NOVEL WEB Chapter 74: Roaring Arrival
That afternoon, Matthew boarded a flight back to Los Angeles. The next morning, he packed his bags and reported to Warner Bros. Studios along with other actors who had passed the audition. They took a chartered plane provided by the "Band of Brothers" production team and hurried to London.
Throughout the journey, Matthew kept himself busy by getting to know a number of people. Since all the actors were relatively unknown and their roles were already secured, there wasn't much competition. Plus, moving far from home to film in the UK, these actors, especially outgoing individuals like Matthew, got to know each other better during casual conversations.
Matthew met a few seemingly nice people like Michael Culitz, Ian Bailey, and Doug Allen. He didn't have the chance to mingle with the more prominent figures in the cast who traveled in business and first class, while he was in economy.
However, Matthew learned that some of the main actors wouldn't be joining their initial training, and besides the actors selected from the Los Angeles auditions, there were also several British actors involved. The filming was primarily set in the UK, naturally involving many locals.
It was rumored that the lead role of Richard Winstone was played by the British actor Damian Lewis.
Upon arrival in London, the production team arranged accommodations for the North American crew. Since the main filming location was the outlying Hatfield Airport, conveniently located hotels were chosen. According to the contract signed earlier, Matthew was allocated a single room.
In terms of accommodation and meals, the production team treated the crew well; nearly all key actors had private rooms. Michael Culitz, a towering figure nearly six feet tall, was staying across from Matthew. He was set to play Sergeant Denver Landman, nicknamed "Big Bull" in the script.
After settling into their rooms and a brief lunch, everyone gathered at the hotel and headed to Hatfield Airport.
The airport, long decommissioned but still equipped with military facilities, was a frequent filming location for many WWII and war-themed productions, including Steven Spielberg's "Saving Private Ryan," which had many of its battle scenes shot there.
An advantage of this location was its seclusion, surrounded by a tall iron fence built to military specifications, with only a few exits, effectively minimizing media interference.
Matthew and the others walked from their hotel to a nearby temporary entrance at the airport, which was narrowly fitted with a barrier that remained raised to accommodate medium-sized trucks.
Upon entering, they headed to the left towards the training area, where British actors were already waiting.
Today wasn't for training but for getting acquainted with the location. As Matthew walked around the airport, chatting with the assistant producer who accompanied them, he gathered quite a bit of information.
Hatfield Airport was not only providing office space for the production but also had vast hangars that could be used for setting up scenes, with over 1,000 acres of land perfect for constructing various outdoor scenes like the Belgian Bastogne, Dutch Eindhoven, and French Carentan.
Essentially, most of the series would be filmed at Hatfield Airport.
The imposing Michael Culitz approached Matthew and asked, "Did you find out anything useful?"
Matthew tightened his jacket, "We'll be spending most of the next few months here."
It was just November, and the temperature in London was already quite low, especially for him, coming from Los Angeles. He looked up at the sky, saw no trace of the sun, and blew warm breath into his palms, estimating the temperature was below freezing.
"Training here for the next month and a half won't be easy," he thought, glad he had prepared mentally for it.
When they reached the training area, they found about ten British actors already there, looking rather impatient due to the cold.
"Why are you so late?" a woman in her thirties with a distinct British accent asked the assistant producer somewhat irritably. The assistant producer, aware of their delay, apologized, "Sorry, Kate. The plane was late."
"Late?" Kate, also an assistant producer, snapped back arrogantly, "We've been waiting here for fifteen minutes!"
"Mr. Gary Gozman has arrived," someone mentioned, prompting Kate to reluctantly close her mouth. Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg didn't deal with such minutiae of the production; the day-to-day management was handled by Gary Gozman.
Walking alongside Gary was another man, tall and robust, moving with the presence of a military officer.
Matthew immediately thought that this must be their training instructor.
Helen Herman had mentioned that Hollywood typically hired highly skilled professionals for such training, with an intense regimen. Reportedly, before filming "Saving Private Ryan," including Tom Hanks, the main actors underwent specialized training not only in physical fitness and weapon handling but also in individual combat tactics and WWII military codes and signals.
Such epic film productions, especially serious ones, allowed no room for error.
"Gentlemen, welcome to the production!" Gary Gozman announced to everyone, "Welcome to 'Band of Brothers'!"
He
introduced the man beside him, "This is Tom West, a recently retired officer of the British Royal Marine Commandos, with extensive military training experience. For the next month, he'll be in charge of your military training."
Then, Gary gestured for Tom West to step forward. Hands behind his back, Tom spoke with a stern face, "Tomorrow morning, I will distribute a detailed training plan to you all. You will undergo training as rigorous as the Royal Navy, and I assure you that you will be capable soldiers."
He was succinct in his speech, stepping back after finishing. Gary Gozman spoke a few more motivational words and assured everyone that the production team would handle all logistical support efficiently.
This was not doubted; Hollywood's various unions and systems were well-established, and since the actors were union members, any disputes could cause significant issues.
After the meeting, the two assistant producers led the actors around the location, which included several changing rooms housed in the former airport dormitories, fully equipped for their needs. The closest facility to the dorms was an old warehouse at the airport.
This vast warehouse was divided into multiple sections, where some costumes and props were stored, although these would only be used during filming.
After touring Hatfield Airport, they collected their training uniforms and stored them in the changing room lockers.
Kate, the woman from earlier, walked up to a Land Rover parked nearby, sat in the driver's seat, and waited. Soon, the tall Tom West came over, opened the passenger door, and got into the vehicle.
"Kate, didn't I tell you?" Tom's tone was much softer now, "We need to keep a low profile in the crew."
"What's there to worry about?" Kate started the car, "We're friends."
The Land Rover sped off rapidly from the narrow passageway without slowing down, and Kate added, "Did the producer give any instructions?"
"Strict training for the actors!" Tom's relationship with Kate was clearly more than professional, "They need to meet the filming requirements in a month and also ensure they don't get injured."
He gave a cold smile, "I'll make sure they're well drilled!"
As the vehicle moved away from the airport, Tom suddenly asked, "How about coming over to my place tonight?"
"Not today," Kate slowly shook her head, "Maybe tomorrow."
Tom looked somewhat disappointed, but Kate smiled, "During breaks in training, we can find a place here at the airport. I checked today; it's quite large and there are hardly any people around."
Tom didn't respond, just nodded his head.
Back at the hotel, Matthew had dinner with a few American actors, chatted for a while, then excused himself to return to his room and called Britney.
"Hi, Matthew."
He could tell Britney was pleased to hear from him, "Boo, I'm in London now."
"Really? How's your accommodation? Did the production team prepare—"
Before she could finish, Matthew heard another woman shouting, "Ms. Spears, it's time for rehearsal!"
Knowing Britney was preparing for her world tour next year, Matthew said, "You go ahead, I'll call you back later."
Britney's voice was apologetic, "Sorry, Matthew."
"It's okay," Matthew reassured her, "Go to your rehearsal."
He hung up the phone and busied himself with reading and keeping up with the news, maintaining his routine even in the UK. After completing his planned activities and taking a shower, he tried calling Britney again.
No one answered; Britney was probably still busy.
With training scheduled for the next day, Matthew decided to go to sleep. Early in the morning, he saw an apologetic text from Britney, replied to her, got ready, and went downstairs for breakfast, where he met Michael Culitz. They decided to head to the airport together.
As they reached the entrance to the airport, Michael stayed on the inside while Matthew moved to the outer side, and they walked side-by-side through the passage.
Just then, a Land Rover roared up from behind.
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