Salma Hayek had already appeared in several larger productions in Mexico, so Kevin was confident she could handle the pressure of a film set without hesitation.
In other words, she had the acting skills to play the female lead.
Kevin selected a brief scene from the script and asked Salma to perform a cold read.
After confirming that her acting and screen presence were both up to standard, Kevin asked, “Do you have an agent?”
Hearing this, Salma’s heart leaped with joy.
In Hollywood, this question almost certainly meant the lead role was within reach.
She quickly shook her head.
“No.
I haven’t been in Hollywood for very long, and I’m still learning English.
It’s not perfectly fluent yet.”
Kevin nodded and continued, “It’s okay, but if you ultimately land the lead role, you’ll need to sign with my agent at CAA.
Is that acceptable?”
“No problem!” Salma agreed without hesitation.
Kevin nodded and dismissed her for the day.
Over the next stretch of auditions, dozens more actresses came through.
But none of them gave Kevin the same striking impression as Salma.
Although a few dropped subtle, suggestive hints during their auditions, Kevin cared more about his debut film’s success than anything else.
As for beautiful actresses, Hollywood had an endless supply.
Once he succeeded and established his status in the industry, he would never lack women vying for his attention.
The female lead auditions wrapped up, and the male lead auditions finished shortly after.
In a standard horror film, the male lead was usually expendable.
The female lead, however, had specific requirements to satisfy the plot’s need for a little nudity, and she had to be exceptionally beautiful and sexy.
Finally, it was time to cast the absolute soul of the script—Jigsaw.
Dozens of good actors read for the script, but Kevin still couldn’t find a candidate he was truly satisfied with.
Although Jigsaw didn’t have many screen time, his importance is undeniable.
However, in this timeline, the original Jigsaw—Tobin Bell— had not yet entered the acting industry.
T/N: A quick search shows Tobin Bell was already acting in 1991, but the original author clearly didn’t realize that.
So we’ll just assume our protagonist’s memory is a bit fuzzy and keep it faithful to the author’s logic!
With a thirteen-year gap between 1991 and the original film’s 2004 release, Kevin couldn’t simply copy the original casting.
On top of that, he still needed to iron out a few minor flaws present in the original Saw.
These were all problems he had to solve himself.
…
As dusk settled over Los Angeles, Kevin stretched. This story is hosted at g.com.
Watching the crowd of hopeful actors finally disperse downstairs, he pulled out his phone to call Dawson.
“Hello, Kevin.
What’s up?”
“I haven’t found a suitable candidate for Jigsaw.
Out of all the actors over forty, none of them met my requirements,” Kevin said.
“Tell the casting department I’m relaxing the age restriction.
We can always age a younger actor up with makeup on set.”
“Kevin, I actually have a friend who might fit your vision for Jigsaw.
Why don’t you come over to my place tonight?” Dawson offered.
Facing Dawson’s sudden invitation, Kevin hesitated for only a second before agreeing.
Dawson had already helped him immensely, and this was just a casual meeting.
Whether he actually cast the guy was still entirely up to him, so there was no reason to reject the favor.
“Alright.
See you tonight!”
…
Dawson lived in a typical American middle-class, single-family home situated in a quiet white neighborhood.
T/N: A quick cultural note—since the story is set in 1991 Los Angeles, the author specifically points out the neighborhood’s demographics to reflect the housing realities and distinct cultural separations of that era.
Inside, the hostess was diligently preparing dinner for the guests in the kitchen.
In the living room, Dawson was chatting on the sofa with a kind-faced white man sporting a noticeably receding hairline—Clark Gregg.
“Gregg, trust me.
You really have the potential for this…”
“I didn’t realize you saw me that way, Dawson.
Do I really look like a serial killer to you?” the man said jokingly.
The two had been close friends for many years.
Seeing his friend struggle in Hollywood for several years, only landing uncredited background work, Dawson naturally wanted to offer him an opportunity now that he had a real project in his hands.
In fact, Gregg’s professional background was quite impressive.
As a graduate of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts—which ranked right alongside USC and UCLA as one of the country’s top film and acting schools—his fundamental acting ability was naturally unquestionable.
But in Hollywood, opportunity often mattered much more than raw talent.
Maybe Clark Gregg had simply been unlucky, or never had the right break.
And while his family had some financial savings, it clearly wasn’t enough to support his struggling acting career forever.
So Gregg naturally didn’t refuse his friend’s kindness.
Ding-dong!
The doorbell suddenly rang.
Dawson got up to answer the door, and Gregg quickly stood as well, suddenly feeling a little nervous.
When the door opened, Dawson announced loudly:
“Welcome, my friend!
The future great director of Hollywood, Steve Kevin, to our humble abode!”
Kevin looked momentarily speechless after hearing Dawson’s enthusiastic welcome.
At the CAA office, Dawson was a shrewd, formidable agent, but at home, he seemed like a completely different person.
It looked like he was letting his true, extroverted personality out in a relaxed setting.
“Alright, no need for the exaggerated introduction.
This must be the friend you mentioned.”
Kevin walked in naturally, shook hands with Clark Gregg, and took a seat.
In that exact moment, Kevin had already made up his mind: the role of Jigsaw was going to be entrusted to Gregg.
As for why?
Because with just a slight adjustment to his on-screen persona, Clark Gregg could perfectly capture the exact chilling, methodical vibe Kevin wanted for Jigsaw.
More than that, he was destined to be the ultimate “good guy” of the Marvel Cinematic Universe—the grounded, practical figure who united The Avengers and the future Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Agent Phil Coulson.
That was the Clark Gregg standing in front of him.
Out of his personal love for Marvel’s films in his past life, Kevin briefly looked up Clark Gregg’s professional background.
His credentials were incredibly solid: a graduate of the prestigious NYU Tisch School of the Arts.
Yet, in Kevin’s original timeline, Gregg hadn’t even received a notable credited role until around 2000, and didn’t truly break out as a supporting actor until 2006.
That alone proved how brutal his early Hollywood career had been.
But there was one specific trait Kevin valued highly: Gregg had immense, innate audience appeal.
Combined with his undeniable acting abilities, Kevin believed he was fully capable of pulling off the complex role of Jigsaw.
Plus, judging by his current appearance, with a little bit of aging makeup, he could easily pass for a man in his fifties or sixties.
Kevin didn’t mean it as an insult—he genuinely just thought the man looked incredibly mature and steady.
In other words, he looked much older than his actual age.
Clark Gregg naturally didn’t know that the role he wanted so badly had already firmly landed in his hands.
Now in his thirties, Gregg looked at the young man sitting across from him and couldn’t help but sigh internally.
Compared to someone like him, who had been struggling in Hollywood for years with nothing to show for it, Kevin truly was a genius.
He was already known as a prodigy at USC, and now, before even graduating, he had secured a massive investment from New Line Cinema to direct his own feature film.
That kind of golden opportunity was enough to make any struggling actor deeply envious.