"You eat first." Helen Herman pointed to the plate in front of Matthew, "We'll talk after you finish eating."
Matthew didn't stand on ceremony. After a busy morning, he was indeed hungry. He forked a piece of beef into his mouth, and the taste seemed pretty good. After swallowing it, he asked, "Have you two eaten?"
Helen Herman said indifferently, "We have."
Alexandra Daddario brushed a strand of dark brown hair behind her ear and said, "We came over after having lunch at the hotel."
Matthew nodded, said no more, and focused on enjoying his lunch.
Alexandra Daddario looked at Matthew. The red bloodstains on his clothes, neck, and face made her blue eyes quickly dart away. She leaned closer to Helen Herman's ear and asked, "He can still eat like that?"
"This is just fake blood made from syrup mixed with special ketchup." Helen Herman glanced at Matthew, not bothering to lower her voice, "Let alone fake blood, he could eat real blood."
Matthew, of course, heard this. He looked up and deliberately said, "Actually, these are all sweet."
The fake blood on him looked scary, but it didn't smell bad; it even had a sweet scent of corn syrup.
About ten minutes later, Matthew finished lunch, wiped his mouth with a napkin, looked at Helen Herman and Alexandra Daddario opposite him, and said, "I'm done. Let's talk about what's up."
Helen Herman didn't beat around the bush and said directly, "Anna's family has something going on and couldn't accompany her to Canada this time. The company has an urgent situation to deal with in Los Angeles, so I have to leave Toronto this afternoon."
She looked at Alexandra Daddario, "Anna has only been on one set and lacks experience in this area. Matthew, you are the male lead, please help look after Anna."
Matthew glanced at Alexandra Daddario, who smiled shyly at him.
Alexandra Daddario wasn't stupid. With her agent leaving, Matthew was her best reliance. After all, he was the biggest name actor on the set. With his backing, no one would dare to make things difficult for her.
The last time she was on a set, she played a very small role, but it left a very bad impression on her, especially Rachel McAdams, who shared a dressing room with her and seemed to target her at every turn.
Matthew understood the underlying meaning of Helen Herman's words and said, "No problem."
Alexandra Daddario was introduced to the Angel Agency by Amanda. Her father's position was very helpful to Amanda's parents' careers, and Helen Herman and Amanda were very close cousins… After sorting out these relationships, Matthew understood why Helen Herman was taking such special care of Alexandra Daddario.
To put it bluntly, this was an American-style collusion between officials and businessmen.
"Alright then." Helen Herman didn't waste any more time with Matthew. She glanced at her watch and said, "I'm going back to the hotel to pack my bags now. You take Anna to the set later."
Matthew nodded, "I know what to do."
Helen Herman turned to Alexandra Daddario and said, "I'll be back in about a week. With Matthew here, you can rest assured." She thought for a moment and added, "If you encounter any trouble, tell Matthew immediately; he can definitely help you solve it."
"I understand," Alexandra Daddario said.
"I'll speak to the relevant people on the crew," Matthew, having risen from the bottom, certainly knew that even the most harmonious-looking sets were not without conflict. "Let them know you are my friend."
Alexandra Daddario, who had been a little worried, immediately relaxed and smiled at Matthew, saying, "Thank you."
Matthew also smiled, "Don't mention it." He said casually, "Aren't you and Amanda good friends? Amanda's friends are my friends."
Helen Herman gave Matthew a wary look but said nothing. She stood up and said to the two, "I'm leaving. Call me if anything comes up."
After watching Helen Herman leave, Alexandra Daddario turned back and asked, "is the atmosphere on set good?"
"Huh?" Matthew looked at her curiously.
Alexandra Daddario smiled and said, "Last time, for that role you helped me get, I only filmed for one morning and then left. But that crew…"
Matthew asked, "What about that crew?"
"How should I put it," Alexandra Daddario thought for a while before saying, "It felt like the relationships between people were particularly awkward. The female lead, Kate Beckinsale, had unclear relationships with the director, investors, and another male actor, and Rachel McAdams, who shared a dressing room with me, was like a porcupine."
She switched to a tone of relief, "Good thing I only stayed for one morning."
