"Stop!" The voice of Guillermo del Toro rang out in the studio, "Matthew, your emotions are not in place!"
Matthew sat in front of a map of New York, quickly breaking away from his character and looking at Guillermo del Toro behind the director's monitor. Del Toro waved him over, "Come take a look."
"Okay." Matthew responded and walked over.
This particular shot had been filmed five or six times, and his emotional expression had been consistently off.
Usually, directors rarely let actors view the filmed scenes, but Guillermo del Toro wasn't one for rigid rules, and Matthew never interfered with his work. The two had a pleasant collaboration on set.
Guillermo del Toro waited for Matthew to come over, pressed the playback button, and pointed at the screen, saying, "On your face, I can only see disappointment, loneliness, and pain. There's no perseverance of the last man standing!"
Watching Robert Neville on the monitor, Matthew was silent for a few seconds before nodding and saying, "Let's do it again."
"Don't need a few minutes' break?" Guillermo del Toro asked.
Matthew shook his head slowly, "No, I think I've found that feeling."
"Okay." Guillermo del Toro raised his voice, "All departments get ready, we're about to shoot."
As Guillermo del Toro's voice echoed, Matthew returned to the main camera, sat down again in the chair in front of the wall with the New York map hanging, and quickly got ready for the shoot.
Without needing an assistant director, Guillermo del Toro personally shouted, "Action!"
"Day one thousand and one, today we had close contact with a nest." Matthew began a monologue, his voice low, reflecting the external environment's impact on a person, "Blood tests confirmed that I am still immune to both airborne and contact transmission of the virus. Canines remain only immune to airborne transmission."
His voice became even lower, carrying clear disappointment, "The experiment failed again. I still haven't found a vaccine..."
At this point, Matthew fell silent, lowering his head, his emotions at this moment extremely disappointed and utterly dismal, just like the apocalyptic scenario described in the script.
But Robert Neville, who had survived alone in New York for over a thousand days, experiencing countless experimental failures, was not someone easily defeated.
Matthew's previous NGs were mostly due to problems at this part.
This time, he used the lines to guide his emotional changes, "I won't give up; vaccine testing will continue."
As he spoke, he slowly raised his head, "I cannot transfer my immunity to the infected. The KV virus is very..."
Matthew's demeanor gradually returned to normal. He pressed his lips together and nodded firmly, showing a never-give-up attitude, then said, "Very formidable! Defeating it is like finding a needle in a haystack."
As he said this, his emotions once again became low, and he lowered his head, paused for half a second, and then said again, "Regarding behavior, today an infected individual was exposed to sunlight. It might be due to brain function degeneration or the fear of lacking food."
The last sentence he said with particular pain, "They've lost human behavior. I think they are no longer human, but have become a new species."
At this moment, Guillermo del Toro shouted from behind the director's monitor, "Cut! Well done, Matthew! This one's a wrap!"
Matthew easily broke away from the character. The rumored situation of being unable to pull out of a role had never happened to him, perhaps because the roles he played were all normal characters in commercial films.
"Prepare for the next scene!" Guillermo del Toro shouted again, "We'll start shooting in fifteen minutes!"
Reaching the rest area, Matthew took the water cup handed over by Bella Anderson and drank a large gulp. Just as he sat down, Bella Anderson said, "David Ellison just called. The tickets for this year's Victoria's Secret show have been sent to the manor. The show will be held at the Kodak Theatre, and the tickets also grant access to the after-party."
"Give me the phone." Matthew asked Bella Anderson for the phone, called David Ellison, and specially thanked him.
The two had already planned to watch this year's Victoria's Secret show together.
Although the Victoria's Secret show wasn't a top-tier fashion show, for Matthew, it was the best hunting ground.
Matthew handed the phone back to Bella Anderson. Bella Anderson put it away in her work bag and reminded, "Akiva Goldsman came to the set today with another director."
Since becoming Matthew's personal assistant, she had been learning and mastering various useful knowledge, "If I'm not mistaken, the director with Akiva Goldsman is Peter Berg."
Matthew was unfamiliar with the name, "Peter Berg?"
