In America, the Best Actor award starts with stereotypes.

"Good lad, I like your temper."

John Connor exhaled a long smoke ring, stubbed out his cigarette, raised his head, and his lazy demeanor vanished instantly, replaced by a pair of sharp, eagle-like eyes fixed on Chen Zhuo.

"In that case, focus all your energy on preparing for this role. Don't think about the future. If you can't get this role, I won't let you audition for any other minor roles. Have you thought it through?"

Chen Zhuo shrugged and smacked his lips with a smile.

"Tsk, Lao Kang, that's a really clumsy attempt at provocation."

John Connor laughed heartily and patted Chen Zhuo on the shoulder forcefully.

"Damn it, you're just trying to sabotage me."

……

Two days later, at 2 p.m., in the San Fernando Valley, at the casting office.

The corridor was crowded with Asian actors auditioning, their attire filled with 20th-century stereotypes.

Everywhere you look, you see gangster-style leather jackets and neatly tailored black suits; if you didn't know better, you'd think several triad groups were having a meeting here.

Chen Zhuo, dressed in a clean white shirt and old jeans, sat quietly in the crowd.

A few blond-haired men, slicked-back hair, and bald men around him were chatting in hushed tones. When they saw Chen Zhuo's outfit, they frowned and whispered a few words to each other.

Compared to most people's appearances that immediately suggest they're not to be trifled with, Chen Zhuo's appearance is too ordinary. He doesn't look like an assassin at all; on the contrary, because of his handsome face and unique temperament, he looks more like a pretty face in an urban romance drama.

It's like I've wandered onto the wrong movie set.

Seemingly sensing the gazes around him, Chen Zhuo suddenly stood up, looked around, and his eyes instantly changed from gentle to fierce.

[Thug (White)] Unleashes his power!

In an instant, those who met Chen Zhuo's gaze felt a chill run down their spines and lowered their heads, not daring to meet his eyes.

[Stereotype +1]

[Stereotype +3]

……

So satisfying!

What kind of affix is ​​being used? Villain? Or an advanced affix for a thug?

Chen Zhuo licked his lips and wandered aimlessly down the corridor, deliberately making eye contact with people.

For a time, wherever he went, people were filled with awe.

"Next, George Chen."

Chen Zhuo only snapped out of his thoughts when the staff opened the door and called his name.

His gaze was calm, but he felt his footsteps growing clearer.

Soon, the surrounding noise disappeared, and he entered a state of complete focus.

This is another of his affix effects, and it's the only one that generated naturally without much rerolling, and it's a green affix from the start.

This is probably because American society has such deep-seated stereotypes about Chinese people.

[Bookworm (Green): A near-obsessive reader, with a significantly improved ability to understand text, able to quickly enter a state of focus, and expending less energy in this focused state.]

He pushed the door open and entered.

The casting office was occupied by the casting director, the screenwriter, and an action director with an Asian appearance.

The three looked visibly tired. Although some of the actors who came in earlier had decent skills, their performances were too deliberate, to the point of being unoriginal.

Fortunately, they had prepared themselves mentally for this situation. After all, the crew was a makeshift operation, the director was a terrible newcomer whose debut film was a disaster, the biggest star among the main actors, Jackie Chan, was personally invited by the director by plane, and as for the other lead actor, Tucker, he had just won a Golden Raspberry Award and was definitely box office poison.

What kind of talented actors can a production crew like this attract?

It's good enough as it is.

"How about Liang Ken from earlier?"

"He's quite skilled, but he doesn't speak much Chinese."

Seeing the three whispering to each other, Chen Zhuo's eyes lit up. He quietly closed the door and walked over like a ghost.

After a moment, the casting director frowned. What was going on? Wasn't he called for the next person? Why wasn't he greeting them or introducing himself?

He looked up and unexpectedly met a pair of calm and gentle eyes.

"Um?"

The next moment, those eyes suddenly turned fierce.

A gust of cold wind swept in, and two fingers joined together to form a sword, swift as lightning, aimed straight at the throat!

"what!"

