The Best Movie Actor In Hollywood!-Chapter 30: Practice Over Theory

Matthew hadn't had time to think about finding another part-time job. When he arrived at Disney Studios to meet with the newly hired director, he found a large crowd of journalists gathered out front, some with heavy cameras perched on their shoulders.
As he walked past them, he overheard a few of the ers talking.
"Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera have some deep-seated personal issues. It's no wonder so many people showed up."
"They haven't gotten along since their days on Disney's 'Mickey Mouse Club.' I'm surprised we're only finding out about it now."
"They hid it well."
Listening to their chatter, Matthew entered the studio, guessing that Ilana from U.S. News & World had dug up some old stories about Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera and published them.
He'd been in a hurry to get here and hadn't bought a newspaper, so he hadn't realized their rocky relationship had become public knowledge.
Matthew first called Helen, who had already arrived at the studio and was waiting for him at the door.
Matthew saw Helen standing in the shade of the building's back entrance. As usual, she was dressed in a well-tailored suit, her long, golden-brown hair pulled back neatly into a ponytail.
"Good morning, Helen," Matthew said, walking up to her.
Helen turned and headed inside the studio, saying to Matthew, who was close behind, "You're late. Britney's already here."
Matthew pulled out his phone and glanced at it, muttering, "The meeting isn't for another fifteen minutes."
"What?" Helen didn't catch what Matthew mumbled and asked, "What did you say?"
"Oh, nothing," Matthew replied, then asked, "Why is Britney here so early?"
They turned into a corridor in the studio's office area. Instead of answering his question, Helen warned him, "Britney was annoyed by the press at the gate, so don't talk too much."
Matthew nodded.
Although he had been asked to attend the pre-shoot meeting called by the new director, Matthew kept a level head. He knew he had no real say in anything, and the best course of action was to be a silent observer.
As they approached a small conference room, Helen suddenly asked, "Was the story about Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera published by that journalist friend of yours?"
"What story?" Matthew put on a deliberately confused expression, though he genuinely hadn't read the article. "I haven't seen a paper today."
Just as they reached the entrance to the conference room, before Helen could say anything else, a shrill, girlish voice erupted from within.
"Don't tell me to calm down! Aguilera is a bitch, and I'm ready to tell the whole world! She's trash! Don't even try to make me act like I'm her friend, because I won't do it!"
"Britney—"
"Don't even think about it!"
Matthew glanced at Helen, who had a slight frown on her face, though her expression remained calm.
She raised her hand and knocked on the door. The shouting from inside stopped abruptly.
Helen pushed the door open, and Matthew followed her in.
There were only two people in the meeting room: one was Britney Spears, and the other, presumably, was her agent.
Helen walked to the conference table as if she hadn't heard a thing, pulled out a chair, and sat down. Matthew followed her lead and sat beside her.
"Hello, Helen," Britney Spears's agent said with a smile.
Helen offered a professional smile in return. "Hello."
Matthew looked first at the agent, then at Britney Spears, who was leaning back in her chair with her arms crossed, pouting.
It had to be said, at not even nineteen years old, Britney Spears had not yet become the weathered woman she would one day be. Right now, she was young, beautiful, hot, and sexy. It seemed her personality gave her a natural star quality, even just sitting there.
The conference room door was pushed open again, and a representative from the record company walked in, accompanied by a short, dark-haired man in his thirties.
The man from the record company looked at Britney, then at Matthew, and said, "Everyone's here. Excellent."
He then introduced the man in his thirties to Matthew and Helen. "This is the new director for the music video, Mr. Zack Snyder, a well-known figure in the world of advertising and music television."
"Hello, Mr. Snyder." Helen stood and shook the man's hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you."
Matthew immediately stood up as well and shook the shorter man's hand. "Hello, Director Snyder. I'm Matthew Horner."
Snyder politely shook hands with each of them in return.
One by one, the music video's crew members arrived—cinematographers, prop masters, makeup artists, and set designers. The representative from the record label stepped aside, and director Zack Snyder began to talk about the shoot.