"His first directing work was 1998's 'Very Bad Things'." Bella Anderson clearly remembered some of his resume, "In recent years, he directed 'The Rundown' and 'Friday Night Lights'."
"Never heard of them." Matthew shook his head and asked, "Why is he here?"
Bella Anderson had grown rapidly over the past two years, "I just specifically asked someone, Akiva Goldsman and Peter Berg have been watching you, but they're at a distance and it's unclear what they're discussing."
She signaled with her eyes, "They're at the edge of the set, watching this way."
Matthew followed Bella Anderson's gaze. Akiva Goldsman and a tall, thin, brown-haired middle-aged man were chatting while looking toward the rest area.
This film wasn't finished shooting yet, so why had Akiva Goldsman brought another director here? It didn't look like a friendly visit.
"The script has been circulating in Hollywood for over ten years." The tall, thin Peter Berg said quietly to Akiva Goldsman, "No film company has been willing to invest in it, mainly because the story is weak."
He spoke bluntly, "The existing script's plot is terrible and needs a major rewrite. Even with a rewrite, the risk is high."
Akiva Goldsman didn't respond directly, instead saying, "This type of film doesn't rely on the plot to win."
Peter Berg, who hadn't dealt with a major commercial production before, thought for a moment and then said, "Maybe you're right."
"Don't worry about perfecting the plot or philosophical and humanistic thinking. This is a commercial film." Akiva Goldsman raised his voice slightly, "It doesn't need those things."
He had been in contact with Peter Berg for a while, and Peter Berg had been hesitant.
Understanding Peter Berg's concerns, Akiva Goldsman continued, "I know you're worried that failure might ruin years of effort. But, Peter, what if I offer you a blockbuster star?"
Peter Berg's gaze fell on Matthew, "You want him to be the lead?"
"Not just me." Akiva Goldsman said straightforwardly, "Warner Bros. has expressly warned me that if the new film's lead isn't Matthew Horner, they will abandon production and distribution."
He glanced at Matthew again, then added, "You've read the script. We can make appropriate changes. The script mainly highlights the lead's charm, and no one fits better than Matthew Horner."
Peter Berg kept looking at the rest area without speaking.
It wasn't that they must have Peter Berg, but Akiva Goldsman thought his style was the most suitable, so he added, "Have you seen the latest box office statistics for '300'?"
He didn't wait for Peter Berg to answer, continuing, "After four weeks of release, '300' has grossed over $250 million domestically and $500 million worldwide. Have you seen it?"
Peter Berg nodded slightly, "Yes."
Akiva Goldsman asked, "What do you think of the plot?"
"Uh..." Peter Berg hesitated, then said, "It's very average."
That was a polite way to put it. In his honest opinion, the plot was absolute trash.
"But '300' was a huge box office success." Akiva Goldsman pointed out, "Director Zack Snyder has become a hotshot in Hollywood."
He looked at Peter Berg and asked, "Why do you think it succeeded?"
"The director's unique style and Matthew Horner..." Peter Berg instantly recalled numerous reports indicating that Matthew Horner alone might have contributed a third of '300's box office revenue.
Akiva Goldsman smiled, "It's not just films and directors making stars; some actors can make directors. Matthew Horner is such an actor." He reminded again, "So far, all the films starring Matthew Horner have been blockbusters, and all the directors who worked with him have taken critical steps forward in their careers."
Peter Berg kept his gaze on Matthew's area. After a long pause, he asked, "Is Matthew Horner confirmed to star in this film?"
"Basically, yes," Akiva Goldsman smiled, casually adding, "Warner Bros. has already discussed it preliminarily with him, and he has no objections."
In reality, Warner Bros. representatives were only going to contact Matthew Horner about it today.
Peter Berg nodded seriously, "I'll discuss it with my agent."
Akiva Goldsman cautioned, "Don't take too long."
"Hmm..." Peter Berg pondered briefly, "I'll give you an answer by the weekend."
After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Akiva Goldsman escorted Peter Berg out of the studio. Although he didn't fully agree with Warner Bros.' approach—this would be very unfavorable for lowering Matthew Horner's pay—after all, it wasn't his money being spent.
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