The Best Movie Actor In Hollywood!

Chapter 177: Gossip

Burbank, a small satellite city of Los Angeles, is home to many of the world's leading media companies, including Walt Disney, Warner Brothers, NBC, Viacom, and PBS. It's for this reason that the American media has dubbed it the "media capital of the world."

In addition to these media giants, Burbank houses a number of studios and film production facilities closely affiliated with them, one of which is the Disney studio.

Under the June summer sun, a black Mercedes-Benz turned onto South Beaufort Street and soon pulled into the parking lot in front of the Disney studio.

It was still early for the audition, so Matthew and Helen didn't get out of the car right away.

"Their decision-making is pretty unusual," Matthew remarked to Helen. "They've already settled on the lead actor, and the auditions for the other two leads are in the final stages, but they haven't even officially named a director."

Helen looked at Matthew and clarified, "It's not that the director isn't confirmed, it's just that he won't join the production until a month before shooting begins."

Half a month had passed since Walt Disney and Jerry Bruckheimer Films announced the "Pirates of the Caribbean" project. The production team, whose framework had long been established, was working with incredible speed, quickly confirming the casting for the few remaining key positions.

While director Gore Verbinski was still mulling over whether to helm the project, Jerry Bruckheimer and his team had already decided, after two auditions, that Hollywood eccentric Johnny Depp would play Captain Jack Sparrow, one of the two main protagonists. They had also conducted initial auditions for the other two main characters: the governor's daughter, Elizabeth Swann, and the young blacksmith, Will Turner.

There was no doubt that Matthew had brilliantly passed the initial audition; otherwise, he wouldn't be here today for a screen test.

Over the past few days, news from the production had continued to surface. After Johnny Depp signed his contract, Gore Verbinski also decided to sign on as director.However, Gore Verbinski's new film, "The Ring," had not yet finished shooting, so his involvement in "Pirates of the Caribbean" was on hold for now. According to the information Matthew had received, he would only arrive on set after he wrapped filming on "The Ring."

In other words, Gore Verbinski, the director, would not be participating in the actors' auditions.

Matthew had been following the progress of "Pirates of the Caribbean" and was already accustomed to this kind of situation.

The project, rather than starting with a script or fully developed characters, was born from a surge of inspiration from producer Jerry Bruckheimer. As the story went, he saw the Caribbean-themed attraction at Disneyland and wanted to use it as the inspiration for a film. He called in his screenwriters to start working, and once the script was born from his vision, he first settled on Johnny Depp as the lead actor before choosing Gore Verbinski to direct.

The entire cast had been selected by Jerry Bruckheimer for all positions, except for a few assistant directors. It had essentially nothing to do with Gore Verbinski, and the casting director was an old hand with whom Jerry Bruckheimer had worked for years.

The project was initiated by Jerry Bruckheimer, and its central figure remained Jerry Bruckheimer.

So, even though Matthew and Helen had known for a while that Gore Verbinski would likely direct "Pirates of the Caribbean," they hadn't bothered to prepare an approach tailored to him.

Helen's focus remained on Disney Pictures and the man driving the show.

As for Jerry Bruckheimer, Helen had only made a slight approach. The esteemed producer, unlike others in Hollywood, had a reputation as an absolute hitmaker. A considerable sum for "Pirates of the Caribbean" would come from his own Jerry Bruckheimer Film Production Company, and he would never entertain so-called favors if the actors weren't right for the roles.

The most important thing in trying to impress Jerry Bruckheimer was the audition itself.

An investment of this scale might not break Disney, but it would certainly bankrupt Jerry Bruckheimer's film production company.

There was no one more invested than Jerry Bruckheimer in choosing the right lead actor for this role.

Thus, any connections or money would have far less influence on this audition.

But Matthew was confident. And even if he wasn't, he had to force himself to feel confident; any lack of assurance would likely show during the audition.

Besides, he had already used a little trick to steer his main competitor, Orlando, toward the set of "Van Helsing."

