"Quiet! Quiet!" a bearded man yelled into a megaphone. "Settle down!"
With hundreds of extras packed together, a riot would have been disastrous. Crew members quickly moved in to restore order, and the chaotic mob gradually calmed down.
Matthew used the opportunity to squeeze his way to the front, positioning himself diagonally across from Helen and Ridley Scott. He stood next to Michael, who was staring at the director with an intensity that suggested he wanted to devour him whole.
This was a Hollywood A-list project. Everyone wanted to make an impression, from fiercely ambitious people like Matthew to those who were just treating acting as a hobby.
The hundreds of extras gathered here came from three main groups: people like Matthew and Michael, who dreamed of becoming stars; hobbyists who were here for the experience; and a few locals from the town.
It was mostly the first two groups who were aggressively pushing their way to the front.
The bearded man, an executive producer, walked to the edge of the woods and raised his megaphone. "I'll be arranging who stands in the front," he announced. "Anyone who doesn't follow my instructions will be removed."
Starting at the front, he pointed to a burly man with a bird's nest of a beard and ordered, "You, move up."
Then, turning to the man beside him, who was a full head shorter, he said, "You, get behind him."
"Are we going to be sent to the back?" Michael asked, deeply concerned.
Matthew watched the bearded man and shook his head. "No."
Michael couldn't understand his confidence. "Why?" he asked.
"Haven't you noticed?" Matthew explained. "The ones he's putting in the front are all tall and strong. The ones he's sending to the back are thin and short."
Michael looked closely at the front line and saw that it was true.
"You're observant," he said, a note of admiration in his voice. "I wouldn't have noticed that."
Matthew smiled and said nothing more. Instead, his gaze shifted to Helen, who was talking with Ridley Scott. There was no hint of flattery in her expression; she seemed to know the veteran director quite well.
It was clearly more than just the good luck she'd claimed when she landed this gig for the Angel Agency.
"Move back." The bearded man approached Matthew and Michael and pointed to a short man to their left. "Get behind them."
He glanced at Matthew and Michael, then immediately walked away.
With the executive producer's intervention, the front line of actors playing the barbarians gradually became more orderly. All the while, Ridley Scott stood on the periphery, not interfering at all.
After the bearded man's reorganization, the formation of extras was adjusted. The men at the front, directly in the camera's line of sight, were all sturdy and well over six feet tall, each brandishing a weapon with a menacing attitude.
Then Ridley Scott himself stepped onto the set to begin filming.
"Remember," the bearded man gave a final instruction just as filming was about to start, "give me the same energy you had in rehearsal. Scream with rage."
They were being filmed at the edge of the forest, howling in fury at the Roman legions on the other side of the clearing.
The barbarians, unlike a regular army, were naturally primitive and simple in their displays of aggression.
The bearded man stepped off the set, raised his megaphone, and after waiting for a nod from Ridley Scott, bellowed, "Action!"
Matthew gripped his battle-ax with both hands, raised it high above his head, and opened his mouth wide, twisting his face into a slightly distorted, threatening expression.
"ROOOOAAARR!"
A thunderous, monstrous roar erupted from his throat, so loud it completely drowned out Michael's shouts next to him.
"Waaaagh!"
All the extras raised their weapons and let out a cacophony of cries.
It looked as if the set had been overrun by a horde of psychopaths, every one of them seriously unhinged.
The dolly-mounted camera slid past them, and the extras, especially those in the front row, yelled even louder and more frantically.
"Cut!" Ridley Scott's voice suddenly rang out. "Excellent, just excellent!"
The bearded man immediately broke into a smile. They'd gotten it in one take, proving he'd done a good job with them in rehearsal.
Matthew let his expression relax, lowered his weapon, and cleared his throat. He had been screaming so loudly that his throat ached.
"Don't relax yet," the bearded man's voice called out. "We're moving on to the next take."
