Filming in the studio only took less than half a month before the Crew moved to a shopping center in a small town on the outskirts of Toronto. This two-story shopping center, slated for demolition, had wide streets and a flat plaza around it. Some merchants' goods had not yet been moved out, and they agreed to let the Crew use the space, making it very suitable for filming.
The Crew didn't even need to prepare makeup trailers. Several cosmetics stores on the first floor of the shopping center had complete facilities. Since the space was ample, Matthew didn't ask for a separate room, sharing a cosmetics specialty store with several other main actors.
Anyway, only four or five actors were using it, and he was the lead actor, plus the specialty store had separate men's and women's changing rooms.
"Hi, Matthew."
The sweet-looking Jessica Alba had just arrived and came over to greet Matthew, "I didn't expect us to work on the same Crew."
Matthew also said politely, "Hello, Jessie." He then asked, "Have you been to the Staples Center to watch a game recently?"
"I go often, I'm a Lakers fan." Jessica Alba's smile was especially sweet. "I just haven't seen you."
"I've been a bit busy lately." Matthew thought for a moment and told the truth, "It's awkward sitting there and not understanding the game."
Actually, the main reason was that after breaking up with Keira Knightley, he no longer needed to go to the celebrity-filled area of Staples to gain exposure.
Jessica Alba suggested, "Next time we go together, I can give you live commentary."
Matthew nodded, "Sounds good."
Alexandra Daddario, having changed into her costume, emerged from the changing room and walked next to Matthew, her blue eyes curiously looking at Jessica Alba. This was the only female character in the film with more screen time than her.
Matthew noticed Alexandra Daddario approaching and introduced, "Jessie, this is Alexandra Daddario." Then he introduced to Alexandra Daddario, "Anna, this is Jessica Alba."
"Hello." Alexandra Daddario seemed genuinely introverted, merely nodding at Jessica Alba.
Jessica Alba, however, appeared sunny and cheerful, her face full of a smile so sweet it could make one sick. "Hello."
Alexandra Daddario pointed to the chair blocked by Jessica Alba,
and said, "That's my makeup spot, could you please move?"
"Ah, sorry…" Jessica Alba still had a sweet smile, quickly moving away, "I'm so sorry."
Alexandra Daddario didn't speak, walked over, pulled out the chair and sat down. Jessica Alba said another word to Matthew and walked towards her own makeup spot on the other side. She turned around, the smile on her face instantly vanished, and a word starting with "B" was stuck in her throat.
After makeup, the actors, led by the Assistant Director, arrived outside a side entrance of the shopping center. The Crew was almost ready. Zack Snyder finished his work, came over to give brief instructions, and filming immediately began.
The supermarket's side door closed. Matthew and Alexandra Daddario were inside the supermarket, with a cameraman operating a Steadicam responsible for filming.
"I'll count to three, then open the door!" Matthew said to Alexandra Daddario, gripping his gun with both hands. "I'm going out to save people. You stay here. If things go bad, close the door. Don't worry about me!"
Alexandra Daddario tried to make a panicked expression, "Don't open the door! If we open it, we'll all die!"
Matthew had a determined look. In fact, he didn't need to make too many expressions because that's how he usually appeared to people. The lead actor's character was designed based on his characteristics, which was an important reason why it wasn't too difficult for him to play.
The action scenes in this film were much fewer than in pirates of the caribbean, and for Matthew, this lead actor was more challenging than Will Turner.
Therefore, apart from action scenes, his takes rarely passed on the first try; NGs were essentially the norm.
This scene was no exception, especially with Alexandra Daddario, whose acting was far inferior to his, standing next to him.
Soon, the director Zack Snyder, standing outside the door, called a halt because Alexandra Daddario's panicked expression wasn't convincing. After a brief adjustment, filming resumed, and then Matthew made a mistake again.
After five stops and starts, a simple door-opening scene was finally completed.
However, an unexpected situation arose in the subsequent filming.
"This way! Run this way!"
On the path outside the door, Matthew yelled at a group of old, weak, sick, and disabled people led by Jessica Alba, "Hurry up and come this way!"
He gripped his gun with both hands, aimed at a zombie extra chasing the old, weak, sick, and disabled, and pulled the trigger. Smoke billowed from the muzzle, and a mist of blood immediately exploded from the extra's head.
