Clang!
The sharp sound of tal echoed through the studio as Matthew pulled down a light iron shutter. He walked over to another window, bathed in the light of the setting sun, and tugged it down as well.
With another tallic clang, the world outside was sealed away. Matthew turned, scooped up an M4A1 rifle from the table, and headed for the stairs.
"Woof, woof, woof!"
A German Shepherd barked, darting out of a room at its trainer's signal to follow at Matthew's heels.
As he left the room, Matthew’s expression was somber, as if the setting sun had drained him of all energy.
The mont he was clear, the director, Guillermo del Toro, shouted, "Cut!"
"Alright, we're ready for the bathtub scene! Scene two is a go!"
With that, Guillermo del Toro gave Matthew a thumbs-up. Matthew nodded slightly in acknowledgnt and headed for the bathroom set.
It was the first day of shooting, and Guillermo del Toro had planned to start with a few relatively simple, solo scenes without dialogue to give Matthew ti to ease into the role.
Matthew felt confident. He had spent the past week adjusting his mindset for the character. After all, he’d been acting since 1999—his craft was solid.
Entering the bathroom, Matthew set his rifle down beside the tub. The trainer and the German Shepherd were sitting next to it, the man murmuring softly to the animal. Matthew walked over and gently patted the dog on the head. The dog, playing the character of Sam, let out a bark in response.
"Abby!" the trainer commanded, pointing to the bathtub.
The German Shepherd promptly hopped into the tub and, at another gesture from its trainer, lay down.
Without a word, Matthew also climbed into the tub and lay down next to Abby.
Abby abruptly got to her feet, her eyes fixed on Matthew, a flicker of what looked like aggression in their depths.
Matthew shot upright, his eyes turning even more guarded as he watched the German Shepherd. With his years of physical training, he knew that if the dog dared to attack, he could send it flying even from a sitting position.
The trainer imdiately rushed over, gently stroking the German Shepherd’s neck. "Abby, relax!"
Matthew stood and climbed out of the bathtub. While lying inside a tub with a dog was a matter of basic professional conduct for an actor, calming the animal was a task best left to an expert.
He didn't know why Abby, who had been perfectly friendly with him before, had suddenly shown hostility.
The trainer was still trying to soothe the German Shepherd, but Matthew had no desire to lie down so close to the animal again. If this happened while they were filming, he likely wouldn't be able to avoid a bite, no matter how fast his reflexes were.
When Guillermo del Toro walked onto the bathroom set, Matthew waved him over. The director, his stout fra swaying slightly, made his way to Matthew's side.
"Gil," Matthew said, gesturing toward the bathtub. "We have a problem."
Guillermo del Toro glanced at the shepherd. "The dog?"
Matthew felt an itch by his nose. He wiped it away, looked at his finger, and saw a strand of dog fur. He couldn't help but shake his head. "I rember the crew made a few prop dogs modeled after Abby, didn't they? What if we use a prop instead?"
As the film's lead star, such a request wasn't unreasonable in the slightest, but Matthew was still mindful of his tone and attitude.
He got along well enough with Guillermo del Toro, though the director didn't seem to hold him in the sa high regard as Francis Lawrence had. A small display of mutual respect would do no harm.
Without hesitating, Guillermo del Toro turned to the assistant beside him. "Swap her out for the prop dog," he ordered.
The trainer had no objections and promptly led the German Shepherd off set. Monts later, the props team brought in an incredibly lifelike dummy dog. It wasn't just realistic in appearance; its limbs and joints were articulated, making it easy to pose in a natural sleeping position.
Matthew returned to the bathtub, lying down beside the prop dog with his rifle, now certain of one thing: for any future scenes requiring such close contact, it was better to use a prop. It was safer for him, and for the animal.
If the dog had taken things a step further today and he'd lost control and snapped its neck, that would have created an even bigger ss.
The quality of Hollywood prop making was never in question. For the film Jurassic Park, which began shooting in the early nineties, the dinosaurs were created with practical effects and props, later enhanced with computer technology in post-production. Even today, those practical special effects hold up.
And that was the standard for props over a decade ago.
"Matthew..." Guillermo del Toro's voice called out. "Ready?"
Summoning the character's emotions, Matthew simply raised a hand, signaling he was ready. Instantly, the assistant director called out, "I Am Legend, Scene 2, Take 1... Action!"
Matthew curled up in the tub, clutching both the rifle and the prop dog. He appeared to be asleep, but it was a troubled rest; thanks to his well-honed muscle control, the space between his brows twitched faintly, as if he were trapped in a nightmare.
The shot wasn't supposed to be long, and Guillermo del Toro was just about to call "cut" when Matthew suddenly shot up, sneezing three tis in rapid succession.
"It's nothing, just so dog hair got up my nose."
Matthew looked over to where Bella was standing, and she hurried toward him with a glass of water.
Guillermo del Toro also walked over. "Are you alright?"
Matthew shook his head to clear it. "Yeah, I'm fine."
He glanced at the prop dog and slowly relaxed. It was just a prop, not the real thing.
The caras rolled again. Matthew curled back up in the tub, clutching his rifle, and half a minute later, Guillermo del Toro shouted, "And cut!"
Matthew climbed out of the tub while an assistant helped brush off any stray fur that might still be on him. The crew then began resetting the scene to continue filming the character's solitary existence in a post-apocalyptic world.
For subsequent scenes, any shot that didn't require intimate contact with the dog was fild with the real German Shepherd. But for every scene that involved direct physical interaction, Matthew insisted on using the prop.
As an A-list star, no one would say his request was excessive.
Of course, the cast and crew weren't blind. It gradually beca apparent to everyone that Matthew was not fond of dogs, particularly when it ca to close physical contact.
Matthew paid little mind to their observations, but any direct contact with the German Shepherd inevitably triggered a sneezing fit. The on-set dic eventually reasoned that he likely had an allergy to dog dander or sothing of the sort.
There was nothing to be done about it.
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