A male protagonist who is self-deprecating and humorous is often more beloved than a serious, meticulous scientist or astronaut. That's why this character dares to declare he has "conquered Mars."
For most of the film's production, Matthew was acting solo. Only a few scenes featured other actors. After shooting the Mars exploration team's group scenes, his interaction with other characters was limited to voice communications.
Due to Jessica Chastain's tightly packed schedule, the crew decided to record lines for the dialogue scenes immediately after filming. This avoided the need for future coordination during post-production dubbing.
In the recording studio, Matthew and Jessica Chastain, prompted by the sound engineer, donned their headphones as clips from the past few days of filming began to play on screen.
"I knew this guy was crazy!" Matthew's voice sounded strained. "I suggest we go ahead with the Iron Man plan."
"The risk is too high, and you know it," Jessica Chastain replied.
"The thing is," even in such moments, the protagonist's lines brimmed with over-the-top theatrics. Matthew hesitantly said, "I'm selfish. I want to be the star of this mission from beginning to end. I won't let you losers steal my thunder. I can't let you blow up the VAL."
"Oh," Jessica Chastain replied with a serious tone, "Alright, if you don't want us to—wait a second." She paused, glancing at her badge, then said, "I just realized I'm the commander. Sit tight; we're coming to get you."
Matthew turned to Jessica and gave her a thumbs-up. "You're amazing."
Once the recording ended, Matthew removed his headphones and looked toward the sound engineer, who was replaying the audio.
Jessica Chastain leaned in slightly and whispered, "Is poking a hole in the glove of an EVA spacesuit to use escaping air for propulsion actually feasible?"
Matthew nodded. "It's not made up. NASA proposed it as a viable method. According to their experts, this technique was validated during the Apollo era for transferring between spacecraft that couldn't dock. Puncturing a spacesuit won't kill you instantly; it's just hard to control the direction."
Whether NASA's experts were being completely truthful or not wasn't something the crew had investigated—it wasn't necessary.
The sound engineer finished reviewing the playback and announced, "That was excellent!"
Jessica Chastain exhaled deeply, then turned to Matthew. "I'm done here."
Matthew asked, "Heading to your next project?"
"Yes," Jessica nodded lightly. "It's a project called Mama."
Matthew grabbed her hand and led her outside. "When's your flight?"
"This afternoon at five."
"When are you heading out?" Matthew continued.
"The airport's a bit far," Jessica seemed to catch on to Matthew's intent. "I need to leave by two-thirty."
Matthew glanced at his watch. "That gives us three and a half hours."
Jessica, without objection, checked her own watch. "Three hours and twenty-five minutes, to be precise."
"No time to waste." Matthew took Jessica by the hand, leading her to his makeup room. "I have a scene at one-thirty and need to prepare by twelve-thirty. We've got one hour and twenty-five minutes."
"Then what are we waiting for?"
A woman in her thirties isn't bogged down by reservations. Under the curious eyes of onlookers, Jessica confidently followed Matthew into the makeup room. "Let's get started, Matthew! Don't stop!"
Matthew moved quickly. "At your service, my lady."
The onlookers outside quickly and discreetly distanced themselves from Matthew's private makeup room, which also doubled as a rest area. Its soundproofing was excellent; one couldn't hear much from outside. And with Matthew's robust bodyguards stationed nearby, no one dared to peek.
Shortly after noon, Matthew accompanied Jessica out of the makeup room and arranged for a car to take her to the airport. Their relationship was devoid of transactional exchanges or discussions about roles or compensation—it was purely about mutual enjoyment.
They were more like two individuals in a foreign land drawn to each other by physical attraction and personal needs.
Of course, the needs and attraction were entirely physical.
Neither Matthew nor Jessica was young—they were both in their thirties. When needs arise, there's no point in overcomplicating things.
From the first night to her departure, Jessica Chastain never made any demands of Matthew.
Once she left, Matthew didn't dwell on her. After a brief touch-up, he shifted his focus entirely to the remaining scenes.
In the days that followed, apart from scenes set on Mars, there were Earth-based sequences filmed in Australia.
