Chapter 648: Chapter 650: Homesickness
As night deepened, the bustling activities of the day gradually quieted down, and the camp formed by numerous vehicles belonging to the film crew fell into silence. Matthew sat in his trailer, browsing through his blog and Facebook, replying to some fan messages.
Even though there were people handling his blog and social media accounts now, he would occasionally check in and sometimes post a blog entry or tweet himself.
After finishing this, he logged into his email to deal with the accumulated messages from the past few days.
The latest email was from Lily Collins, saying that she couldn't reach him on his phone and asked him to contact her when he returned to Los Angeles.
Matthew replied briefly and shook his head slightly. The infrastructure in the USA was far inferior to what he once experienced on the other side of the Pacific. Ever since he arrived in this wilderness, his phone had never received a signal.
After complaining in his heart, he moved on to the second email, which was from Helen Herman.
Helen Herman had just returned from Geneva, Switzerland, where she finalized the latest endorsement deal with Rolex. Starting in July this year, Matthew would transition from being just a print media spokesperson for Rolex to a full-fledged ambassador, similar to tennis star Roger Federer. The endorsement would be featured across all media platforms, and the endorsement fee would increase from $3 million per year to $6 million per year.
This $6 million fee could increase further if the endorsement performed well, with a potential 10% annual increase over the next five years.
Matthew was very pleased with this endorsement contract. Among Rolex's many ambassadors, his compensation was second only to Roger Federer.
In some ways, Roger Federer was Rolex's top ambassador, with advantages that others couldn't match—he was Swiss. Moreover, tennis was one of Rolex's primary sponsorship domains.
The new contract would be signed once he returned to Los Angeles.
Additionally, Helen Herman mentioned Armani. George Clooney's endorsement contract with Armani's men's clothing brand was set to expire at the end of the year. On her way back from Switzerland, Helen detoured to Milan, Italy, to meet with Armani's top executives and Giorgio Armani himself. Armani was considering having Matthew replace George Clooney, though there was still some internal support for Clooney, so nothing was finalized yet.
Ever since he became the face of Armani's men's underwear, the brand's sales had surged, making it one of the best-selling luxury men's underwear brands in recent years.
Matthew replied to Helen Herman with a simple "Got it" and closed the email.
With Helen handling these matters, there was no need for him to worry too much.
The last email was from Kevin Feige, president and CEO of Marvel Studios, reminding him to attend two promotional events for "Iron Man" when he returned and not to forget the film's premiere in early May.
This superhero film, produced by Marvel Studios, had completed post-production as early as February. The first video advertisement aired during the Super Bowl, and an official trailer had since been released. Although many fans praised the trailer, the media and industry insiders were skeptical about the film's prospects.
The doubts mainly focused on two points: Marvel Studios' lack of independent production experience and the fact that Iron Man, compared to Spider-Man or Batman, was considered a second-tier superhero in American comics.
After the trailer's release, many fans even expressed confusion online, asking, "Who is this guy in the iron suit?"
Having been here for many years, Matthew roughly understood that the Iron Man comics were quite different from the Iron Man movies he once knew. In the vast array of American superhero comics, Iron Man wasn't particularly prominent.
From the 1990s until now, Marvel Comics had sold off the film rights to most of its most popular superheroes to raise the funds needed to keep the company afloat.
Matthew had been busy lately and hadn't had time to visit Marvel Studios to watch the finished version of "Iron Man." However, based on the trailer, it seemed to match his memories, with the effects looking quite good.
As long as this superhero movie became a box office hit, the fate of Marvel Comics would change accordingly.
He recalled that Marvel superhero movies later featured the Disney logo in their opening credits. If he remembered correctly, Marvel Comics was eventually acquired by Walt Disney.
Thinking of this, Matthew began to ponder what he could gain if Disney decided to acquire Marvel Comics.
He sat in his trailer, thinking for a while. After staring at the computer screen for too long, his eyes started to feel uncomfortable. He rubbed them gently, which only made them feel worse. He immediately turned off the computer, washed his face, and then opened the trailer door to get some fresh air.
The cool night breeze, carrying a refreshing chill, hit his face, instantly making Matthew feel much better.
"I should go for a walk..."
He picked up the small walkie-talkie he always carried for communication, left the trailer, and started walking outside.
As he closed the door behind him, the door of a nearby trailer opened, and Brown Williams stepped out. Matthew gestured with the walkie-talkie in his hand and said, "I'm just taking a walk, no need to follow me."