Because of his leading role in "Van Helsing," Orlando hadn't even shown up for the initial audition for Will Turner, the young blacksmith in "Pirates of the Caribbean."

Matthew entered the Disney studio with his bag and Helen. Studio Two was not far from the main gate. They walked straight ahead, seeing people coming and going through the massive studio doors, carrying various materials. But the auditions weren't taking place in Studio Two; they were in the slightly smaller Studio Three, located diagonally across from it.

When they arrived at Studio Three, a crew member immediately led Matthew to a dressing room. This was an audition for one of the male leads, and the treatment he received was different from that of a typical audition.

As he approached the door of the men's dressing room, Matthew happened to see an actress in the costume of an English lady emerge from another dressing room nearby, as if she were auditioning for the female lead, Elizabeth Swann.

He took a closer look and noted that it wasn't the flat-chested English rose he remembered.

There were no strict rules for the actors' side, so Helen escorted him into the dressing room. Perhaps noticing that Matthew had been focused on the actress, she whispered, "That's Kristen Bell, one of the actresses who made it to the final screen test."

Matthew nodded without saying anything. He had a general idea of what was happening with the casting. The number of actresses selected for Elizabeth Swann's screen test was larger and the competition fiercer than for Will Turner. Among them was Keira Knightley.

As for his own competition for the Will Turner screen test, there were three main rivals: British star Jude Law, Spider-Man Tobey Maguire, and Christopher Masterson, who was not yet as famous as he was.

The production had also invited Ewan McGregor to participate in the screen test, but Ewan had to prepare for the filming of the "Star Wars" prequel, "Revenge of the Sith," and declined the invitation.

Sitting in front of the makeup mirror, Matthew discreetly considered the three other actors whose screen tests were scheduled for the coming days.

Helen had carefully researched and analyzed the three competitors and believed that Jude Law and Tobey Maguire, despite their fame, were unlikely to get the roles. Jude Law was reportedly preparing for the Weinstein brothers' film "Cold Mountain" and would probably withdraw from the audition voluntarily, just as Ewan McGregor had.

As for Tobey Maguire, unless Jerry Bruckheimer was insane enough to let Spider-Man appear in a pirate film, he didn't stand a chance either.

In Helen's opinion, Jerry Bruckheimer must have been placating someone by letting Tobey Maguire get as far as a screen test, but he would never risk his reputation as a hitmaker and the future of his studio.

So the real threat was Christopher Masterson, who was the same age as him and almost completely unknown.

The only thing Helen had been able to find out about the man was that he had a minor supporting role in last year's film "Scream," which wasn't of much significance. Christopher Masterson was also with a very small entertainment agency, not even as strong as Helen's Angel Acting Agency.

It was precisely this that put her on high alert. For a little-known actor with no name recognition, no box-office appeal, and no special connections to make it to the second round of auditions, the most likely reason was that Jerry Bruckheimer believed Christopher Masterson might be a good fit for the role of Will Turner.

The final choice for the role of Will Turner ultimately depended on Jerry Bruckheimer's wishes.

The makeup artist finished with Matthew's hair, neatly combing his long, dark brown hair, which was almost black, back into a typical 17th-century English style.

The preparation wasn't over. Matthew then went to change and, with an assistant's help, put on a very well-fitting costume. He pulled on his boots, fastened his cuffs, and stood before a tall one-way mirror.

He had the look of the blacksmith he remembered, but with a completely different feel—much more rugged, yet with a hint of an English gentleman's style.

"Nice," Helen said, walking over. She carefully inspected Matthew from head to toe through the makeup mirror and advised, "The crew has asked for a free-form scene from the character's script. Come up with something that shows your best."

After the first audition, Matthew had received the script for the role of Will Turner. He had studied it many times recently and was well-prepared.

"Don't worry, the role will be mine," Matthew declared with confidence.

He stepped away from the mirror and walked toward the doorway, where Helen opened a long backpack Matthew had brought. She pulled out the saber he had been using for his fencing practice and handed it to him.