It was another cold night. The bitter wind howled as it blew across the Brooklyn Bridge, and it seemed as if the East River below had frozen over. Matthew tightened his coat as he walked onto a floating dock on the river, where a red rescue helicopter was parked on the helipad. The crew had already set up the filming location.
"Hi, Matthew."
Seeing Matthew approaching, Jessica Chastain greeted him proactively. Matthew looked around and asked, "Is Chloe not here yet?"
Jessica Chastain, seemingly cold with a red nose, replied, "She should be here soon." She exhaled a mouthful of white breath. "This damn weather suddenly got so cold."
Matthew looked up at the sky. "It won't snow, will it?"
It was already the end of November, and New York had entered the snow season. Due to regional climate, New York often experienced heavy snowfall during winter, sometimes leading to snow disasters once or twice a year.
"Hopefully, it won't snow," said director Guillermo del Toro as he walked over and looked up at the sky. "It's the last night filming on the Brooklyn Bridge. If it snows, tonight's shoot will be ruined."
The previous five days of filming had gone smoothly, and he didn't want the last night to be disrupted by uncontrollable weather factors.
Guillermo del Toro then asked Matthew, "How many days will you be away from the crew this time?"
Matthew thought for a moment and said, "About five days?"
"That long?" Guillermo del Toro frowned slightly.
"I need a day to get to Milan, Italy, and another day to return," Matthew explained simply. "The signing ceremony will take a day, and filming the commercial will take two days."
He spread his hands and said, "I didn't even leave any time to tour Milan."
Guillermo del Toro nodded. "I'll try to adjust the filming schedule." He glanced at the camera and then added, "When you return from Milan, go directly back to Los Angeles. We'll continue filming at the studio, and the scenes at Washington Square will be filmed after the New Year."
Matthew nodded lightly. "No problem."
The filming schedule had to accommodate the city of New York. With Christmas and New Year approaching, most larger squares in New York had a series of activities planned.
"Daddy..." a clear child's voice suddenly called out. Matthew turned to see Chloe Moretz running over, followed by her mother.
"Hello, Chloe..." Matthew quickly corrected himself. "Hello, Mary."
Chloe Moretz came up to him and said, "It's so cold."
Matthew smiled and said, "This is your last scene. Once it's done, you can find somewhere warm."
"It feels so fast." Chloe Moretz tilted her head to look at Guillermo del Toro. "My scenes finished so quickly."
Guillermo del Toro just nodded at Chloe Moretz and then turned to Matthew, "Don't leave in a hurry after we're done tonight. Akiva is bringing some journalists over for an interview."
"I got it," Matthew replied.
"Alright! Alright!" Guillermo del Toro suddenly raised his voice. "Get ready to start filming! Final preparations in five minutes!"
The crew quickly cleared the set, leaving only the actors. Matthew, Chloe Moretz, and Jessica Chastain took their positions.
Then, an assistant director called for action.
Matthew picked up Chloe Moretz with one arm and held Jessica Chastain's hand with the other, following a soldier toward the rescue helicopter on the helipad.
At the helicopter, the soldier said loudly, "Colonel, I will always watch over them. I promise you!"
Matthew nodded, saying nothing, but gave Chloe Moretz a deep look before handing her to the soldier on the helicopter and kissing her on the forehead.
The little girl was reluctant to part. Matthew gently patted her back. "Take care of Mommy."
Jessica Chastain then approached, cupping Matthew's face and kissing him hard. Matthew rested his forehead against hers, his hand sliding over her pale skin.
"I love you!" he murmured. "I love you!"
They separated, and Jessica Chastain prayed, "God, please bless Robert, grant him the courage to face all the challenges ahead. God, please keep him safe and bring him home. Amen!"
When she finished praying, Matthew said, "Get on the plane!" He turned to Chloe Moretz. "Daddy is going to defeat those monsters. Take good care of Mommy, okay, sweetie?"
Jessica Chastain leaned in for another kiss, and Chloe Moretz handed Matthew a model dog. "Sam, you must protect Daddy."
"Sir!" the soldier interjected. "We must go now!"
Matthew took the model dog and, with the soldier, closed the helicopter door. Chloe Moretz, through the glass door, made a butterfly gesture with her hands, both inside and outside the cabin, reluctant to part.
Another soldier urged, "Sir, let's go!"
