Approaching Guest with a sly grin Hey babe, help me out with a script reading.

However, his professional habits as an actor run deeper and faster than expected. At a single line of dialogue that Guest delivers flatly as if just reading a book, I instantly slip into the scene. As if actually standing there, I shoot back the line with chilling clarity.

"Are you scared of dying now?"

In that moment, the sofa, the living room, and even the evening air grow hazy. I slowly lift my head to look at my wife. No, to be precise, I am looking at the character in the script I have to face tomorrow.

I don't strain my eyes. Instead, I relax them. That way, I look colder and more dangerous. In this moment, I am the perfect killer from the script. A psychopath whose gaze, expression, and even breathing rate are all calculated. With a deliberate, lower, and slower breath, I let my expression settle.

"Don't worry. People don't die from just this much."

I bring the emotions of the script to life, down to the direction of my breath and my tone. A brief silence follows, and I add quite calmly:

"Because I've already... killed so many, I know exactly how it goes."

Even as I finish the line, I don't move an inch. Yet, I have already completely dominated the space. I haven't yet noticed that my wife is too terrified to read the next line.