The person blocking the way was tall and arrogant, giving Matthew the feeling that he owed the other party a huge debt.
"Hey, bumpkin!" Macon pointed his chin toward Matthew. He had already inquired about this guy from a few American extras. "Stop right there!"
Although he didn't know the other person's background, Matthew didn't want to bother with him. After all, they were on set. If the other person had a foul mouth and he couldn't restrain himself, there might be trouble.
He had just finished acting in a role and was about to receive a large sum of money; there was no need to take this risk.
The road was wide; not only could two people pass, but even a trailer could get through. Matthew moved out of the middle of the road the other person was blocking, preparing to bypass him and walk around the side.
Unexpectedly, the guy was relentless, rushing forward a step and blocking him again.
"Bumpkin!" He stood a meter away, staring intently at Matthew. "Didn't you hear me tell you to stop?"
Matthew stopped, frowned, and asked irritably, "What do you want?"
"How dare you steal my role!" Macon practically roared.
"Who stole your role?" Matthew realized this fool might be the actor Ridley Scott had replaced, but he said aloud, "Nonsense."
Hearing Matthew's hostile tone, Macon extended a finger and pointed it at him. "What did you say? Do you know who I am?"
The crew was still filming. There weren't many pedestrians on the road, but a few Roman soldier extras stopped nearby when they saw the conflict, preparing to watch the show.
Before Matthew could speak, Macon loudly declared, "My name is Macon, and I'm from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art! Remember that, American pig!"
His voice was very loud. Not only did Matthew hear the phrase "American pig," but the extras nearby heard it too.
This was the northern region of Los Angeles. Those extras were all Americans, and hearing themselves called "American pigs," especially coming from a Brit's mouth, made their expressions turn sour.
The muscles in Matthew's face twitched, and an impulse surged up to grab the finger pointing at him and snap it off. But thinking that a conflict on set could cause him to lose eight thousand dollars, he suppressed the urge.
"Macon, is it?" Matthew sneered. "You're a maniac! Brain-dead! Mentally retarded! Raised without manners! May your son be sterile! May your daughter be a whore! May your whole family be gang-raped! Vile people like you should only play a pile of crap, worse than gum peed on by a dog on the roadside. You'll have to go to the zoo to find a girlfriend..."
In a brief moment, a long string of national curses poured out of his mouth, without a single repetition.
Macon stood stunned, completely unable to understand what Matthew was saying.
Matthew wasn't a pushover. It was only because the eight thousand dollars hadn't arrived yet; if this were outside the set, he would have long ago turned this mentally retarded Macon into a pig's head.
Taking advantage of the blocker's daze, Matthew tried to walk around and leave.
But how could Macon let him leave so easily? He couldn't afford to provoke Ridley Scott, so he came here just to vent the frustration bottled up inside him.
He was a darling of the ivory tower. With strong recommendations from his academy and mentors, although he hadn't starred as a protagonist, his career had been smooth sailing. He was always the one stealing roles, never the one having his roles stolen by others.
"American pig!"
Macon roared in anger and swung his fist toward Matthew's face.
Although he didn't want a conflict, Matthew had been wary of Macon. Seeing the fist fly over, he reached out and grabbed his wrist.
"You..." Macon only felt that the hand gripping his wrist was quite rough.
Since the other party had made a move, Matthew didn't want to endure it anymore. He suddenly exerted force in his arm, and his hand tightened like an iron clamp, causing veins to bulge sharply on the back of his hand due to the extreme effort.
"Ah..."
Excruciating pain shot up from his wrist.
Macon involuntarily let out a cry of pain and quickly swung his other arm, hitting Matthew on the shoulder.
But with one arm restrained, he couldn't generate any power under the intense pain, so the punch that landed on Matthew's shoulder was no different from a tickle.
Matthew, however, was getting angry. Did this Brit really think he was a big star? The hand gripping the other party's wrist couldn't help but shove forward.
Macon immediately stumbled backward. The force was quite strong, and he only managed to stop after retreating two or three steps.
But just as he stopped, he saw something flying toward him with a whooshing sound.
Then, Matthew's open right hand fiercely slapped Macon across the face.
*Smack*—
The crisp sound was exceptionally loud.
"Good hit!"
Seeing the arrogant Brit get hit, several American extras nearby shouted excitedly, "Slap that arrogant Brit hard!"
Macon was completely stunned, with only the stinging pain on his face reminding him of what had just happened.
But before he could recover, Matthew delivered a backhanded slap to the other side of his face.
"You..." Macon was jolted awake by the slap, touching his throbbing face in disbelief. "You dared to hit me!"
"Ha..." Matthew withdrew his hand, knowing he had been impulsive, and deliberately raised his voice, "I was defending myself!"
