"How do you and Orlando Bloom relate?" Helen Herman asked Matthew in a low voice, "I feel something odd between you two."
Matthew quickly shook his head, "What can there be between us? Just ordinary friends."
It wasn't that he didn't trust Helen Herman, but it was simply impossible to explain. After all, everything was built on things that had happened before. How could he deceive Helen Herman? Now, Helen Herman might just have a little doubt. Explaining it would only bring more trouble.
Arriving at the entrance of the screening room, Helen Herman entered, while Matthew stopped, waiting with Kelly Hu, who had been there earlier, for the main creative staff of the drama group to gather before they all entered the screening hall.
Once the drama group appeared, enthusiastic applause sounded in the temple auditorium, wave after wave, as if unending.
Producer Sean Daniel walked in front, followed by director Chuck Russell, and then Matthew. For some reason, Matthew felt particularly excited when he heard the applause.
He had worked hard for three years and finally stood in front of the audience as the male lead!
The male lead, it sounds light, but to break out from thousands of contenders and win this crown is something those who have not experienced it can never understand.
He knew he was very close to his first small goal, to become a third-tier Hollywood star!
If the movie is a box office success, at worst, he'll be a third-tier star. If it fails, it would be hard to turn things around.
Everything depended on this upcoming movie!
"Can't see, sit down quickly."
In the middle of the theater, where the ordinary audience seats were decent, Lester reminded his son, "Brian, is he that attractive?"
"Yes!" Brian Lester nodded vigorously, "Didn't I show you the trailer? It's so exciting!"
He sat down, still muttering, "I've never found a man in Hollywood manlier than Matthew!"
Lester could only shake his head. He was nearly forty, and his aesthetic for movies was too different from these fifteen or sixteen-year-old boys.
However, he admitted, Brian Lester had a point. Matthew Horner was indeed a very manly actor, not just in the movies, but also in real life.
When the Universal Pictures logo lit up on the screen, the hall instantly quieted, and "The Scorpion King" began its screening.
Like all Hollywood action movies, it had to start with a fight to highlight the protagonist and attract the audience to continue watching.
Audiences who are willing to pay for this type of movie come for the handsome men, action, muscles, and beauties. They generally don't care about depth, humanity, or philosophical considerations.
In Matthew's words, the audience for "The Scorpion King" is just looking for fun.
Even these people don't have high demands for acting. As long as it's not constantly breaking immersion, it's enough.
The first scene of "The Scorpion King" is a traditionally Hollywood-style action movie opening. Matthew's character, Mathayus, rushes into the barbarian's tent like a ghost to rescue his brother. He looks barbaric, agile, and masculine. The specially designed costume outlines his robust body, looking stylish yet not overly exaggerated muscles, giving him a sense of power while still appearing agile.
Mathayus' action scenes, designed by the action director specifically for Matthew's characteristics, are not clumsy wrestling-style fights but embody both strength and speed.
Matthew's actions are agile and powerful, each strike lethal. The barbarian soldiers in the tent are like lambs to the slaughter against him, utterly powerless.
The five-minute opening scene is entirely about showcasing the strength of Matthew's character. Although his acting is average, it's still above the standard line. Coupled with the film's focus on action to shape the character, Mathayus easily leaves a deep impression.
"The action scenes are pretty exciting." Lester gradually became interested.
"Cool!" Brian Lester was completely immersed in the movie, "This character is so strong! Matthew is so cool."
In front of him, a girl stared wide-eyed at the screen whenever Matthew appeared, and as soon as the camera cut away, she immediately lost interest.
"Muscles developed, actions agile, and a handsome face!" The girl was clearly smitten, "And he's not simple-minded, wow... such a good man!"
She stared blankly at Mathayus on the screen, "Matthew Horner is just perfect for this role!"
Compared to "The Mummy Returns," the pace of the film isn't slow. Movies of this era couldn't possibly have the super-fast pace of the later internet era, but a series of exciting action scenes string the entire film together.
Of course, compared to the striking action scenes, the plot can only be described as average, a typical Hollywood commercial formula.
