That afternoon, Matthew took a flight back to Los Angeles. The next morning, he packed his luggage and went to Warner Bros. Studio to report, joining the other successful auditioning actors on a charter flight organized by the band of brothers Crew to London.
Along the way, he didn't idle and met many people.
Since they were all relatively unknown actors and their roles were already confirmed, there wasn't much competition. Furthermore, they were traveling far from home to film in the UK, so these young actors, especially extroverts like Matthew, gradually became acquainted through casual conversation.
Matthew met several people who seemed quite nice, such as Michael Fassbender, Eion Bailey, Doug Allen, and others.
He currently had no opportunity to socialize with the heavyweights of the Crew; those people were seated in business and first class, while he was in the economy cabin.
However, Matthew also learned that the main actors of the Crew would not be training with them, and besides those selected from the Los Angeles auditions, some of the cast members were British actors.
Since the main filming location was the UK, there were bound to be British people involved.
It is said that the lead actor playing Richard Winters is the British actor Damian Lewis.
Upon arrival in London, the Crew first arranged accommodation for the cast and Crew members who had traveled from North America. Since the main filming location was Hatfield Aerodrome on the outskirts of London, they chose hotels with convenient transportation nearby. According to the contract signed previously, Matthew was assigned a single Room.
In fact, the Crew did not make things difficult regarding food and lodging; almost all important cast members were housed in private Rooms. Michael Fassbender, whom he had met on the plane, lived across the hall from him. This incredibly strong man, nearly 1.9 meters tall, would be playing Sergeant Denver 'Bull' Randleman, nicknamed "Big Bull" in the script.
After assigning the Rooms and having a simple lunch, everyone gathered outside the hotel and headed to the filming location, Hatfield Aerodrome.
This was an old airport that had long been decommissioned, but its former military facilities remained, making it a frequently used filming location for many WWII or war-themed Crews in both the UK and the US.
Many of the inland war scenes for Steven Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan were filmed at this airport.
Another advantage of this location as a filming site was the circle of tall iron fences surrounding the airport, built to military standards back then. Aside from a few exits, the airport was nearly a sealed space, which could effectively reduce media harassment.
The hotel where Matthew and the others stayed was very close to a temporary entrance/exit of the airport, so they walked over. This passage was narrow, equipped with a barrier arm to restrict vehicle entry. The arm was kept raised, allowing roughly one medium-sized truck to pass through.
Entering the airport, they walked towards the training grounds on the left, where the British actors were already waiting for them.
There was no training scheduled for today; the main purpose was to familiarize themselves with the location and get acquainted.
Walking across the airport grounds, Matthew observed his surroundings while chatting with the Assistant Producer who brought them, learning a lot of information.
Hatfield Aerodrome could not only provide office space for the Crew, but the vast, empty aircraft hangars could also be used for set construction. Moreover, the over 1,000 acres of open space were perfect for building 11 outdoor scenes, including cities, fields, and forests, such as Bastogne in Belgium, Eindhoven in the Netherlands, and Carentan in France.
This meant that the majority of the Crew's scenes would be filmed at Hatfield Aerodrome.
The exceptionally tall and strong Michael Fassbender walked over and asked Matthew, "Did you find out anything useful?"
Matthew adjusted his jacket. "We're going to be spending most of the next few months here."
Having just entered November, the temperature in London was already very low, and coming from Los Angeles, he was noticeably struggling to adapt.
He looked up at the sky, but the sun was nowhere to be seen. Matthew breathed into his hands, estimating the current temperature must be below freezing.
Training for the next month and a half in this weather wouldn't be easy, but fortunately, he had prepared himself mentally before coming.
When the dozen or so actors arrived at the training grounds, Matthew noticed nearly ten British actors already waiting there. Perhaps due to the cold weather, many of them wore impatient expressions.
"Why are you so late?"
A woman in her thirties with a noticeable British accent asked the Assistant Producer in an unfriendly tone. The Assistant Producer, knowing their party was late, said helplessly, "Sorry, Kate. The flight was delayed."
"Delayed?" The woman, who was also an Assistant Producer, spoke with a hint of arrogance. "We've been waiting here for fifteen minutes!"
"Mr. Gary Goetzman is here."
Someone offered a reminder, and the woman reluctantly shut her mouth. Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg would not handle the Crew's miscellaneous tasks; the person actually managing the Crew's daily affairs was Gary Goetzman.
Another person came over with Gary Goetzman.
That person was tall and robust, no less imposing than Michael Fassbender standing next to Matthew, and he walked powerfully, like a soldier.