The previous director, Martin Jackson, had already created a shooting schedule, which remained largely unchanged, especially the script and style of the video. The only major alteration was Snyder's decision that building an artificial beach in the studio was a bad idea; he proposed filming on location at Paradise Cove in Malibu instead.
The record company agreed, Britney Spears had no objections, and Matthew's opinion was irrelevant.
So, aside from a few scenes shot in the studio, most of the music video would be filmed on Paradise Cove Beach in Malibu.
Matthew listened attentively, keeping his mouth shut and not saying a word unless he was asked a direct question.
The weight he carried as the male lead was nothing compared to that of the leading lady.
In fact, Zack Snyder didn't mention anything else related to Matthew during the meeting, except that he wanted the male lead to have a more masculine look, preferably one that highlighted the lines of his muscles.
As for muscle definition, Matthew figured he wouldn't have a problem with that. He remembered this director and had a general idea of the type of physique he appreciated.
His muscles didn't need to be as exaggerated as those of a superhero movie lead. After all, he was the male lead in a music video, not Superman or Batman.
Superhero films were easy to understand and undoubtedly the first choice for escapist entertainment. When Matthew lived on the other side of the ocean, despite only going to the cinema a few times, he had been a beneficiary of internet piracy and had seen downloaded UHD versions of several superhero blockbusters directed by Zack Snyder. Back when the internet was rife with DC and Marvel fans arguing all day, Zack Snyder was at the center of the debate, so he was well aware of the director's strong personal style.
At the time, however, his impression of the director hadn't been very good, since he found Batman v Superman to be quite boring.
The only positive impression Zack Snyder had left on Matthew was his incredibly fitting choice for Wonder Woman in the Justice League film series.
Just looking at her made him want to lick his computer screen.
For that reason, he had broken his habit of pirating and actually went to a movie theater to see Wonder Woman on the big screen.
Of course, the Zack Snyder of today was just a humble director of music videos and commercials, not even close to the Zack Snyder of the future.
But at least Zack Snyder was already a director, while he was still an unknown actor.
With that thought, Matthew quickly pushed aside any prejudice he once held against Zack Snyder, lest it affect the upcoming shoot.
He was certain that if it came down to it, the record company would rather replace the male lead than the director.
"What's on your mind?" Helen's voice was a sharp reminder. "I hope you're not planning anything."
Matthew replied, "I was just thinking about how I can make my character more masculine."
The meeting concluded, and the attendees began to leave. Matthew stood up as well.
Helen was the first to exit the conference room.
Matthew followed and asked, "Did the crew not have a rehearsal schedule?"
"The actors have a rehearsal schedule; they've been rehearsing since March." Helen was like a nearly empty tube of toothpaste; unless Matthew squeezed, no information would come out of her mouth at all. "Britney and her backup dancers have been rehearsing. You don't need to rehearse for this role."
Stepping out of the studio, Matthew saw a chaotic swarm of ers blocking the entrance, surrounding Britney Spears's car and preventing it from moving until she stopped to answer their questions.
"Are all stars this popular?" Matthew asked with a considerable amount of envy.
"It's not every day a star gets this kind of treatment," Helen noted. "It's because of the gossip about Britney and Christina Aguilera that appeared in 'U.S. News & World .'"
She suddenly asked, "Does your er friend work for 'U.S. News & World '?" Helen still hadn't gotten an answer to that question.
"Probably," Matthew said, feigning confusion. "I didn't ask."
He took the initiative to change the subject. "Can you help me find a part-time job?"
Helen was puzzled. "Don't you already have a part-time job?"
"I'm unemployed," Matthew said, not hiding the reason for his dismissal. "I took too much time off work and got fired by my boss."
Helen walked toward the edge of the studio lot, waited for Matthew to catch up, and said, "There's no rush. The most important thing for you right now is to finish this music video. The job can wait until filming is over."
Matthew walked out of the studio gates, glanced at the car surrounded by ers, and said, "Alright."
Helen was right. Right now, nothing was more important than shooting this music video.