First, there's an absurd, unverifiable backstory - the city of Omora, infamous for its sinful residents and destroyed by gods, dating back more than 5000 years, before the pyramid era.
Then, there's a villain bad to the bone from his first appearance in the film, naturally the warlord Memnon in this case.
Next, the opposing force against the villain.
Memnon's greed for power puts other tribes on high alert. For survival, several tribes unite to fight to the death against Memnon. After several battles, the tribal alliance is always defeated, puzzling everyone. It turns out that Memnon has a mysterious person by his side who knows witchcraft and can foresee the future, guiding Memnon in his battle plans.
Knowing this, the tribal alliance decides to send an assassin to kill the witch.
The male lead, showcased earlier for his valiant aura and skill, naturally joins the main storyline.
Matthew's character, Mathayus, is the only survivor of the Akkadian warrior tribe, strong, brave, and an exceptional assassin. But even heroes have their weaknesses; when Mathayus infiltrates the enemy and finds that the mysterious witch, Cassandra, is a beautiful woman, he hesitates.
On one hand, Mathayus is moved by Cassandra's beauty and cannot bear to harm her; on the other hand, he realizes that what Cassandra does for Memnon is not voluntary but under coercion and threat.
So, Mathayus ultimately doesn't act.
In the end, the beautiful witch naturally ends up with the heroic male lead, and the war between good and evil naturally erupts between Mathayus and Memnon.
In less than an hour and a half, the film reaches its conclusion. The final action scene entirely uses the long take of Matthew with Steven Brand. Matthew can tell, not a single cut in the long take.
This makes the entire action scene look especially coherent, realistic, and powerful, appearing very spectacular.
"Ah..."
A scream echoes on the screen.
Brian Lester shudders. That must have hurt!
"Good thing it's just acting." He feels relieved for the actor on the screen.
This villain is too weak, easily defeated by the protagonist in a short encounter, just for show.
But this perfectly highlights the protagonist's strength. Anyway, he's invested in the protagonist, not the villain, so no harm done.
In the end, the male lead Matthew Horner and the female lead Kelly Hu are incredibly compatible, especially under the moonlight, a feast for the eyes, and the casting is just perfect.
Brian Lester then scratches his head, realizing a problem. What does this movie's plot have to do with a scorpion?
"The Scorpion King" screening ends there.
In the front row, Orlando Bloom sits with his arms crossed, shaking his head slightly. Is this the movie and character that Matthew Horner first took the lead role in? He snorted disdainfully, "Deserts, beauties, witchcraft, assassination... all leftover stuff from Hollywood. Focusing on muscles over plot, on killing over the beauty of action. A small character overturning a sinful dynasty and winning the beauty in the end. A typical Hollywood cliché, entirely focused on the physical..."
Such a movie requires the audience to lower their intelligence from thirty to fifteen years old.
How could Stephen Sommers take an interest in Matthew Horner with such a movie and character?
"It's very good," Stephen Sommers whispers to Sean Daniel, "This edited version is better than the test screening, fully showcasing Matthew as the male lead. He's better than I expected."
Sean Daniel nods slightly, "Matthew is a natural athlete, just born in the wrong era..."
Had he been in the eighties or nineties, Matthew Horner's type of actor might have had a bigger market.
Stephen Sommers adds, "That final action scene is amazing."
Matthew's strong and agile movements add charm, making the battle between Mathayus and Memnon more eye-catching, creating a fitting end for the movie.
If not for Universal Pictures' opposition, he would have listed Matthew Horner as the top choice for Van Helsing. However, if "The Scorpion King" is a box office hit, the opposing voices within Universal Pictures should be significantly reduced. After all, their biggest dissatisfaction was Matthew's fame and box office appeal.
As the credits roll and applause rises, Matthew once again stands to applaud in the premiere, but this time it's different - he's one of the absolute protagonists.
People come to congratulate him one after another, his face almost stiff from smiling.
Then, at the press conference, he becomes the focus of media reporters' interviews, but this is just the beginning.
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