Chapter 27: Utterly Shameless

"I think perhaps we should handle it this way..."

Seeing that the situation between the two parties could potentially escalate, the bearded man, who was the executive producer of the project, stepped forward to mediate, "Gore, why don't you sincerely apologize."

He certainly did not want the situation to get out of hand and turned back to say, "Helen, and..."

"Matthew..." Matthew gave him a slight smile.

"Helen, and Matthew." The bearded man continued, "We all work on the same film crew, fighting in the same industry. There should be no conflict that can't be resolved."

Matthew knew that if the situation blew up, it could potentially upset Ridley Scott and even the film production backed by Universal Studios, which would be too costly and foolish.

"I agree." Matthew nodded immediately.

Helen Herman was just making a point, and seeing that Matthew, the person involved, had agreed, she naturally would not object.

The bearded man then turned to the two Brits, "Gore, how about it? If you insist, I can take you to check the surveillance cameras, we should be within their range."

Hearing this, Gore glanced at Meiken, whose eyes were flickering uncertainly, knowing that continuing to dispute the matter would only put them at a disadvantage.

"Alright!" Gore nodded.

Meiken, however, stiffened, shouting at Matthew, "You expect me to apologize to him?"

Gore glared at Meiken harshly. He had always known the guy was impulsive, but why hadn't he realized he was such a fool?

"I..." Meiken hesitated, still unwilling to apologize.

"What do you want?" Gore moved closer, warning him in a low voice, "If you make a scene, the American-led crew won't use you again!"

Meiken clenched his teeth, looked at Matthew, who was standing opposite him, smiling at him.

"I'm sorry." Meiken forced the words out through gritted teeth.

"What?" Matthew made a gesture as if he couldn't hear well, "You spoke too softly; I didn't hear that."

Meiken was nearly furious, feeling the slaps on his face throbbing more painfully. He wanted to just turn and walk away but didn't dare. In a moment of heated frustration, he had spewed discriminatory remarks and initiated physical contact. If he were indeed reported to the actors' guilds in both Britain and America, it would likely be a considerable hassle.

He closed his eyes briefly, forcing himself to envision Matthew as nothing more than a rock, and said loudly, "I'm sorry, it was all my fault!"

"It's okay." Matthew appeared very magnanimous, casually waving his hand, "Just a small misunderstanding."

Meiken felt like exploding. A small misunderstanding? Then why did he slap him so hard twice?

Having apologized, he didn't want to stay any longer and turned to leave.

But Matthew suddenly called out to him, "Mr. Meiken, wait!"

Helen Herman didn't know what Matthew intended to do and took a step towards him, speaking in a low voice, "This is Ridley Scott's crew; don't go too far."

"Don't worry." Matthew winked.

"What else do you want?" Meiken regretted provoking such a person, "I've apologized."

"Hey, you haven't apologized to them yet!" Matthew pointed at the few extras, "Your discriminatory words hurt them too!"

"Yes! Yes!" The quickest extra shouted, "You insulted all of us too!"

The other extras, enjoying the drama, joined in, "We're all members of the actors' guild! If you don't apologize, we'll file a complaint!"

"Hurry up and apologize!"

"Are you a man? Own up to your actions!"

Meiken helplessly looked at his agent Gore, who had no better solution and slightly nodded.

"I'm sorry, everyone."

Apologizing to these seemingly insignificant extras made Meiken feel extremely uncomfortable. Tears welled in his eyes, seemingly ready to cry at any moment, "I sincerely apologize for my inappropriate remarks!"

One of the extras waved his hand nonchalantly, "I accept your apology."

Another posed as if he were a big shot, "I forgive you, man."

Seeing that the situation was resolving, Helen Herman nodded at Matthew, "Let's go."

Matthew had achieved his goal and saw no need to prolong the matter. He followed Helen Herman as they walked out of the film set.

On their way back to the town, Helen Herman suddenly asked, "Was that enjoyable for you?"

"What?" Matthew was momentarily puzzled, then understood her meaning and said, "He started with the insults and he was the first to get physical. I was just protecting myself."

He tentatively asked, "There won't be any trouble, right?"

Helen Herman slowly shook her head, "What trouble could there be? You're not at fault, and you

 stopped at the right moment."

"I think..." Matthew said as they walked, "We definitely need to give face to the production, can't just act recklessly."

"Hmm..." Helen Herman chuckled, "You seem to know quite a bit."

