"Ridley also invited you to audition?" Matthew had a very surprised, even shocked expression. "Orlando, we're about to become rivals."
Orlando Bloom opened his mouth, suddenly not knowing what to say.
Perhaps the memories of filming "Black Hawk Down" together were too profound. In his eyes, Matthew was synonymous with absolute strength, naturally suited to playing military or soldier-type roles, and a standard tough guy himself. If they were truly competing for the male lead in an epic war film, would he be a match?
Moreover, he knew during the "Black Hawk Down" production that Matthew could play an important supporting role in the film because of his connection to director Ridley Scott.
This gave Matthew too great an advantage in the audition.
Instantly, Orlando Bloom's good mood, which had been like seeing the goddess of luck when he first met Matthew, vanished. He quickly pondered whether there was a way to prevent Matthew from going to the audition? As long as he didn't go to the audition, the advantage of his connection with Ridley Scott would no longer exist.
He believed there must be a way. He had managed to snatch the male lead role in "Van Helsing" from Matthew without his knowledge back then, so he might have a way to win this audition now.
"So you're also going to this audition," Matthew seemed to be talking to himself.
Orlando Bloom looked at him, maintaining a natural smile, "Yeah, I was a bit surprised when I got the invitation too."
Matthew deliberately scratched his head, "This makes things a bit tricky." He sighed and said, "Orlando, you're my friend…"
Orlando Bloom wanted to say, since we're friends, why don't you give up, but such words only swirled in his throat; he wouldn't be foolish enough to actually speak them.
"I just signed a contract with Disney Pictures this month," Matthew looked deeply sincere. "How about this, Orlando, I'll try to decline Ridley Scott's invitation…"
"Really?" Orlando Bloom could hardly believe what he was hearing.
Matthew nodded, "Of course it's true. You're my good friend, I won't snatch a role from a friend. I have some connection with Ridley, I'll give him a call and mention you. You also participated in the filming of "Black Hawk Down" back then, so I'm sure Ridley still remembers you."
Orlando Bloom was instantly so moved he wanted to prostrate himself before Matthew.
He said, "Matthew, I… I really don't know how to thank you."
"Don't rush to thank me," Matthew said seriously. "I'm just quite familiar with Ridley; I can't guarantee you'll definitely pass the audition."
Orlando Bloom nodded repeatedly, "I understand… I understand!"
He wasn't new to Hollywood; he knew that auditions involved many uncertainties.
Matthew certainly wouldn't call Ridley Scott; he wasn't crazy. Anyway, Orlando Bloom wouldn't be foolish enough to go ask Ridley Scott directly.
"Matthew!" Orlando Bloom said very solemnly, "If you ever need help with anything in the future, just ask!"
Thinking about the last time, and then this time, Orlando Bloom confirmed that Matthew Horner would be his sworn brother from now on! Ofcourse, this was based on his own interests securing. If Matthew is in his way of SUPERSTARDOM, he definitely won't be polite due to this friendship chatter. Orlando mused this in his mind feeling smug but outwardly appearing very sincere.
"I won't be polite with you!" Matthew deliberately said in a casual, joking tone, "I'll remember those words."
Orlando Bloom laughed, "If you're polite with me, I'll be angry."
Matthew laughed heartily, and Orlando Bloom's laughter also grew increasingly hearty.
The event was still ongoing, and Matthew couldn't stay with Orlando Bloom for long. He soon returned to the circle where the "Pirates of the Caribbean" cast was gathered.
"Orlando Bloom?" Johnny Depp curiously glanced at where Matthew had come from and asked, "Are you very close to him?"
Matthew nodded, "We were in the same crew."
He didn't say much, as it wasn't something he could elaborate on to Johnny Depp. He couldn't exactly say he was constantly digging pits, could he?
In fact, after he officially signed with "National Treasure," Helen Herman had already used that as a reason to decline Ridley Scott's audition invitation.
Because of the box office success of "Pirates of the Caribbean," Matthew and Johnny Depp were definitely two of the most talked-about stars in the North American film industry this year. Capital naturally seeks profit and avoids harm, so Angel Agency received many invitations from production companies and film studios.
At the time, along with Michael Bay's audition invitation, there was also an invitation from Ridley Scott. Unlike Michael Bay, Helen Herman had a close relationship with Ridley Scott, and Ridley Scott had shown Matthew kindness, so neither Matthew nor Helen Herman wanted to sour their relationship with Ridley Scott.
