The Best Movie Actor In Hollywood!

Chapter 140

By the time filming resumed and Helen had returned, Stephen Sommers was gone. She knew he wouldn’t be there forever; after all, he had another project lined up with Universal Pictures.

Thinking about the blockbuster Stephen was planning, Helen realized she had made a mistake by rushing to inquire about a mega-production that was still only on paper. It hadn't reached a stage where her client could get involved, especially since Matthew, whom she was pushing, needed to be entirely focused on "The Scorpion King" right now.

She let out a quiet sigh, her thoughts returning to a more grounded perspective after Matthew’s reminder.

It wasn’t that she couldn’t make moves on her own, but it was best not to distract Matthew until this film was finished. Besides, all her efforts would be meaningless if the movie failed.

As the morning shoot wrapped up, Matthew felt a profound weariness. Three straight hours of filming, nearly all of it action sequences, had been a heavy toll even for someone in his physical condition.

Despite his robust health, he was still only human.

Fortunately, there were no action scenes scheduled for the afternoon. The production schedule was quite humane and clearly took the actors’ stamina into account. The recent pattern had been to shoot action sequences in the morning and dialogue-heavy scenes in the afternoon to avoid pushing the cast to exhaustion.

When a person is overly fatigued, their mental focus suffers, leading to frequent mistakes and endless retakes.

The lead actress, Kelly Hu, also joined the shoot today.

The moment she stepped onto the studio floor after makeup, she captured everyone’s attention, instantly becoming the center of focus.In male-dominated commercial entertainment films, female characters—especially the leads—often exist as beautiful "vases." Although the character of Cassandra was integral to the plot, sharing scenes with both the hero and the villain and driving the narrative forward, it was obvious to everyone, from Matthew down to the crew assistants, that her primary function was to be the film’s eye candy.

The first scene between Matthew and Kelly, like that of most on-screen couples, began with a confrontation.

"Places!" the assistant director’s voice boomed across the studio. "All departments, stand by! We're rolling in three minutes!"

At the call, Matthew followed the director's instructions, kneeling on a rug behind a tent and waiting silently for filming to commence.

"The Scorpion King," announced one of the assistant directors. "Scene two, take one, and... action!"

As the call ended, Matthew pushed himself up, staggering away from the rug as if dazed from a great fall. He shook his head slightly, as if waking from a dream. His eyes, previously a little unfocused, now flashed with a sharp light as he immediately reached for the longsword at his belt.

The first time, Matthew couldn’t draw it cleanly, and the force he used nearly tore the flimsy prop belt.

"Cut!" shouted Chuck Russell, halting the scene.

A costumer immediately hurried onto the set to help Matthew adjust his belt and scabbard. Mishaps like this were common during filming, and since the adjustment was minor, the shoot quickly resumed.

This time, Matthew smoothly drew the longsword from his belt and scanned his surroundings with caution. He quickly spotted the handmaidens near a pool and couldn't help but glance over as they fled with panicked screams. At that moment, a completely naked Kelly Hu suddenly rose from the water.

But Director Russell once again stopped the shoot.

A makeup artist approached Kelly and carefully arranged her long tresses so they would fall naturally over her body, strategically covering her nipples.

Kelly stood openly, allowing the makeup artist to work. The director knew that if he continued filming without this discreet censorship, the scene would certainly not meet the film’s requirements. That would be a blow to both the production and the actress herself, and the movie would most likely be slapped with an R rating.

After a full ten minutes, the makeup artist finished. Matthew had remained in his spot, unmoving, holding the same pose he’d struck when the cameras started rolling.

Kelly picked up a sharp, short sword from the edge of the pool and fell into a standard fighting stance, aiming the blade directly at Matthew.

She, too, had undergone special training during pre-production.

Matthew continued to watch her, but his own sword was now held tightly in his hand, poised as if he could strike at any moment.

Though he hadn’t rehearsed this particular scene with her, he had run through it mentally and practiced on his own. Since the film’s genre wasn’t overly demanding from an acting perspective, he handled it with ease.

