Chapter 3

A year ago, *The Matrix* caused a sensation worldwide, and the Wachowskis transformed from newcomers into the hottest directors in Hollywood. Warner Bros. and their partner, Village Roadshow Pictures, pooled a massive amount of funds to bring the sequel of this film into production.

Bruce Berman from Village Roadshow Pictures became one of the producers for this project. Due to the enormous investment, even a seasoned producer like him faced significant pressure. Since the production team was established, his angry outbursts could be seen from time to time at the Warner Bros. studio.

As an old-school producer, Bruce Berman had extremely strict requirements for all the pre-production work. Even for the recruitment process, he would join in whenever he had the time.

A project like the sequel to *The Matrix* would inevitably require a large production team, with countless behind-the-scenes roles needed. Besides recommendations from Hollywood's various guilds and talent agencies, there would also be public recruitment.

"This is a super project with a total investment exceeding $300 million."

Before the morning interviews began, Bruce Berman gathered a few responsible persons together for a brief pep talk, "You must ensure that every person we hire is a top-notch, experienced professional in the industry!"

Bruce Berman was not one to talk without acting. After the meeting, he followed a production manager into an office, preparing to personally participate in the recruitment interviews.

A black Chevrolet sedan drove into Burbank. The most valuable legacy left by the previous Murphy was his familiarity with the Greater Los Angeles area. Murphy quickly found the Warner Bros. studio, parked his car, and picked up the carefully prepared file from the passenger seat. After registering at the entrance of the studio, he boarded an electric cart and entered the studio area.

Sitting on the electric cart with a few others, Murphy realized he was the youngest among them. After all, he was only twenty when he went to prison last year, and now he was just legally an adult.

The Warner Bros. studio was located behind the Warner building. Turning his head to look at the building, Murphy took a deep breath. He believed that he would one day be welcomed by all production companies.

Although the goal seemed distant and somewhat unrealistic, Murphy kept hypnotizing himself—“I am the most special one!”

Hollywood is not easy to navigate. If one doesn't even dare to set a goal or lacks the most basic confidence, it's best to find another job.

Since he was here, Murphy was full of confidence, after all, he had resources that were unmatched in this era.

He believed that with the right opportunity, he could definitely shine.

The electric cart stopped in front of the office area of the studio. Nowadays, many Hollywood productions were outsourced, making the vast studio area seem somewhat empty and desolate. Only here could one still see some people. Murphy, like the others, was guided by a staff member to a large conference room to wait.

Sitting in the conference room, Murphy had no interest in chatting with the others. He just held the file bag and kept thinking about the possible questions he might face during the interview and how he could highlight his advantages...

He was interviewing for the position of art director for the production team. He had prepared for this for several days. Thanks to his previous studies at the film school, Murphy had drawn several dark Gothic-style sketches, which he believed would add to his impression score.

Since he was among the earliest to arrive, he didn't have to wait long. A staff member came to notify him. Murphy picked up his file bag and followed the person to the door of an office, gently knocked, and waited for the "yes" from inside before pushing the door open and entering.

There were only two people in the office. One was a middle-aged man with chestnut short hair, who had just spoken. The other was a large, gray-haired man sitting behind the middle-aged man, with small but sharp eyes.

"Over here."

The middle-aged man pointed to the chair opposite him. Murphy smiled politely, sat down, and said, "Thank you."

After saying that, his eyes inadvertently glanced at the gray-haired man behind the middle-aged man, who clearly held a higher position.

"I am Chris Miller, the production manager responsible for art direction and props in the production team."

It seemed to be a routine procedure. After introducing himself, the middle-aged man politely indicated the person behind him and said, "This is Bruce Berman, the producer of the production team."

"Hello, Mr. Miller." Murphy greeted him politely, "Hello, Mr. Berman."

The two men just nodded. Chris Miller then said, "Let's start now. Please give us a brief introduction of yourself."

"I am Murphy Stanton, from Los Angeles..."

In the past two days, Murphy had done a lot of preparation. He recited his carefully prepared resume, embellishing the few noteworthy experiences of his predecessor, "Mr. Miller, although I was a freelancer before, I have studied film art direction on my own..."

