The Best Movie Actor In Hollywood!

Chapter 518

The next day, a viciously cold wind was blowing again, and the East River below the Brooklyn Bridge looked as if it had frozen over. Matthew walked over to the pier jutting out over the water, where a red rescue helicopter was parked on the asphalt and the crew had finished setting up the scene.

"Hi, Matthew."

Seeing him approach, Jessica Chastain greeted him with a nod.

Matthew returned the greeting and glanced up at the sky. "It's not going to snow, is it?"

It was late November, the beginning of New York's snow season. Given the regional climate, heavy snow was common in the city during winter, with a blizzard or two expected each year.

The director, Guillermo del Toro, came over and also looked up at the sky.

"This is the last night of shooting on the Brooklyn Bridge," he said. "If it starts snowing today, we'll have to shut down."

The previous five days of filming had gone smoothly, and he didn't want any uncontrollable weather interfering on the final night.

Guillermo del Toro turned to Matthew. "How many days will you be off set?"

Matthew thought for a moment. "About five days.""That long?" Guillermo del Toro's brow furrowed slightly.

"It'll take a day to fly to Milan, Italy, and a day to get back," Matthew explained. "One day for the signing ceremony and two days to shoot the commercial."

He spread his hands. "I won't even have any time left to see Milan."

Guillermo del Toro nodded. "I'll try to adjust the shooting schedule."

He looked over toward the camera setup. "We'll continue filming in the studio. The Washington Square scenes will have to wait until after the New Year."

The film crew's schedule was definitely tied to the city's calendar. With Christmas and New Year's approaching, a series of events were planned for New York's larger public squares.

"Daddy..." a clear, young voice called out. Matthew turned his head to see Chloe running toward him, her mother following close behind.

"Hey there," Matthew said with a smile.

"It's cold," Chloe announced as she reached him.

Matthew comforted her. "This is your last scene. You'll be able to find somewhere warm soon."

"It went by so fast." Chloe shook her head and looked at Guillermo del Toro. "Are my scenes all done after we finish shooting this?"

Guillermo del Toro nodded, then said to Matthew, "Don't rush off after we wrap today. Akiva is coming with the press and wants us to do an interview together."

"I know," Matthew replied.

"Alright!" Guillermo del Toro suddenly raised his voice. "Get ready to start shooting! Five minutes to prepare!"

The crew quickly cleared the set. Everyone except the extras left the area, and Matthew, Chloe, and Jessica took their places.

Then, the assistant director called for action.

Matthew scooped Chloe up with one arm, held Jessica's hand with the other, and followed a soldier toward the rescue helicopter.

When they reached the helicopter, the soldier exclaimed, "I won't take my eyes off them, Colonel, I give you my word!"

Matthew said nothing, just looked at Chloe, handed her to the soldier who had climbed into the helicopter, and then kissed her on the forehead.

At that moment, Jessica moved closer. Matthew's forehead pressed against hers, his palms sliding over her pale skin.

He whispered, "I love you."

They parted, and Matthew said, "Get on the plane."

He turned to his "daughter." "Daddy will destroy all the monsters, baby."

Jessica leaned in again and kissed Matthew, while Chloe held out a model of a dog.

"Sam, protect Daddy."

"No, I can't take—"

"Sir!" the soldier cut in. "We have to go!"

Matthew took the model dog and, with the soldier's help, closed the helicopter's side door.

He then turned and, flanked by two soldiers, started walking toward the riverbank, looking back over his shoulder, his face a mask of reluctance.

The take went off without a hitch. Afterward, Matthew returned to his trailer to warm up while Guillermo del Toro directed Chloe and Jessica's scenes inside the helicopter cabin. Matthew took the opportunity to lie down on the sofa and take a nap, until Bella woke him around half-past two.

"They'll be ready to shoot soon," she said, gently patting Matthew on the shoulder.

Matthew opened his eyes, sat up, and ran a hand over his face. "Let's go."

He put on his coat and walked out of the trailer onto the floating pier where the crew was set up. He exchanged a few words with Guillermo del Toro about the upcoming scene. Chloe and Jessica had already finished their parts and left. By the time his last shot was done, the crew would be ready to wrap up their work on the Brooklyn Bridge.

However, the shoot did not go well. The scene required the protagonist to witness the helicopter carrying his wife and daughter crash, demanding a powerful emotional outburst. Having just come from the warm trailer into the cold night air, Matthew's body felt a little stiff. Five consecutive takes failed to produce the effect Guillermo del Toro wanted.

When the final take was completed, it was already close to four in the morning. Fortunately, Matthew had finally found the right feeling and expression; otherwise, they would have had to extend the shoot for another night.

"Finally."

The crew wrapped up, and Guillermo del Toro left the remaining work to his assistant. He walked over to Matthew and said, "Come on. Akiva and the journalists are waiting for us at the foot of the bridge. Let's get this interview over with while we still have time."

***

They soon arrived at the temporary barricade the crew had set up in front of the Brooklyn Bridge. The team was clearing the area, trying to restore the bridge to its original state by four o'clock.

Two photographers were taking pictures against this backdrop.

Another journalist, who was with Akiva, stood up and waved as soon as he saw Matthew and Guillermo del Toro approaching.

Akiva had brought a reporter from Variety, a Warner Bros. publication which, along with The Hollywood Reporter, was known as one of the two top entertainment newspapers in the country and had always been a preferred platform for promoting Hollywood films.

As time was short, Akiva introduced both sides, and after a brief exchange of greetings, the interview began.

One of the two photographers returned to take pictures of the interview.

The reporter started by asking Akiva, "I was told that Will Smith was also considered for this role. So why did you choose Matthew instead of Smith?"

Without any hesitation, Akiva replied, "As a screenwriter, I believe in the extraordinary power of creating an image with words, but the talent to bring those words to life through body language is just as important. Matthew is a brilliant actor. He's able to convey so much in his performance, which contains so many ideas and feelings."

Questions like these were arranged in advance, and the answers required no further explanation.

Next, the journalist asked Guillermo del Toro, "This is your first time working with Matthew. Could you tell us more about this collaboration?"

Guillermo del Toro, who had likely been very busy these past few days, thought for a moment before recalling the answer he had intended to give.

"The most charming thing about Matthew is that very charm he possesses. He always brings so many different dimensions to his characters that you can't take your eyes off him for a second. And one of the most important things for the character was that he had to be able to convey everything he was going through, both physically and emotionally, without any dialogue."

Finally, the press turned a question to Matthew: "Can you comment on your new role?"

"I fulfilled a wish by taking on this role," Matthew said naturally. "For me, the part was completely different. It was a truly incredible experience, because I was talking to myself, and that was a central part of what I needed to focus on when I was acting. You can find some unnoticed parts of your character and yourself, from both an artistic and a psychological perspective, and that's a truly fascinating and worthwhile element to explore."

With that, filming in New York came to an end. In the morning, Matthew met Helen at Kennedy Airport, and together they flew to Milan, Italy, for the Armani underwear contract signing.

In addition to men's underwear, Armani had also found a heavyweight representative for its women's lingerie line.