"How many years has it been since we last met?"
The bar was quiet, with not many patrons, only Matthew and his group. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, with his exaggerated muscles, looked at Matthew and asked, "Was it two years ago or three years ago?"
Matthew raised his glass, first signaling to Dwayne Johnson, then raising it to Diane Kruger, Justin Bartha, and Jon Voight. After everyone had taken a sip, he said, "I've forgotten which year it was, Dwayne. I only remember it was for the audition of The Mummy Returns."
Dwayne Johnson pursed his lips and nodded, saying, "You passed the audition back then, and I was eliminated."
Matthew smiled, "So we were rivals even a few years ago."
Dwayne Johnson burst out laughing.
Actually, when Matthew first saw Dwayne Johnson on set, he had probed him. Dwayne Johnson had no idea about what happened behind the scenes of that audition, always believing he was eliminated because his acting skills weren't up to par.
In the past two years, Dwayne Johnson had appeared in several films, and coupled with his formidable reputation in professional wrestling, he had gained some recognition in Hollywood.
Dwayne Johnson didn't take that audition too seriously. He clinked glasses with Matthew and said casually, "If I had won that audition back then, our positions might be reversed now."
Matthew nodded, "That's possible."
He didn't remember Dwayne Johnson's situation when he first entered Hollywood, but he knew that this guy later climbed to the A-list, and that earthquake movie also showed, to some extent, his ability to carry a box office on his own.
Of course, the commotion caused by Alexandra Daddario was also indispensable.
As the host, Matthew couldn't just talk to Dwayne Johnson. He also chatted with Justin Bartha for a few moments. Besides himself, Justin was currently the most successful person at Angel Management, with great potential to become a third-tier star.
Justin Bartha was refined and played the male lead's assistant in the film. After shooting together for such a long time, Matthew had a good impression of him. He was very diligent and didn't cause any trouble over resource allocation issues at Angel Management.
"Johnny…" Matthew raised his glass, clinked it with Jon Voight's, and said, "Johnny, cheers."
Jon Voight drank a glass with Matthew.
Perhaps due to the significant age difference, he spoke very little.
Matthew, however, said, "Johnny, Julie and I have known each other for a long time."
Hearing his troublesome daughter's name, Jon Voight's expression seemed a little off. He gave Matthew a strange look, thinking that Julie and Matthew might have been involved.
"Johnny, don't misunderstand." Matthew noticed the change in Jon Voight's face and quickly said, "Julie helped me a lot to get into Hollywood. My first role was introduced by Julie."
"I see." Jon Voight nodded.
Matthew then chatted with Diane Kruger for a few minutes. This German actress starred in Troy last year, playing Helen, the peerless beauty who sparked the Trojan War. This film is also set to be released this summer.
The release date for Troy is the second weekend of the summer blockbusters, just one week after Van Helsing.
Matthew had seen this film before and remembered that the male lead was Brad Pitt. After chatting with Orlando Bloom last time, Orlando Bloom mentioned in a phone call that he played a very important prince in this film.
This means that the first two films at the start of the summer blockbuster season both feature Orlando Bloom; one as the absolute male lead, and the other as an extremely important supporting role. The resources this British actor has received will certainly make countless people envious.
What a pity… Matthew shook his head. It's strange how some actors star in small, overlooked productions that become box office hits, propelling them to fame; while other stars have countless, top-tier resources, yet their careers only decline.
The group didn't stay in the bar for too long. Their relationships weren't particularly close, and they all had work the next day, so they quickly returned to their respective rooms.
Filming continued in Washington, but the shooting schedule could be adjusted at any time. Many outdoor locations were popular tourist attractions, and if the number of tourists was too high, the crew would re-adjust the filming based on real-time conditions.
A damaged minivan was parked on the lawn. Matthew, Justin Bartha, and Diane Kruger finished their makeup and all came to the lawn behind the minivan. The crew was ready, and director Jon Turteltaub came over to discuss the scene.
"Diane!" He first said to Diane Kruger, "You get the Declaration of Independence from Matthew, realize he's not paying attention to you, then take off your high heels and run away."
"Okay." Diane Kruger looked at the lawn. The staff had already tidied it up, and it looked very soft. "No problem."
Jon Turteltaub then said to Justin Bartha, "You just sit in the car and talk to Matthew."
Justin Bartha knew his role was just the male lead's subordinate and replied, "Okay."
Finally, Jon Turteltaub said to Matthew, "Diane runs away, and she's already a certain distance away. You pick up the high heels she took off and throw them at her!"
Matthew nodded, "Hmm".
/> Jon Turteltaub then asked Diane Kruger, "Are the shoes correct?"
