Matthew watched the scenes flicker across the screen, still waiting, unable to clearly define his current mood—a mix of excitement, eagerness, and anticipation.
After all, this was his first appearance in a movie!
Although Britney's music video, with its many shots of him, was frequently broadcast on major TV channels, in Matthew's eyes, the status of an MV was vastly inferior to that of a film.
Finally, Matthew saw himself on screen.
He walked from the patient waiting area towards the corridor; the camera gave him a distant full-body shot, his face vaguely visible. Then, at the entrance to the first room, he brushed past Winona Ryder's female lead. The camera's perspective smoothly shifted to Winona Ryder, following her eyes as they turned to Matthew's back until he turned into a ward, then returning to Winona Ryder's face.
However, the close-up shots of Matthew's face filmed inside the room were gone. The camera remained on Winona Ryder, and the two lines Matthew spoke became an off-screen voice. All in all, Matthew's character appeared for less than five seconds. Apart from himself, no one would notice such a minor role.
Most of the audience focused on Angelina Jolie and Winona Ryder.
Nevertheless, Matthew reconsidered, thinking that having nearly five seconds of screen time in his very first role was quite good.
Overall, he was in a great mood, thoroughly enjoying the film.
This good mood, which had started with Kate Jeffrey's embarrassment, continued. Perhaps in the eyes of moralists, Matthew's actions were despicable, but he was not one to tolerate bullying; even if he temporarily endured it, it was always with a future plan in mind.
From another perspective, these behaviors might seem like those of a loser, but only he knew how satisfying or frustrating such an experience could be.
After the movie, Matthew left the cinema and overheard what sounded like film critics discussing the two actresses. He listened for a while; both critics were positive about Winona Ryder and Angelina Jolie. One even suggested that Jolie could contend for an Oscar acting award.
"An Oscar acting award…"
As he walked towards the bus stop, Matthew was still thinking about the Oscars. Having been in the industry for over half a year, how could he not know the Academy Awards' standing and influence in Hollywood cinema?
It was no exaggeration to say that the Oscars were the most important awards in the entire North American film industry.
"When will I win an Oscar?"
Matthew inevitably had such thoughts, but considering Angelina Jolie and Winona Ryder's performances in the film, he recognized a huge gap. Moreover, these two actresses were not even known for their outstanding acting in Hollywood. He understood very well that an Oscar could only be a long-term future goal; for now, he should focus on striving to become a Hollywood star.
After becoming a Hollywood star, he believed his life would undergo a drastic change, and all the goals he had set could be achieved one by one.
Having seen "Girl, Interrupted," Matthew felt a wish fulfilled.
In the following days, he didn't idle. He first went to the Los Angeles School of Performing Arts, found his former acting teacher, David Astor, returned the previously borrowed compilation tapes, and borrowed a new batch to continue his path of imitation and practice.
For the upcoming filming, Matthew specially contacted Ronald Speirs, the real-life inspiration for his character, through the production team. Although Tom Hanks would gather the veterans from that era at the filming location, Ronald Speirs himself was not in good health and would not travel to London.
Matthew had no choice but to visit him in person.
According to Helen Herman, the veterans' accounts could only be used as reference. Due to Ronald Speirs' poor health, Matthew only spoke with him for half an hour.
He specifically asked about the rumored killing of German prisoners of war, but Ronald Speirs did not answer, merely smiling without speaking.
In the end, Matthew did not get an answer. The truth of the matter would likely be taken by Ronald Speirs to his grave.
After meeting Ronald Speirs, Matthew returned to Los Angeles. Britney had gone to Nashville, so he had to spend this holiday alone. Fortunately, he was used to being by himself, and with a stack of videotapes and books in his apartment, delving into acting practice was enough to keep him occupied during this time.
Of course, his current practice primarily served the role he was about to play.
Matthew found many war-themed videotapes, specifically watching and rehearsing the scenes of many tough-guy characters to compensate for his lack of experience.
As for the original novel of "Band of Brothers" and the copy of the memoir, he reread them upon his return, familiarizing himself thoroughly with their contents.
He believed he was ready.
One morning before Christmas, Matthew received a call. After lunch, he put aside what he was doing and went to a small park near his apartment for an appointment.
He went directly to the stone table and benches in the grove, where he saw the tall woman waiting for him: Elena Boyar, an old acquaintance.
