The day after signing the actor's contract, Matthew received a notice from the crew: on September 15th, he was to report to the set.
They would then collectively travel by bus to Edwards Air Force Base near Los Angeles for basic military training provided by the military, and then take the crew's chartered plane to Morocco for four to five months of filming.
His character, Sergeant Hoot, belonged to the Delta Force, which simply means he was a tough, strong soldier.
In this regard, Ridley Scott and Jerry Bruckheimer were experienced and had a sharp eye for casting.
Subsequently, Matthew received a call from James McAvoy, who had also passed the audition for a soldier named Yurek.
This was also good news, at least he would have a familiar face on the set.
With less than a week until the crew's training camp, Matthew didn't wait idly in Los Angeles.
He flew to East Asia specifically to meet Britney in Japan.
Japan could be described as a dumping ground for American pop culture, and Britney's record and management companies naturally wouldn't miss the opportunity to make money and expand their influence in the Japanese market.
Britney was scheduled to hold concerts in five different cities across Japan.
Like previous times, Matthew and Britney met briefly, without much time to spend together.
As the "Black Hawk Down" crew was about to assemble, Matthew stayed in Tokyo for less than two days before returning to Los Angeles.
Upon his return, he began preparing for his upcoming trip to Africa.
In Matthew's perception, Africa was synonymous with chaos and poverty.
He specifically looked it up online and found that Morocco was much better off, considered a rare politically stable country in Africa.
However, it was located at the northwestern tip of Africa, directly bordering the Sahara Desert, and the climate was relatively hot.
For this, Matthew specifically went to Chinatown in Los Angeles and bought essential heat-relief products—Feng You Jing (medicated oil), Qing Liang You (cooling balm), and Huoxiang Zhengqi Shui (a traditional Chinese medicine liquid)—just in case.
On the day of departure, Matthew called a taxi, carrying a large suitcase, and arrived at the crew's residence in Pasadena on time.
He wasn't early; quite a few actors had already gathered in front of the building and in the lobby where the crew was located.
However, Matthew didn't see anyone he knew, so he found a spot in the lobby right next to the glass curtain wall and waited patiently.
Not long after, he saw James McAvoy walk in and quickly waved, "James, over here."
James McAvoy, carrying a bag and dragging a suitcase, came over to Matthew.
"When I came over..." James McAvoy pointed outside the glass curtain wall, "I saw Tom Hardy."
Matthew shook his head slightly, "Just pretend he doesn't exist."
James McAvoy put down his suitcase and said, "It's a shame Michael isn't here."
Not to mention the audition, Michael Fassbender didn't even receive an audition invitation from the crew.
Matthew patted his shoulder, "That's not something we can decide."
"Look!" James McAvoy poked Matthew, "Tom Hardy just came in."
Matthew turned his head towards the door and saw Tom Hardy enter with another person he knew, frowning slightly, "Why is he with Jonny Lee Miller?"
The person who came in with Tom Hardy was Angelina Jolie's ex-husband, Jonny Lee Miller.
James McAvoy didn't find it strange and casually said, "Tom Hardy and Jonny Lee Miller seem to have the same agent."
Matthew nodded, didn't mention it again, and proactively changed the subject.
After chatting with James McAvoy for over twenty minutes, two large buses rented by the crew pulled up in front of the building.
They dragged their luggage and queued up to board the buses.
Edwards Air Force Base was a good 150 kilometers from Los Angeles.
After getting on the bus, James McAvoy played games on his phone for a while and soon slumped asleep in his seat.
Matthew dozed off for a bit but couldn't fall asleep, so he simply pulled out the script and started reading.
Although he hadn't had the script for long, he had already memorized Sergeant Hoot's lines.
Now, his main task was to place the character within the entire broader context.
For films like this, adapted from real events and involving military and international politics, actors needed to understand not only their own roles but also the background of the entire film.
Limited by his social class and previous horizons, he was not sensitive to international politics at all, and could only learn through the available material.
Based on Matthew's understanding after reading the material, the chaos in Somalia was undoubtedly a result of Western countries' colonization and plunder of Africa.
The American military presence in Somalia, seemingly in response to the United Nations' invitation, was actually a vanity project for Clinton.
At that time, the Cold War had ended, and Somalia was neither a strategic stronghold nor did it possess any valuable strategic resources.
Therefore, initially, the Americans were not interested in peacekeeping.
When the United Nations actively requested assistance from the United States, George H.W. Bush took on this image project, dispatching troops to deliver relief supplies.
