The sun hung high in a clear sky, illuminating the vast expanse of the glacier, yet snowflakes drifted down from above. A whistling, frigid wind, laced with fine particles of snow, raged across the Vatnaj??kull glacier, plunging the white world into an even deeper freeze.
Having lived in Los Angeles year-round, Matthew was hardly accustod to such punishing cold.
It was the sa instinctive aversion he'd felt while filming the night scene on the Brooklyn Bridge for "I Am Legend."
However, the demands of the shoot were absolute. He crouched in the snow and remained perfectly still, as if he were one with the ice and snow itself.
Of course, with a sky-high salary ca certain expectations, and Matthew’s professionalism never failed to impress even the most cynical mbers of the crew.
The cara swooped past on its track as two heavily ard Cobra soldiers erged from their camouflaged position. Snowflakes continued to fall as the prop dagger plunged into the back of one soldier's neck.
The Cobra soldier fell to the snow with a heavy thump.
The other soldier spun around at the sound. Matthew ripped the dagger free and hurled it in a fluid motion. The man clutched at his exposed throat, a gurgling sound bubbling from his lips before he, too, collapsed in a heap on the ground.
Then, thinking he heard a sound, Matthew instantly dropped into a motionless crouch. After a few seconds, certain there was no danger, he pushed forward, breaking into a run.
"Cut!" Stephen Somrs's voice bood. "Excellent work, Matthew!"
Matthew ca to a stop and, at the first opportunity, unfastened his white cloak. Two assistants rushed to his side; one took the cloak and draped a thick woolen blanket over his shoulders while the other imdiately handed him a thermos.
Sipping the hot tea from the thermos, Matthew finally felt a flicker of warmth return. After lying on the frozen ground, his hands and feet were numb with cold.
On set, the director's voice rang out again. "Alright, let's move out! We're filming on the ice next! Faster!"
Imdiately, two assistant directors began ordering the crew to pack up the equipnt and head for another glacier location ten kiloters away.
Matthew ignored the bustle around him. Wrapped in his blanket and clutching the thermos, he made a beeline for the welcoming, spring-like warmth of his private trailer, unwilling to endure the biting cold a mont longer.
But as soon as the crew arrived at the new location on the ice, he erged to prepare for filming.
He could have his thoughts about the conditions, but hiding in his trailer while everyone else worked would have been unprofessional.
Of course, not every Hollywood actor was so dedicated. For every professional like him or Tom Cruise, there were just as many who were not.
Lindsay Lohan, for example, was currently Hollywood's resident problem child, and few crews dared to hire her. According to one Fox executive, "From the mont she arrives on set, all she does is disrupt the filming process. She just sits in her trailer, wasting ti, and won't co out until it's ti to go to her boyfriend's concert. Everyone on set becos her hostage."
Naturally, Matthew would never stoop to that level, let alone compare himself to soone like Lindsay Lohan. It wasn't just a matter of fa; they were on completely different career paths.
In essence, both he and Lohan were dia darlings, but he was a respected actor, while she could only be classified as a teen idol.
Even in Hollywood, great dedication wasn't expected of teen idols; their shelf life is notoriously short, and they often burn out as quickly as shooting stars.
Of course, dedication is important, but the quality of the work has to be the top priority. Nowadays, you had teen idols who marketed themselves as diligent and dedicated, yet the work they produced was mortifyingly bad. What was even scarier were the ones who didn't bother trying at all, instead selling an image of modesty, restraint, and politeness.
As Tom Hanks once said, the existence of teen idols is certainly justified.
Compared to his forr line of work, an actor's career was genuinely easy, and the rewards were bountiful.
As far as he could see, the forest was teeming with opportunities, ripe for the taking.
Matthew stepped out of the makeup trailer and stood before the sheet of ice. Sienna Miller ca up from behind and stood beside him.
Beneath the coat she had pulled on, she wore the form-fitting black leather of her costu. It was painful just to look at her, knowing she had to film in such a scant outfit in this weather.