"Long time no see, Matthew," Elena Boyar said, sitting on the stone bench and scrutinizing Matthew from head to toe. "You look different."
Matthew, thick-skinned, asked, "Am I more handsome?"
"No," Elena Boyar rolled her eyes. "It's your demeanor. You give me a different feeling."
"I'm a soldier now," Matthew said casually as he sat opposite her. "Or rather, I've been treating myself as a soldier lately."
Elena Boyar seemed to understand the meaning behind Matthew's words, snorted, and deliberately said, "Are you showing off to me?"
Matthew shook his head. "Do I need to?" He then asked, "Are you looking for me for something?"
"No," Elena Boyar clearly spoke insincerely. "Just to catch up."
She reminded him, "Didn't Helen Herman tell you? I made an agreement with her."
"I know," Matthew directly exposed her. "You want information from me now?"
Elena Boyar revealed her true purpose, "Aren't you pursuing Britney? How's it going?"
"When did I ever pursue Britney?" Matthew challenged. "That's fake news you concocted!"
"You really didn't pursue Britney?" Elena Boyar wouldn't easily believe him. "Britney herself admitted you two are good friends."
Matthew couldn't be bothered to respond further and casually said, "Say whatever you want."
Seeing Matthew offer no explanation, Elena Boyar leaned in and asked, "No way? You really didn't pursue Britney? I was waiting for you to give me explosive news, to publish the most eye-catching entertainment news of the New Year!"
"You're overthinking it," Matthew said blandly.
"You…" Elena Boyar covered her forehead. "How am I going to explain this to my editor?!"
Matthew timely added, "Fabricate it! Isn't fabricating fake news what you're best at?"
"You're deliberately annoying me, aren't you?" Elena Boyar's fiery temper flared up again, and she slapped the stone table. "Fine! I'll just say you cheated and dumped Britney!"
"Stop!" Matthew quickly raised his hand to stop her. If Elena Boyar really wrote that, given Britney's way of thinking, she might actually believe it. He spread his hands and said, "I'm just an unknown nobody. I used Britney to get some attention before. If you write that, how many people will read it?"
Elena Boyar's words were just spoken in anger; if she actually wrote that, it wouldn't even pass the editor's review, let alone get published.
With the New Year approaching, she couldn't find any explosive news, which was why she sought out Matthew. So she asked again, "Aren't you on Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg's set? Do you have any marketable news?"
Matthew immediately shook his head. "The crew has a gag order. I can't tell you anything."
Elena Boyar sighed. "If I can't find any news, I'll be fired from the newspaper, and you'll lose a potential collaborative journalist, and a very promising and capable one at that."
Matthew spread his hands. "You should go find Helen Herman."
According to his agreement with Helen Herman, he couldn't casually reveal information to Elena Boyar without informing his agent.
Regardless of whether he adhered to the agreement, Matthew couldn't think of any entertainment gossip at the moment. He certainly couldn't tell Elena Boyar about his relationship with Britney, could he?
Elena Boyar stood up, seemingly in a bad mood, kicked the stone bench, gave Matthew the middle finger, and turned to leave.
"Hey! I thought of a great topic!" Matthew deliberately called out.
"What?" Elena Boyar unconsciously stopped.
Matthew smiled and said, "You admit to fabricating fake news about Britney and me, and apologize to the public in the newspaper. I believe many people will read that."
He was deliberately needling Elena Boyar in retaliation for the middle finger, but he didn't expect Elena Boyar to be even more shameless than he thought. After a second of consideration, she actually muttered to herself, "If I can't find any other news, that's also a way."
Matthew could only stare blankly as Elena Boyar walked away. This woman had no moral integrity whatsoever.
Leaving the grove, Matthew called Helen Herman on his way back, briefly explaining his meeting with Elena Boyar. Elena Boyar was an entertainment journalist after all, and it was best to keep his agent informed about such matters.
In the following days, including Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, he continued to practice and study acting, and delve into the character of Ronald Speirs. Although he didn't go out, he felt that he had spent his time productively.
As soon as the Christmas holiday was over, Matthew went to Los Angeles International Airport, picked up the plane ticket booked by the crew, and returned to Hatfield Airport in London—or, more accurately, Hatfield Studios now.
The filming of "Band of Brothers" was about to begin on the set built at this studio.