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“I don’t think I want to know more about that. What I do need to know is what Haru plans to do, now that you scared her.”

“Just be super-nice to her. The poor girl is about to fall apart on us, worrying about what you’ll do next.”

“Who am I going to lunch with?” I asked to change the subject.

“Mr. Nomura. He’s the senior actor, and you should show him deference and ask him to be your mentor. It would mean a lot to everyone if you did,” Misaki said.

“Explain that to me.”

“The mentor relationship was created via Confucian teaching. I’m sure you’ve heard the words senpai and kōhai. It is a mentoring relationship that is formed in a variety of situations. The senpai is experienced and helps or offers friendship and guidance to the inexperienced kōhai. The kōhai, in return, must demonstrate gratitude, respect, and occasionally personal loyalty. It would be a great honor for Mr. Nomura to be your senpai,” she explained.

“Why would this be a big deal to the cast?” I asked.

“Knowing that Mr. Nomura accepted you as his kōhai would mean that you are more than the gaijin hired to be sexy and cute,” Misaki said.

Her little smile and adding the ‘sexy and cute’ helped soften the blow. I had to remember that people around the world had preconceived opinions of Americans that I would have to work to overcome. I might be big in Japan, but I was still an outsider.

Misaki left me to get ready herself. When I made it to the set, I found Mr. Nomura and formally asked him to lunch. It was apparent the Japanese contingent approved.

◊◊◊

I took Mr. Nomura to V’s Restaurant and Bar. It looked like an upscale diner from the outside, and the inside was well done. It was modern, but with a lot of wood accents and low lighting to give it an inviting feel. The menu had an Italian flair with traditional American favorites sprinkled in.

“You’ve done a lot to help teamwork on the set. These lunches are highly coveted. Thank you for inviting me,” Mr. Nomura said.

“I hope to get to know everyone better, but with you, I have an ulterior motive. I was hoping you could help guide me in working better with my castmates.”

Mr. Nomura was probably my dad’s age. He would fit into Hollywood because he looked like a TV star. He had long hair that he combed back, and it had started to show gray highlights at the temples. Mr. Nomura also had a small goatee and mustache that had gray beginning to come in. He still looked youthful but now had an air of authority and sophistication. He made the perfect dean for the show.

“I would very much like to help you,” he said.

Once that was out of the way, he opened up and started to share with me. Mr. Nomura had been on various Japanese TV shows over the past twenty years. He was actually Chinese, but had changed his name for Japanese TV, and was also a producer and musician. He’d taken this role so he could have time in the States and was auditioning for roles on his days off. Mr. Nomura had a callback for a show coming out called Altered Carbon; it was due out on Netflix next year.

He then dug into my life. I gave him the Cliff Notes version. He was fascinated with everything I’d done to this point.

“To be as young as you are with everything in front of you …” he said and trailed off.

He then looked up at me and held my eyes.

“What makes you happy?” Mr. Nomura asked.

“My children and family. My girlfriend. Good friends. That’s what immediately comes to mind,” I answered.

“You just told me about everything you’re doing and what you plan to do before you go to college. Then it’s off to college for an extended period. Don’t you find it telling that they are not involved in most of it?

“There’s an old saying: he who chases two rabbits catches none. Yet somehow, you’ve split your focus between sports, acting, modeling, and family. I realize that you’ve made commitments, and I would never suggest that you don’t honor them. At some point, you must find the one thing that makes you both happy and fulfilled,” he said.

“I’ve been thinking about that. I sat down with my uncle this last fall, and we had a long talk about it not being about the path but more about what I wanted to achieve. That there are many paths that will get me there; I just need to know where I’m going. It has driven me crazy, trying to figure that out,” I admitted.

Mr. Nomura smiled at me.

“It sounds like your uncle is someone I would like to meet. Let me give you one piece of advice, and then we must get back to work: life is simple, but we insist on complicating it.”

I couldn’t help myself; I snorted. He and my uncle would make a pair. Well, shit! This was one more person who I felt had my best interest at heart, telling me to look to the future. The sad part was I knew they were right. My life goals were supposed to help me work towards that future.