After several consecutive films, especially the more recent ones where he had substantial roles, Matthew's talent—while not extraordinary—was far from terrible. Like most actors, his skills had improved with experience and on-set practice.

Perhaps directors and critics would have torn him apart if he were in an arthouse film where performance was everything, but in an action movie like this, he felt completely at ease.

"Are you going to try and kill me?" Kelly challenged, her sword still pointed at Matthew. "Or are you just going to stand there and stare?"

Before Matthew could answer, a loud banging erupted from the wooden door behind him. He lunged forward with his sword, leaping directly into the pool and pulling Kelly down into the water with him.

Even as they both sank beneath the surface, Matthew remained completely focused on the scene, with no other distracting thoughts. He had to hold his breath the moment he went under, otherwise he’d be getting a mouthful of bathwater.

The first step was to submerge completely, release Kelly, and silently count to three as the director had instructed, then resurface.

Once three seconds had passed, they broke the surface.

Kelly’s hair was disheveled by the water, no longer concealing her figure. She stood in the middle of the pool, exposed and unashamed, as if long accustomed to scenes like this.

Kelly glanced down and noticed a red mark. "You used too much force," she remarked to Matthew.

"I'm sorry," Matthew said regretfully. "I might have been a bit too rough."

He lifted his right hand, looking at the leather prop wrist guard. "The bracer must have pressed against you."

At that moment, both of their assistants approached. Kelly took a blanket from hers and wrapped it around her body before climbing out of the pool. The floor must have been slippery, because she nearly fell as she stepped onto the platform. Matthew quickly reached out to steady her.

"Thanks," Kelly said, pulling the blanket tighter around herself.

Matthew took the blanket Mira handed him and draped it over his own shoulders. "You're welcome," he replied.

They both laughed, and without another word, turned to look at the director. Russell gave them a thumbs-up, signaling that the take was good.

"Well," Matthew said, wiping water from his face with the blanket, "I guess that’s a wrap for us."

There were other scenes to be filmed, but none involved them; otherwise, the director wouldn't have had them shoot that particular scene last.

The water had ruined both Matthew's and Kelly’s appearances, and reapplying their makeup would take hours.

All that was left was to remove their makeup and head home for the day.

As the male lead, Matthew had a private dressing room and a dedicated makeup artist; Kelly, the female lead, was no exception. From what he knew, Kelly was far more experienced than him. She had starred in the famous American sitcom "Growing Pains" back in 1985 and had later worked with stars like Mickey Rourke, Russell Crowe, and Ralph Fiennes, among other big names.

She had a degree of fame and the clout to carry a leading role.

After shedding his heavy costume, Matthew sat calmly before the makeup mirror, closing his eyes and patiently waiting for the makeup artist to remove his wig.

"Matthew," Mira said as she walked in. "I’ve put all your things in your backpack. Your phone is in the second compartment."

She had told Matthew earlier that she had something to do that afternoon. He didn’t press her, just waved a hand and said, "Go on, I’ll call you if anything comes up."

Sitting there with nothing to do, Matthew started to wonder if he should hire a personal assistant. If "The Scorpion King" was a success, he’d be able to make a name for himself and would definitely need someone to help out. Of course, if the film bombed, there was no point in even thinking about it.

Hiring an assistant wasn’t prohibitively expensive. As long as he could become a star, it wouldn't be a problem.

Once his makeup was removed and the artist had left, Matthew changed into his own clothes and grabbed his backpack. He was just about to leave for the day when a knock came at his dressing room door.

"Come in," Matthew called out.

The door opened to reveal a face with a slightly nervous smile. Stepping inside, the man saw Matthew with his backpack and asked, "Getting ready to head out?"

"Yeah," Matthew replied, glancing at Duff Villa. "What’s up?" he asked directly.

Duff smiled and scratched his head. "Yeah, something’s up."

He took a step closer, lowered his voice, and said, "Got a minute? I need to talk to you in private."