Therefore, declining Ridley Scott's invitation required a legitimate reason.
Having to prepare for filming "National Treasure" was a sufficient reason.
Although this is a standard commercial society and Hollywood is also a business circle, personal connections are equally important.
As for Michael Bay's initial invitation, after the 2004 New Year holiday, Angel Agency received an audition invitation jointly sent by DreamWorks Pictures and Michael Bay's production team.
Originally, the production team only provided character scripts, but when Matthew was involved in filming "Band of Brothers," Helen Herman had built good relationships with some DreamWorks executives and unexpectedly managed to get the complete script, which made Matthew's preparation more targeted.
This was a script of only 140 pages. Matthew felt a bit bewildered after reading it the first time. His English reading comprehension had improved significantly over the years, but it was still only average, and there were many parts he couldn't understand after reading it.
Compared to Matthew, Helen Herman sat there deep in thought after reading the copy.
An agent's basic ability is to assist clients in choosing work, and there are many criteria for choosing work, not limited to the script. Factors like the production company, producers, director, investment scale, and preliminary market research are all important references no less than the script.
However, the script is one of the more fundamental options, and an excellent agent must have the ability to judge a script.
Helen Herman opened the script and meticulously read it a second time.
Matthew sat opposite her, also examining the script; both of them read very carefully.
An entire morning passed, and the two of them didn't leave Helen Herman's office at all, having takeout delivered directly. After eating, they continued reading.
Helen Herman, both in terms of education and reading comprehension, was far superior to Matthew. She finished her second read-through, while Matthew had only completed a little over half.
She didn't disturb Matthew; instead, she pondered deeply.
Undoubtedly, this was a script that perfectly aligned with Hollywood's usual standards. The use of clones as a gimmick made it feel very sci-fi, and clones, as artificial beings, are "man-made" creations that walk the line between science and ethics, inherently possessing immense topicality.
Then, with a handsome male and beautiful female lead, combined with some profound discussions about clones and appropriate action scenes, just looking at the script, it seemed to have some potential like "The Matrix."
After another hour or so, Matthew finally finished the script. This time, combining the before and after context, he basically understood what kind of story the script was telling.
According to his understanding, it was roughly about the male and female protagonists and hundreds of residents living in an isolated community in the mid-21st century. In this tightly controlled high-tech building, they, like other residents, had every move of their daily lives monitored by "the Organization." This monitoring was euphemistically said to be for their physical and mental well-being, but behind the scenes, an unknown secret was hidden.
The only hope of escaping this life without freedom was to be chosen to go to the so-called "Island," because they were told that after an ecological catastrophe, all humanity worldwide would perish except for those living there who would be fortunate enough to survive, and "the Island" was the only remaining unpolluted paradise on Earth.
All residents, including him and the female lead, were ultimately destined to die. They were all clones of the "Island" residents, and their existence was merely to provide various replacement body parts for their "prototypes." Their value after death was far greater than during their lives.
So, before the crisis arrived, the male and female protagonists decided to escape this false utopia and enter the real world they had never known. Finally, during the pursuit, they successfully dismantled the organization and took over the identities of their prototypes...
Matthew was well aware that this was an era of technological explosion, with various technologies developing rapidly. The advancements mentioned in the film could all potentially appear in the future. In the past two years, events like cloned sheep had caused a stir, and many organizations demanded that governments worldwide explicitly prohibit cloning experiments to prevent this technology from eventually being used on humans themselves.
Hollywood stars love to latch onto hot topics, and Hollywood movies are no different. This script clearly latches onto the hot topic of clones in recent years.
In fact, Hollywood already had a major production film that latched onto the clone craze…
Matthew immediately thought of George Lucas's "Star Wars" series; wasn't the second prequel, which had already been released, called "Attack of the Clones"? Even the Star Wars series, a classic American popular culture phenomenon, was latching onto the clone craze, which shows how hot the topic of clones has been in recent years.
He also remembered seeing on a hot news program some time ago that a certain medical expert declared: clones are bound to appear, it is unavoidable, whether legal or illegal, it is just a matter of who comes first. Now, organs can already be cultivated in vitro, so it is entirely possible for clones to become organ donors.
So, this script isn't entirely made up; it seems to be sci-fi built on a certain factual basis.
Plus, plenty of action scenes, and a handsome male and beautiful female lead…
By all accounts, this seemed like a very reliable script.