In the following preparation work, Cassius behaved more and more professionally and dedicatedly.
During the table reads, he not only studied his own part thoroughly but also offered some personal suggestions for Keira Knightley and Gina Carano's lines, especially regarding character interactions and emotional logic.
As the creator of the script, he had more say in these matters!
His suggestions were often based on the character's own motivations rather than trying to steal the spotlight, which made them easier for the two actresses and the screenwriters to accept.
As the cast and crew got to know each other better, the preparation work before filming was completed smoothly.
After some friendly communication, Gina Carano's favorability rose to 55, and Keira Knightley's rose to 58!
During this process, Cassius was also picking up attribute orbs like crazy!
Being the lead actor and participating in a script he created himself felt completely different for Cassius.
Especially with such a big-budget superhero movie and the addition of Keira Knightley!
The quality of the attribute orbs skyrocketed!
[Line Rhythm +7]
[Action Intent Transmission +6]
[Spatial Positioning Sense +5]
Basically, they were all purple attribute orbs, and occasionally a gold one would appear!
The experience numbers on Cassius's attribute panel skyrocketed!
[Acting Attribute Panel]
Lines: Lv3 (98/600)
Body Language: Lv3 (130/600)
Expression: Lv3 (75/600)
Eyes: Lv3 (168/600)
Emotion: Lv3 (103/600)
Rhythm: Lv3 (105/600)
Aura: Lv3 (118/600)
---
The first batch of scenes to be filmed for Green Lantern focused on the training ground on Oa.
This meant a lot of green screen acting and a lot of action scenes.
Cassius and Gina's scenes together were the top priority.
One was a coder who had just gained power and was struggling clumsily.
The other was a former special forces instructor with a tough style who believed in actual combat.
In the script, Cassius suffered a lot under Gina's hands, being tortured by various throws, locks, and tactical moves until he doubted life.
But it was precisely this almost cruel training that forced out his potential and unique coping methods.
The action direction team designed a series of fighting moves that were both visually appealing and characteristic of the roles.
Gina's parts were natural, sharp, and full of combat realism, while Cassius's parts needed to highlight clumsiness, occasional weird dodges of brilliance, and the resilience to grit his teeth and endure.
On the first day of shooting, action rehearsal began.
Gina Carano, wearing a training suit with a sharp ponytail, stood there like an unsheathed saber, full of aura.
Cassius also changed into a combat suit.
"Okay, Cass, let's go through the basic moves first!"
The action director stood by: "Gina will do a standard tackle charge. You try to block with your arm, but she is too strong, so you will lose your balance. Then she follows up with a side throw, and you fall here. Understand?"
Cassius nodded to show he understood.
He understood the theory, and his Level 3 Body Language attribute gave him body control far beyond ordinary people, allowing him to learn moves quickly.
But actually acting against a former professional champion like Gina was quite stressful!
Action!
Gina's eyes narrowed, she pushed off her feet, and lunged forward with extreme speed. The momentum was like the opening of a real MMA match.
Cassius subconsciously blocked according to the design.
The moment their arms touched!
A huge force was transmitted!
Even though Gina had held back most of her strength, Cassius still felt like he had been hit by a small motorcycle.
He stumbled back two steps before stabilizing, his arm numb.
[Physical Explosive Power +5]
A purple attribute orb dropped!
This woman is so strong!
Cassius gritted his teeth and absorbed it, feeling the muscles on his body tighten a bit.
"Cut! Gina, hold back a bit, hold back a bit more!"
Dave quickly called for a stop!
"Cass, you need to time your block a bit earlier, and your arm angle should be like this—"
Gina stopped and looked at Cassius with a slightly apologetic face: "Sorry, habit. You okay?"
"I'm fine!"
Cassius shook his arm and grinned: "Again, I'm ready this time!"
After the enhancement from the [Heartthrob Enhancer], his physical fitness was still very good, and his lines were smooth.
But they were all show muscles; his actual combat ability was very poor!
Cassius took this opportunity to raise his physical fitness to another level!
After all, in America, who knows if he might get targeted by some "brothers" for a "zero-dollar purchase" one day!
After what just happened, he clearly felt that Gina was becoming more cautious.
This former champion was obviously suppressing her instincts and strength for fear of hurting him.
This newly transformed actress obviously hadn't fully adapted to the flashy style of acting yet!
This constraint made the movements look a bit fake and lacking in punch.
After a few more rehearsals, the results were not ideal.
No more attribute orbs dropped during their interaction!
Obviously, neither of them was in the zone!
This won't do!
During the break, Cassius walked over to Gina, unscrewed a bottle of water, and handed it to her: "Gina, don't treat me like I'm made of glass! In the script, Sierra is supposed to train Cassius to death. Just hit me the way you think is right. I can take it! At most, it'll hurt a bit, just bruises. Makeup can cover it!"
Gina took the water and looked at him in surprise.
She had worked with many male actors. When encountering high-intensity action scenes, there were plenty who asked for stunt doubles, lowered difficulty, or even dictated how their co-stars should cooperate.
There weren't many actors like Cassius who actively asked for it to be real!
"You sure?"
Gina raised an eyebrow: "If I get serious, I might not be able to control my strength."
"Of course!"
Cassius looked serious: "If it's not real, the audience won't believe it. The protagonist must look like he's really in pain when he gets beaten in the movie so that I can portray real growth!"
He smiled: "Besides, I also want to see how big the gap is between me and a former MMA champion!"