At this point, Murphy opened his file bag and placed a stack of drawings on the desk in front of him, "These are some sketches I drew inspired by *The Matrix*."

Chris Miller took the drawings, flipped through them, and while the artist's skills were not outstanding, the style was refreshing. It was a typical dark cyberpunk style, where both the background and characters emphasized one word—cool!

The other two did not notice, but Murphy had been subtly observing Chris Miller's expression. When the right moment came, he said, "I personally believe that philosophical reflection is the core of this series, and the extremely cool visual style is the selling point."

Why did *The Matrix* succeed? Bruce Berman knew very well that it had little to do with the philosophical reflections praised by critics. The biggest factor was that the film was extremely cool, cool to the extreme...

Hearing the young applicant say this, he couldn't help but look over. This young man had a tall and strong build, and even sitting there, one could sense the strength hidden in his body. Especially his chiseled face, with a few faint scars, and the short brown hair, made him look like he wasn't a good guy.

Whether he was a good guy or not, Bruce Berman didn't care. Hollywood was not a place for good people to thrive.

Bruce Berman's gaze remained on Murphy. Not only did Murphy's words align with the production philosophy of the next two films, but he also found Murphy somewhat familiar, as if he had seen him in some media a long time ago.

"I need this job..."

Sitting in the chair, Murphy was doing his best to seize this rare opportunity, "This is a career where I can learn and grow. I work hard, have ambitious goals, and everyone around me thinks I am persistent and honest."

These words came out of Murphy's mouth without a blink, "I was raised in the self-esteem movement and was a favorite in school. I used to focus on my own needs being met, but I know that today's workplace culture is no longer like the previous generation, where loyalty to the job was expected..."

Prison is also a complex circle. Being overly aggressive wouldn't yield good results. A year was enough for Murphy to understand when to say what, "My belief is that as long as I work hard, I will get good returns."

He looked at the interviewer and said very seriously, "People like you, who have achieved success in your careers, didn't get there by chance. It must have been through hard work."

Chris Miller nodded slightly. If it weren't for the applicant's lack of experience, he could have easily passed the initial interview and moved on to the more rigorous evaluation.

This young man was polite, confident, and knew how to be appropriately humble. Chris Miller was willing to give him a chance.

Just as he was about to speak, Bruce Berman's voice came from behind, "Young man, you were a freelancer before. What kind of work did you do?"

Murphy could see that the interviewer had a good impression of him, and the person behind could change that. At this moment, he didn't hesitate at all. There was no point in hiding anything.

"Freelance journalist, mainly shooting news about social events," he said.

Bruce Berman seemed to recall something and asked, "What was your name again?"

"Murphy Stanton," Murphy replied.

"Murphy Stanton?" Bruce Berman repeated softly, a strange smile appearing on his lips, "I remember now. You're the journalist who broke into Summer Redstone's house last year and injured a British director, right?"

Seeing the interviewer's expression, Murphy's heart sank. He tried to clarify, "I'm sorry, sir, I think it should be corrected. It was an accidental injury."

It was said that the director had suffered brain damage and might never be able to make movies again.

Thinking about what his predecessor had done, Murphy felt a bit guilty, but the guilt was minimal. After all, he had paid a year of his precious time for it, and the guilt was far outweighed by frustration and anger.

It was an indescribable feeling, a hatred for Summer Redstone but a sense of helplessness knowing he couldn't do anything about it.

"Interesting, a person who dared to assault a film director wants to join the film industry."

Although Summer Redstone never officially responded to the incident, everyone in Hollywood knew that he had personally pressured the Los Angeles police. Even though this project had little to do with Viacom, Bruce Berman didn't want to use someone who had assaulted a film director; it would be a laughingstock for the entire industry.

"No!"

That was the only word Bruce Berman said to Murphy.

Murphy lightly clenched his hand, took a deep breath. This was the best opportunity he could find at the moment, and he didn't want to leave just like that, to give up.

Think about it, just having the experience of working on a super project like the two sequels of *The Matrix* would make the future path much smoother.

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End of the page.