"No," Diane Kruger said with a smile, "these specially made shoes are very uncomfortable to wear."
"Hold on a bit."
After saying this, Jon Turteltaub left the set.
Matthew looked down at the high heels on Diane Kruger's feet. These were specially made by the props department, almost entirely crafted from leather, so he could throw them in this scene and hit the fleeing female lead.
Filming began quickly.
"I'm telling you! Listen!" Matthew took down the scroll from his back and walked towards Diane Kruger, who was sitting on the ground. "I told you to hold your Declaration of Independence!"
He handed the scroll to Diane Kruger, bent down, and said seriously, "You promise me no more nonsense, thank you!"
Diane Kruger hugged the scroll containing the Declaration of Independence, lowered her head, and secretly peeked at Matthew.
Matthew walked back and forth a few steps, then went to the car to discuss with Justin Bartha how to deal with the Declaration of Independence.
He had a touch of nervousness, paired with a resolute face, which made him look a bit peculiar, but director Jon Turteltaub had once said that this gave him a good feeling.
Having starred in several films, plus years of consistent practice from 1999 until now, Matthew's acting, though not outstanding, was becoming increasingly effortless for undemanding commercial entertainment movies.
Especially for roles that shared some similarities with his own characteristics.
The final revision of this film's script mainly involved altering the male lead's character setting and adding action scenes. The male lead's setting was also modified to align with his inherent temperament and appearance.
For instance, in this particular scene, in the original script, the female lead tried to escape but was directly embraced by the male lead.
In the revised script, to showcase the male lead's agility and add some humor, it was changed to the male lead picking up the high heels the female lead had taken off and throwing them to knock her down.
Matthew was still discussing with Justin Bartha according to their lines. Diane Kruger, using the cover of her long dress, quietly slipped off her high heels. Taking advantage of Matthew walking to her far side, she grabbed the scroll containing the Declaration of Independence, got up from the lawn, and started running with her long legs.
"Hey! Hey! Hey!" Matthew turned around and shouted loudly, "No way! You stop right there!"
Diane Kruger showed no intention of stopping, and in a blink of an eye, she had already run five or six meters.
Matthew stopped talking nonsense. Just as he was about to chase, he perfectly spotted Diane Kruger's discarded high heels. He picked one up and threw it towards Diane Kruger.
Whether it was Matthew's good luck or Diane Kruger's bad luck, the flying high heel hit her squarely on the head.
"Ouch—"
Diane Kruger screamed and fell directly onto the grass.
"Cut!" Director Jon Turteltaub called a halt to the filming and shouted, "That's a take! The next two split shots are canceled!"
Then, he shouted loudly, "Doctor! Doctor!"
Matthew ignored the rest of the crew. Seeing that Diane Kruger hadn't gotten up yet, he quickly jogged over to check on her.
Originally, this shot was supposed to end with him throwing the high heel at Diane Kruger. There were two subsequent split shots: one for his throwing motion, and another for the scene where the shoe hit Diane Kruger. The hitting in the split shots wasn't like this direct hit.
Who would have thought he would accidentally hit Diane Kruger on the head?
Although the high heels were specially made and couldn't possibly crack her head open, Matthew still rushed over apologetically, asking urgently, "Diane, are you okay?"
Diane Kruger rubbed the back of her head, turned around, and said, "I'm fine, just a fall. Luckily the grass was soft."
As she spoke, she tried to get up. Matthew quickly reached out his hand and pulled Diane Kruger up from the grass, asking, "Do you need to see a doctor?"
Diane Kruger shook her head, "I'm fine." She brushed off the grass clippings from her clothes and said with a hint of dissatisfaction, "Wasn't it just a casual throw? How did it hit me?"
"I don't know either." Matthew looked apologetic. "I just threw it casually…"
He didn't try to explain further, saying earnestly, "I'm very sorry, Diane."
Seeing Matthew's sincere apology, Diane Kruger accepted it as an accident and said, "It's fine now."
Matthew smiled sheepishly and said, "I made you fall. How about this, whenever you have time, I'll treat you to a meal as a formal apology."
Before entering the film industry, Diane Kruger was a model. A hint of caution immediately arose in her heart, and she politely declined with a smile, "It's okay, I'm really fine."
She pointed to her clothes, "I should go get my makeup removed."
Seeing Diane Kruger leave, Matthew didn't linger either and walked towards his makeup trailer.
After finishing this scene, all his scenes in Washington were complete. Tomorrow, he was scheduled to return to Los Angeles to attend the upcoming Academy Awards ceremony and also to execute Helen Herman and Sean Daniel's publicity and hype plan.