The second take was almost identical to the first, the only difference being that, in addition to howling, they had to slowly advance on the Roman legion.
An hour passed quickly, and the shoot was completed.
The hour-long shoot wasn't particularly strenuous—it hadn't demanded much physical effort—but after screaming his lungs out intermittently for so long, Matthew's throat felt raw. Fortunately, the crew was thoughtful enough to bring out a dozen cases of bottled water.
Since breakfast, Matthew and the other extras had barely had a drop to drink. He walked over to where the water was being handed out, grabbed a bottle, twisted off the cap, and carefully poured the liquid into his mouth, trying not to mess up his makeup. The cool water soothed his throat, and the burning sensation gradually faded, refreshing his entire body.
After quenching his thirst, Matthew spotted Helen not far away, leaning against a tree and jotting something down in a small notebook.
Matthew grabbed another bottle of water, picked up his prop ax, slung it over his shoulder, and walked over to Helen.
Reaching her side, he offered the bottle to Helen. "Have some water."
Helen looked up at Matthew, set her notebook aside, and took the water, nodding gently. "Thank you."
"You're welcome." Matthew smiled and headed back toward the other extras.
Taking a sip of water, Helen watched Matthew's retreating back. His face flashed in her mind—he was one of the few extras signed with her Angel Agency who had actually landed a speaking role.
Matthew returned to the group of extras with his battle-ax, and Michael sidled up to him. "Why'd you lie about not being interested in her?"
"Get lost," Matthew said, shaking his head. "I'm not."
Michael was skeptical. "Then why go over to her if you're not trying to hit on her?"
"It's simple." Matthew glanced over at Helen, who was still drinking her water. "Her agency is brand new, but she has connections. If I make sure she notices me, she might think of me first when a suitable role comes up."
"Of course." Realization dawned on Michael. "Why didn't I think of that?"
He immediately wanted to go over. "I'm going to give it a try."
But before Michael could make a move, a crew member shouted, "Put all the water bottles away! Don't leave them lying around! Everyone, assemble!"
A few minutes later, filming started again, but this time the director on set wasn't Ridley Scott, but a younger assistant director.
In his downtime, Matthew deliberately positioned himself to watch Helen talking with Ridley Scott again, eavesdropping on their conversation.
"How's your father doing?" Ridley Scott seemed to know Helen's family well. "Is he in Los Angeles?"
"He's on vacation in New Zealand," Helen replied with a smile. "He loves the beach."
Ridley Scott nodded.
Helen glanced over at the Roman legions and asked curiously, "Haven't they started filming over there yet?"
"I expect we'll start this afternoon." A hint of displeasure crossed Ridley Scott's face. "The stars make big money and have a lot of influence, but their professionalism is getting worse and worse. We're forced to wait until they deign to show up on set."
Helen knew who he was talking about. "Is Russell Crowe giving you trouble?"
"Hmph." Ridley Scott didn't deny it. "He's a fine actor in front of the camera. But when the cameras are off..."
He shook his head, as if not wanting to say any more about Russell Crowe, and changed the subject. "How did you end up starting a small agency?"
Helen answered, "I'm trying to make it on my own and get some experience. I figured running a company by myself would be valuable, even if I end up failing."
Ridley Scott seemed to admire her. "Not many young people are so pragmatic these days."
He and Helen's father were old friends. After a moment's thought, he said, "I'm having a problem with an actor in a small role. I'm thinking of replacing him. Do you have anyone suitable?"
Helen instantly understood that Ridley Scott was trying to help her. An image of a particular person flashed in her mind, followed by the relevant details: an actor who had worked alongside Angelina Jolie and Winona Ryder, who already had two speaking roles under his belt. He could certainly handle the small part Ridley Scott was talking about.
"I do," she said quickly. "When should I send him over?"
Ridley Scott glanced at his watch. "I have to get back. Russell Crowe will probably be here soon. Tell you what, let's have lunch together and we can talk about it in more detail then."