Sienna, however, hadn't said much, aside from a few private complaints. She certainly hadn't demanded a dozen heaters be set up for her in the middle of the frozen landscape.
"You're afraid of the cold," she remarked to Matthew.
They had already shot a dozen scenes in the snow, and it was still noticeable.
Matthew shrugged. "I grew up in Texas and then lived in L.A. I'm not used to this northern weather."
"Damn this weather," Sienna muttered, pulling her coat tighter. "I feel like I'm going to be sick by the ti this shoot is over."
Matthew nodded in agreent.
He turned his head to look out at the ice. Stephen Somrs was overseeing the final preparations. Despite the snowflakes, the sun hung high overhead, its bright light a perfect match for the film's vibrant visual style, creating an ideal natural backdrop.
Although the conditions in Iceland were decent compared to the arctic scenes described in the film, it wasn't suitable for a prolonged shoot. Stephen had created a tight schedule to get them out of Iceland as soon as possible.
It was already mid-November. Any delays would an being caught in the dead of Icelandic winter, which could cause problems for much of the equipnt.
The crew worked with impressive speed. Once the equipnt and set were adjusted, Matthew and Sienna stepped out onto the ice.
He had barely taken a step when he reached out and grabbed Sienna's arm. "Wait!"
Sienna was puzzled. "What's wrong?"
Matthew pulled her back, then stomped his foot on the ice with enough force to produce a series of faint cracking sounds.
The color drained from Sienna's face. "Is that the sound of ice breaking?"
She was used to demanding shooting schedules, but that didn't an she was willing to risk her life.
Matthew stomped his foot a few more tis, and again the faint cracking sound echoed.
It was a quiet sound, but easily perceptible to the human ear.
Just then, Stephen Somrs walked over. "What's going on?"
A crew mber familiar with Icelandic conditions answered, "It's the sound of the ice cracking."
He explained calmly, "This is typical for the Vatnaj??kull glacier. A lot of the ice makes this sound when you step on it, but it never actually breaks. I can vouch for it."
The liaison officer from the Icelandic governnt assigned to the film crew also ca over. After inquiring about the situation, he reassured them, "Tourists co to this glacial lake all the ti. It's early winter now, so there's no problem."
With that, he stepped forward onto the ice. Another local staff mber followed his example, and the two of them even made sharp movents, like jumping, to prove their point.
They often hosted tourists and were experienced in this area.
Although the faint cracking sounds continued, the layer of ice was clearly solid, with no sign of giving way.
Matthew also stepped cautiously onto the ice and could feel that there was indeed no problem.
Then the shooting began. They were filming a close-combat scene between his character and the Baroness, which required him and Sienna to perform several complex maneuvers on the ice.
Luckily, they had stunt doubles, and so of the truly complex shots where their faces weren't visible didn't require the actors themselves.
Every action scene is broken down into countless small pieces, and this one with Matthew and Sienna was no exception. They fild the fight sequence until evening.
Both were in excellent physical condition. Matthew trained in sparring year-round, Sienna had always been athletic, and she'd undergone half a month of intensive special training before the shoot.
Although filming was frequently interrupted and the stunt doubles were constantly swapping in and out, the shoot went quite smoothly overall.
Suddenly, the wind on the glacier intensified, but Stephen insisted on continuing to film. By the ti the crew finally packed up the equipnt and prepared to leave, the wind speed had reached sixty miles per hour. So crew mbers were even knocked to the ground by the powerful gusts.
Matthew and Sienna left the ice and headed for the distant trailers, the pair moving slowly against the wind.
The wind grew stronger and stronger, with snowflakes whipping between them. Matthew gripped Sienna's hand tightly.
"My trailer is close!" he shouted into Sienna's ear. "Let's go there!"
The trailer was only a few dozen ters away, but it took the two of them a good three minutes to reach it and climb inside Matthew's trailer against the whistling wind.
"Don't go back out," Matthew said, finding a blanket and handing it to Sienna. "Stay here for now."
Sienna nodded, listening to the roar of the wind outside.
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