The Best Movie Actor In Hollywood!

Chapter 487

"What would you do if you were the only person left in the world?"

Hearing the question from Guillermo del Toro, who wore round-lensed glasses as they walked through the studio, Matthew paused before a slightly weathered set. He thought for a moment, then answered gravely, "If I were in New York, I'd jump from the Empire State Building."

Guillermo del Toro pushed his glasses up his nose. "A bleak answer."

Matthew shrugged slightly. "Better to be dead than alive when there's no one to talk to or connect with."

The two continued down the walkway when a young man approached with a German Shepherd.

"Hey, Abby."

Spotting the German Shepherd, Matthew was the first to greet her. At a signal from her handler, the dog, whose name was Abby, immediately trotted around him and sat on the ground.

She was to be his only companion in the film.

Matthew had spent a great deal of time with the dog over the past few days. As her on-screen partner, he needed to get acquainted with her as quickly as possible.

Abby wasn't just well-trained; she was a veteran Hollywood performer. The production was paying her and her owner more than Alexandra Daddario, who had a supporting role.In Hollywood, it wasn't at all unusual for animal actors to earn more than their human supporting cast members.

Matthew had grown familiar with the dog and the crew, though he didn't expect to be able to command Abby himself; during filming, he would be relying mostly on the handlers.

Just as he had for the past few days, Matthew took the leash and, accompanied by the handler, walked Abby around the studio for nearly an hour, feeding her dog food. Afterward, he rejoined Guillermo del Toro to continue their discussion about the script and the shoot.

"If only one man remained in the world." Guillermo del Toro stood on the laboratory set and posed another question to Matthew. "What would be the best way for him to survive?"

Unlike the last, more casual question, this one was clearly coming from a director's perspective. Matthew pondered it for a moment before answering, "I think the loneliness of facing a silent world could drive a man insane. But what's even more terrifying is living alongside the... 'special' guests in this film."

Matthew steered the conversation back to the script. "You could say the story itself puts humanity in what is essentially a no-win situation, leaving very few avenues for survival."

Guillermo del Toro nodded and walked toward a DVD store set, saying as he went, "That's why, in the first half of the story, we need to see the protagonist's profound isolation and the elaborate routines he creates to alleviate his lonely existence."

As he spoke, Guillermo del Toro entered the DVD store and stood next to a mannequin that hadn't been fully set up yet. "Whether he's going to the DVD store to 'rent' movies, as is his habit, or talking to a 'passerby' who is actually a mannequin, all these detailed scenes must reflect the solitary nature of his survival."

"So!" Guillermo del Toro turned to Matthew. "I need you to convey the absurd, yet joyful and tear-jerking, loneliness of the film's opening through a solo performance."

Matthew walked over to Guillermo del Toro and looked confidently at the mannequins. "I'm ready for it."

Guillermo del Toro nodded. "The power of belief is the greatest motivation for our hero to stay alive. The ability to perceive and understand the outside world, the completeness of self-awareness—these are the things that make a person human. And when the external factors that support these characteristics are lost, how long can a person survive within that already fragile shell?"

Faced with this question, Matthew found himself unable to answer. To be more precise, it was too esoteric. How could someone like him, who was focused on the script, even begin to contemplate such a thing?

In his opinion, the script for I Am Legend was purely for entertainment, not a psychological deep-dive. It certainly wasn't going to give a layman like him some sudden insight into the philosophy of life.

That was something for the director to worry about. He was just a movie star.

Guillermo del Toro was a thoughtful director; he'd heard as much from Akiva and Helen.

In front of a director like this, Matthew didn't pretend. "That's a difficult question to answer."

Guillermo del Toro reached out and patted the mannequin in front of him. "The hero's meticulous staging of these seemingly ridiculous and helpless 'fake environments' is a kind of test, a hint that he can still be identified as human. The speed of humanity's degradation can be incredibly fast when people are cut off from these exchanges and activities."

Matthew said nothing, just gave a slight nod.

Honestly, he found it genuinely difficult to keep up when the director discussed issues like these.

Nevertheless, Matthew listened intently to Guillermo del Toro's words. Every director had their own style, even Michael Bay, and more often than not, it was the actors who had to adapt to the director's style during a shoot.

Unless, of course, you could do what Tom Cruise did.

After staying at the studio until 4:00 PM, Matthew took Abby for one more walk, then left Warner Studios and drove to the Los Angeles airport to pick up Alexandra Daddario, who had just returned from New York.

"All finished up in New York?"

After placing Alexandra's suitcase in the trunk, Matthew got into the car. "Filming will be starting soon."

Alexandra settled into the passenger seat, buckled her seatbelt, and said, "It's done. I'm taking a year off from school."

Matthew started the car and pulled away from the airport. "Planning to stay here for a while?"

"Yeah," Alexandra nodded. "Over the past two years, I've realized that acting is still the right path for me."

She laughed. "My dad said I should go into law, but I get a headache just looking at all those legal terms."

The light ahead turned red, and Matthew pressed the brake, waiting for the car to stop. He turned his head to look at Alexandra. The late September temperature in Los Angeles was high, and she was dressed for the weather in a cool, low-cut white halter top.

"Where will you be staying?"

"I'll stay with Amanda for now, then look for a suitable place as soon as I can."

Matthew turned onto a road leading toward the Westwood area. "Amanda's been busy lately. I don't think she'll be able to help much."

Amanda was coordinating with several parties, including the UNHCR, Skydance Pictures, and Warner Brothers, to determine the right time for a high-profile shipment of goods to Africa.

Alexandra thought for a moment. "I'll ask Helen about it later. Doesn't the agency have a department that handles this kind of thing?"

"Why don't you come and stay at my place?"

The moment the words left his mouth, he realized they could be misconstrued, and he clarified before Alexandra could respond, "I have a detached house in the northern suburbs of Burbank. It's where I lived before moving to Beverly Hills. It's been empty ever since."

Alexandra turned her head to look at Matthew, seemingly considering the offer.

Matthew added casually, "It's very close to North Hollywood, the San Fernando Valley, and downtown Burbank. And you can get to downtown LA in twenty minutes, tops."

Alexandra nodded slightly.

"The rent..." Matthew said nonchalantly, unaware of how the real estate market had changed over the past two years. "It'll be the standard market rate."

"I'm very poor," Alexandra whispered.

Matthew thought for a moment and added, "I'll have Bella show it to you tomorrow. If you like it, you can live there for the time being. You can pay the rent once you receive your full salary for the film."

Alexandra hadn't expected to stay for free, but she truly didn't have the money. "Alright, I'll call Bella tomorrow."

"I'll talk to her beforehand, after I drop you off."

The house had been vacant ever since he moved. Bella had initially considered renting it, but it was a bit far from Beverly Hills, so she had ended up renting a place on the outskirts of Beverly Hills for the convenience of her work.

Beverly Hills could be considered a satellite city of Los Angeles, and besides the famous hills, it contained many ordinary residential areas where the rich and famous gathered.

Of course, compared to downtown Los Angeles, the entire city of Beverly Hills was a cut above in terms of its overall environment and the income level of its residents.

When he drove Alexandra to her destination, it turned out Amanda was home, so Matthew simply invited them both to dinner. The next day, Alexandra followed Bella to the northern suburbs of Burbank and rented the house.

With a roof over her head, she could now fully focus on filming I Am Legend.