These words aroused Gina's competitive spirit.
"Good!"
She nodded, her eyes becoming serious: "Then let's try. But if you think it's not working, call stop immediately!"
Rehearsal starts again!
Gina no longer deliberately held back her strength, and that fierce aura like a battlefield returned.
Charge, tackle, trip—
The movements were fast as lightning and full of power.
This time, Cassius pushed his Level 3 Body Language attribute to the limit!
Reaction, coordination, and core strength were all mobilized, trying hard to block, dodge, and neutralize Gina's attacks.
Unsurprisingly, Cassius was still crushed.
Gina's strength, speed, and grasp of distance and timing were forged through thousands of tempers.
Cassius's attributes were reflected more in control and learning; his actual combat experience was too lacking.
He was constantly knocked down!
Although there were protective gears and mats, the muffled sound of impact and real pain couldn't be faked.
Bang!
Once again, he was thrown onto the mat by Gina using a judo throw.
Cassius felt his internal organs shift, and his vision went black.
But just as he gritted his teeth and got up, his brain buzzing with pain and adrenaline, he saw several attribute orbs instantly burst out from Gina!
[Combat Distance Sense +8]
[Explosive Power Control +7]
[Precise Grasp of Tackle Angles +10]
All high-quality purple attribute orbs!
A golden one even dropped!
Cassius's spirit was lifted, and he absorbed them instantly!
Waves of subtle insights about actual combat flooded into his mind, and his body seemed to remember those ways of exerting force and timing control.
How he was thrown just now seemed clearer.
"Continue!"
Cassius wiped the sweat from his face, his eyes brighter.
Gina saw that not only did he not cower, but he fought more bravely!
Or rather, the more he got beaten, the more spirited he became!
The surprise and appreciation in her eyes grew stronger.
[Gina Carano Favorability +3, Current Favorability: 58]
She also let go and started adding some more complex combinations and ground suppression techniques.
Of course, she still controlled key areas and strength, but the realism skyrocketed.
Like the most diligent student, Cassius frantically absorbed the high-quality combat attributes dropping from Gina during each teaching session.
He took a moment to open his attribute panel and almost laughed out loud.
The [Body Language] attribute experience skyrocketed by nearly 80 points!
The [Eyes] attribute rose by 15 points!
Even the [Aura] attribute rose by 10 points!
The experience points gained in one day were more than a usual week of work!
"You're a lunatic!"
When wrapping up, Gina said to Cassius while untying the bandages on her hands, her tone full of admiration: "I've never seen an actor who can take a beating like this. You know what? Your last few responses today even started to show a shadow of MMA!"
Cassius slumped on the mat, panting with a smile: "It's all thanks to the instructor's good teaching!"
Gina laughed too, walked over, extended her hand, and pulled him up.
"Continue tomorrow! Next week I'll start teaching you some basic ground defense and escape. You can't just take beatings!"
She paused: "Honestly, if you had trained earlier, you might really have been able to fight in amateur matches."
[Gina Carano Favorability +2, Current Favorability: 60]
In the following days, Cassius and Gina's action rehearsals became a scene on the set.
Every day, the muffled sounds from the mat and Cassius's occasional grunts could be heard, but his progress could also be seen.
From being unilaterally beaten at the beginning, he gradually became able to make some effective blocks and dodges.
Under Gina's guidance, he could occasionally use some unorthodox counterattacks that fit the character's identity!
It had both comedic effect and realism!
Director Martin came over to watch a few times.
He was very satisfied with the gunpowder-filled, real state between the two.
"That's it! This is how Green Lantern should be drilled!"
He clapped his hands and arranged for the action director: "Capture these real interactions as much as possible!"
Gina's favorability toward Cassius steadily rose from 60 to 68 with the daily beating lessons and her recognition of his learning ability.
And Cassius's attribute panel was like riding a rocket.
Especially the [Body Language] attribute; under the irrigation of a large number of high-purity combat attribute orbs, the experience bar soared at a visible speed!
On the most prolific day, the single-day increase actually broke through 100 points!
Other related attributes also rose a lot!
Every night when he returned to his residence, although Cassius's body felt like it was falling apart, his spirit was extremely hyper.
After nearly two weeks of hellish action rehearsals and attribute harvesting, Cassius and Gina's first official action shot was finally about to start filming.
This scene was one of the highlights of the Oa training base.
Instructor Sierra conducted high-intensity confrontation training on Cassius, aiming to force out his instinctive use of the ring's energy.
Under extreme embarrassment and pressure, Cassius unconsciously used the ring energy to construct a temporary shield for the first time, blocking Sierra's fatal blow, but was also blasted back due to energy loss of control.
Some training equipment and platforms were built inside the huge green screen studio.
The action director and team repeatedly checked the safety measures, and the wire equipment was also ready.
Director Martin sat behind the monitor, holding a walkie-talkie: "All departments ready. Gina, Cass, remember the rhythm and positioning. Safety first!"
"Let's try to pass within three takes!"
Gina Carano had already entered the state of Instructor Sierra, her eyes cold and hard, moving her wrists and ankles.
She looked at Cassius and whispered: "Follow the rehearsal. Pay attention to the real power point after my right hand feints. The timing of the shield must be accurate!"
Cassius nodded and took a deep breath.
He felt in great shape.
After days of beatings and absorbing experience, those complex positioning, dodging, and ukemi movements had formed muscle memory.
Cassius now had a near-intuitive understanding of Gina's movement patterns.