The sun had just risen above the horizon, and people were already moving in and out of some of the sound stages at Disney Studios.
Matthew, wearing a baseball cap and carrying a rolled-up newspaper, showed his access pass—which he'd received after his first audition—to the guard at the studio gate and walked in.
It was still early, and apart from a few sound stages, there weren't many people in the studio.
He picked up an electric cart from the parking area and drove towards the sound stage rented by the "Sometimes" MV crew.
Apart from her breakout hit, Matthew had barely heard any of Britney Spears' songs.
Frankly, his musical taste was still stuck in the 1990s Hong Kong and Taiwan pop music scene, and he'd heard very few foreign songs.
The most memorable ones were Ricky Martin's "The Cup of Life" and Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On."
Let alone Britney Spears, he had only heard Michael Jackson's name but never his songs.
For this audition, he specifically bought Britney Spears' album.
Although he couldn't articulate why, he could tell that "Sometimes" was different from the album's lead single, "...Baby One More Time," being relatively mellower.
This song also talked about the same old story of young love.
Arriving at the sound stage, he parked the electric cart and walked towards the entrance.
He had snuck in a few days earlier using his audition access pass to take a look.
This sound stage wasn't large, but it was fully equipped, even having several dressing rooms.
According to the latest information he had, Martin Jackson did not plan to shoot on the beach and intended to do the entire shoot inside the sound stage, with background compositing done in post-production.
"You're here so early?"
Just as he reached the sound stage entrance, a person emerged from a corridor to the side.
This was one of the assistants from the first audition.
Matthew smiled naturally, "Good morning, York."
The assistant, York, nodded, "Good morning."
He remembered this was one of the auditioning actors, but he had forgotten his name.
"I'm Matthew," Matthew said, acting familiar, "We chatted in the hallway during the last audition."
"Ah, right," York slapped his head, remembering.
This person had left a good impression on him at the time.
"You were the fifth one to enter the audition room, I think."
Matthew nodded, "You even cheered me on then."
This was something he deliberately added to build rapport.
York smiled warmly and greeted Matthew, "Come on, I'll open the door for you."
"Thanks," Matthew walked beside him, talking as they went, "You're the earliest one from the crew, right?"
"Yeah, it's my turn on duty today," York turned and glanced at Matthew, "You're the second earliest."
Matthew followed him, turning into the corridor where the dressing rooms were, and said, "Thinking about today's audition, I was too nervous to sleep, so I just came early."
York advised, "The more nervous you are, the worse you'll perform.
You need to relax."
"Mmm," Matthew walked past Britney Spears' exclusive dressing room and casually asked, "Does Britney stay here when she rests?"
"Yeah," York just thought Matthew was curious, "She's a star, you know, they all get special treatment.
This is her exclusive dressing room.
No one else is allowed in except Britney, her assistant, and her manager."
Walking past the corridor where Britney's dressing room was, and a bit further in, they arrived at the dressing room Matthew had used last time.
York took out a key, opened the door, and told Matthew, "You can wait here.
If you're bored, there's yesterday's newspaper on the rack.
I have to go."
Matthew walked into the dressing room, turned back, and said, "Okay, you go.
I'll be fine by myself."
York quickly left.
Matthew stood at the dressing room door, observed for a moment, and then walked back along the corridor to Britney Spears' exclusive dressing room door.
He flattened the newspaper he was carrying and slid it through the gap under the door.
This was just his first choice of action; if it didn't work, he had a backup plan.
Matthew had very limited resources, so he could only think of two plans that required luck.
If luck wasn't on his side, he couldn't blame anyone else.
Then, he returned to the dressing room, picked up a copy of yesterday's newspaper, found a place to sit, and quietly began to read.
After finishing a newspaper, he heard sounds of movement outside the dressing room.
He pulled out his phone and checked the time; there was still a while until the audition.
A little later, the dressing room door was pushed open from the outside, and Amanda walked in.
"You're finally here," Matthew sighed in relief, "I thought you were going to stand me up."
"I couldn't help it, Helen made me wait for her," Amanda came over and sat next to Matthew, "I also had to help you get information."
Matthew's complaints subsided, and he asked, "Will Britney come today?"
Amanda nodded, "She'll definitely come, probably around nine o'clock."
Matthew then asked, "What number am I for the audition? Does Helen know?"
"If there's no surprise, you should be second."
The effort Matthew had put into Amanda during this time wasn't wasted.
She seemed to genuinely consider Matthew a friend.
"The first is James Blunt, you're second, and Michael Sheen is last."
She thought for a moment and added, "According to what Helen knows, James Blunt's chances of winning are very low.
The final choice will definitely be between you and Michael Sheen."
Matthew nodded and said sincerely, "Thank you, Amanda, you've been a great help to me."
Amanda smiled sweetly, "We're friends, right?
