The waiting room was unusually quiet. Other actors waiting for their auditions occasionally glanced at Matthew and James McAvoy. Knowing that they were competing for one of the supporting roles, they were well aware of who the lead actor was. The main attraction of this project was Christopher Nolan and Matthew Horner.
Matthew Horner, in particular, was practically synonymous with success. Riding on his coattails offered a greater chance of fame.
However, the current situation revealed that Matthew Horner had a close relationship with one of their competitors, James McAvoy, which was causing some complaints among the other actors. They thought, "If you knew Matthew Horner, why didn't you say so earlier? Why go through this charade of auditions and waste everyone's time?"
It felt as if they were all playing the same game, but McAvoy had brought in an unbeatable cheat code, making it impossible for anyone else to compete.
With Matthew Horner backing him, landing the supporting role seemed like a matter of minutes.
James McAvoy shook his head repeatedly at Matthew, "It's such a pity we're missing someone as interesting as Tom Hardy. Don't you think the crew will be missing something important?"
He had already met with Christopher Nolan, and the audition was more of a formality. After all, the production had staged a grand audition that had attracted many well-known actors, and they couldn't just call it off, as it would be terrible for publicity.
Matthew shrugged, "You can't blame me for that."
James McAvoy joked, "It must have been you who scared him off."
"How about this," Matthew suggested seriously, "I'll have someone find out where he's staying, and you can personally invite him over?"
James McAvoy replied vaguely, "I'll ask Michael about it first."
"Where is Michael?" Matthew asked, referring to Michael Fassbender. "Hasn't he come to Los Angeles yet?"
"No," McAvoy shook his head, "he's still in France filming Quentin Tarantino's 'Inglourious Basterds.' He might come for the audition next week."
Matthew nodded just as a crew member came over to notify James McAvoy that it was time for his audition. As McAvoy headed to the audition room, Matthew also got up and left.
The auditions were expected to last more than two weeks. While James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender were likely to pass, no one could be certain until the results were official.
Even though Matthew was credited as a producer, he had little say in the casting decisions outside of the role of Dom Cobb. The person with the most authority in the crew was Christopher Nolan. This was Nolan's first independent production after partnering with Warner Bros., without the involvement of Charles Roven.
Over the following days, Matthew continued to visit the set daily. Besides rehearsing his scenes and reading books related to dreams, he frequently discussed the film with Christopher Nolan and rehearsed with Michael Caine and Cillian Murphy.
From these interactions, Matthew learned that he wasn't Nolan's first choice for the role. Initially, Nolan had invited Christian Bale, who had to decline due to scheduling conflicts with 'Terminator Salvation.' Nolan then thought of Matthew, with whom he had once hoped to collaborate on the Joker role, leading to the current situation.
Regardless of Nolan's original preference, the lead role was now his.
Matthew knew he needed a film with both box office success and critical acclaim to regain the market influence that 'Hancock' had diminished. He had remembered 'Hancock' as one of Will Smith's hit movies, but hadn't realized how bad it actually was.
To be precise, since starting his career with a small role in 'Band of Brothers,' 'Hancock' was the worst film he had been a part of, despite its commercial success. It had drained his years of accumulated influence, which could take several films to rebuild.
Worried that 'Hancock' might negatively impact his future projects, Matthew had Helen Herman negotiate with Disney and Buena Vista International to devise a more effective marketing strategy for 'Fast & Furious 4.'
However, his primary focus remained on 'Inception.' Christopher Nolan's demands for the actors and their roles far exceeded those of Stephen Sommers.
Before filming began, Matthew was determined to fully understand the character of Dom Cobb.
He had received the script earlier that year and had maintained regular communication with Nolan. Except during the filming of 'G.I. Joe,' he had been diligently studying the role of Dom Cobb, making extensive notes in the process.
Although he couldn't match Heath Ledger's level of dedication and intensity, he had formed an emotional connection with Dom Cobb in his own way.
He was probably the person in the crew who understood the character the most, aside from Nolan himself.
