The Best Movie Actor In Hollywood!

Chapter 795

Two cars roared through the streets of Rio de Janeiro, moving so fast that their forms blurred, like twin streaks of silver-gray lightning flashing by.

Even the shots captured by high-speed cameras lacked any real clarity.

"This is so intense!"

Standing under a large sun umbrella at a temporary outdoor café, Paul Walker couldn’t hide the envy in his eyes. "Now that's the kind of speed a man should be driving at!"

Gal Gadot replied, "That's over 150 miles per hour. It's too dangerous."

Matthew nodded in agreement. "At that speed, even a minor accident would cause the car to spin out of control."

Paul Walker looked at Matthew and Gal Gadot and shook his head. "Do you two have to be so serious?"

Tyrese Gibson chimed in, "I wouldn't dare drive that fast, anyway."

The two cars drove back, their pace now far slower than the lightning speed they'd displayed moments before.

Matthew said nothing more, turning his attention to the route the cars had taken. To film these few street racing scenes, the production had spent a small fortune, hiring numerous professional drivers and shutting down four streets in Rio de Janeiro.Blocking off four major roads like this would be impossible in New York, except maybe for a shoot in the dead of night. But in Rio de Janeiro, as long as you had the money to clear the way, it was remarkably easy.

Even the local authorities in Rio de Janeiro had sent a large contingent of police officers to help the crew block off the streets for filming.

The two cars were parked on the roadside near the outdoor café. Matthew and Paul Walker approached them, ready to get in for their scene.

The professional drivers had just filmed the long shots for his and Paul Walker's scenes. Now, the crew would shoot the close-ups, which would be edited in post-production to create the illusion of insane driving.

Matthew walked over to the Mercedes-Benz—a model specially prepared for him for the shoot, one he was very familiar with.

Paul Walker was already in his car, tinkering with the custom-built Dodge Challenger.

Just then, Justin Lin came over and reminded Matthew and Paul Walker, "Be careful and stick to the planned route." He then instructed Paul, "Keep the car steady, don't fall behind Matthew."

Almost everyone on the crew knew about Paul Walker's tendency to get swept up in the thrill of racing.

"Don't worry!" Paul Walker nodded. "I'll be careful."

After Justin Lin gave the order, filming began shortly.

The Mercedes AMG and the Dodge Challenger started up slowly, moving forward at no more than thirty miles per hour.

The cars moved slowly, but Matthew and Paul Walker frequently maneuvered them to allow the camera operators in the back seats to capture the shots they needed.

The two cars reached an intersection and stopped.

Filming was paused. Instead of getting out of their cars, Matthew and Paul Walker waited for Justin Lin’s instructions.

"Action!" Justin Lin’s voice boomed through a megaphone. Matthew slammed his foot on the gas, and the Mercedes AMG shot forward, though its speed never exceeded thirty miles per hour.

A car sped after him, and then a series of gunshots rang out—bang, bang, bang.

Matthew lowered his window, steering with one hand while raising a sawed-off shotgun with the other. He fired at the car that had pulled up beside him.

Smoke billowed from the barrel of the prop gun. The passenger-side window of the adjacent car shattered with a crash, and the stunt driver in the front seat appeared to be hit. The "out of control" vehicle careened to the side of the road.

More cars joined the pursuit, and the sound of gunfire erupted again.

Soon, the rear and passenger-side windows of Matthew’s car were blown to pieces.

Just then, a black motorcycle appeared from behind the pursuing cars like a phantom. The rider’s long hair streamed behind her, and despite the large wind-resistant goggles, it was still possible to recognize Gal Gadot.

Gal Gadot caught up to the pursuers, a pistol in hand, and fired continuously. Streams of air burst from the tires of several cars, simulating flats.

Of course, none of the cars actually crashed.

Filming stopped there. Matthew, Paul Walker, and Gal Gadot left the set, while the remaining scenes—flying cars, collisions, rollovers, and explosions—were naturally handed over to the stunt team.

Since Matthew’s and Paul Walker’s characters were inside their cars, they weren't needed for the rest of the sequence. Gal Gadot, however, whose character was designed to not wear a helmet in this scene, occasionally had to shoot a few close-ups against the backdrop of the chaotic action.

Gal Gadot, as Gisele, appearing in the scene without a helmet might seem a little unrealistic, but Matthew and Justin Lin had discussed it and decided to go with that design. After all, the movie already had plenty of over-the-top action sequences; this one wouldn't hurt.

Just like in the previous film, Gisele is an independent, strong character. For instance, in this scene's design, the two main heroes, Dom and Brian, use Gisele to ambush the gangsters, fully showcasing her design as a weapons expert.