Matthew turned and, accompanied by two soldiers, walked towards the shore, looking back frequently, his face full of reluctance.
This take went smoothly. Matthew then temporarily returned to his car to warm up and rest. Guillermo del Toro led the crew to film the scenes of Chloe Moretz and Jessica Chastain inside the helicopter cabin. During this break, Matthew took the opportunity to nap on the couch in his trailer. Near 3:30 AM, Bella Anderson came in to wake him up.
"You need to go shoot," she said, gently tapping Matthew.
"Oh..." Matthew stood up, shaking his head. "Alright, let's go."
He put on his coat and left the trailer, heading to the floating dock where the crew was stationed. After a brief discussion with Guillermo del Toro about the upcoming shots, he learned that Chloe Moretz and Jessica Chastain had finished their scenes and left. Once he completed his final scenes, the work on the Brooklyn Bridge would be concluded.
The filming didn't go smoothly. The male lead witnessing the helicopter crash carrying his wife and daughter required a significant emotional outburst. Matthew, having just returned from the warm trailer to the cold night, felt tense. It took five or six takes to achieve the effect Guillermo del Toro wanted.
The final shot finished close to 4 AM. Luckily, Matthew found his rhythm, or they would have had to shoot another night.
"Finally done."
As the crew wrapped up, Guillermo del Toro handed the remaining tasks to his assistant and found Matthew. "Let's go. Akiva and the journalists are waiting for us in front of the bridge. Let's finish the interview while we still have some time."
Matthew put on the coat Bella Anderson brought over and opened a thermos to take a sip of hot tea. "This winter is so cold."
Guillermo del Toro led the way towards the bridge entrance, chatting with Matthew. "Because our past winters were spent in Southern California."
Matthew couldn't help but laugh. "Makes sense! Southern California winters are warm."
As they walked and chatted, they soon reached the temporary barricade the crew had set up in front of the Brooklyn Bridge. Crew members were clearing the barricades to restore the area before 4 AM.
Two photographers were taking pictures with the bridge as a backdrop.
A journalist accompanied Akiva Goldsman, and upon seeing Matthew and Guillermo del Toro approach, Akiva waved to them.
Akiva Goldsman had brought a journalist from Variety, a Warner Brothers-owned publication. Variety and The Hollywood Reporter were the two major entertainment newspapers in the USA, preferred platforms for Hollywood movie promotions.
With limited time, Akiva Goldsman made quick introductions, and the interview began immediately.
One of the photographers returned to capture images of the interview.
The journalist first asked Akiva Goldsman, "It's said that Will Smith was also considered for this role. Why did you choose Matthew instead of Will Smith?"
Akiva Goldsman didn't hesitate. "As a screenwriter, I believe strongly in the extraordinary ability to create a character with words. However, the talent to convey those words through physical expression is equally important. Matthew is such an outstanding actor; he can convey many things with a performance filled with thoughts and emotions."
These questions were prearranged, and the answers were obvious.
The journalist then asked Guillermo del Toro, "This is your first collaboration with Matthew. Can you describe the experience?"
Guillermo del Toro, likely exhausted from the past few days, took a moment to recall the prearranged answer. "Matthew's most captivating quality is his outward warmth and charm. He always brings so many different dimensions to his characters that you can't take your eyes off him. You might feel sympathy for him at times, fear at others; you'll laugh with him and then scream with him. All these layers can exist simultaneously in his performance. The crucial aspect of this role is that he must convey everything he is experiencing, physically and emotionally, without any dialogue."
Finally, the journalist turned to Matthew. "Can you describe your new character?"
"Getting to play this role has fulfilled a wish of mine," Matthew remembered clearly and spoke naturally. "For me, this role is very unique because I need to act through actions. It's an incredible exercise because you can't find someone to talk to, yet you still need to communicate. That's the focal point of my performance. You discover parts of your character and yourself that you hadn't noticed before, whether from an artistic perspective or a psychological one. It's a fascinating, worth-exploring experience."
The outdoor filming in New York temporarily concluded. That morning, Matthew met Helen Herman at Kennedy Airport, and together they flew to Milan, Italy, to participate in the signing ceremony for Armani's men's and women's underwear spokespersons.
Besides the men's underwear, Armani also found a heavyweight spokesperson for women's underwear.
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