Cassius was taken aback: "Warner has more arrangements?"
"Warner my ass! It's The Ellen Show! It was scheduled long ago, recording today! I almost forgot about this myself!"
Rob slapped his forehead: "This is a great opportunity!"
"Just right since the Thor heat is still on, and 2 Broke Girls is exploding, go show your face and consolidate your popularity!"
Cassius remembered now; Rob had indeed mentioned this.
As a top talk show in the US, The Ellen Show had huge influence and was indeed a good platform for promotion.
"Let's go then!"
Cassius had no objections.
Just finished high-intensity auditions, switching environments to relax his brain wasn't bad.
The [Aura] halo inside him was still operating stably.
Going on a talk show in this state shouldn't be bad!
In the evening, Cassius and Rob arrived at The Ellen Show recording site on time.
Backstage was busy.
Staff shuttled back and forth in a trot.
Ellen DeGeneres herself hadn't appeared yet.
When the makeup artist did a simple touch-up for Cassius, she couldn't help glancing at him a few more times and smiled: "You look really relaxed, not like a newbie here for the first time at all."
Cassius smiled and said nothing.
With a top-tier aura halo hanging on him, it was hard to be nervous even if he wanted to!
Rob was still nagging in his ear about things to note: "Ellen likes impromptu interaction, might cue Kristen. Keep a good measure, not too clingy but not too cold!"
"Mention 2 Broke Girls and talk more about the challenges and funny things about the character Han Lee!"
"For Thor, appropriately thank Chris Hemsworth for his support! In short, be naturally humorous and show your charm!"
"Got it!"
Cassius nodded.
Since becoming an agent, Rob was increasingly like a mother figure!
Cassius glanced at Rob.
A burly man looking like a bear, but with such meticulous thoughts!
Iron man with tender feelings!
Recording began.
After the warm-up, accompanied by enthusiastic applause and signature music, Ellen briskly walked onto the stage, starting her monologue segment, wittily teasing several current hot topics, eliciting bursts of laughter from the audience.
Then, she changed the subject: "Alright, speaking of hot topics, our next guest has been busy lately. First, he helped Thor deal with his brother in Asgard—"
The big screen timely displayed a still of Cassius playing one of the Warriors Three in Thor.
Some laughter and applause came from the audience.
"Then he ran to Brooklyn, New York, opened a restaurant always on the verge of bankruptcy, and incidentally conquered two toxic-tongued waitresses with Eastern metaphysics—"
The screen switched to classic scenes of Han Lee in 2 Broke Girls, especially him spinning coins and talking about Feng Shui with a serious face.
This time the applause and laughter were more enthusiastic, obviously the show's audience base was huge.
"Let's welcome, Cassius!"
Cassius walked onto the stage amidst cheers, his steps steady.
He hugged Ellen and sat on the sofa opposite her.
"Welcome to the show, Cassius!"
Ellen looked him over with a smile: "Wow, you look in great shape. The way you walked up made me feel like you're the owner of this stage!"
The audience chuckled lightly.
Cassius smiled too, leaning back relaxed on the sofa: "Thanks, Ellen. Maybe because your sofa is more comfortable than I imagined!"
"Ha! Smooth talker!"
Ellen raised an eyebrow and started the formal interview: "First, congratulations on Thor's big sales. How does it feel? Filming with a big Australian guy like Chris Hemsworth, was there pressure?"
"Felt like winning the lottery!"
Cassius's tone was relaxed: "As for Chris, he's much friendlier than Thor in person, just has a bigger appetite. He should be mainly responsible for the crew's food expenses!"
The audience laughed loudly.
"I heard you have a good relationship in private, even drank together?"
"Yes, and then we both blacked out. The next morning I found dozens of photos with a trash can in my phone, angles quite novel. I still don't know who took them."
Cassius spread his hands, looking helpless.
Ellen and the audience laughed like crazy.
"Looks like Asgardian warriors can't hold their liquor well either!"
After a relaxed opening, Ellen started cutting into more topics.
"2 Broke Girls is super hot now, especially your character Han Lee is very interesting. He's runs a cupcake shop, but talks about Feng Shui, fortune-telling, various Eastern mysticism all the time—"
"When you first received this role, what did you think? Were you worried about stereotypes?"
This question carried a bit of sharpness.
Rob instantly sat straight in the audience.
Cassius's expression remained unchanged, still calm: "Honestly, I was a bit worried at first, but I talked with the writers and producers. Our consensus was, rather than avoiding it, why not play this characteristic to the extreme, making it Han Lee's unique personal label!"
"The key is this character isn't a flat laughingstock. He has his shrewdness and persistence, and also his kindness."
"What the audience likes is a real, interesting person with flaws but also charm, not a stereotypical symbol!"
He paused and added: "And I think letting the audience listen to 'Left Green Dragon, Right White Tiger' while laughing counts as cultural export, right?"
Laughter and applause erupted from the audience again.
Ellen nodded with a smile too: "Well said! Han Lee is very popular! My daughter learned to tell fortunes with coins, although she calculated I'll go bankrupt next week!"
The atmosphere became more harmonious.
The audience present didn't expect an Eastern face to be so interesting.
Completely unlike the ignorant and foolish image portrayed in the news!
"Another topic everyone cares about very much—"
Ellen revealed a "you know" smile: "Kristen Stewart. You two are considered one of Hollywood's most watched couples now. Can we talk about it?"
A round of jeering rose from the audience.
Cassius smiled, his attitude generous: "Kristen is an amazing actress. We are very comfortable together, understand each other, and support each other's careers!"
""
He didn't deliberately show off affection, but the sincerity and stability in his tone could be felt through the screen.
"Wow, very official answer!"
Ellen teased, but didn't dig deeper, turning to ask: "Does she have any unknown little habits in private? Like stealing your shirts or something?"
Cassius pretended to think, then said seriously: "I can't say this, after all, I still want to continue living in Beverly Hills!"
"Hahaha!"
Ellen laughed loudly: "OK, OK, protecting privacy, good man!"
The interview continued in a pleasant atmosphere.
Ellen asked a few more questions about his upbringing and how he started in Hollywood.
Cassius answered sincerely yet humorously, occasionally mocking his initial awkwardness as an extra, eliciting resonance from the audience.
Throughout the process, he gave the feeling of extreme relaxation and confidence.
Answering questions unhurriedly, eyes focused, occasionally throwing out jokes just right.
That invisible aura allowed him to firmly control the rhythm of the conversation, even a hosting veteran like Ellen couldn't help but be led by him.
Recording ended, and the audience erupted in enthusiastic applause.
Ellen hugged him again: "Cass, you were amazing! Must come again next time!"
Backstage, Rob rushed up excitedly, almost giving Cassius a bear hug: "Fuck! Did you see that? The audience reaction! Ellen's attitude towards you!"
"Bro, you were practically glowing tonight! That aura, amazing!"
"I bet after this episode airs, your fan count will explode!"
Cassius smiled.
He felt the [Aura] halo still filling his body.
The halo contributed greatly to this successful interview.
"Let's go!"
Cassius patted the still excited Rob: "Still have to wait for Warner's news tomorrow!"