Characterization

Lucas already wore the clothes of "Marshall Dylan" in the changing room as he was preparing, and all he has to do now is to prepare for a moment to embody the character of "Marshall Dylan" and analyze the personality of "Marshall Dylan".

From what Lucas sees in the character of "Marshall Dylan" so far, although his character is just a supporting role, "Marshall Dylan" has depth. Dylan may appear laid back, but he is smart enough to compose a song in the episode "The Incident."

To be honest, after reading the scripts several times, Lucas is quite sure that if the original owner of this body were to read the script, the original owner would at least relate to the character of "Marshall Dylan."

Why? The character of "Marshall Dylan" was also kicked out by his mother several times.

Although the original owner of Lucas's body was kicked out by his father due to the influence of his stepmother, and Dylan was kicked several times while the original owner of Lucas's body was only kicked once, there is still similarity in the situation.

When Lucas realized that, he thinks from the original owner of his body's perspective. He thought that by taking the perspective of the original owner or the original soul of his current body, it would be much easier and more relatable for him to act the character of "Marshall Dylan," and it might be natural for his body to act the character.

What Lucas didn't expect was that it actually works.

Although Lucas has to admit that he thought he would struggle with the characterization by taking the perspective of the original owner of his current body and thinking that it may not even work at all, he was quite surprised by the result.

Lucas could feel that his body was actually effectively reacting by taking the perspective of the predecessor of his current body.

He could feel the emotions overflowing. It seems like the emotions of the previous 'Lucas,' the owner of his current body, were being released.

The feeling of grief from the predecessor's body was vividly experienced by the current Lucas.

"This grief?" Lucas thought in surprise, then memories of the predecessor's body flashed in Lucas's mind.

The memory was of how the previous Lucas searched for jobs in New York. Then, no one was willing to take him in.

After that, there was also the moment when the previous Lucas had a conflict with his father and the discord he had with his father before being kicked out of the house...

Although the previous Lucas had no recollection of his own mother, he always had complex feelings when seeing other kids with a mother or scenes of parent-child bonding.

Despite the mixed emotions, the current Lucas knew it was a negative one; perhaps the grief and depression were evident feelings that the previous Lucas was experiencing.

Following that sense of grief, the current Lucas then felt emptiness, the feeling of abandonment, as if there were no people in this world he could truly rely on, except himself.

That's when the previous Lucas became independent and tried his best to mask his complicated feelings by numbing himself with the aspiration of achieving something in life.

The previous Lucas didn't want to succumb to sorrow or perish because of his depression. Instead, he chose to live with it, opting to set goals for himself, aspiring to live independently, and aiming for success in life. The previous Lucas seemed determined to surpass his father, attending auditions in the hope of becoming an actor. His roommate, Paul, also an actor, accompanied him to auditions.

The previous Lucas dreamt of becoming a successful actor, leaving behind his half-brother, who was also an actor. However, that aspiration was never realized due to the untimely demise of the precious Lucas.

The complicated feelings of the previous Lucas overwhelmed the current Lucas.

After experiencing all the emotions from the previous Lucas flooding into his body, he felt like he embodied the previous Lucas rather than "Marshall Dylan."

Sitting while grappling with the intense emotions of the previous Lucas, he tried to suppress them, aware that the crew might notice an overwhelmed expression.

He massaged his forehead to calm himself, and gradually, the feelings and emotions of the previous Lucas calmed down before disappearing.

"Damn... I didn't expect to encounter such a weird moment," Lucas thought to himself, sighing in relief when he realized his turn to act was still not in place.

"Although taking the perspective of the predecessor didn't fully embody the character of Marshall Dylan, it enlightened me quite a bit. It will surely help me embody Marshall Dylan more effectively and accurately," Lucas thought as he gulped water from the bottle provided by the production.

Despite the fact that the previous Lucas, the original owner of his current body, faced more harsh treatment in life compared to "Marshall Dylan," it also provided valuable insights for the current Lucas.

At least now, Lucas has a better understanding of the character "Marshall Dylan" or, to be more accurate, Lucas has gained more insight into the experiences of people who feel abandonment, the sensation of having no one to rely on.

Honestly, Lucas can also relate to this feeling. In his previous life as a struggling actor, he faced discrimination from fellow actors and actresses, who sometimes treated him like an errand boy.

Interestingly, some assistants of successful actors would even order him around, asking for coffee, with the promise that if Lucas complied, they might introduce him to the successful actor. The hope was that the successful actor would then recommend him to other directors, potentially securing a project for Lucas. Despite having no connections, Lucas chose to gamble and believe these assistants every time.

Hence, the feelings of loneliness and a lack of care were not unfamiliar to Lucas.

Now given a chance in life and the opportunity to act in one of the most successful TV series, "Modern Family," Lucas is committed to portraying his role as "Marshall Dylan" to the best of his ability. Despite the role being a supporting one and seemingly uncomplicated, he aims to bring his interpretation and perspective to the character in line with both his own understanding and the vision of the writers.

In this process, Lucas internalizes his role, and soon, his eyes take on a touch of laziness. This is in line with the writers' discussions, which emphasized that "Marshall Dylan" should appear lazy. The writers mentioned a character backstory, leaving Lucas to decipher it on his own. Based on his interpretation, derived from the script and his knowledge of watching "Modern Family" in his previous life, Dylan's lazy demeanor hides the untold story of a broken family. This background shapes his character, steering him towards the dream of becoming a singer and composing songs to make it big in the music industry—particularly evident in the early seasons, though the character's goals eventually change in the later seasons.

Gradually embodying "Marshall Dylan" with laid-back movements and eyes conveying indifference, Lucas infuses a sense of rebellion into his actions. Contrasted with his initial performance as "Marshall Dylan," there's now a noticeable edge, and observers might easily mistake him for a rockstar.

AN:

(I made a mistake: This was chapter 12, not chapter 11. The chapter 11 was corrected. Check it out.)