December in England was cold, and the sky was constantly overcast, occasionally dropping a few raindrops that were bone-chilling when they hit the face.
Matthew tightened his coat and, along with the other actors in training, was led by the assistant producer to a massive hangar that housed numerous support departments like makeup, costumes, and props.
With the help of professionals, they began to complete their respective looks, preparing for the shoot.
Today's filming didn't involve Ronald Speirs' scenes, but Matthew wasn't just an observer; he had already changed into standard 101st Airborne Division paratrooper gear.
Compared to the veterans of Easy Company, played by Michael Fassbender and Michael Cudlitz, Ronald Speirs was not in Easy Company at the beginning of the story, but rather a lieutenant in D Company.
Therefore, Matthew's character would join the filming later.
However, he wouldn't be idle; like other trained actors who temporarily had no scenes, he needed to serve as an extra in some large-scale scenes.
The agreement he signed also had provisions for this.
Compared to pure extras, these character actors who had completed training were more like soldiers.
Even before filming began, Gary Goetzman had informed them that in some long-shot scenes, they would also play German soldiers fighting Easy Company.
The crew had complete support, and Matthew and the others had received instructions from their agency, so they naturally wouldn't refuse.
This was also a common practice in Hollywood productions; in scenes with large numbers of people, not only actors but even idle personnel from other crew departments would be pulled into the filming.
After Matthew finished his makeup, just like during the audition, he put on his paratrooper uniform, donned his combat gear, and carried a "Chicago typewriter."
He left the hangar with the other actors and, led by staff, walked down a narrow path to the meticulously arranged set.
The set was transformed into an airport ready for battle, with airplane models lined up on the runway, and anti-aircraft gun positions at intervals.
Extras dressed in British army gear stood behind the anti-aircraft guns, looking ready to fire at any moment.
It looked like a battlefield on the verge of war.
Within the not-so-large set, hundreds of actors and behind-the-scenes staff had gathered.
Matthew blended into the queue, following the staff to a plane model, where they were to serve as background.
Since their faces were painted with heavier tactical camouflage than the featured actors, they didn't have to worry about their faces being captured by the camera lens; the long shots combined with the camouflage were enough to obscure their true identities.
"Look!" James McAvoy next to him suddenly gestured to Matthew with his eyes, "Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg are here."
Matthew didn't need reminding; he had already seen the two Hollywood moguls, who were talking to director Phil Alden Robinson and lead actor Damian Lewis.
"After this show is filmed..." James McAvoy was a bit excited, probably seeing a superstar like Tom Hanks, "Will we become big stars?"
Matthew patted his shoulder, "You're thinking too much; we're small actors in a big production."
James McAvoy gradually calmed down, shrugged, and said nothing more.
He understood that participating in this series, the most important thing was to add a significant entry to his resume, which would become capital for finding new roles in the future.
The staff arranged the seven of them there, instructed them not to wander off, and then left after the assistant director arrived.
There was still some time before filming started, so Matthew chatted with James McAvoy while looking around, curiously observing the entire set.
The set was crowded with people and things, yet it was orderly and not at all chaotic.
Among the many people coming and going, he vaguely saw quite a few somewhat familiar faces.
He might have seen them when he watched pirated movies; the most familiar one, he remembered, was an important supporting character in the later "Mission: Impossible" films starring Tom Cruise, though he didn't know the actor's name.
An assistant director came over and gave instructions for the upcoming shoot; Matthew and the others were just background, so the requirements weren't strict.
"Don't face the camera!" he said, pointing to where the camera was set up, "Do what soldiers do before battle."
The assistant director quickly left, and the seven people all had different interpretations.
One person put down his gear bag and lay on the ground reading a letter, another tidied his pistol, James McAvoy pulled out a crucifix and muttered to himself, and Matthew simply took off the Chicago typewriter he was carrying and disassembled it for inspection.
This was not just a prop, but a real Thompson submachine gun, just without bullets.
"Clear the set!" A loudspeaker blared, "Attention all departments! Clearing the set now!"
In just a few minutes, everyone except the actors had cleared out of the airport area.
Matthew didn't care what orders were being given; like a true soldier, he disassembled every part of the Thompson submachine gun and meticulously inspected it.
