For as long as Alexander can remember, acting was something that was not part of his character at all.
It was pretty much one of the driving reasons why he wanted nothing to do with his grandfather's voice acting request.
He wasn't shy about performing... well, maybe he is, but all in all, he just didn't want something to do with the entirety of it.
For someone who took relish in calm calculations and steady programs, why was there a need for him to do whatever emotional stretching that actors and the like do?
Even in school plays or projects involving theatrics, Alexander always found a way to relegate himself to a less expressive role. With his looks, he should be cast in the main role but his "support" abilities were too good that he shut the opposition down.
If people want him to play the prince, the boyfriend, or the villain, then they'd have to make sure that their computer guy or props manager was up for their tasks.
When interacting with other people throughout his life, he needn't put on some mask of flattery or whatever suits the opposite person. Alexander simply does what he usually does and nothing wrong seems to stem much from it.
Even during his Silicon Valley days with his array of bosses to have been under, he was just professional throughout with the lack of fawning at all. If anything, Alexander remembered some bankrupt bosses during the bubble burst seemed to have been the ones fawning toward robotic him instead.
The same could be said when he was being a player, womanizer, or playboy. When one thinks of a person that can take that mantle, one would automatically go to people who know how to manipulate foolish women and has acting tricks up their sleeve.
Well, playboy Alexander of past-future was different. He just had to do what he usually does and had his looks do most of the attracting. Granted, his abilities and steady wealth snagged a lot of attraction for his vain dates.
Snipes, his last temporary paramour, was just one of many. They parted quite simply and quite amicably and so was the rest.
There were very few tears, confrontation, and whatnot involved. Even if it did, Alexander would just be handsome and cool-faced throughout the ordeal. Hence, Alexander's acting was not something great overall.
The very inkling of why he went through with the Goku gig in its entirety was the fact that it was just lending voices and even if it had acting, Goku's Season 1 personality was among the most simple in emotions.
It was just being 'meh' and feeling normal throughout all his abnormal feats. Alexander was living that all through his re-life, so he felt that he just had to tweak a bit of his basic apathetic trait.
How could he have predicted that a supposedly easy thing had opened up a bit more to the complexity of thing?
His first VA section seems to have wowed an onlooking lot and Alexander had to get to the bottom of where his supposed acting talent blossomed from... or else... even he himself would have trouble rationalizing things.
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Acting or whatever actors do to wow people must stem from something. Alexander hadn't studied that field much but he could surmise that it might have something to do with visualizing.
A lot of professions have visual imagery as its factor and a lot of standardized tests on professions take visual acuity into account.
Although visualizing may not be the true core of artistic performance, it was pretty much how he could explain why things were happening to him.
Alexander jested that his previous 'imagined realm' was one of Ishaan's special creative episodes.
It was full of vivid imagination and immersion to the point that Ishaan gets swept up in it.
On a Math test that asked the answer for 3×9, the special boy had a battle of planets go on in his head. It was full of action and dynamic craft but by the time the creative episode ended, Ishaan had only answered one question... wrongly at that.
During his Dragonball animated visualization, Alexander felt that he could liken his experience to Ishaan's plight as well.
Unlike Ishaan whose real-life application of the skill had some lacks and lapses, it would seem that his version had inadvertently made him into a full-on actor.
He was swept up in matching the animated Goku on his visualizations and the effect it showed towards the onlookers was full-on actor or voice actor talent.
Of course, Ishaan had many peaks on his version as well. His competition-winning art piece by the end of the Amir Khan film was maximizing the perks of his creative episodes.
Art was a good use of this entire ultra-visualization thing but why did it have to pop up during voice acting in particular.
The hidden and recently surfaced trouble in his mind is to blame for all these. It was still far from his birthday or a re-life anniversary, so how come it had to suddenly flare up now? Had he done something during the VA session that inadvertently triggered the hidden trauma? It may not even be computer-aversing trauma now as Alexander could tell that it was more real than real.
Schizophrenia and dyslexia were out of contention since Alexander had not many troubles involving that throughout his life. However, the prospects of everything involving the Chaos Program and the chaos monster seemed much more concerning.
In any case, it seemed to be quite beneficial in some ways now than how traumatizing it felt during his re-10th birthday. Had the unfeeling monster in his mind mellowed out during the months?
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Of course, it may not be so beneficial in Alexander's case as his old grandfather's "plans" seem to have become much more apparent at the same time as he ruminated on the acting talent weirdness.
"Haha! Alex, you really surprised your grandpa today!" Old Sullivan did not dally any further and confronted his grandson as soon as he was out of the recording box.
"Nothing special happened, grandpa." Alexander uttered as an undeniable "fact". "Whatever surprised you is just a figment of your imagination."
"Hoho. Your entire countenance was way too obvious on its change. How could a previous production manager and now-established producer like me not notice? I dabbled with the adult sort and I now dabble with Hollywood actors, my eye for money-making acting talent had not blurred yet." Old Sullivan could not be fooled. "How about it, Alex? Shouldn't you be classmates with little Milla now? Her acting tutor would surely open a spot."
"No. Voice acting is enough for me. Acting is a no-go." Alexander really had to put his figurative foot down at this much earlier time of the "acting talent" discovery. "The whole "trying is better than denying" schtick wouldn't work this time around."
"Hoho. What about the fact that it could help our Creed companies a ton?" Old Sullivan grinned. Too bad for little Alex again, he had a strategic proposition that could not be overlooked.
He knew his grandson well. Even if he wouldn't like acting at all, how could a business-boy's personal non-acting preference compromise on an advantageous pro for his company?
Alexander knew what his grandfather was insinuating but he was not buying it at all. He could grow the company without being a very public face of it. "Acting or me being an actor is not very "helpful" for the company at all."
"Hmm..." Old Sullivan hummed as he knew that truth as well. "Put a pin on this proposition of mine though. You never know when it might be needed to deal with something specific."
The old man retreated for now but his wily face meant that he could try again with much more cohesive reasoning that would be hard to decline on.
Anyways, this time, Alexander had ample time to better prepare for his side on the acting/no acting debate. He lost on the VA one and he wouldn't want that to happen again.
Muddling on voice acting has already resulted in baffling discoveries, he didn't want other unforeseen factors that come with film production and theatrics.
The young and old Creed is set to confront while the overhearing employees could only feel wry at their bosses' way of doing things.
One wants while one doesn't, everyone else just wants in on it. Maybe this was the true difference between the lifestyles of the two parties.