Chapter 498: Falling Behind the Pace

"What would you do if you were the last person on Earth?"

Walking through the soundstage, Matthew paused at the front of a slightly dilapidated set house when he heard Guillermo del Toro's question. Del Toro, sporting his signature round glasses, awaited Matthew's response. After a moment of contemplation, Matthew replied earnestly, "If it were in New York, I'd jump off the Empire State Building."

Del Toro adjusted his glasses upwards. "That's quite an unexpected answer."

Matthew shrugged slightly. "With no one left to talk to, living would be worse than dying."

They continued down the corridor. Ahead, a few people were walking a German Shepherd towards them.

"Hey, Carl."

Seeing the German Shepherd, Matthew approached with a smile. The dog, named Carl, circled him excitedly before sitting down obediently on the trainer's command. Carl would be his only companion in the film.

In recent days, Matthew had spent a lot of time with Carl. As they were co-stars, it was crucial to build a rapport. Carl was not only well-trained but also a seasoned Hollywood actor. The production team had paid more for Carl and his trainer than for the supporting actress Alexandra Daddario. It wasn't unusual in Hollywood for animal actors to earn more than some human counterparts.

Matthew had grown familiar with Carl. Neither the crew nor he had expected to command the dog directly; the trainer would handle Carl during filming.

As usual, Matthew took the leash and, accompanied by the trainer, walked Carl around the soundstage for about an hour. He even fed Carl some dog food. Afterward, he found director Guillermo del Toro to continue discussing the script and shooting details.

"If the world had only one human left," del Toro pondered aloud as they stood in a laboratory set, "what would be the best way for them to survive?"

Unlike the previous casual question, this time, del Toro was speaking as a director. Matthew thought seriously for a moment before answering, "I think facing a silent world alone would definitely drive anyone insane. But even scarier would be 'cohabiting' with those special 'guests' from our film—those once well-dressed, now grotesque 'humans.'"

They weren't discussing abstract philosophy but the finalized script by Akiva Goldsman.

Matthew shifted the conversation back to the script. "The story puts humanity in what can be considered an absolute crisis, and the space left for survival is incredibly limited."

Del Toro nodded and led the way toward the DVD store set across from the laboratory. "That's why we need to capture the protagonist's loneliness in the first part of the story. We must show how he carefully 'decorates' his living environment to stave off his isolation."

Standing beside a mannequin that had yet to be placed on the shelves, del Toro continued, "Whether it's going to the DVD store as part of his daily routine or 'talking' to mannequins dressed as pedestrians, these details highlight the protagonist's essence of surviving in solitude."

"So!" del Toro turned to Matthew. "I need you to express the surreal yet bittersweet loneliness in the opening scenes of the film through your performance."

Matthew walked over to the director, looking at the mannequins, feeling confident. "I'm ready."

Del Toro nodded and elaborated, "The protagonist's survival hinges on his belief system. His ability to perceive and understand external things and his self-awareness are what define him as human. But when the external factors supporting these traits disappear, how long can humanity survive under its fragile shell?"

Faced with this profound question, Matthew had no answer. To be honest, it was a bit too deep for him. How could someone like him think about such existential issues just based on a script?

To Matthew, the script for "I Am Legend" was purely a high-entertainment movie screenplay. It offered no psychological insights or philosophical revelations.

Those were questions for the director to ponder. Matthew saw himself merely as a commercial star actor.

Del Toro was known for his deep thoughts and unique perspectives, as Matthew had heard from Akiva Goldsman and Helen Herman. In front of such a director, Matthew decided not to pretend and candidly said, "That's a tough question to answer."

Del Toro, patting a mannequin in front of him, didn't provide an answer either. Instead, he added, "The protagonist's careful 'staging' of these seemingly ridiculous and futile 'fake environments' is a test to affirm his humanity. Without these interactions and activities, the devolution of humanity could be swift."

Matthew simply nodded.

Frankly, discussing such matters with a director made Matthew feel a bit out of sync. However, he listened attentively. Each director had their own style. Most of the time during filming, actors had to adapt to the director's style, unless they reached Tom Cruise's level.

Matthew stayed at the studio until 4 PM, then took Carl for another walk before leaving Warner Bros. Studios. He drove to Los Angeles International Airport to pick up Alexandra Daddario, who had just flown in from New York.

"Finished with your New York business?" Matthew asked as he loaded Alexandra's suitcase into the trunk and got into the car.

"Yes, I've taken a year off from school," Alexandra replied, fastening her seatbelt in the passenger seat.

Matthew started the car and slowly drove away from the airport. "Anna, are you planning to stay here long-term?"

"Yes," Alexandra adjusted her seatbelt, making herself comfortable. "I've thought it through over the past couple of years. Acting is the career for me."

She smiled. "My father wanted me to become a lawyer, but just looking at legal texts gives me a headache."

At a red light, Matthew braked and glanced at Alexandra. It was late September, and Los Angeles was warm. Alexandra wore a skimpy white tank top with a low-cut design. The black seatbelt crossing her chest accentuated a deep cleavage…

Matthew touched his nose involuntarily and quickly looked away to avoid crashing the car. He muttered to himself that Alexandra was definitely not suited to sitting in the front passenger seat. As the light turned green, he quickly drove forward.

"Still staying with Amanda?" Matthew asked.

"Yeah." Alexandra adjusted her seatbelt again. "I'm planning to stay in Los Angeles for a while. I'll stay at Amanda's place temporarily until I find my own."

Matthew turned onto the road leading to Westwood. "Amanda's quite busy these days, so she might not be able to help much."

Amanda had been coordinating with the UNHCR, Skydance Productions, and Warner Bros. to arrange a major shipment of supplies to Africa.

Alexandra pondered for a moment. "I'll talk to Helen. Doesn't the agency have a department that handles such things?"

An idea struck Matthew. "Why don't you stay at my place?"

He realized the potential misunderstanding as soon as he said it. Before Alexandra could react, he clarified, "I have a house on the northern outskirts of Burbank. I used to live there before moving to Beverly Hills, and it's been vacant since then."

Alexandra looked at Matthew, seemingly considering the offer.

"It's close to North Hollywood, the San Fernando Valley, and downtown Burbank," Matthew explained. "A few minutes to the interstate, and you can drive to downtown LA in about twenty minutes."

Alexandra nodded slightly.

"As for rent…" Matthew wasn't sure about the current market rates and casually suggested, "We can go by market price."

"I'm broke," Alexandra murmured softly.

Matthew thought for a moment and said, "Tomorrow, I'll have Bella show you the place. If you like it, you can stay there for now. You can pay me the rent after you get your paycheck."

Offering a place for free might lead to misunderstandings.

Alexandra hadn't expected a free stay, but her finances were tight. "I'll call Bella tomorrow then."

Matthew increased the speed and added, "I'll let her know before I drop you off."

Since moving out, the house had remained vacant. Bella Anderson had considered renting it but found it too far from Beverly Hills. For convenience, she eventually rented a place on the outskirts of Beverly Hills.

Beverly Hills was essentially a satellite city of Los Angeles. Aside from the affluent Beverly Hills area, it had many ordinary neighborhoods. Still, compared to Los Angeles, Beverly Hills boasted better overall living conditions and higher income levels.

Upon dropping Alexandra off, Matthew found Amanda at home and invited both of them out for dinner. The next day, Alexandra went with Bella Anderson to the northern outskirts of Burbank and decided to rent the house.

With a stable place to stay, she could fully commit to filming "I Am Legend."

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