The Box Office King of Hollywood

Just after 8:00 AM, Matthew arrived at Helen Herman's office as scheduled, finding her the only person present.

"Have a seat," Helen said, with a laptop in front of her. "He'll be here in half an hour."

Matthew got a cup of water from the dispenser and sat down on a single sofa, patiently waiting as Helen continued working.

Less than ten minutes later, Helen finished her tasks, pushed her laptop aside, and spoke, "I've contacted a military officer who retired a few years ago. He was a new recruit training officer for a long time and now frequently trains actors for some of Hollywood's war dramas. He fits our requirements perfectly."

"That sounds good," Matthew nodded.

Helen removed her glasses, wiped them, and continued, "He will design a ten-day military training program for you and guide you through it."

"What about the cost?" Matthew didn't think this help would come for free. "How does he charge?"

"It's $1,200 for ten days, which is quite a low rate already," Helen said, considering Matthew's financial situation. "Is that going to be a problem?"

Matthew did some quick calculations, "It's enough."

After deducting the $1,200, the remaining money would still cover his basic living expenses for a while. If he landed the role of Ronald Spears, signing the contract with the production would secure him a part of the fee.

"How's your research going?" Helen asked.

"I've gone through the materials and am currently reading the novel for the third time," Matthew replied candidly. "I'm not a strong reader; it takes me longer to understand than others."

If only the novel were in Chinese. Initially, back on the other side of the Pacific, he had only learned very basic English, and his proficiency was severely limited. The previous Matthew had reached middle school but attended a very chaotic public school where he learned little of substance.

"You need to improve your reading skills, or you'll struggle with scripts in the future," Helen advised.

"I know." Matthew explained, "I've been reading books and newspapers daily for the past few months without fail."

The office door was knocked and then opened by Amanda, who glanced at Matthew before telling Helen, "He's here."

Helen closed her laptop, "Let him in."

Soon after, Amanda brought in a muscular man in his thirties, a Caucasian whose skin was tanned from exposure to the sun.

Helen got up from behind her desk to make introductions.

"Matthew, this is Hawk Breton," she introduced the rugged military man, "an excellent military instructor."

Then, she introduced Matthew, "Hawk, this is Matthew Horner, an actor, and your employer for the next days."

Matthew and Hawk Breton shook hands, both noting each other's rough palms.

After a brief exchange, Helen, having prepared a contract with a professional the previous night, had them both sign it, establishing a ten-day training agreement.

"When do we start training?" Hawk asked.

"The sooner, the better," Matthew responded after thinking for a moment.

Hawk, still maintaining his military demeanor, replied, "Then, I'll finalize the plan today, and we can start tomorrow."

Matthew decided to take a temporary leave from his acting school, "That works."

"Where will we train?" Hawk inquired.

"Um," Matthew realized he had overlooked an important detail.

Helen took over, "I have a small farm west of Burbank. I had someone clean up the area last night. Hawk, I'll have the address sent to your phone later."

"That works," Hawk said, clearly a man of action, and soon left the office after nodding to both Matthew and Amanda.

With the training location sorted, Matthew tentatively asked, "Is there a charge for using your property?"

"If you want to pay," Helen said nonchalantly, "I won't refuse."

Matthew vaguely replied, "We can talk about that later." Naturally, he hoped to save that expense and quickly changed the subject, "Any new updates about the audition?"

Not pressing further, Helen replied, "Eric mentioned yesterday that Tom Hanks himself will be directly involved in the second audition for Ronald Spears."

"That means..." Matthew understood the implication, "his opinion will directly decide who gets the role?"

"Exactly." Helen confirmed, "Tom Hanks is the direct supervisor for this production."

She continued slowly, "Tom Hanks climbed up from the very bottom as an actor. Unlike some directors and producers, he places great importance on the performance itself during auditions!"

Feeling still insecure, Matthew asked, "If the audition fails, can I still secure any role?"

"We have three backup targets," Helen revealed without concealment, "a soldier accidentally killed by his own captured Luger going off, a background soldier who appears in every episode but with few lines and scenes, and a sergeant blown in half by artillery."

Matthew frowned, "None of those sound

 very good."

"Did you think a regular producer could influence important roles?" Helen retorted, then softened her tone, "So, we need to focus on our primary goal."

After discussing the audition a bit more, Helen handed Matthew a photocopy of the memoirs of E Company soldier David Kenyon Webster, which would be helpful for his study of the character Ronald Spears.

With the photocopy in hand, Matthew went downstairs where Amanda was waving at him from the reception.

"Matthew!" she called, "Come here."

Matthew hurried over, "I wanted to chat when I arrived this morning, but you weren't here."

Leaning closer across the reception desk, Amanda said, "I went to book a flight at the airport, so I was late."

"Booking a flight?" Matthew asked concernedly, "Are you going back?"

"Yes," Amanda nodded, "I was only here temporarily to help. I'm planning to go back to New York briefly, then head to Cambridge for my studies."

Matthew sighed, "I'll miss you. Who knows how long it'll be till we meet again."

Despite his circumstances, Amanda had been a great help.

With her characteristic openness, Amanda smiled, "Maybe by the time we meet again, you'll be a big star."

"When is your flight? I'll see you off."

"No need," Amanda shook her head, "This is a crucial time for your audition preparation. Don't get distracted. My parents are here, and I'll leave with them."

Respecting her wishes, Matthew nodded, "My phone number won't change. Let's keep in touch."

"I'll soon be in the UK," Amanda smiled, "If you pass the audition and end up filming there, I'll come and visit your set."

"Great!" Matthew smiled back, "Then see you in the UK!"

After chatting with Amanda, Matthew left the Angel Agency, first stopping by the bank to transfer $300 to Hawk Breton's account as a down payment, with the remaining $900 to be paid after training.

With his funds now severely depleted, thankfully, there were no major expenses on the horizon. A bit of frugality would see him through for a while.

The money an actor could earn from minor roles was hardly sufficient for expenses.

Securing work on the "Band of Brothers" production would provide some salary to alleviate financial strains. If he couldn't land a role, or if the pay was too low, he'd have to consider finding a part-time job.

Now, all Matthew hoped for was that the audition would come soon. Even landing a minor role that would take him to the UK for filming would mean he could save on daily expenses by staying with the crew.

The plight of being short on funds was frustrating.

After completing the bank transaction, Matthew called Helen to notify Hawk Breton, then returned to his Westwood apartment to diligently study David Kenyon Webster's memoirs.

He was well aware of the effort Helen had put into obtaining the photocopy.

This woman, though reserved, had been actively paving the way for her client.

Matthew could feel it: he was now the top prospective client at Angel Agency.

After studying the memoirs all afternoon and night, the next morning he promptly arrived at the small farm Helen had mentioned, ready to begin the intense training that might just tip the scales in his favor at the audition.