Facing fierce competition, let alone winning, even hoping to win requires 100% preparation.
Since the "Band of Brothers" crew was still in its initial preparation stage, all kinds of information were strictly controlled.
The information Matthew received was all painstakingly acquired by Helen Herman.
Although this couldn't guarantee he'd pass the audition, if he didn't study it carefully, the chances of passing would be even smaller.
For the next few days, Matthew spent most of his time studying the materials provided by Helen Herman, except for continuing his acting classes.
Although these materials weren't particularly detailed, they included descriptions ranging from the background of "Band of Brothers" project establishment to the settings of some supporting characters.
Matthew felt that Helen Herman was quite capable to obtain such a document before the audition.
Helen Herman first noted in the materials for Matthew the three most powerful people in the crew: Gary Goetzman, Tom Hanks, and Steven Spielberg.
These three people almost held all the personnel, filming, and production rights for the cast and crew.
The three had a good relationship; Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman had previously collaborated on "Philadelphia" and "That Thing You Do!", and Tom Hanks and Spielberg had worked together on "Saving Private Ryan."
According to the information, the two would continue to cooperate beyond "Band of Brothers."
In addition, Helen Herman also noted that Tom Hanks was not only a producer of "Band of Brothers" but also very likely to direct one of the episodes.
She analyzed that Tom Hanks was the leader of the entire series.
In other words, if Tom Hanks could be won over, as long as the audition performance was above par, there was a good chance of getting the role of Ronald Speirs.
The problem was how to win over Tom Hanks?
Helen Herman had already stated that she couldn't get in touch with people of Tom Hanks' and Steven Spielberg's caliber.
As for Matthew himself, it wasn't self-deprecation, but his status in the industry compared to these two was probably as far as the Pacific Ocean plus the Atlantic Ocean, and perhaps even the Indian Ocean had to be counted.
Could he, like getting the male lead in Britney's music video, use the advantage of foresight to make appropriate maneuvers?
Matthew recalled his memories of Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg.
These two were famous, but he had no impression of any related gossip or scandals.
Moreover, both of them were quite old, with rich social experience and wisdom, and using the low-level tactics used against Britney would probably only cause trouble for himself.
Matthew thought about the information for a long time but found no clues.
No wonder Helen Herman told him to do his best at the audition; this might be his only chance to win.
Since those crooked paths were unusable, Matthew simply put them aside and continued to look at other information, especially regarding the character settings.
Helen Herman received news from Eric Bork that the overall style of "Band of Brothers" would follow that of "Saving Private Ryan," a collaboration between Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks.
However, unlike the fictional story of "Saving Private Ryan," "Band of Brothers" was adapted from true events, and each character had a real-life counterpart with the same name.
Tom Hanks even planned to have the real-life counterparts "supervise" some scenes to ensure authenticity.
Due to the crew's secrecy, Helen Herman only obtained a very simple story outline for the plot, which roughly stated that the series focused on the European theater of World War II, telling the story of the soldiers of Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, from their training camp in Georgia to the European battlefield, spanning 434 days.
The most useful information in this regard was that each episode of the mini-series would have relatively focused characters, and by strengthening the portrayal of these characters, it would show the progress of the war while always grasping the characters' psychology and state.
The characters would support the restoration of the war scenes in the play.
In other words, each episode would have a relative protagonist.
Would Ronald Speirs be the protagonist of one of the episodes?
Matthew naturally thought of the role he was preparing to compete for, but unfortunately, like the specific plot, this was highly confidential information for the crew, and Helen Herman couldn't get her hands on it.
Additionally, Helen Herman also found out that besides the book "Band of Brothers," the diary and memoirs of Easy Company soldier David Kenyon Webster were also important sources for the script's creation.
Unfortunately, this diary and memoir were already in the crew's hands, and she was still trying to find a copy.
Looking at the descriptions in the materials, Matthew could only sigh.
Helen Herman, though somewhat arrogant and frustratingly evasive in her communication, was basically impeccable in her diligence and responsibility.
The materials were very thick, and Helen Herman's preparation was very meticulous.
Matthew continued to flip through them and then saw a piece of information that could boost his confidence.
The three producers, Gary Goetzman, Tom Hanks, and Steven Spielberg, had reached a consensus on casting: to prevent actors' fame from obscuring the true nature of "Band of Brothers," the crew would select mostly unfamiliar actors to enhance authenticity and persuasiveness.