Brown Williams didn't listen and still followed from a distance.
The camp, made up of trailers and vehicles, was dotted with lights. Given the security concerns in the US-Mexico border area, Matthew hadn't walked far before encountering two patrol teams. This was essential for the crew's safety.
Matthew was very concerned about the safety of the crew. Los Angeles itself didn't have the best security, and his case of stolen underwear hadn't been solved yet, let alone in a place frequented by drug dealers and smugglers.
As he walked further, he saw a tall woman in a white fitted T-shirt and dark skinny jeans walking between two trailers ahead. She turned the corner behind another trailer, and Matthew quickened his pace to catch up. When he turned the corner, he saw that the woman was Gal Gadot.
Gal Gadot seemed to have heard footsteps behind her and turned to look back.
Matthew walked over and greeted her, "Good evening, Gadot."
"Good evening," Gal Gadot nodded at him.
Matthew walked a few steps to catch up with her and asked, "Still awake at this hour?"
Gal Gadot smiled at him, "You're not asleep either, are you?"
"Too much work, reading emails gave me a headache," Matthew said casually. "My eyes hurt too, so I came out for some fresh air."
"I can't sleep," Gal Gadot said.
Matthew asked curiously, "Too much work, too much stress?"
In recent days, Gal Gadot had been shooting gunfight scenes, and action scenes were always challenging for many women.
Gal Gadot slowed her pace, walking forward slowly as she said, "This workload isn't much, nothing compared to my daily training in the military."
She glanced at Matthew, seeming a bit hesitant. Before joining the crew, she had heard many rumors about Matthew, which inevitably led to a negative impression. However, since joining the crew, training together, rehearsing, and filming several scenes, she realized Matthew was completely different from the rumors. Not only had he never harassed her or any other women in the crew, but he was also clearly a dedicated and hardworking actor.
According to the rumors she had read, Hollywood stars were said to be very difficult to work with and had huge egos.
But the Matthew in front of her was clearly not that kind of person.
Thinking of this, Gal Gadot smiled apologetically and said, "I just miss home."
Matthew smiled and shook his head, "Homesickness, huh."
"Yes, homesickness," Gal Gadot said, her steps light and soft on the dirt ground, barely making a sound. "It's a condition that easily keeps you awake at night."
Matthew sighed lightly and slowed his pace, "Missing home isn't necessarily a bad thing."
They left the crew's living area and gradually approached the camp's perimeter. Gal Gadot asked, "Don't you miss your home or family?"
"Well..." Matthew hesitated for a moment, then shook his head slowly, "I lost my family a long time ago. It's been over ten years since I last went back to my hometown. I can't even remember it anymore."
Gal Gadot gave him a sympathetic smile, "I'm sorry."
Matthew waved it off, "It's okay." He then asked, "Tell me about your hometown; it might help with your homesickness."
"Israel..." Gal Gadot shook her head and instead asked, "What do you think Israel is like?"
Without much thought, Matthew replied, "A country that rose from the ashes of war, where everyone serves in the military, and is constantly overshadowed by conflict."
Gal Gadot spread her hands, "So, there's not much to say about my hometown."
Matthew nodded and didn't pursue the topic further. Instead, he said, "Your shooting stance is very standard. How about we find a place to test our shooting skills someday? What do you think?" He added with a teasing tone, "I'm a famous sharpshooter at the shooting club—perfect score in target shooting, and my moving target shooting is also well above average."
Gal Gadot's interest was piqued, "Sure, let's do that when we get back to Los Angeles."
As they talked, they walked around the back of a box truck. Just as they turned the corner, Matthew saw two Latino men crouching by the tires of another box truck, removing the tires.
A black backpack lay on the ground beside them.
Their footsteps were so light that the men, fully focused on their task, didn't notice anyone approaching.
Matthew instinctively felt something was wrong. He quickly grabbed Gal Gadot and pulled her back behind the box truck. Gal Gadot, who had served in the military, was also on high alert and sensed that something was off.
Leaning against the back of the box truck, she whispered to Matthew, "Are those two
guys part of the crew?"
"I don't know," Matthew shook his head slowly, "There are hundreds of people in the crew; I can't recognize everyone."
He glanced cautiously at the men again and lowered his voice, "But their clothing doesn't look like something the crew would wear."
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