Behind Matthew, the camera shifted to the group of old, weak, sick, and disabled people running desperately. Since four or five actors were all fleeing for their lives, Jessica Alba, who had the most screen time among them, wasn't particularly noticeable.
Although Jessica Alba had a good figure, it was far from as ample as Alexandra Daddario's. Coupled with the loose blue nurse's emergency uniform costume, she naturally didn't capture the camera's attention like the latter. Moreover, Zack Snyder was using a wide shot, making her appear quite ordinary among the running actors, even less eye-catching than the zombie whose head Matthew had blown off.
"Stop!" Zack Snyder called a halt to the filming, feeling the shot lacked embellishment. He loudly told the group of actors who had run over, "Go back and do it again!"
He turned his head and shouted at Matthew, "You go back to the door!" Then, raising his voice, "Anna! Anna!"
Alexandra Daddario came out from inside the door, wearing a white low-cut tight-fitting tank top.
Zack Snyder said to her, "You come out from inside the door, continue to be panicked, but don't scream."
"Mhm." Alexandra Daddario nodded.
Matthew retreated to the door. This didn't align with the script, but it was normal for a director to make on-the-spot adjustments during filming.
Alexandra Daddario sidled up to Matthew and asked, "is this to increase my screentime?"
"Probably." Matthew glanced at Zack Snyder and whispered, "I guess the director wants to add more embellishment to this scene."
Alexandra Daddario smiled at Matthew.
On the other side, Jessica Alba and many actors returned to a medical ambulance, preparing to restart filming.
The makeup artist came over to give her a quick touch-up. Jessica Alba looked up and saw Matthew and Alexandra Daddario standing by the door. A trace of gloom flashed across her usually bright face.
Matthew was the absolute lead actor; even in such a group scene, the focus was on him saving people. Jessica Alba could tell that the main camera, Camera No. 1, was only capturing Matthew and ignoring everything else. This was the treatment an absolute lead actor should receive, and she had no objection to it.
Why did the director call out Alexandra Daddario? This young actress with seemingly strange eyes, wearing a white tank top that couldn't be tighter or lower, was clearly there to be a mere 'vase' (a pretty face with little substance).
Even though she was already a 'vase,' the director still called out another 'vase'... Jessica Alba was quite displeased but couldn't voice her opinion to the director. Although she appeared outwardly like a carefree, perpetually cheerful simpleton, her mind was far from muddled.
She was well aware of her role in this film: a veritable 'vase,' meant solely to embellish and highlight Matthew Horner, the absolute lead actor.
Of course, if such a role was played well, it could still be very striking for an actress like her.
Who would have thought that in her very first scene after joining the Crew, she would encounter such an awkward situation? Her costume was a baggy ambulance uniform that completely hid her figure, and in her desperate escape, she had no image to speak of. Among this group of actors, she was even less noticeable than the zombies in the background.
Now the director had called out Alexandra Daddario, another actress who could only be a 'vase,' and placed her next to the lead actor. Wasn't this going to steal all the spotlight?
Jessica Alba, a child star, had been working in this industry for many years. She understood some things much more clearly than newcomers. The script's scene arrangements and the director's on-the-spot adjustments during filming could directly affect a character's brilliance. However, the actor's own performance was equally important, for example, by using a certain advantage in a live performance to overpower competitors, one could naturally attract more attention.
Take Alexandra Daddario opposite her, for instance. If they both stood wearing tight tank tops, Alexandra Daddario would definitely be more eye-catching than her. This was an innate advantage.
Jessica Alba, taking advantage of the Crew's downtime, looked at Matthew Horner and Alexandra Daddario opposite her. Her mind raced, and she quickly thought of a way to stand out from this group of mediocre people without displeasing the director or the Crew.
This had always been her signature skill; once used, she would inevitably become the center of attention, and others rarely complained.
In the past two years, Jessica Alba knew she had reached a bottleneck. To climb higher from a third-tier minor celebrity, in the absence of sufficient resources, acting skills, and works, she needed a unique aspect.
She began listening to the advice of a PR expert during the filming of this movie.
Based on her observations from the makeup room until now, this person clearly had thoughts about the curvaceous Alexandra Daddario.
Hopefully, he's clever enough... Actually, it doesn't matter if he's not; at most, the goal won't be achieved due to an unexpected reshoot, and this situation certainly won't cause dissatisfaction among the Crew and director.