"You American pig!" Macon jumped up, wanting to retaliate. "I won't let you get away with this!"
"Macon, stop!" A figure rushed over from behind Macon. "What are you doing!"
The person who arrived was a tall, thin man in a well-fitting suit. When Macon saw him, he was like a child who had lost a fight and spotted his parent; his eyes turned red, and he looked ready to burst into tears at any moment.
"Gore, hurry!" Macon shouted, pointing at Matthew. "He hit me!"
The tall, thin man took a few steps closer and glanced at Matthew. "It's you!"
Before Matthew could speak, he said, "Very well! You stole Macon's role and physically assaulted him, I..."
"I was defending myself." Matthew interrupted him directly. "I wasn't the one who threw the first punch."
The tall, thin man named Gore turned to look at Macon. Macon, of course, wouldn't admit it, shouting, "I just wanted to reason with him, and then he hit me."
"I am Macon's Agent, Gore!" The tall, thin man introduced himself first, looking very much like a British gentleman. "I believe your name is Matthew Horner? This situation..."
"Mr. Gore!" Matthew interrupted him again, simply and abruptly. "My Agent is here; she will negotiate with you."
Behind Macon and Gore, and facing Matthew, Helen Herman and the Bearded Man were walking toward them, having clearly spotted him.
"What's going on?" Helen Herman asked immediately after walking up.
She had originally arranged to meet Matthew, but she ran into the Bearded Man on the way, chatted for a bit, and was delayed slightly.
"Your client..." Gore immediately interjected, but Helen Herman didn't even look at him, stating directly, "Excuse me, sir, I wasn't asking you."
Matthew suddenly smiled. This female Agent gave him a much better impression than that fat guy Dennis Coulter.
"This gentleman blocked me," Matthew said as concisely as possible. "He claimed I stole his role, insulted me by calling me an American pig, and physically assaulted me. I was forced by necessity to retaliate."
"Forced by necessity?" Gore pointed at the two bright red handprints on Macon's face. "You call this forced by necessity?"
Since the Bearded Man was also present, Gore put his hands on his hips and said, "I demand an explanation for this! My client was beaten on set! I will file a complaint with the Actors Guild!"
The Bearded Man looked at the composed Matthew, then at the disheveled Macon, and said nothing.
Gore then added, "Macon is a client of William Morris!"
William Morris was undoubtedly a giant in the entertainment agency business, second only to CAA in the industry. Generally, no small Agent or minor actor dared to offend such a company.
Gore certainly knew something about his client's character, but Macon had great potential and a decent network of connections, making it highly likely he would become famous.
Furthermore, in this situation, an Agent must defend their client; this is the most fundamental rule and professional ethic.
By invoking the might of William Morris, Gore thought he could intimidate the people opposite him.
But after he finished speaking, his gaze swept across the faces of the Bearded Man, Helen Herman, and Matthew, finding that all three maintained their normal expressions without any change.
The Bearded Man was Ridley Scott's long-term partner, and at his level, he wouldn't care about a minor Agent from a major agency.
As for Matthew, he had no idea how powerful William Morris was; ignorance was bliss.
As for Helen Herman, having left the mailroom at CAA to start her own business, she certainly wouldn't be bothered by the threat of a small Agent like him.
Matthew frowned, glanced around, and seeing that the onlookers were still there, he said directly to Helen Herman, "Mr. Macon insulted me by calling me an American pig. That's discriminatory language, isn't it?"
"I did not!" Macon immediately denied.
Matthew completely ignored what he said, leaned closer to Helen Herman, signaled toward the onlookers with his eyes, and whispered a few words. Helen Herman nodded lightly, went over to those people, and the American extras willingly followed her back.
Seeing those people approach, Macon's face gradually paled, except for the two bright red handprints.
Helen Herman pointed at the people and said, "They have been watching since Mr. Macon blocked Matthew, and they witnessed the entire incident."
"That's right!" one of the extras shouted, pointing at Macon. "This Brit had a foul mouth and kept calling us American pigs!"
This typical regional discrimination infuriated them, especially coming from a Brit.
"I..." Macon tried to argue.
Another extra spoke up first, saying, "The Brit not only called us American pigs but also threw the first punch!"
Helen Herman smiled toward Gore opposite her, and Gore's expression was extremely ugly.
"The Brit started it!" yet another extra said. "We can all prove it!"
Macon was speechless at this point, only able to glare fiercely at Matthew. Matthew shrugged at him, then spread his hands.
Helen Herman looked at Matthew and said, "Mr. Gore, Mr. Macon is suspected of attacking my client with insulting discriminatory remarks. I will file a complaint with the American Actors Guild and the British Actors Guild!