Cassius had an impression of 2 Broke Girls. The show had been quite popular in his past life.
However, he remembered the diner owner was a short, chubby Korean guy!
"Send me the script, let me take a look!"
Cassius remained calm.
"I'll come to you!"
Rob drove straight to Beverly Hills.
"They value your current heat. Insidious is still fermenting, the Marvel promise is locked in, plus the traffic from you and Kristen..."
As soon as they met, Rob talked non-stop!
Cassius also roughly understood the positioning of this character.
He had watched 2 Broke Girls in his past life, and there was only one regular Asian character!
Opening the script.
Just as he expected!
Diner owner Han Lee.
Korean, short, a bit comical, with a funny accent, often the butt of jokes from the waitress and cook.
Cassius flipped through a few pages.
His brow furrowed.
The lines were full of deliberately misspelled Chinglish, like "Herro" (Hello), "Rike" (Like), and so on.
The character's behavioral patterns were also filled with various stereotypes:
Timid, stingy, dressed unfashionably, basically the punching bag and source of laughter for the entire diner.
"This character is a walking stereotype gift pack!"
Cassius put down the script.
Rob was stunned for a moment, then waved his hand, trying to dispel his concerns.
"Hey, Cass, don't be too sensitive. It's a sitcom; there always needs to be some exaggerated characters to create laughs!"
"Besides, this is a regular role. It offers stable exposure, and the pay is decent."
"This isn't a question of being sensitive or not!"
Cassius's tone was calm but firm. "It's the character itself that's problematic. If I act it like this, it's equivalent to reinforcing those outdated biases against Asians!"
"I can't do it!"
He remembered when he first came to Hollywood, only able to play Asian thug corpses who died in the opening scene of LA Detectives.
Later, through a fixer like Han, he took roles like "nerd" or "convenience store clerk."
He worked desperately to improve his acting skills and land projects like Insidious and Thor, precisely to break free from that kind of box.
Asking him to go back and play this kind of role now wasn't just taking a step back; it was driving in reverse off a cliff.
Rob got a little anxious. "Cass, I know what you're thinking, but this is an opportunity!"
"The script for 2 Broke Girls is quite famous in the circle! How many people want to squeeze in but can't find a way!"
"Precisely because it's a hot show, I can't act it like this!"
Cassius pointed at the script.
"After playing this, their impression of Asians will become even more stereotyped!"
"I don't want to be part of that stereotype!"
Rob fell silent.
"So what do you mean?" Rob probed.
"The script needs changing!"
Cassius said decisively.
"The character Han Lee can keep his core setting as the diner owner, but those rotten jokes based on racial stereotypes must be removed."
"There can be an accent, but it doesn't need to be so deliberately comical. The personality can have quirks, like being stingy or obsessive-compulsive, but he can't be a buffoon existing purely to be mocked."
"He should be a real person, not a symbol!"
Cassius's thoughts became clearer as he spoke.
"He could even have some standout points, derived from mysterious Eastern powers, like loving fortune-telling. Indecisive about something? Cast a divination first!"
Rob stroked his chin, thinking seriously.
Cassius's words made sense.
Before, Cassius had no choice. Now, he indeed had bargaining chips.
Exchanging a buzz-worthy actor for a character with more depth might not be a bad thing for the production. If handled well, it could even become a marketing point.
"You've convinced me!"
Rob finally nodded and picked up the script.
"I'll go talk to CBS and the producers! Stand your ground, Cass!"
"In Hollywood, sometimes you really need to be tough to earn respect!"
Cassius breathed a sigh of relief, a smile appearing on his face.
"Thanks, Rob. If they're willing to change the script, I'd be happy to join this interesting crew and work with Max and Caroline."
"If not, then I can only express my regret!"
After Rob left, Cassius actually felt good.
He was no longer that small extra who would be grateful to tears for a role with a few lines.
He had a certain confidence to reject things he didn't agree with and fight for a fairer representation.
He knew this road wouldn't be easy, and the producers might not buy it.
But taking this step had meaning in itself.
There was no news about the script for a while.
Cassius was happy to have the peace. When he had nothing to do, he looked at other scripts and casually swung Mjolnir around the house.
After warming up, he would even send videos of himself exercising with Mjolnir to Thor Chris.
Chris: "..."
The fun days didn't last long!
Kristen was applying eyeliner in front of the mirror and said to Cassius, who was sprawled on the sofa reading a script, without turning her head:
"Chris called me saying he wants to introduce you to work, not letting you idle at home! Did you send him videos of Mjolnir again?"
As she spoke, Kristen seemed to recall Chris's resentment on the phone and couldn't help laughing.
Men are boys until they die!
Both were adults, yet they acted so childishly!
"Come with me to the set! Otherwise, I'm really afraid Chris will storm the house to snatch the hammer back!"
Hearing about going to the set, Cassius paused.
He knew Kristen was filming The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn. He had heard a bit about the fanaticism of this franchise's fans.
Would he be beaten to death by fans if he went?
Although absorbing attribute orbs was important, he needed to stay alive to level up!
"Let me show you what eternal love looks like, and by the way, breathe the air on our set that's so sweet it's cloying!"
Thinking about the later plot of Twilight, Kristen couldn't help rolling her eyes and laughing first.
"Let's go. Take you to meet Robert. Better than you staying home staring blankly at a hammer."
"Hurry up and change!"
Kristen shoved a cup of coffee she just ordered for him into his hand.
Cassius thought about it; he was idle anyway.
He looked at his loose T-shirt and sweatpants. "This won't do?"
"Unless you want to be mistaken for a delivery guy who wandered onto the set by the camping Twilight fans!"
Kristen pushed him towards the bedroom. "Hurry, Robert has scenes today!"
...
Arriving at the set.
Even from the perimeter, Cassius could see many young fans holding "I LOVE EDWARD & BELLA" signs, gazing eagerly.
"This lineup..." Cassius clicked his tongue.
"Normal situation!"
Kristen had put on her sunglasses, her expression management instantly online, switching to that slightly distant celebrity mode.
Entering the interior of the set, the feeling was even more pronounced.
The Thor set was like a rough construction site, while this place was much more exquisite. The lighting was extremely soft, and even the air seemed to float with artificial mist and the smell of pine needles.
Cassius later learned this was to create the feeling of the Forks forest.
Staff members subconsciously lowered their voices when speaking.
Kristen led Cassius through the busy area towards a relatively quiet rest corner.
A young man in an exquisite black suit was sitting there reading a script.
It was Robert Pattinson.
"Robert, let me introduce you. This is Cassius, my boyfriend."
Kristen spoke naturally.
Robert looked up, revealing an extremely handsome, pale face.
Seeing Kristen, the corner of his mouth curved slightly. Then his gaze turned to Cassius. He stood up and extended his hand.
"Hi, Robert Pattinson."
"Cassius, pleasure!"
Cassius shook his hand.
He could feel Robert's hand was a bit cold.
The favorability score above his head was [35].