Looking at the town not far away, Matthew said, "I've never had higher education, and I'm not smart, but I'm not a fool either."

As they entered the town together, Helen Herman suddenly turned into a coffee shop, and Matthew followed. They found a table by the window, ordered some coffee, and continued their earlier conversation.

"Will the crew pursue that Englishman?" Matthew asked.

"No." Helen Herman shrugged, "You're both just extras; as long as it doesn't escalate, they don't care enough to intervene."

"That makes sense." Matthew agreed. In such a large production, who has time to deal with these minor squabbles? But he was still curious, "Do big stars also have conflicts during shooting?"

He had seen Angelina Jolie and Winona Ryder in action, "Do they ever get physical?"

"It's hard to say." Helen Herman thought for a moment, "Sometimes they do. I forget if it was 1990 or 1991, but Julia Roberts was very dissatisfied with Steven Spielberg on set, wanted to get physical... actually did get physical, but was stopped by the crew."

"Julia Roberts must have been unlucky then, right?" Matthew quickly asked.

Helen Herman shook her head, "Who knows? But for a few years after that, Julia Roberts didn't have any big hits, even disappeared from the public eye for a while."

"But she's still popular now!" Matthew remarked, "Really famous!"

Undoubtedly, in this era, Julia Roberts was a leading figure in Hollywood, a synonym for Hollywood actresses.

"So..." Helen Herman raised her coffee cup, pausing before taking a sip, "In this industry, both talent and opportunity are very important."

Matthew took a sip of coffee but didn't like the taste, feeling that the tea he used to drink was more to his taste.

He put down the coffee cup, ready to get to the main topic. Helen Herman had brought him to this quiet coffee shop, certainly not just to discuss old Hollywood gossip.

"Do you need me for something?" he asked directly.

"Yes." Helen Herman nodded and also set down her coffee cup, "I think you have the potential to be a real actor."

Matthew grinned, unashamedly responding, "Thanks! Many people think so."

Helen Herman looked at Matthew, quickly summarizing her impression of him: thick-skinned, knows how to manipulate, ruthless and heartless, lacks sophisticated education, but has the shrewdness of a commoner, and most importantly, utterly shameless.

This attribute could be a significant advantage in this industry.

Perhaps, he was a diamond in the rough.

Among the dozens of extras this time, Matthew Horner was the only one who had made a significant impression on her. In fact, from the moment she recommended Matthew for the role of the barbarian leader, Helen Herman had made her decision.

Looking at Matthew, Helen Herman said lightly, "Sign a long-term contract with me."

Matthew considered for a second, then nodded, "Sure!"

Before signing the contract, Helen Herman had a few more things to find out, "Tell me everything about your background."

"I was born in a slum near Dallas, Texas..." Matthew recounted his fabricated past, "My mother died of a drug overdose, and my father disappeared when I was fourteen. I dropped out of school then and have basically been supporting myself ever since. I've delivered newspapers, collected trash, worked as a repairman, and the longest job I had was in construction, doing hard labor."

"That sounds quite inspirational." Helen Herman interjected.

"It's okay." Matthew shrugged and continued, "Last year, someone thought I had the right look and said Hollywood was a good route for me, so I came to Los Angeles and registered at an agency called Starlight, but I never got the chance."

He broadly explained, "Then I met an agent who said he could make me a big star, so I signed a film contract with them."

"What kind of contract?" Helen Herman asked very seriously.

"That kind of film." Matthew was a bit embarrassed, "Romantic action movies, I was the leading man."

Helen Herman frowned deeply, "You've shot those kinds of films?"

If he had actually filmed such movies, she wouldn't offer him a long contract, nor would she invest her resources in him, as that would just be a waste.

"No!" Matthew quickly shook his head, "I backed out before it started, and then I ran away."

Helen Herman nodded slightly, asking, "Did they give you any trouble?"

Matthew tapped the table lightly, "They did! There's still a lawyer chasing me for a breach of contract fee."

He felt quite good about himself, "I think those guys don

't want to give up on me, wanting to drag me back to continue shooting romantic action movies! Especially that agent!"

"You're thinking too much." Helen Herman had her own judgment, "They just want the money. How much is the breach of contract fee?"

"Fifty thousand dollars!" Matthew looked at the female agent, feeling he could ask for her advice, "You're experienced, help me figure out what to do?"