"No wonder Helen asked me to go for such an important role," Matthew nodded to himself.
"It's not like there's no chance at all."
Next were the character details.
Helen Herman had completely confirmed that Richard Winters would be the absolute protagonist of this series.
Matthew only briefly glanced at the other character introductions, then focused on the role of Ronald Speirs, which he intended to compete for.
Helen Herman also pointed out another disadvantage for Matthew in competing for the role: his relatively young age.
However, this wasn't a big problem.
Helen Herman believed he was psychologically mature, and his appearance was not an issue at all with Hollywood makeup.
Moreover, for Westerners, the difference between being around twenty and in their late twenties wasn't very significant.
The materials contained a general setting.
Besides what Helen Herman mentioned, it also stated that this was a tough, battle-hardened soldier with super fighting ability.
He originally served in D Company.
During the brutal Battle of the Bulge in Bastogne, Belgium, due to the Easy Company commander's panic, Speirs stepped forward and was temporarily assigned as the Easy Company commander.
In addition, Helen Herman specifically noted that it was rumored that this person had killed German prisoners of war.
"Killed prisoners of war?"
The information provided in the materials was actually very limited.
To understand this character better, Matthew felt he should carefully read the original novel of "Band of Brothers."
If it were a few months ago, Matthew would have found reading such a novel very difficult.
Fortunately, after months of persistent reading practice, he couldn't say his reading level had improved by leaps and bounds, but reading the original "Band of Brothers" novel was no longer very difficult.
Not only did he research on his own, but Matthew, whose own level was limited, also specifically consulted his teacher, David Astor, after acting classes.
Matthew selectively recounted the audition and character situation to David Astor.
"You mean you got an audition opportunity for Spielberg and Tom Hanks' 'Band of Brothers'?"
In his office, David Astor, stroking his bald head, said to Matthew, "This is a rare and good opportunity.
If you seize it, it will be very helpful for your future career development."
Matthew looked distressed.
"I want to seize it too, but dozens of people might be competing for this role."
He thought for a moment and then said directly, "Mr.
Astor, I came to you because I want to ask how I can better grasp the role of a tough soldier."
"A tough soldier role, huh…" David Astor glanced at Matthew and said, "Your physical appearance has a natural advantage, but this advantage is basically useless during an audition.
Actors who reach this level of crew for auditions will definitely have a good match between their appearance and the role."
Matthew nodded.
"You know, my experience is relatively shallow, much less than most people, so I can only try to improve my audition performance."
"Audition performance is still very important for securing a role."
David Astor then asked, "If the decision-making power for your audition rests with Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg, the weight of your audition performance will be even greater!"
The other party was an experienced actor who had been working in Hollywood for decades.
Matthew believed his experience might help him and asked, "Why?"
David Astor smiled and said, "At the level of Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg, there are very few people and things that can impress them.
This is just a small supporting role.
If a big shot wanted to use their connections to get this role, they would have to pay a huge favor.
How would they repay Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg's favor in the future?
is it worth owing such a big favor for such a small role?"
Matthew thought about it.
If he had enough influence to speak to Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg, he certainly wouldn't want to owe these two a favor for such a small matter.
According to customs on the other side of the Pacific, favors are often the hardest to repay, and presumably, there are commonalities here too.
"Let's talk about the character.
A tough, iron-blooded soldier, especially in a realistic World War II setting, requires no hint of jest, mockery, or artificiality in the performance."
David Astor, using decades of experience, helped Matthew analyze, "For this type of role, temperament is the soul of the image!
Without that strong soldierly temperament, you can't play it accurately or authentically!"
He recalled, "Matthew, I've participated in the filming of several World War II movies.
In my understanding, actors can only align with the image of an iron-blooded soldier if they genuinely experience, dare to fight hard, and spare no effort."
Matthew nodded.
Although what David Astor said wasn't profound, it was indeed helpful to him.
"Saying too much can easily interfere with you."
David Astor smiled and shook his head.
"Matthew, this is all I can say.
The rest is up to you."
"Thank you," Matthew stood up and said sincerely, "Thank you, Mr.
Astor, your words have helped me a lot."
Afterward, he left David Astor's office, preparing to call Helen Herman to communicate.