Matthew's preparation for the role involved two main aspects. One was analyzing and embodying the character's personality and behavior, and the other was establishing Dom Cobb's image through action.
The latter might seem straightforward and even dismissive to some so-called experts, but it was crucial. After formally reporting to the set on his first day, Matthew always appeared in a specific way: dressed in a suit, with his characteristic golden-brown hair, exuding a middle-class vibe but with a slightly haggard appearance, complete with stubble.
Establishing the character's image was key to delving deeper into the role.
Dom Cobb was a complex character, driven by inner turmoil, which was rare for Matthew.
In the script, Cobb's primary mission was to lead his elite team in completing a challenging dream-heist to extract information. Dream-stealing was just routine work for Cobb; the real threat to his life came from being forced to implant ideas in his targets' minds to carry out a criminal plan.
Of course, Dom Cobb was far from being a cold and heartless criminal. His vulnerability in the face of women was perplexing, and it was this weakness that had the potential to turn his career upside down.
Matthew's personal interpretation might be subjective or even flawed, but one thing was clear: this was a type of character he had never played before.
Hancock was troubled too, but his struggles stemmed from his own "memory loss," leading to confusion and disorientation. Dom Cobb, on the other hand, was haunted by the dreams he imposed on others, which eventually led to countless troubles. In terms of inner turmoil, Cobb was comparable to Howard Hughes in 'The Aviator.'
While studying this character, Matthew couldn't help but think of Leonardo DiCaprio, as he vaguely remembered 'Inception' leaving a strong impression on him. He recalled that 'Inception' was one of DiCaprio's most well-known films after 'Titanic.'
Nowadays, DiCaprio had transformed from the heartthrob of 'Titanic' into a more mature and somber figure—though some lamented that "the handsome man has aged," declaring that DiCaprio had "lost his looks," Matthew didn't see it that way.
This was just a form of self-consolation for those who had lost their looks.
Someone as dashing as Matthew never needed any superficial means to compensate for a loss of appearance, because he had no flaws!
The Dom Cobb in Matthew's script differed from the version he had once seen DiCaprio play, the most notable difference being that Christopher Nolan had tailored the character to suit Matthew's strengths. This included giving Cobb some solid physical skills and a few related action scenes.
However, the number of these scenes was limited, and Nolan hadn't yet decided whether to include them in the final cut.
As the year drew to a close, once Matthew had firmly established the character of Dom Cobb, he didn't continue to overanalyze. Overanalyzing could do more harm than good for an actor. Nolan, after all, simply wanted to make a film that was different from typical blockbusters; he didn't have overly complex ideas for it.
Nolan's fans might not see it this way, but this was the reality.
In fact, since 'Insomnia,' Nolan had fully transitioned from an independent filmmaker to a commercial director. Even though the script for 'Inception' seemed intricate, it wasn't so convoluted that it would drive audiences crazy. Nolan wasn't trying to confuse people with this film.
Even though themes of mental instability and unreliable logic often appeared in Nolan's films, if 'Inception' were as confusing as 'Memento,' Warner Bros. would have intervened, despite the success of 'The Dark Knight.'
In the end, for someone like Matthew, who was deeply involved in the industry, the script seemed like a fresh take, bursting with creativity and seemingly flawless, but it was essentially a variation of the traditional adventure film—a case of different soup, same medicine.
Just like 'The Dark Knight.'
As long as it was a big commercial production, Matthew was confident he could handle the role.
Perhaps his limited exposure to independent and art films had left a lasting impression, making him incapable of understanding those wild and neurotic performances.
He might never become the type of actor that professionals would consider a "method actor."
But to Matthew, that didn't matter at all. He had money, he had fame, so why should he take on roles that he didn't like, didn't enjoy, and even detested, just to please a small group of people?
That would be making himself miserable just to appease others.
With his current status, there was no need for that.
So, when Matthew received his Oscar ballot on December 30, he was interested in being a voter, but had no interest in competing for an award himself.
He didn't rush to cast his vote after receiving the ballot, knowing he still had plenty of time before the Academy's deadline. He could afford to wait and see.
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