This perfectly fit the image of a non-commissioned officer using a Thompson submachine gun before battle, as this type of firearm was famously prone to jamming.
Matthew didn't know when filming began; he was completely immersed in the role of a non-commissioned officer about to go to war.
One could say he had already become Ronald Speirs, and he didn't care what others were doing, simply going about his own business.
He disassembled the Thompson submachine gun, inspected it, reassembled it, and then took out each magazine to check it.
During this time, James McAvoy squatted down and offered him a prop cigarette of smokeless tobacco, which he also lit with a lighter and smoked.
He took out and inspected his pistol, canteen, magazines, grenade pouch, gas mask, and even his raincoat.
Finally, as he picked up his dagger and found a small towel to wipe it, James McAvoy pulled him, "Alright, time to change locations!"
Matthew packed up all his gear and followed James McAvoy to the other side of the airport, asking as they walked, "is everything here filmed?"
"Five takes..." James McAvoy replied, "All done!"
They followed an assistant director to an open space on the left side of the airport, where they lined up with other actors dressed in 101st Airborne Division uniforms, serving as background for Damian Lewis's scenes.
Since Matthew's character, Ronald Speirs, wouldn't make a direct appearance in the first episode, during the initial stage of filming, Matthew, like James McAvoy who played a late-stage recruit in Easy Company, only served as background.
These individuals, having undergone over a month of professional training, appeared more like soldiers than extras in long shots that required displaying military qualities.
Over the next few days, Matthew's filming mostly consisted of this, and he also saw the biggest name among the main actors—David Schwimmer.
That is, Ross from "Friends."
Matthew hadn't seen this series; he had only heard about it from James McAvoy.
However, Matthew had a deep impression of Captain Sobel, played by David Schwimmer.
Several veterans in the original book had spoken of him, believing he had a huge impact on the later Easy Company.
He remembered a passage in the memoir that read: Captain Herbert Sobel built Easy Company, not only because his deliberate emphasis on physical and tactical training saved many lives, but also because their shared dislike of him made them even more cohesive.
Matthew even connected this character to Tom West, and it was precisely because of Tom West's existence that the usually at-odds British and Americans united as one, and under the planning of a German and a Brit, they took down the devil instructor.
As for Matthew himself, he hadn't revealed what he had done to anyone, nor would he admit it was related to him.
Returning to London, just as Helen Herman had instructed, Matthew tried to be as low-key and professional as possible, dedicating all his energy to the role and the filming.
Moreover, he was just an unremarkable character actor; as long as he didn't encounter an oddball like Kate Jeffrey, he wouldn't attract attention himself.
After Kate Jeffrey left, the crew became much more stable; Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg both came to the set to oversee, and the authority of Hollywood's super moguls was enough to deter most people.
According to James McAvoy, Kate Jeffrey's father had once come to the set to request a meeting with Tom Hanks, but Tom Hanks politely declined.
During filming, in addition to completing his own work, Matthew kept his eyes and ears open, carefully observing the main actors' on-the-spot performances, as well as the director's filming requirements, and so on.
These were all valuable experiences for him.
The first episode took a full twenty days to film, after which the crew immediately moved on to filming the second episode.
This time, Matthew no longer had to act as a background extra; his character, Ronald Speirs, officially appeared in the filming.
In the makeup room, after putting on all his gear and having the makeup artist apply tactical camouflage to his face, Matthew slung his Chicago typewriter over his shoulder and went to the film set.
This was originally an abandoned airport camp, where the crew had temporarily built a scarred and ruined French village, and had also reserved numerous hidden camera positions in the temporary buildings to film indoor and street scenes from different angles.
When Matthew arrived, a large number of soldiers serving as background extras had gathered on the set, and Matthew saw James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender among them.
"Hey, Matthew!"
On the set, an assistant director called out to him, "Come over, come here!"
Matthew quickly walked over and stood by a collapsed brick wall, and after a while, Damian Lewis and another main actor also came over.
His first scene was a dialogue scene with the lead actor.
The assistant director helped the three with their positioning, and the director observed through the camera.
Matthew knew his place; he didn't say anything and acted entirely as instructed.