Matthew immediately thought that this might be their training instructor.
Before coming, Helen Herman had said that Hollywood always hires absolute professionals for this kind of training, and the intensity is very high. It was said that before filming Saving Private Ryan, the main actors, including Tom Hanks, underwent professional training, systematically learning not only physical fitness and weapon usage but also individual combat tactics and the code words and hand signals used by the military during WWII.
For epic films and television series, especially those dealing with serious subjects, there must be absolutely no carelessness.
"Everyone, welcome to the Crew!" Gary Goetzman stood before the crowd and said loudly, "Welcome to band of brothers!"
He introduced the tall man next to him. "This is Tom West, a recently retired officer from the British Royal Marines, who possesses extensive military training experience. For the next month, he will be responsible for your military training."
Then, Gary Goetzman gestured, and Tom West stepped forward, hands clasped behind his back, and said coldly, "Tomorrow morning, I will distribute the detailed training plan to you. You will undergo rigorous training akin to that of the Royal Navy. I guarantee you will become qualified soldiers!"
He didn't say much, stepping back after finishing. Gary Goetzman then spoke a few more words, mostly motivational remarks, and guaranteed that the Crew would handle all necessary logistical support.
No one doubted this; Hollywood's various systems are robust, and openly everyone follows the rules. Since the Crew was using Actors Guild members, any disputes would cause significant trouble with the Guild.
Having been here for over half a year, Matthew knew that the union organizations here were not just for show. He didn't know about other industries, but in Hollywood, strikes or confrontations between the major guilds and The Big Six companies had been happening for years.
Next, the two Assistant Producers led all the actors to familiarize themselves with the location. Besides the training grounds, there were several changing Rooms nearby. The changing Rooms were located in the airport's original dormitory building, fully equipped. Closest to the dormitory building was an old airport warehouse.
This warehouse was huge and divided into many sections, where some of the costumes and props were stored.
However, these items would only be needed during filming, so no one paid attention to them for now.
After walking around Hatfield Aerodrome, they finally collected their respective training uniforms and placed them in the corresponding lockers in the changing Rooms.
On the airport grounds, the woman named Kate walked up to a land rover, sat in the driver's seat, and waited for a while. The tall Tom West walked over, opened the passenger door, and got in the car.
"Kate, didn't I tell you?" Tom West's face was no longer cold; his voice was much softer. "We need to keep a low profile in the Crew."
"What's there to be afraid of?" Kate Jeffrey started the car. "We are friends."
The land rover moved very quickly, without slowing down, speeding out of the airport through the narrow passage. Kate then asked, "Did the producer have any instructions?"
"To train the actors strictly!" The relationship between Tom West and Kate was clearly unusual. "We need the actors to meet the filming requirements in a month while ensuring they don't get injured."
He flashed a cold smile. "I'll drill them properly!"
As the car drove away from the airport, Tom West suddenly asked, "Want to hang out at my place tonight?"
"No," Kate shook her head slowly. "Maybe tomorrow."
Tom West looked a little disappointed. Kate smiled. "When we take a break from training, we can find a spot at the airport. I saw today that the airport is huge, and there are very few people. Some areas are completely deserted."
Tom West didn't speak, just nodded.
Back at the hotel, Matthew ate dinner with a few American actors, chatted for a while, calculated the time difference, excused himself, returned to his Room, and called Britney.
"Hi, Matthew."
He could tell Britney on the other end was happy. He said, "Bu Bu, I've arrived in London."
"Mm." Britney sounded concerned. "Are you staying somewhere nice? Did the Crew prepare..."
Before she could finish, Matthew heard another woman shout, "Miss Spears, it's time for rehearsal!"
Matthew knew Britney was preparing for next year's world tour, so he said, "You go ahead and work. I'll call you back later."
Britney's voice was full of apology. "I'm sorry, Matthew."
"It's fine." Matthew comforted her. "Go rehearse quickly."
He hung up the phone and started working on his own tasks. Reading and studying wouldn't stop just because he came to the UK. After finishing his planned reading and taking a shower, he called Britney again.
This time, there was no answer; Britney must still be busy.
Since he had training the next day, Matthew went to sleep. Waking up early, he saw an apologetic text message from Britney, replied to it, got ready, and ran into Michael Fassbender while heading downstairs for breakfast. The two decided to go to the airport together.
They arrived near the airport entrance. Michael Fassbender was on the inside, Matthew on the outside, walking side-by-side into the passage.
A land rover suddenly roared up from behind them.