow to Mira and sank into the chair.

It would be a lie to say he wasn't tired. He had arrived at the studio before four in the morning for makeup. Even though the crew had provided him, the male lead, with a highly professional makeup artist and an assistant, it was nearly eight-thirty by the time they finished. Filming had officially started at eight-thirty, but more than half an hour had passed, and they still hadn't wrapped the first shot due to one delay after another.

On top of that, the gear he was wearing—from the simple leather armor to his bow and long knife—weighed a solid thirty pounds.Good thing he'd trained by running cross-country with weights, or he'd be gasping for air by now.

Matthew waited a moment longer, then beckoned the assistant director over. "What's the holdup?" he asked.

The assistant gestured helplessly toward the tent. "The actor tied to the post... he's struggling with his performance."

Matthew nodded without another word and went back to waiting patiently.

He didn't recognize the actor tied to the post, but he knew he was another client from the Angel Acting Agency.

Filming soon resumed. Mira took away the chair, and Matthew, bow in hand, took his position and aimed again. This time, everything went smoothly. He saw the assistant director's signal and lunged into the center of the tent. He drew his bow, nocking three arrows that had been bound together, and let them fly.

Matthew had no idea if shooting three arrows from a single bowstring was even possible in reality, but he certainly couldn't do it. To create the effect, the prop master had simply fixed two extra arrows onto the main one.

Even so, the shot was completely off-target. The prop bow was so flimsy that the arrow traveled no more than ten meters before dropping to the ground.

It didn't affect the shot, however. For a scene like this, all they needed was the take of him loosing the arrow. The enemy falling to his death would be handled entirely in post-production.

The scene wasn't over. Matthew flowed into the choreographed sequence, dodging a sword strike and ramming the end of his longbow into another man's head. It was a move they had rehearsed countless times, and the other actor dutifully collapsed to the ground.

Dropping the bow, Matthew drew the sharp blade from his belt. He blocked a sweeping strike, then kicked another soldier who charged at him. He spun, his sword flashing in a dashing arc, and the actor attempting to flank him collapsed to the ground, clutching his throat. This last move wasn't part of the planned choreography.

Even for a well-designed scene, it was a long take that required immense effort from the actors.

The film was aiming for a PG-13 rating, so the scene was shot with almost no stage blood, and certainly no shots of severed limbs or gore.

"Cut!" Chuck’s voice boomed, stopping the action. He then announced, "That's a wrap on this scene!"

Matthew collected his weapons and handed them to Mira. Just then, Chuck walked onto the set. "Great action sequence," he told Matthew.

Tim Madsen was standing beside him, and Matthew was quick to give him the credit. "It's all thanks to Tim's brilliant choreography," he said.

It wasn't just empty praise. Tim Madsen had specifically designed the combination of agility and power to showcase Matthew's physical strengths—particularly his fluid footwork and excellent coordination, which were perfect for filming slick action sequences.

During rehearsals, Tim had recorded him on video to spot flaws in the choreography and refine it over time. Matthew had seen the footage, and he thought the result was nothing short of spectacular.

After a short break to reset, filming began again. This scene pitted Matthew against a horde of enemies. With the actor tied to the post as the centerpiece, Matthew moved across the wide set before the camera, fighting and brawling as one actor after another fell to his blade with perfect cooperation.

Compared to his earlier, more static dialogue scenes, Matthew's action sequences were filmed with remarkable smoothness. Even though many of the subsequent fight scenes were shot in fragments—often just ten-second clips—there were very few mistakes, and most passed in just one or two takes.

"Matthew is well-prepared," Helen commented to Stephen, taking advantage of a break in filming. They stood together in a far corner of the tent, watching the set. "It would be impossible to shoot this smoothly if he hadn't trained so hard."

Stephen nodded in agreement. "Matthew's dedication is unquestionable. He has a real talent for action sequences."

Helen adjusted her black-framed glasses. "I think he has obvious potential as an action star."

Stephen paused for a moment before replying, "Action films, especially the traditional kind, have been out of fashion for a long time."

"But a new kind of action film is on the rise," Helen countered. "Genres that blend action with sci-fi or fantasy have been getting a huge response these past few years."

As filming resumed, Stephen said nothing more, and Helen held her tongue.

Stephen, however, kept his eyes glued to the set. Matthew was clearly ready for the next long action sequence. He demonstrated incredible agility, dodging a "pack" of four attackers and striking like a venomous viper.

Without a doubt, the young actor's performance in the scene was nearly flawless.

Stephen couldn't help but think of the blockbuster project Universal Pictures had in the pipeline: Van Helsing. The lead role—a highly skilled and exceptionally cool monster hunter—was still uncast.

A character billed as humanity's bravest hunter would certainly need the right actor to bring him to life.

And Matthew seemed to fit the bill in every way.

Stephen made a mental note: Matthew should be added to the list of candidates, perhaps even as a priority. If The Scorpion King was a success, Matthew would gain a certain level of fame, or at the very least, become a rising star.

...

The day's shooting finally wrapped up. After the director, Chuck, called for a break, Matthew leaned on his prop longsword, breathing heavily. The gear was weighing him down, especially after filming for so long without a real pause. The thirty pounds of equipment was taking its toll, and he felt exhausted.

They had been filming for over two hours straight, and Chuck could see that Matthew was reaching his physical limit. "Let's pause filming!" he quickly called out. "Take a half-hour break!"

Matthew made his way to the rest area and collapsed into a chair. A wardrobe assistant immediately rushed over to help him out of the heavy weapons and leather armor, lifting the weight from his shoulders.

Matthew took the blanket Mira offered and draped it over himself. Then the makeup artist, who had been standing by during the shoot, came over to gently blot the sweat from his forehead.

Within minutes, he was being attended to by three different crew members: someone from wardrobe, the makeup artist, and the prop master.

He was the star of the show, after all.

If Matthew wanted, he could summon someone from any department on the crew.

Of course, Matthew wasn't the type to make people run errands for no reason. Even as the lead, he remained as low-key and humble as ever. Or at least, he did his best to appear that way to everyone around him.

With his gear off and a blanket draped over him, Matthew sat for a while, his breathing gradually returning to normal. Mira offered him some tea, and he accepted it, downing most of it in one gulp. The warmth and sugar quickly began to restore his energy.

Matthew finished his tea and leaned back in the chair, about to close his eyes and rest, when he saw Helen walking toward him.

"Something wrong?" he asked, knowing Helen wouldn't interrupt him without a good reason.

Helen glanced over at Mira, who had the good sense to find a reason to make herself scarce.

"I was just speaking with Stephen," Helen began. "He mentioned that he's considering you as a candidate for the lead in his next big project."

She urged him, "You need to keep up the good work."

Matthew looked up at Helen. "Don't you think it's a bit premature to be talking about that?"

Helen froze.

"Aren't you getting ahead of yourself?" Matthew studied her, sensing her current state of mind. "This isn't like you, Helen," he reminded her gently.

His words made Helen flinch. She fell silent for a long moment, clearly reflecting on her recent behavior. It was a full minute before she spoke again.

"Thank you," she said, her gratitude genuine. "Thank you, Matthew. You're right, I've been getting ahead of myself. The excitement has gone to my head a bit."

Helen turned to leave, then paused. "We'll talk about all this after you've wrapped this film," she added.