"This is the norm for Hollywood crews." Matthew pushed his finished plate aside. "Of the crews I've been on, except for the previous one where I was one of the male leads, the others all had a lot of trouble and were full of disputes."
Alexandra Daddario had just started in the industry; this was only her second role, and she wasn't very familiar with the Hollywood circle. She perked up her ears at this.
Matthew continued, "Male actors are slightly better off, but not by much. Not to mention anything else, just look at this current crew. There are hundreds of actors to be used in total. How many of them have speaking roles? How many can actually leave an impression on the audience? Compared to that, how many actors want to get into a crew to secure a role?"
Alexandra Daddario didn't speak, just listened intently to Matthew.
"There might be thousands, or even more," Matthew shrugged slightly. "If you want to climb up, you have to step on others as your ladder."
"But…" Alexandra Daddario seemed to have a different opinion, "I got this role, and I didn't feel like I was competing with anyone."
Matthew was momentarily speechless. He was talking about actors from backgrounds like his. People from Alexandra Daddario's background found it much easier to get ahead.
"That's because your starting point is higher than others," Matthew said.
Alexandra Daddario thought about it and roughly understood his meaning, "It seems… that's right."
Although she was not yet eighteen, having grown up observing her astute parents, she had some understanding of society.
"You see…" Matthew gave another example, "Last time, you easily got a role, and someone was already targeting you. I expect the same will happen this time."
As he said this, Alexandra Daddario remembered something, "On the plane here, someone tried to cause trouble for me, but Helen fended them off."
Matthew didn't ask but said directly, "If anyone bothers you again, I've got your back! I've fought my way through countless conflicts!" He raised a finger and specifically said, "Anna, trust me! On this set, if I wanted to bully an actor, I would torment them until they directly quit the crew."
Of course, such words were meant to coax naive girls like her.
As long as he spoke to a few of the executive producers on the crew and told them Alexandra Daddario was a friend of his, the absolute male lead, then unless they were completely clueless, no one would easily bother Alexandra Daddario.
"Mhm!" Alexandra Daddario nodded vigorously, and whether intentionally or not, she even puffed out her chest a little, "Now that Helen's gone, Matthew, I'm counting on you."
Hearing this, Matthew suddenly felt something was a bit off, but he didn't think much of it and said, "It's a small matter, no need to be polite." He stood up, "Let's go to the set. I'll introduce you to the director."
He walked towards the restaurant exit first, thinking about Alexandra Daddario as he went. Among the young women he knew, she seemed to be the more introverted and steady type.
Alexandra Daddario followed behind Matthew, her bright blue eyes looking at his back, assuring herself that on this set, she had found a more reliable support than Helen Herman.
She quickened her pace, caught up with Matthew as they exited, and walked beside him, still maintaining her quiet and somewhat reserved demeanor.
Arriving at the outdoor set, Matthew introduced Alexandra Daddario to Zack Snyder and several executive producers, explicitly stating that she was his friend and asking them to take good care of her.
These people readily agreed.
Matthew did this not only to introduce Alexandra Daddario to the important figures on the crew, but also for the many people on set to see. After seeing this, anyone with a normal mind who didn't want to directly conflict with him, the male lead, would naturally not bother Alexandra Daddario for no reason.
Within appropriate limits, Matthew would help Helen Herman because she was a very valuable agent to him.
Later, when Alexandra Daddario went to the makeup trailer to get ready, Matthew specifically had his assistant accompany her. An actress of Alexandra Daddario's level certainly wouldn't have a private makeup trailer. Having his assistant with her would definitely reduce some trouble.
Matthew was well aware that even with Alexandra Daddario's good background and Helen Herman's special care, no Hollywood crew was ever perfectly harmonious, clean, and pure like heaven. Those who rise quickly are more prone to jealousy and attacks than those who climb slowly.
In this regard, Tom Cruise in his early days was a typical example.
Soon, the crew started working. Matthew hadn't removed his makeup earlier, so after a simple touch-up, filming would begin.
This afternoon, they would shoot a scene where he battles zombies and simultaneously meets Alexandra Daddario's character, a very impactful scene.