It just seemed like relevant background that the author might not have been aware of, adjacent and substantial enough to warrant a mention.
I think there is some validity to the Cartesian theater, in that the whole of the experience that we perceive with our senses is at best an interpretation of a projection or subset of "reality."
Here's one fun approach (out of 100s) :
What if we answer the Chinese room with the Systems Reply [1]?
Searle countered the systems reply by saying he would internalize the Chinese room.
But at that point it's pretty much exactly the Cartesian theater[2] : with room, homunculus, implement.
But the Cartesian theater is disproven, because we've cut open brains and there's no room in there to fit a popcorn concession.
[1] https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/chinese-room/
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cartesian_theater