The sparsely populated Dalby region offered the perfect backdrop. On weekends, Matthew occasionally joined Sean Bean and Tyrese Gibson for hunts at nearby ranges, soaking in the local culture.
Matthew remained in Australia for the duration of the shoot. Even when he didn't have scenes to film, he stayed to observe the production.
"You know," Sean Bean remarked one day on the newly constructed studio set, "this is one of the rare roles where I don't get killed."
Matthew patted his arm. "Sean, if we ever work together again, I'll make sure the writers kill your character."
Sean joked, "It seems audiences love seeing me die on screen."
Matthew nodded. "I even read a news article about you recently."
"It wasn't you who read it," Sean corrected. "The production team is probably stirring up publicity with that."
Matthew shrugged. "I won't deny it." He laughed. "Sean, you might not realize it, but you're a newsworthy figure. I plan to make you a key part of this film's promotion."
Sean's eyes lit up. "Really?"
For a supporting role—one that wasn't even the primary supporting role—this kind of attention was rare.
"Of course." Matthew wasn't joking. "This is just the warm-up. Once the film's marketing campaign begins, we'll heavily promote the fact that this is a film where you don't die."
The production team had already discussed this with Sean Bean. Without his consent, they wouldn't have used it for publicity. For now, the pre-release buzz revolved around headlines like "The Man Who Always Dies: Sean Bean!"
The dramatic title was eye-catching and easy to share.
This promotional angle was actually suggested by one of the assistant directors after Matthew asked the team to brainstorm ideas.
Matthew even had someone tally up Sean Bean's career death count. Over the course of dozens of films, Sean had met his end in nearly every conceivable way, earning the title of "Hollywood's Most Killed Actor."
Sean Bean's streak began in Patriot Games (1992), where he played the villain Sean Miller opposite Harrison Ford, marking the start of his infamous "death tour."
From GoldenEye (crushed by debris) to The Lord of the Rings (Boromir, pierced by arrows), Equilibrium (headshot by Christian Bale), Black Death (drawn and quartered), and Game of Thrones (beheaded), Sean's characters have left lasting impressions through their iconic deaths.
Audiences have come to associate Sean Bean's presence with inevitable tragedy. Some even joke that seeing him in a movie is a spoiler in itself.
During one of their hunting trips, Sean mentioned to Matthew that even when his characters weren't scripted to die, he sometimes requested death scenes from directors. For Sean, a character's ultimate arc often culminated in death.
Many media outlets have praised Sean Bean's quiet contributions to Hollywood's evolution. While not as prominent as megastars or actors in the $20-million club, Sean has left a unique mark on the industry.
Sean Bean is undoubtedly one of Hollywood's golden supporting actors.
This was precisely why Matthew cast him in a supporting role. The British actor brought untapped publicity potential.
For the sake of the film's profits and returns on investment, Matthew wasn't above fabricating buzz. Promoting real stories, like Sean Bean's iconic deaths, was even easier.
By early August, Matthew was still shooting in Queensland's Dalby region, spending most of his time between the studio and the desert exterior sets.
The quiet town offered little disturbance to the crew. Yet, in today's information age, a computer and phone were all it took to stay updated on events from the other side of the globe.
Matthew kept a close eye on the North American box office, especially films he had a stake in or starred in.
By late July, The Hunger Games officially ended its North American theatrical run after nearly four months. The dystopian young adult adaptation grossed an impressive $412.8 million domestically.
Globally, The Hunger Games raked in nearly $700 million.
Many were baffled by its success. How could a film with seemingly nothing extraordinary become such a sensation? Was it the resurgence of youth films or the power of Matthew Horner's star brand?
Even Matthew himself was somewhat puzzled. He had anticipated the film's success but hadn't expected such a massive breakout.
For a $400 million domestic grosser, one would usually recall iconic scenes with excitement. Did The Hunger Games have any?
Yet, despite its lack of standout moments, the film outperformed even the first installment of the Twilight series.
The line between good and bad films at the box office was becoming increasingly blurred.
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