I also hope you're the one who wins in the end.
That Michael Sheen is really annoying."
"Huh?" Matthew was puzzled.
"Hmph!" Amanda first snorted, then said spitefully, "He thinks he's good-looking, and a while ago, he actually tried to flirt with me."
Something like that happened?
Matthew guessed that Michael Sheen might have tried to imitate him, networking everywhere, but his approach and methods with Amanda went wrong.
In the place he used to live, unless you were rich, handsome, and successful, adopting a "I'm going to hit on you" attitude towards a young girl usually just led to disgust.
Matthew never intended to pursue these girls.
Compared to that guy Michael Sheen, his intentions were hidden much deeper.
Seeing Amanda still looking resentful, Matthew thought for a moment, lowered his voice, and said, "Let me tell you something, don't tell anyone else..."
He leaned close to Amanda's ear and began to whisper.
Amanda's eyes widened at first, then her mouth opened, and after a moment, she covered her mouth with her hand to prevent an exclamation of surprise.
"Really?" Amanda was incredulous.
Matthew nodded gently, "When have I ever lied to you?"
Amanda couldn't help but laugh, laughing so happily that all her previous unhappiness was forgotten.
"He's really unscrupulous! So despicable!" Amanda was a little worried, "Will this affect you?
After all, the director will support Michael Sheen."
"So..." Matthew looked at Amanda hopefully, "I need your help, otherwise I'm definitely doomed."
Amanda slapped Matthew's arm firmly, "Don't worry, I'll definitely cooperate with you.
We can't let that disgusting guy succeed."
Matthew gave a thumbs-up, "I knew you were the most loyal friend."
If Amanda might have helped out of politeness before, she would now definitely cooperate with him wholeheartedly.
Gradually, the hallway outside became busy.
After a while, the other two actors participating in the costume audition also walked into the dressing room.
Matthew waved to Michael Sheen, who seemed to still be clearly injured, walking a bit strangely.
Michael Sheen nodded to him, and when he saw Amanda, his expression was somewhat awkward.
He didn't come over and just found a random spot to stand.
"I'll go to the sound stage entrance," Amanda, seeing Michael Sheen dare not sit and could only stand, shivered at the thought of nightmares, and volunteered, "When Britney arrives, I'll let you know."
"Mmm," Matthew nodded, then pulled out his phone and checked the time, "I guess it's almost time for makeup.
Do you know where to find me?"
Their voices were very low, only audible to each other.
Amanda waved her hand, "Don't worry, I know this place better than you."
After Amanda left, Matthew and the other two waited for another twenty minutes.
Then, Helen Herman arrived, accompanied by a crew assistant, and took them to the makeup room to prepare for the costume audition.
They entered the makeup room, and Helen Herman left again.
The three used the same makeup room.
James Blunt, who was auditioning first, got his makeup done first, while Matthew and Michael Sheen went to try on clothes.
The crew had prepared light-colored athletic wear, made of good material, quite comfortable to wear.
Since it was just a simple base makeup, the makeup artist worked quickly, unlike the terrifying makeup sessions on the "Gladiator" set.
As soon as nine o'clock arrived, Matthew and the other two were done with their makeup, and the stylist had also picked out suitable clothes for each of them.
However, after changing, they could only stand to avoid wrinkling their clothes.
The audition wouldn't start until 9:30, so Matthew could only stand in the makeup room and wait.
After a while, there was a knock on the door from outside.
The makeup artist opened the door, said a few words, then turned to Matthew and said, "Matthew Horner, your agent is looking for you."
Matthew walked out, and the stylist reminded him, "Watch your clothes and makeup!"
"I'll be very careful!" Matthew promised.
Seeing Matthew walk out of the makeup room, Michael Sheen felt a bit uneasy.
Why was Helen Herman looking for that guy now?
Could it be?
Impossible!
He shook his head.
He had contacted Director Martin Jackson yesterday, and the director said he had already recommended him to Britney and the record company.
Neither side had objected, so he was sure to get the male lead role.
In the hallway outside the makeup room, Matthew followed Amanda towards the actors' dressing room.
Amanda, seeing no one around, whispered, "Britney's here.
She'll probably be over in two minutes."
"Good!" Matthew nodded, "Let's go to the dressing room first, then come back in a bit."
The two quickly walked into the empty dressing room.
Matthew stood inside waiting, while Amanda stayed at the door observing the situation.
"Where's Helen?" Matthew asked curiously, "She doesn't seem very concerned about the audition."
"She's with the record company executives," Amanda shrugged, "Helen told me yesterday that she doesn't need to worry about the audition.
No matter who wins, the final selected person will be her client, so what's the difference?"
Matthew thought about it, and it was indeed true.
"Here she comes!" Amanda then alerted, "Britney's here!"