The actual filming location for 2 Broke Girls was at the Warner Bros. Studio lot in Burbank, Los Angeles.
Driving in, Cassius looked at the soundstages with various show title signs. The feeling was completely different from the green screens surrounding him during Thor.
It felt more lived-in!
Every soundstage represented the lives of many people within a show.
Rob dropped him off outside the soundstage used for 2 Broke Girls and patted his shoulder.
"Relax. Sitcoms aren't that serious. Just treat it like working at a crappy diner owned by a friend."
Cassius nodded, took a deep breath, and walked in.
The interior of the soundstage was meticulously built into the Williamsburg Diner set.
A slightly dilapidated but lively restaurant.
The jars behind the counter and the grease stains on the menus looked incredibly realistic.
Several technicians were adjusting the overhead lights.
"Hey! Look who's here, our mysterious Eastern boss!"
A fast-talking female voice rang out.
Kat Dennings walked over from the diner booths.
The favorability score above her head was still stuck at [55]!
She wore Max's signature yellow waitress uniform with red stripes, a black trench coat over it. The neckline of the uniform was quite low, revealing ample assets!
She hadn't put on full makeup yet, but that lethargic and sassy vibe was already there.
"Kat!"
Cassius hugged her briefly, once again feeling the astonishing curves.
"Hope I'm not late!"
"Relax, still hours before the audience comes in!"
Kat shrugged. "Today is just blocking, getting familiar with the movements so you don't smash your head on the counter later."
Cassius hadn't expected an audience even for rehearsal!
He couldn't help feeling a bit nervous.
At this moment, Beth Behrs also bounced over. Her long blonde hair was tied in a ponytail, wearing Caroline's socialite dress that was clearly out of place in the diner.
The pearl necklace on her neck was surprisingly large!
"Cass! Welcome to the restaurant with the most potential in New York!"
Her smile was brilliant, carrying Caroline's innocent enthusiasm.
"Thanks, hope I don't lower the average attractiveness here!"
Cassius cracked a joke.
Beth giggled.
"Come on, after you arrived, the attractiveness standard of our shop needs to be recalculated!"
[Beth Behrs Favorability 50]
A green attribute orb dropped from Beth, carrying her extroverted vitality.
[Sweet & Outgoing Infectiousness +2]
Director Michael Patrick King walked over with the script.
"Cass, welcome aboard. Familiar with the script? Today is mainly to get you used to the rhythm with a live audience..."
He pointed to the four corners of the ceiling.
"Remember those red indicator lights. When they light up, it means there's a laugh point. You need to leave time for the audience to laugh, don't talk over them. This is called holding for laughs!"
Cassius nodded seriously.
This was something he hadn't encountered on film sets.
"A sitcom is like a small stage play!"
The director added: "Acting rhythm is important, but interacting with the audience's emotions is even more important!"
"Remember, Han Lee isn't background decoration. You are one of the tone-setters of this diner. Your dry humor needs to form a contrast with Max's roasting."
[Director Michael Patrick King Favorability 40]
Next, the director introduced the other regular cast members.
Jonathan Kite, who played the cook Oleg, winked at Cassius, embodying a slightly sleazy and comical temperament himself.
Garrett Morris, who played the cashier Earl, was an elderly African-American actor. He looked very composed and nodded to Cassius with a smile.
[Jonathan Kite (Oleg) Favorability 35]
[Garrett Morris (Earl) Favorability 45]
Blocking began.
Cassius needed to familiarize himself with all routes: coming out from behind the counter, going to the tables, and returning to the counter.
Couldn't block the camera angles, nor conflict with other actors' movements.
At first, he was a bit rusty and almost tripped over a cable on the floor.
"Watch it, Boss!"
Kat, playing Max, improvised immediately while chewing gum.
"If you break, we don't have money to hire a new one."
Several crew members on set laughed.
Cassius laughed too and followed up with a line outside the script: "Then I'll deduct it from your wages."
Kat paused, then clutched her exaggerated chest.
"Damn capitalist!"
[Kat Dennings Favorability +5, Current Favorability 60]
A blue attribute orb dropped from Kat.
[Improvised Comedy Rhythm +3]
During the blocking, Cassius carefully observed Kat and Beth's acting styles.
Kat's roasting rhythm was fast and precise, carrying a nonchalant sharpness.
Beth excelled at using exaggerated body language and expressions to portray Caroline's fallen socialite vibe.
He silently absorbed these experiences.
In the afternoon, the first batch of live audience members began to enter.
Seeing the completely realistic diner set and the actors, they emitted excited chatter.
Cassius could feel an energy different from film shooting.
This was the charm of instant feedback!
Rehearsal officially began.
When Cassius spoke his lines in front of the audience for the first time with that slightly reserved yet mysterious tone, and casually performed a coin trick, a ripple of light laughter and curious whispering came from the audience.
"Whoa, the boss is interesting."
An audience member whispered.
It was rare for an Asian face to appear in the public eye with such a positive and mysterious image.
Cassius breathed a slight sigh of relief.
Behind the monitor, the director also nodded.
During a break in rehearsal, Kat came over and handed him a bottle of water.
"Not bad, no stage fright!"
"Mainly because Miss Max's aura is too strong, I didn't dare have stage fright."
Cassius unscrewed the water bottle.
Kat laughed. "Keep this up, we'll get along fine!"
Beth also came over to encourage him.
"Cass, your vibe is really special, fits the character Han Lee very well!"
[Beth Behrs Favorability +5, Current Favorability 55]
Cassius found that the atmosphere on a sitcom set was indeed more relaxed and casual.
Interactions between actors were more like real friends.
Rehearsal continued.
The opening scene was Max interacting with two young male diners.
Max unleashed a barrage of output, especially frequent sharp-tongued one-liners:
"I wear a knit hat because it's cold out; you wear a knit hat because of Coldplay!"
"You have a tattoo to piss off your dad? My dad doesn't even know he's my dad!"
...
Followed by a few adult double entendres!
Eliciting applause and cheers from the whole audience!
[Double Entendre Humor +3]
Cassius absorbed silently!
Feeling his understanding of American culture deepening a bit more.
After rehearsal ended and the audience left, the director gave a brief summary, specifically praising Cassius for adapting quickly to the live rhythm.
Cassius looked at the emptying soundstage, feeling like he had just experienced a joyous party.
Walking out of the soundstage.
Rob was waiting for him in the car. "How was it?"
Cassius buckled his seatbelt and rubbed his face, stiff from smiling.
"Like working three jobs at once: an actor, a diner owner, and a talk show warm-up guest."
Rob laughed heartily.
"Welcome to the world of sitcoms! Official taping tomorrow. Be ready for more laughter and potentially awkward silences."
"Relax!"
Cassius looked out the window. "Boss Han Lee is ready to cast a divination to save the scene at any time!"