Later, the situation in Somalia continued to deteriorate, forcing the United Nations to pass a new resolution, using force to maintain security and relief operations in Somalia, and forcibly implementing peace.
At this time, Clinton had just been elected as the President of the United States.
According to Matthew's conjecture, perhaps Clinton thought that if the world saw the US military take action to bring peace and sustenance to the Somali people, it would have a great public relations effect, so he decided to continue this image project.
Thus, the Black Hawk helicopters were shot down from the sky.
Of course, his understanding of politics and military affairs was extremely limited, and these were all wild thoughts after reading the material.
The background of such an event was certainly much more complex than he imagined, or even what was stated in the script.
Looking at the script, thinking about these random things, Matthew didn't know when he fell asleep.
When he woke up again, the bus had already left the Los Angeles area.
"Hey, buddy!"
A white actor about twenty years old, sitting across the aisle from him, leaned over and asked, "Got any gum?"
Matthew reached into his bag, searched, and pulled out an entire pack, giving it to him, "Here, take it."
The person, probably quite outgoing, didn't stand on ceremony.
After taking it, he said, "Thanks, buddy."
He unwrapped a piece and popped it into his mouth, then said to Matthew, "I'm Ben Foster."
"Matthew Horner," Matthew introduced himself, then pointed to James McAvoy, who was still asleep, "He's James McAvoy, my friend."
The two chatted in low voices for a while, and under Matthew's subtle probing, the easygoing Ben Foster quickly spilled his whole story.
He was from Massachusetts, of Jewish descent, and had appeared in roles in "The Thin Red Line," "Liberty Heights," and "Flashforward," but they were all small parts.
"Which character are you playing?" Ben Foster asked.
Matthew didn't hide it and directly said, "Sergeant Hoot."
"Your role is better," Ben Foster said with a hint of envy, "It has much more screen time than my soldier."
After chatting for a while, Matthew noticed that the bus was gradually getting quieter, with more and more people falling asleep.
He proactively stopped his casual chat with Ben Foster and closed his eyes to continue sleeping.
Finally, after a two-hour drive, the bus arrived at the entrance of Edwards Air Force Base.
Since this was one of the most important military bases in the US, the bus couldn't enter.
Nearly a hundred actors, including Matthew, had to get off and walk.
After getting off the bus and retrieving his luggage, James McAvoy, still groggy, followed Matthew towards the base gate.
At the very front of the line, Big Jack and the Pentagon's coordinator for the crew were negotiating with the guards.
The bright sunlight on his face completely woke James McAvoy up.
He reached for his phone but didn't find it, and quickly said to Matthew, "I left my phone on the bus."
Matthew took his suitcase and said, "The bus hasn't left yet, hurry and get it.
I'll wait for you here."
James McAvoy didn't stand on ceremony with Matthew, shoving his backpack into Matthew's hands, and then sprinted towards the bus.
As soon as he ran off, the guards at the base gate began letting people through, and the actors, in scattered lines, walked into the base.
Matthew didn't move, standing there waiting for James McAvoy to return.
Perhaps seeing the line move, several big-name actors who had been hiding from the sun on the bus also got off and came over.
Matthew saw the lead actor, Josh Hartnett, followed by Jonny Lee Miller, and next to Jonny Lee Miller was Tom Hardy.
Further back, James McAvoy was jogging back, holding a phone.
By the time James McAvoy ran back to Matthew, Josh Hartnett happened to walk past.
He looked at Matthew and James, and Matthew smiled at him; the tall actor returned the smile.
Then, Matthew felt a gaze like a sharp sword—it was Tom Hardy.
Matthew ignored him, picked up his luggage, and prepared to leave.
James McAvoy glared at Tom Hardy, then took the backpack and suitcase from Matthew's hand... Suddenly, Jonny Lee Miller, who was walking with Tom Hardy, slowed down.
He turned to look at Matthew, clearly startled, an incredulous expression flashing across his face.
Matthew also noticed Jonny Lee Miller's gaze, and even vaguely saw a strange expression on his face, but he calmly pulled his suitcase, walking a little behind Tom Hardy and Jonny Lee Miller, towards the base gate.
"Did Jonny Lee Miller recognize me?" he wondered.
Jonny Lee Miller entered the base gate, looked back, and seeing the two behind him still going through security, asked, "Tom, do you know those two?"
"Yes," Tom Hardy quickly said, "The tall, muscular one is Matthew Horner, and the other is James McAvoy.
They're both jerks.")