"For the sake of the movie?!" came Angelina Jolie's furious voice again. "Winona Ryder, you really know how to flatter yourself!"
"Jolie!" That cold, aloof voice also rose in pitch.
Were the two female leads of the film having a fight? Matthew perked up and listened carefully.
Angelina Jolie sounded genuinely furious, with no intention of saving face for Winona Ryder. "You think I don't know what you're thinking? You want yesterday's scene cut because I outshone you! You want to reduce my screen time because I've performed better than you since filming started!"
Her voice grew louder and louder. "You're only doing this because you're afraid I'll steal your spotlight!"
"Say whatever you want."
Unlike the enraged Angelina Jolie, Winona Ryder remained cold and composed. "This falls within my authority as producer. You...hmph...are just a supporting actress. You have no say in this!"
Matthew recalled that Dennis Kurt had mentioned Winona Ryder wasn't just the lead actress in Girl, Interrupted—she was also listed as a producer.
Even without knowing much about Hollywood, he understood that this was a producer-centric industry.
Suddenly, the room fell silent. Apparently, Winona Ryder's words had shut Angelina up. After a long pause, Jolie's voice returned, no longer so angry.
"Don't think just because you pushed this project forward, you can mess around with everything!"
Then, her voice spiked again. "Don't think I don't see you for what you are! Sluts always act innocent and pure—just like you!"
BANG—
The door slammed violently. Angelina Jolie stormed out and walked away coldly.
Matthew watched her figure retreat without moving a step. In this crew, whether it was Angelina Jolie or Winona Ryder, they were both goddess-tier celebrities. Someone like him was far too minor to insert himself in their affairs.
Soon after, two more women exited the room. Unlike Jolie, they walked in Matthew's direction.
"Winona..." said one girl with glasses—likely an assistant—hesitantly, "Should we...?"
She stopped mid-sentence when she noticed Matthew sitting on the bench, staring directly at Winona Ryder.
The two women drew closer. Matthew's eyes were filled with surprise. Because of Captain Jack Depp, he knew of Winona Ryder, but he couldn't recall what she looked like.
Now that he saw her up close: white blouse, light blue jeans, short black hair just touching her ears, and flawless features... she looked delicate, pure, and beautiful from this angle.
Matthew was sure he'd seen her before—just a few days ago.
She was the girl who stole books from the bookstore! That's what really shocked him. Johnny Depp's ex-girlfriend, the producer and lead actress of this film, Winona Ryder, was a thief?!
She couldn't possibly be short on money. So why would she steal books? Did she not consider stealing books to be theft?
As he puzzled over this, Winona Ryder and her assistant walked past. Perhaps because he was staring so hard—or maybe because he was decently handsome—Winona glanced at him curiously.
But she didn't recognize Matthew and turned away quickly, walking off with her assistant.
"That guy..." the assistant seemed to recognize him. "I saw his file at Rubin's place. Rubin said Vanessa recommended him. He got in through Angelina Jolie's connections."
Hearing that, Winona turned back for another glance at Matthew.
Matthew just sat there on the bench, bored and zoning out.
He really couldn't understand it. A woman like Winona Ryder—rich, respected, gorgeous—why would she steal some worthless books?
Time passed quickly. A few more extras arrived, led by an agent. They formed their own little group and didn't greet Matthew.
Matthew just kept waiting patiently.
After a while, casting director Rubin walked down the hallway with Dennis Kurt, the agent. Dennis wore a fawning smile, and Rubin looked very pleased.
In this business, casting directors held life-and-death power over extras.
Rubin entered the office. Dennis Kurt stayed behind and sat next to Matthew. He glanced at the others and said, "I did my best. You got a spot as a male nurse standing behind lead actress Winona Ryder. No lines, but you'll get a front-facing camera shot."
Even though Matthew knew it was thanks to Angelina Jolie, he still said, "Thank you. I'll do my best!"
"No! Absolutely not!" Dennis warned sharply. "Just stand there like a piece of background furniture. Don't do anything else."
Matthew nodded quickly. "Yes! Yes!"
Listening to the agent was never wrong.
They waited another half hour before Rubin emerged and called over a young assistant to take the extras outside the soundstage.
The assistant led them past the filming area so they could familiarize themselves with the set. Matthew looked around curiously. The set was decorated like a hospital—long hallways, individual rooms, and visible camera slots in the walls.
He hadn't seen the movie or read the script, but he knew it was about patients in a psychiatric facility. That was all.
The assistant brought them to a makeup trailer and handed them off to a flamboyant male makeup artist.
"Let them go first," Dennis stopped Matthew from rushing in.
Though unsure why, Matthew obediently gave up his spot to the other extras.
"Hurry it up!" the assistant urged. "Don't waste time!"
The trailer was small and couldn't fit many people. An older man went in first, while the others waited outside.
Perhaps because he was doing well in the crew, Dennis Kurt was in a good mood. He leaned against the trailer and explained in a low voice, "There's discrimination here. You guys are non-union extras, so you'll get the cheapest makeup products. Those things damage your skin—the longer they stay on, the worse the damage."
Matthew immediately understood. "So the bigger the star, the later they get their makeup done?"
Dennis nodded. "Pretty much. A-list stars often make the crew wait for them."
"Can I skip the makeup?" Matthew asked, touching his face.
The only thing he liked about his current situation was this handsome, chiseled face.
Dennis shook his head. "Anyone who might appear on camera must wear makeup."
He could tell this young, tall, handsome guy was a total rookie. If not for being a useful stepping stone, he wouldn't bother with someone like this.
None of the extras had significant roles, so the makeup artist just applied basic foundation. In about 20 minutes, everyone was done.
With the powder on his face, Matthew felt uncomfortable but didn't dare touch it.
They changed into costumes next. Matthew was given a white nurse's coat. The crew had a wide range of sizes, likely because they didn't have extras try them on in advance.
Even for background extras, the crew was strict. After everyone finished their makeup and costumes, an assistant director came to inspect them before leading them into the soundstage.
Matthew assumed that with a multi-million-dollar film, every detail would be taken seriously.
They entered a set decorated like a living room—wooden floors, coffee tables, couches, TV. Two cameras were set up on the side without walls. The flashing of magnesium lights showed that tests were ongoing.
As soon as they arrived, a bearded middle-aged man approached. Matthew guessed he was the director. He spoke with the assistant director, who began assigning spots to the extras.
"You, over here." He pointed to Matthew.
Matthew quickly moved behind a single sofa directly facing the camera.
"A little to the left."
Like a puppet on strings, Matthew followed instructions and stepped left.
Someone behind the camera signaled. The assistant director said, "Good. Stay there. Don't move."
"Okay!" Matthew nodded.
"Don't laugh or make any weird expressions once we start."
"Got it!" he nodded again.
The assistant director left to handle other tasks. Matthew waited patiently.
A few minutes later, several actresses arrived and took their seats.
Then, Angelina Jolie entered with her assistant, greeted the director, chatted briefly, and sat down on a prominent sofa.
She glanced at Matthew. He smiled at her, but she acted like she didn't know him and turned away.
Finally, Winona Ryder appeared, her short hair neat as always. She walked toward the single sofa in front of Matthew, and her pretty eyes naturally fell on him—immediately frowning.