The Best Movie Actor In Hollywood!

Chapter 182

Early on the morning of July 1st, Matthew arrived at Disney Studios and entered Studio 3, the same one where he had his audition. He was led to a dressing room, where he changed into the training clothes prepared by the crew, then returned to the main studio and entered a separate training room.

It was still quite early, and there were only a handful of people in the room. Matthew didn’t spot any familiar faces as he wandered around the space, which measured over 500 square feet.

Standing at the edge of a narrow wooden bridge, part of a set, Matthew reached out and touched it, confirming that it wasn't real wood.

An older, gray-haired man approached him from behind and remarked, "The bridge isn't real. Nothing here is."

Matthew turned to look at him. The man was also dressed in training gear, and a guess immediately formed in Matthew's mind. He promptly introduced himself, "Hello, I'm Matthew Horner, one of the actors in the cast."

"I know who you are." The old man regarded Matthew with interest. "I saw the tape of your audition. You're a good swordsman."

He introduced himself as well. "I'm Robert Anderson."

Matthew's expression immediately became respectful. "My fencing instructor, Patrick Elguira, is one of your students," he said.

Robert looked slightly surprised. "Patrick taught you his swordsmanship? No wonder your moves looked familiar."

Matthew replied humbly, "I've only learned a little."Just then, someone entered the training room. Matthew looked over and saw it was Jerry Bruckheimer, and he and Robert went over to greet him. Shortly after, other actors began to file in one by one. These were character actors, with distinctly rugged, unforgettable faces.

Presumably, these were the actors handpicked for the crew of the Black Pearl.

Next came the Oscar-winner Geoffrey Rush, who was playing Captain Barbossa.

Then a young woman with wavy brown hair arrived, a girl who seemed to exude that indefinable, classic English style.

She was to be his main co-star in the upcoming film. After Jerry Bruckheimer introduced them, Matthew said, "Hello, Miss Knightley."

Matthew offered his right hand, and Keira Knightley politely shook it. "Hello, Mr. Horner."

The two of them would likely be working together for the next several months, playing lovers. Matthew offered a friendly smile and said, "Please, call me Matthew."

Keira nodded gently. "Then you can call me Keira."

Matthew chatted with her for a few minutes. Keira Knightley had a few minor action scenes in the film, so while she didn't need to undergo full sword training, she was required to come in twice a week for physical coordination practice.

Since it was their first meeting, Matthew didn't say much and soon ended the conversation. What struck him most about the young British actress was her appearance. His eyes involuntarily flickered down to her chest, which was rather modest.

Incidentally, this gave her an advantage for starring in European or American period dramas, as she wouldn't need to bind her chest in a corset.

Keira Knightley had a rather unique face: long and square, with a slightly prominent chin and a straight, angular jawline as sharp as if carved by a knife. In addition to its classic quality, it gave her the air of a noble lady.

She wasn't the conventionally beautiful, sexy type of actress, but rather possessed a distinctive look that made an impression at first glance.

For Jerry Bruckheimer to dare cast an actress under eighteen in the lead role of a major $140 million film, she must have had something truly unique about her.

There was a peculiar phenomenon in Hollywood: when it came to portraying classic, noble beauties with extraordinary temperaments, directors and producers favored young women from England, while American girls were typically typecast as either ditzy blondes or simply "strong and independent" women.

The last person to arrive at the training room was, naturally, the biggest star of the cast: Johnny Depp, who captured everyone's attention the moment he appeared.

Hollywood's famous eccentric hadn't changed his signature style. He was dressed in an oddly styled, bright blue suit, with large gold hoops in his ears, a sleepy expression on his face, and a pair of teal sunglasses that couldn't hide the dark circles under his eyes. More striking than the dark circles, however, were his bared gold teeth.

Even without makeup, Johnny Depp looked just like Captain Jack Sparrow. The role of the pirate captain seemed tailor-made for him.

It was no wonder Jerry Bruckheimer had offered him a far larger salary than he typically commanded, especially since Johnny Depp rarely took on purely commercial entertainment films.

However, Johnny Depp was clearly not prepared for today's training session. After chatting briefly with the cast and crew, he showed no intention of participating in the rest of the practice and soon left, escorted by Jerry Bruckheimer.

No one else said a word, evidently understanding that Johnny Depp belonged to a privileged tier of the cast.

The training began, and just as Depp's early departure suggested, a clear hierarchy existed within the cast. The other actors warmed up and practiced under the guidance of Robert's student, Mark Ivy, while Matthew and Keira Knightley were given their own spacious section of the training room to receive personal instruction from Robert himself on the most basic warm-ups and muscle stretches.

The exercises were easy for Matthew, who had been doing plenty of similar workouts at the gym for the past two years.

After the warm-up, Robert had an assistant take over Keira Knightley's training and called Matthew over to the swords.

Robert picked up two swords and tossed one to Matthew.

Matthew caught the prop sword, and the first thing he noticed was its weight. It was two-thirds lighter than the one he used in training. When he ran a hand along the blade, he saw it looked like steel but was actually a lightweight aluminum alloy.

"Let's run through a few moves."

Robert was well into his seventies, but he still looked to be in good shape. He assumed a stance, and Matthew, of course, didn't refuse, replying, "Of course."

He placed his right foot forward, toes pointing out, and his left foot back, toes pointing in, assuming the standard opening stance.

Robert gave a subtle nod, saying nothing. From a technical standpoint, the young actor's posture was flawless.

"I'm coming in," he warned, swinging his saber.

Matthew remained fully focused. His right arm shot out, his saber striking Robert's blade directly—the most basic blocking technique Patrick had taught him.

What he didn't expect was for Robert to take a step back and call out, "Hold!"

Matthew, poised to attack, quickly halted and looked at Robert. "Is something wrong?"

"No." Robert held his sword hand up. "The move was standard, but..."

He transferred the sword to his left hand and shook his right. "Matthew, you're using too much force. I'm over seventy."

Robert hadn't expected the young man to be so strong. He had worked with countless actors in Hollywood, and most of the male stars with handsome physiques were, ironically, quite weak.

This man, he suspected, had more power than a professional swordsman.

Matthew smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, I'm used to sparring with Patrick."

"No need to apologize." Robert stepped forward. "It's fine. I may be old, but I'm not that frail."

Matthew nodded, and Robert added, "The other actors you'll be fighting on set could get hurt, though. Watch your strength."

"I understand." Matthew stepped back and reset his stance. "Robert, let's go again."

Robert transferred the sword back to his right hand and struck at Matthew again. This time, Matthew deliberately controlled his strength, and their duel proceeded smoothly.

The two men's poses were intricate and graceful, but their attacks were restrained. It was more about who looked more elegant and impressive than an actual sword fight.

After all, they were both using flashy, choreographed techniques.

In just under a minute, Matthew and Robert stopped. Robert, given his age, was already breathing heavily.

"Excellent," Robert said, mostly to himself. "Let's move on to the main stage of the sword training."

He thought for a moment, then added, "I'm going to talk to Jerry and George about making some changes to Will Turner's fight choreography."