Matthew was perfectly clear on the fact that 'The Fast and the Furious' series was the antithesis of the 'Twilight' saga. The latter targeted young women, while the former was aimed at men. However, the vast difference in their investment scale meant that while 'Twilight' could afford to ignore its male audience, 'The Fast and the Furious' had to attract a portion of the female viewership.

In addition to the appeal that he and Paul Walker brought, the character of Gisele was designed specifically with the female audience in mind.

A strong, independent heroine who doesn't need a man to save her—and might even save him at a critical moment—perfectly aligns with the current preferences of female moviegoers.

It was no exaggeration to say that the role of a princess waiting in a castle for her prince to rescue her was completely outdated.

Even Disney Animation, the creators of princes and princesses, had begun developing projects where the princess takes the initiative to break out of her gilded cage and see the world for herself.

It wouldn't be long before strong female characters became a mainstay on the big screen.

Filming continued on the streets of Rio de Janeiro, where cars were wrecked and blown to scrap metal almost daily, and explosions periodically rocked the neighborhood for blocks around.

While the shoot proceeded almost without a hitch, traffic in this part of Rio de Janeiro quickly became a nightmare. By the time the crew reached the final stages of filming, major traffic jams were a frequent occurrence on several adjacent streets.

However, not many Brazilians, with the exception of one small gang, came to bother the film crew.

One petty gangster, not understanding what was going on, snuck onto the four-street set and injured a prop master, but he was brutally subdued by the production's security team.

After that, the gangs of Rio de Janeiro caused no more trouble.

Public order in Rio de Janeiro was notoriously poor—it wasn't just the City of God, but also a capital of sin. This was common knowledge. But it was also known that you didn't mess with a Hollywood crew. The major gangs weren't stupid; they had plenty of business to attend to without tangling with major international outfits, and the smaller gangs couldn't even handle the security hired by the production.

The filming of the street races and action scenes went smoothly, and by mid-March, the shoot in Rio de Janeiro had reached its final stage.

As the Brazilian portion of the shoot neared its end, most of the cast had already left Rio de Janeiro. Soon, Matthew was the only main actor remaining.

Finally, on March 20th, the crew wrapped its last scene in Rio de Janeiro and returned to Los Angeles.

But back in Los Angeles, before he even had a chance to rest, Matthew plunged headfirst into promotional activities.

Studio Thirteen, Skydance Pictures, and Disney Pictures jointly held a press conference. He and Justin Lin were required to attend to support the film's preliminary advertising.

The idea that large-scale promotion and distribution were key to increasing box office returns and profits was deeply ingrained in Hollywood.

Last September, Paramount Pictures had acquired the rights to release 'Paranormal Activity,' once again creating a miracle for a low-budget horror film that went on to earn a massive box office haul.

A film shot by just three people with a budget of only $11,000 had grossed over $100 million at the North American box office!

Everyone was buzzing, discussing the incredible return on investment between $11,000 and $100 million.

Only insiders knew how much Paramount Pictures had actually invested in the film. Seeing that it had the potential to be a breakout hit, the studio had spent over $6 million on prints alone just to widen its release.

And while the company hadn't spent much to acquire the rights, it had poured more than $20 million into promotion and distribution.

Without that massive rollout, the film would never have succeeded.

At the press conference, facing a throng of reporters, Matthew didn't hold back in boasting about the film he had invested in.

"From the very beginning, we made this film with the intention of making 'Fast Five' the culmination of the series. We wanted this movie to be the biggest in the franchise in every respect—from the length of the car chases to the complexity of the character relationships, and even the production cost."

Facing the cameras, Matthew looked confident. "I have complete faith in 'Fast Five.' The franchise is more than just recognizable to audiences; it's a series that has been building momentum with each film. With the fifth one, we knew we had to make it a milestone for the entire series. So, a lot of ideas we wanted to use before but couldn't, for one reason or another, are finally being put into action. We felt they were worth doing right."

He didn't hesitate to talk about the shoot in Brazil. "There's a scene that takes place on the streets of Rio de Janeiro where the main characters are chased by dozens of police cars across the entire city. I've never seen anything like it—it's just shocking! Action sequences like this are unlike anything audiences have seen before, and the most important thing is, it was all shot for real! That's why this film will definitely become the most iconic in the series."

After this year's Oscars, Studio Thirteen, Skydance Pictures, and Disney Pictures simultaneously launched a significant pre-promotional campaign for 'Fast Five,' building up the film's hype.

Meanwhile, in New York, someone was making a move.