The role was set!
Cassius transitioned from "boyfriend on a set visit" to "special effects actor."
He was taken to the special effects makeup department.
The makeup artist was a bearded man named Greg. His skills were top-notch, but his standards were incredibly high.
He needed to apply full-body special effects makeup on Cassius to simulate skin corrupted by dark energy, creating a partial wood-like texture.
The process was undeniably long and uncomfortable.
Cold gel, heavy prosthetics, the pungent smell of glue, and holding a fixed pose for hours.
But Cassius didn't make a peep. He was extremely cooperative.
He even used the time to carefully observe Greg's techniques, trying to understand how the external styling could aid his performance.
Greg initially didn't have high expectations for a last-minute addition to the cast.
But Cassius's patience and professional attitude surprised him.
"You're really good!"
Greg adjusted the edge of a prosthetic.
"You can endure more than a lot of big-name actors. Some of them bitch and moan just getting a fake cut applied!"
[Greg Favorability: +15, Current Favorability: 40]
While Greg was focused on color grading, precisely recreating the texture of rotting wood, a green orb dropped from his hand:
[Rhythm Attribute — Patience +2]
Cassius silently absorbed it.
After nearly four hours, the makeup was finally done.
Cassius looked at himself in the mirror and could barely recognize himself.
Half of his face and arm displayed twisted, wooden textures, his skin a grayish-white hue.
Standing before the mirror, Cassius could almost feel the pain of corrosion and the lingering nature of the elf he once was.
The special effects artist was too professional!
This scene involved the Elf Scout ambushing the protagonist's group in the forest. The movements needed to be swift and eerie.
Some movements even required non-human contortions.
Fortunately, to help Cassius immerse himself in the scene, Kristen and Chris Hemsworth, who were supposed to be resting, stayed on set to act alongside him.
Cassius quickly got into character.
Action!
Cassius mobilized all his physical attributes, especially [Control] and [Coordination], making his movements both menacing and consistent with the corrupted character design.
He did his best to control his gaze. Amidst the fierce intent to attack, he occasionally let a flash of the original elf's struggle and pain slip through.
"Cut! Excellent!"
Director Rupert shouted from behind the monitor. "Cass, your internal conflict and physical performance were both great! Keep it up!"
One take!
The moment the performance ended, Cassius noticed two orbs drop from his body:
[Physical Attribute — Character Adaptation +2]
[Emotional Attribute — Painful Struggle +2]
Both were attributes closely related to his performance just now!
Absorb!
His scenes were wrapped quickly.
Removing the makeup took nearly another two hours.
When he returned to his original appearance and walked out of the makeup room, he felt reborn.
Director Rupert walked over, looking satisfied.
"Cass, beautiful work. The role is small, but it stands out. I'll make sure post-production does it justice! Let's work together again if the chance arises."
[Rupert Sanders Favorability: +2. Current Favorability: 55]
Cassius could tell this wasn't just politeness.
In the director's mind, he had gone from an "accessory" to a usable actor.
When leaving the set, Kristen also finished her shoot for the day.
She looked at Cassius, seemingly a bit surprised by his professionalism. "I didn't expect you to act so well!"
Back when they were filming the indie movie, Kristen hadn't paid much attention to Cassius.
Besides, big-budget theatrical films and low-budget indie flicks were completely different animals!
She didn't expect Cassius to be so professional on his first try!
Before this, she had only seen him observing and learning on set, or saving people. Today was the first time she saw him deliver a formal performance with her own eyes.
[Kristen Stewart Favorability: +3, Current Favorability: 48]
"Just trying to make a living!"
Cassius smiled.
Sitting in the car back to Beverly Hills, Cassius reviewed the day.
He had successfully turned a crisis into an opportunity.
Not only did he increase the favorability of most of the crew, but he also won a formal role in a major production based on his own merit and harvested specific attributes.
From being treated as Kristen's appendage to gaining recognition and opportunity through his own ability—this feeling was even better than simply picking up a gold attribute orb.
He knew he was on the right path!
In Hollywood, talent and connections were both indispensable!
...
In a secluded editing room in Los Angeles, Insidious director James Wan was frowning at a pile of data and reports.
Insidious was set to hit North American theaters this weekend.
Although he had established himself in the horror genre with the Saw series, the pressure this time was unprecedented.
The lighting in the editing room was dim, with only the screen illuminating his slightly weary face.
On the computer screen in front of him was the final trailer for Insidious.
Below it was the latest market forecast report.
"It's not looking good, James."
His producer and longtime partner, Leigh Whannell, walked in with coffee, his tone equally grave.
"The screen count the theaters gave us is two percentage points lower than we expected!"
"That teen comedy opening the same week is backed by one of the Big Six. Their marketing budget is more than ten times ours."
James Wan rubbed his temples and didn't speak.
The budget for Insidious was too low—so low that in a Hollywood of multi-million dollar productions, it was practically negligible.
No A-list stars, no dazzling special effects. All the bets were placed on the story and his name as the director.
But he knew very well that in the face of the massive mainstream market, the core horror fans his name attracted were just a drop in the bucket.
Without a massive marketing blitz, general audiences likely wouldn't even know this movie was playing.
"The test screenings we did earlier had good word-of-mouth, but the scope was too small. The buzz isn't spreading. Right now, the media and internet focus is either on that teen movie..."
"Unless..."
He paused and glanced at James Wan.
James Wan finished the sentence, "We leverage the scandal between Cassius and Kristen Stewart."
"Exactly!"
Whannell sighed. "The biggest traffic driver for our movie is actually the private life of a supporting actor. It's really..."
Ironic and helpless!
Without a star with drawing power, even a box-office hit director would struggle to get high numbers!
James Wan took a deep breath, leaned back in his chair, and closed his eyes.
The pressure on his shoulders went far beyond this.
To secure more post-production resources and better distribution terms, he had signed a gambling agreement with the investors.
The agreement stipulated that if the North American opening weekend box office for Insidious didn't reach 20 million dollars, he would lose most of his backend points.
Furthermore, his creative control over his next film would be severely restricted by the investors, potentially forcing him onto commercial projects he knew nothing about.
20 million opening weekend?
For an R-rated horror film with a budget of just over a million, no stars, and weak marketing!
Industry insiders would see this as a pipe dream.
A standard prediction would say hitting 10 million was already a successful recoup!
His directing career felt like it had reached a cliff's edge.
If he succeeded, he would solidify his status as a horror master and gain more say.
If not, he would likely be knocked back to square one, or even forced to direct projects that went against his creative vision.
What if they send me to direct porn in the San Fernando Valley...
He didn't dare think about it!
James Wan's voice suddenly grew tense. "Are we being too risky? Betting everything on the film's quality..."
Whannell was silent for a moment, then patted his old friend on the shoulder.
"James, we were way riskier when we shot Saw!"
"Back then we had nothing. Now at least we have your name, and an actor who unexpectedly got some attention."
"Cassius..."
James Wan murmured.
He remembered the young actor who was quiet on set but whose eyes were full of focus and grit.
His performance had indeed exceeded expectations.
Especially that monologue scene; the emotional layers were rich and added a lot of color to the film.
But now, the fate of this movie seemed strangely tied to that high-profile romance of his.
A sense of powerlessness washed over him.
He looked again at the Insidious trailer on the screen—the eerie atmosphere, the jump scares, and Cassius's face full of fear and despair in the dark...
The movie itself was good. He firmly believed that.
But now he could only wait for fate's judgment.
The three days of the opening weekend would decide the life or death of Insidious, and largely determine the future direction of his directing career.
The editing room was left with only heavy breathing and the silent flickering images on the screen.