The Most Famous Actor in Hollywood

The film crew was busy with preparations for shooting. Matthew, Gore Verbinski, and the stunt coordinator stepped out of the coconut grove to a quieter part of the beach.

Verbinski got straight to the point, "Matthew, let's hear your thoughts."

With the box office success of "Mr. & Mrs. Smith," Matthew had undoubtedly joined the ranks of A-list stars, commanding significant influence on set. Unlike eccentrics like Johnny Depp, Matthew was careful about how he expressed his views.

"Does this part of Will Turner's role really align with his character setup?" Matthew broached the subject diplomatically, aiming for a peaceful resolution to the issue. "What do you think, Gore?"

This respectful approach didn't put Verbinski off. On the contrary, he considered the question seriously.

Matthew knew well what made Will Turner shine and where his own strengths lay. He added thoughtfully, "In the first installment, Will Turner is portrayed as bold yet cautious, highly skilled, never panicking or showing fear in the face of danger. If he's simply captured by a straightforward trap set by the natives, doesn't it undermine the character setup?"

In the narrative arc of the trilogy, excluding supernatural elements, Will Turner stood out as a top-tier character. It would be detrimental to his image to have him easily captured by the natives.

Now, Will Turner's character was closely tied to Matthew's own reputation.

Verbinski pondered for a few seconds, then acknowledged, "That's a good point."

Appreciative of Matthew's collaborative attitude, Verbinski quickly agreed to make changes. "It was an oversight on my part. Let's adjust this scene. Let's call your team over and redesign this action scene," he instructed the stunt coordinator.

"Right away," the stunt coordinator replied and hurried off to gather his team.

Verbinski, impressed with Matthew's engagement, suggested, "You've been involved in many action scenes and are the one performing them. Why don't you join in on the action design this time?"

Matthew gladly accepted the invitation, having previously participated in choreographing action scenes, especially those requiring improvisation.

Shooting paused temporarily, and the team gathered on the beach. Matthew, Verbinski, and the stunt team huddled together, occasionally Matthew would pick up his sword to practice moves with the stunt coordinator wielding a wooden spear. They finalized a new three-minute action sequence design by lunchtime.

After a quick meal, several stunt actors joined Matthew in the coconut grove to familiarize themselves with the environment and rehearse the newly designed routine.

After two run-throughs, the crew was ready to resume shooting.

On set, Matthew took off his shirt, revealing his sculpted muscles. The faint buzzing of mosquitoes could be heard, and Bella Anderson promptly came over to spray him with insect repellent.

"Hold on a moment."

Just as Bella was about to leave, Matthew stopped her and requested, "Bring me the menthol oil."

Seeing Bella pause, he specified, "The small glass bottle, the green one."

Bella fetched the menthol oil from her kit and handed it over.

Matthew applied it liberally to his bare upper body and asked Bella to help apply it to his back. Knowing the potency of tropical mosquitoes, he had brought a supply of menthol oil specifically for this shoot.

The stunt coordinator approached, clarifying, "During the shoot, the stunt actors will perform the physical actions, and the native Dominicans will just observe."

Matthew nodded, taking the sword Bella handed him and securing it at his waist. The action scenes required skilled performers trained at least briefly, as the crew wouldn't rely on untrained extras for such tasks.

Once the makeup-ready stunt actors were in position, hidden in the underbrush, filming commenced.

Matthew parted the bushes and entered the grove, sword drawn, alert to any sounds. Not far in, he spotted a flask hanging from a tree and carefully used his sword to lift it.

"Gibson's flask?" he muttered to himself.

He followed the strap leading from the flask to a large tree. Suddenly, a strange noise came from beside the tree. Matthew stepped back just as a noose shot up in front of him. He turned to see a stunt actor, disguised as a native, charging with a spear.

Matthew parried the spear with his sword and knocked the attacker to the ground with a punch, but more natives appeared from the surrounding brush, spears poised to strike.

In reality, aside from the few stunt actors engaging him directly, those on the periphery were merely posing a threat without intending to engage.

Following the choreographed sequence, Matthew quickly subdued the attackers. Just as he was about to escape, a stunt actor near the camera stood up, aiming a blowpipe at him.

Matthew clutched his neck as if hit, glanced at the camera, then dropped his sword and fell into the bushes.

Several natives approached to carry him away, one picking

 up his dropped sword.

The scene went smoothly with the revised action. Although Will Turner was still captured by the natives, the sequence no longer depicted him falling for a simple, foolish trap but being overwhelmed during combat by a sneak attack.

With the day's filming wrapped, Matthew took the blanket Bella handed him and headed back to the trailer near the pier to remove his makeup and return to the hotel.

The beach was teeming with crew members; the scale of the "Pirates of the Caribbean" production in the Dominican Republic was unprecedented. Just the food service alone was a logistical feat, catering daily meals for 700 to 900 people.

As one of the lead actors, Matthew enjoyed special amenities separate from the rest. Most crew members stayed across over eighty hotels in the Dominican Republic, but he, Keira Knightley, Johnny Depp, Gore Verbinski, and other key personnel stayed in Santo Domingo's finest hotel.

Upon returning to the hotel, Matthew received a call from Johnny Depp. He and Keira Knightley had no scenes that day and were enjoying drinks on the hotel beach, inviting him to join.

After a quick shower and change into casual clothes, Matthew headed down to the beach. This top-tier hotel in Santo Domingo wasn't crowded, and he soon spotted Johnny and Keira under a sun umbrella, laughing and drinking in high spirits.

Keira waved him over. "Over here, Matthew!"

Matthew joined them, pulling up a chair next to Keira. Johnny passed him a glass of champagne.

"Weren't you supposed to finish by noon?" Keira asked, curious about the delay.

Matthew sipped his champagne and replied, "We had to change a scene last minute."

Johnny returned his champagne to the ice bucket and suggested, "Keira and I planned to check out the local scene tonight. Want to join?"

"Of course!" Matthew agreed enthusiastically, "I'm curious about the Latin spirit."

Keira scoffed, "Is there anything you don't associate with women?"

Matthew hastily apologized, "Ah, sorry!" He grinned at Keira, "In the presence of the noble and beautiful Keira, those Latin girls are mere mortals."

Johnny looked between them, mockingly asking, "Should I leave you two alone?"

"Matthew," Keira didn't take Johnny's bait, instead teasing, "You just ended an engagement, and now you're all about other women."

She leaned in, whispering, "Are you really ruled by your desires?"

Matthew whispered back, close to her ear, "Don't you know already?"

Keira shot him a look and downed her champagne as if it were Matthew himself.

Johnny shook his head, "Do you two ever remember I'm here?"

While Johnny might have been slightly disappointed about Matthew's breakup with Charlize Theron, he never voiced it, understanding the transient nature of relationships in Hollywood.

Matthew poured Keira another drink and raised his glass, signaling to both, "To freedom, cheers."

Charlize's definitive departure was a regret for him, but the dissolution of their engagement had also brought back a sense of freedom he had missed.

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