The casting director instinctively wanted to dodge, but the sword was pointed too fast and the eyes too fierce, making him tremble and unable to react in time.

He could only turn ashen-faced, close his eyes, and await death.

The sword, though pointed at the throat, stopped a few centimeters from the skin.

[Standardization +10] *3

[Stereotype +20]

"Fast, accurate, and ruthless—a perfect finger strike through the throat!"

It wasn't until the action director applauded and praised that the casting director snapped out of his daze, and he touched his throat in confusion.

So I'm still alive.

Immediately, he became enraged and slammed his fist on the table.

"Fuck! What do you want to do?!"

"I'm sorry, Director. After I came in, I found that this scene was perfect for an impromptu performance. I only dared to choose you as the subject because I thought you were the most kind and approachable person to perform for."

Chen Zhuo's voice was very sincere and earnest.

But was he really not doing it on purpose? Yes and no.

Ever since he discovered that the three keywords [Handsome (Green)], [Waitress (White)], and [Humorous (White)] could chain together to increase favorability, he has made various offensive attempts.

As a result, as long as he apologizes sincerely, no one will be truly angry.

It was precisely because he was confident that he acted so recklessly.

Seeing Chen Zhuo's apprehensive expression, the casting director's anger dissipated considerably.

In a daze, he seemed to see his younger self in Chen Zhuo.

At that time, he was also so engrossed in acting that he only cared about how to play the role well, and often acted rashly and rudely.

Thinking of this, a trace of reminiscence appeared in his eyes, and his voice softened.

"Your performance was truly excellent, so let's let it go this time."

The action director, who found Chen Zhuo quite pleasing to the eye and was about to act as a peacemaker, was taken aback upon hearing this.

The screenwriter, who had a good relationship with the casting director, jokingly remarked, "What? Has Mr. Case, known for his fiery temper, changed his ways today?"

"The actor the production team needs is right in front of me. Am I supposed to fire him because of a little slip-up?"

The casting director snorted irritably and turned his attention back to Chen Zhuo.

Chen Zhuo sat obediently on the stool, his eyes clear, showing no signs of the oppressive feeling from before. Instead, he looked like a naive college student.

Is this ridiculously handsome brat who just scared me with his performance?

The casting director chuckled, his interest in Chen Zhuo growing even stronger.

"What's your name?"

"George Chen".

"Was your performance just now intended to portray San as a contrasting killer like Leon?"

"Yes, director, I think that compared to villains who seem like ordinary people one second and suddenly start killing people the next, it is easier to scare people than villains who look like killers at first glance. The more terrifying and memorable the villain is, the more it can highlight the excellence of the protagonist."

"Oh?"

The casting director nodded approvingly and opened Chen Zhuo's resume.

As he watched, he burst out laughing.

Corpses, thugs, waiters, and random passersby...

Despite never having played a well-known role, he possesses such unique understanding and acting skills!

It's such a great value for money!

"very good."

The casting director picked up his pen and drew a heavy circle on Chen Zhuo's resume.

"Chen, this will be your first major role, so maintain this contrast. Come for your makeup fitting next Monday."

Chen Zhuo bowed in thanks and politely left the office.

After he left, the casting director suddenly slapped his forehead, a hint of regret appearing on his face.

"Oh no, I forgot to ask him if he speaks Chinese."

The screenwriter casually took a sip of coffee.

"It's no big deal. As long as the acting is good, you can learn the lines on the spot."

The action director had no worries whatsoever.

"Don't worry, with his kung fu skills, how could he not know Chinese?"

In the corridor, Chen Zhuo walked towards the elevator with a relaxed expression.

Seeing Chen Zhuo come out so quickly, some people thought he had been eliminated and let out a soft laugh.

Those who had witnessed his terrifying gaze looked somewhat somber, as if they knew who they were meant to be.

Chen Zhuo ignored everyone, simply putting his hands in his pockets and enjoying the surrounding noise.

This feels so good...

He looked up and saw the elevator doors slowly opening.

It was as if they were welcoming his arrival.