At this moment, Joe thought back to the cold stares he received after his face was disfigured.
Even his agent gradually began to distance themselves from him.
The main reason he spent all his savings on facial reconstruction was to further his career in acting, but the cold indifference of others also acted as a major stimulus for him.
Then, he experienced firsthand the fickleness of human nature and gained a deeper understanding of it.
From that point on, his emotions became more stable, and his personality gradually grew more indifferent.
"Eh?"
Takayuki's eyes brightened slightly.
This Joe seemed pretty good.
It looked like bringing him along to participate in the performance was indeed a good choice.
...
...
Tukalev noticed Takayuki's reaction and immediately understood, then quickly said, "Takayuki, this is Joe, an actor I've worked with on a few projects. He was doing pretty well in his career, almost got picked up by a major agency, but then a car accident left him disfigured, and he ended up becoming a character actor. But his acting skills are definitely top-notch. If you're interested, I can act as the intermediary."
Takayuki raised his hand and said, "Let him perform first."
Tukalev immediately quieted down.
Inside the motion capture area, Joe had completely calmed down.
In front of him was a vast open area with only a few objects that could serve as basic cover or obstacles.
At that moment, in Joe's mind, the environment was slowly changing, and the surrounding scene seemed to turn dark. The obstacles turned into various objects, including cars, stones, and boxes.
In his mind, he envisioned a complete terrain with some fictional patrol soldiers.
Joe immediately crouched and began to crawl forward to a cover position, then patiently waited.
As the imagined patrol soldiers drew closer in his mind, he suddenly sprang forward with a lightning-fast move, swiftly taking down the soldiers and then quickly carrying them to the cover.
The whole thing was smooth and fluid—his movements were so quick and precise that if a computer were to calculate the motion values now, it would take at least three to six months to get it right.
But now, Joe alone completed all the movements in a very short amount of time.
At this point, Takayuki's eyes fully lit up.
He immediately asked the employee responsible for recording the data, "Did you record these values?"
"Yes, we've got them. This set of values is really impressive."
The employee, a seasoned veteran in motion capture, knew exactly what kind of movements were excellent. This kind of motion could be captured once and would benefit Gamestar Electronic Entertainment for years to come. It would become one of their most valuable assets.
"Great, let's keep watching."
Takayuki was beginning to feel a sense of anticipation for Joe.
He had already decided that Joe was the best choice for Snake's motion capture.
Once the main character was locked down, the rest of the characters would be relatively simple to cast.
Joe continued to perform, following the script, where he needed to contact the rear and then carry out the next task.
The entire performance was excellent. Even though the scene was empty, the actors felt as though they were truly in a dark enemy base.
Joe was wreaking havoc in the enemy camp, unstoppable by anyone.
At that moment, Joe had fully immersed himself in the role. He had started to enjoy playing this character.
In the script, this character still didn't have a name—he was just called "Lead Actor One."
He thought that such a character should definitely have a cool name, and if possible, he might even be willing to forgo his pay to play this role.
It was his pursuit of an acting career, seeking a role that truly resonated with him.
"Good! That's a wrap. Please wait aside, Mr. Joe, while the others continue."
Joe felt time had passed quickly. He hadn't even realized the performance was over.
It made him feel a little disappointed.
Is that it?
He hadn't even had his fill.
Sometimes, actors become completely immersed in their roles during performances and get addicted to them, not wanting to leave the character.
That was exactly how Joe felt.
But this was still work, and he reluctantly returned to the side, watching the other actors perform.
With Joe setting such a high bar, Takayuki felt that the performances of the other actors seemed lackluster.
Takayuki immediately spoke, "Let Joe be the lead character for Metal Gear."
Originally, he planned to discuss it a bit with others, but now he felt it wasn't necessary—Joe was the best choice for the role.
As for his appearance, that was actually a minor issue.
For fairness, Takayuki couldn't just announce who he had already decided on for the lead role.
At that moment, the other actors probably didn't realize that a disfigured person would become the lead.
Finding the right candidate had gone smoothly, and Takayuki felt very good about it.
Since finding the right person was so easy, the rest of the process should go smoothly too.
That night, Joe received a phone call from Gamestar Electronic Entertainment at his residence, congratulating him for becoming the lead character for the Metal Gear game development project.
At this moment, Joe felt remarkably calm inside.
He had thought he would be very excited.
"Uh, I have a question, not sure if I can ask it now."
"Of course, Mr. Joe, we're colleagues now. Feel free to ask any questions."
"I'd like to know the name of the character I'll be playing."
"Oh, right, I haven't told you yet. The name of the lead character in Metal Gear is Snake."
"Snake... Snake."
The name of the snake—it was exactly what he had guessed.
Joe's mood was very good.
He was happy to have received such a rare opportunity, and equally happy to play such a role.
And Gamestar Electronic Entertainment had promised him a pretty good salary.
However, at the same time, he would be permanently linked with the Metal Gear series. All future works would use him as the character's image, essentially buying his likeness outright.
Joe's appearance already resembled Snake about 50-60%. With the right hairstyle and beard, he could easily look 80-90% like him. In Takayuki's mind, Joe was the best candidate for Snake.
Next, with the lead role settled, it was time to choose the supporting characters. There weren't too many requirements—if their acting skills were up to par, they would pass the tests.
Meanwhile, there was also good news regarding the cooperation between the director, scriptwriters, producers, and the development team.
The directors and scriptwriters hired were not like the arrogant composers from before. They showed a willingness to try new fields, which was a very wise decision.