Actor in Hollywood

"Hey!"

A figure pushed open the door of the lounge, lowering their voice but unable to contain their curiosity and excitement, fidgeting like a restless monkey. After drawing attention with a call, they eagerly asked.

"Did you guys see that handsome guy in the studio? Who is he?"

When men gather, they talk about women; when women gather, they talk about men. Though the way they express it may differ, the bubbling and churning of hormones are quite similar.

"Him! That guy!"

"The one with the parachute!"

"Ah, the pretty face."

"Yeah, that pretty face!"

"He arrived early at the set today. I heard from Scott in the production crew that he came to check out the set and even studied the blocking."

"They didn't realize who he was; they thought he was some executive's son."

"But he's really charming."

"Yes, yes, yes, he has that *The Talented Mr. Ripley* vibe."

"Ah, I knew he looked familiar. It's *The Talented Mr. Ripley*! Jude Law, right?"

Boom!

A wave of excitement surged through them.

The energy burst through the thin door of the studio, alarming those outside. Everyone quickly fell silent, exchanging glances, but the excitement and giddiness in their eyes and on their flushed cheeks couldn't be suppressed.

Or should it be called gossip?

After a brief silence, the low, restless chatter started up again, with some so excited they began to bounce on their toes, barely able to contain their enthusiasm.

"Yeah, he's really good-looking."

"Absolutely."

"This pretty face is really something. Looks like David finally got what he wanted."

"What David? It's Marta. She's been looking forward to having a pretty face in the cast."

"A pretty face might be useless, but it's still a pleasure to look at."

"Who knows? Maybe our show will turn out a George Clooney too."

George Clooney also started his career on the small screen, gaining fame by playing a sexy surgeon in *ER*. He later made guest appearances on *Friends*, which helped launch his acting career.

This weekend, a piece of news spread through the *Friends* set like an April Fool's joke. Everyone knew about the sudden change in guest stars, each with their own guesses and opinions.

But now, seeing the person in the flesh, their opinions quietly shifted—

So that's how it is.

What had previously seemed incomprehensible or unacceptable now suddenly made sense.

At least, that was the case for this small group of women, whose eyes sparkled with newfound understanding and joy.

"George Clooney? Let's not get carried away. You think just anyone can become George Clooney? Even being a pretty face isn't that easy."

"Ah... you're right. There are pretty faces like Gwyneth Paltrow, but there are also pretty faces like Brad Pitt."

"Looks like today's work is going to be quite a treat for the eyes."

"Let's just hope this pretty face has a good personality. If he's too dull or awkward, it'll really kill the mood."

---

"Hey, really? I just like straightforward, handsome guys who are a bit like a vase."

"You mean the Ben Affleck type?"

"What? Ben Affleck is straightforward? Do you have a misunderstanding about the word 'straightforward'?"

"I think she has a misunderstanding about Affleck."

"Haha, hahahaha."

Chattering, unable to contain their excitement—

In some ways, the crew of a TV series isn't much different from regular office workers. Although the work content differs, they too are like cogs in the machine, dutifully completing their tasks from nine to five, far from the glamorous image one might imagine.

For them, a bit of fresh gossip is needed to stimulate the nerves.

Especially on Mondays.

Like millions of other working people, the crew also dreads and even loathes Mondays, as they mark the beginning of another busy and stressful week.

What's worse is that not only the "Friends" crew, but all the other TV crews filming nearby, are in the same boat. The atmosphere during lunch breaks or cigarette breaks is filled with complaints, making the work environment quite unpleasant.

Perhaps the only thing that can slightly ease the stress of Monday is gossip.

So, one by one, people gather around, even if they're not interested, using it as an excuse to slack off and delay starting work.

The story of "Friends" is set in New York, primarily taking place in a café called "Central Perk"—not "Central Park." Naturally, viewers believe the show should be filmed in New York.

However, that's not the case.

From the first episode of the first season, "Friends" has been filmed on Stage 24 of the Warner Bros. Studio in Burbank, Los Angeles.

All the scenes in the show are shot in this studio.

Everything happens in Los Angeles.

This is one of the charms of Hollywood. If they want to, they can create any scene imaginable in a Los Angeles studio.

For example, a city.

Moreover, "Friends" has achieved something quite special.

Canned laughter was a staple of sitcoms in the 80s and 90s, used by production teams to create a light-hearted atmosphere and encourage the audience to laugh along, even if the joke wasn't particularly successful.

"Friends" was no exception.

But as the show grew more successful, more and more viewers fell deeply in love with it and wanted to visit "Central Perk" for themselves.

So David Crane came up with an idea: open the filming set to live audiences, allowing fans to sit in the studio and watch the filming, creating real laughter.

Of course, the production team still adds canned laughter in post-production to ensure the show's impact, but it must be admitted that comedy is a form of performance that needs feedback. Real laughter from a live audience can often enhance the actors' performances, sometimes even sparking unexpected moments and creating surprises.

Even though the number of live audience members isn't large, only about 150, it has become an intuitive measure of the show's quality and is now an essential part of "Friends."

Later, this model was adopted by other sitcoms and became popular in Hollywood, such as "The Big Bang Theory."

For this reason, the filming process of "Friends" is slightly different. The actors need to arrive at the set on time, rehearse their positions and lines, familiarize themselves with the filming process, and then let the audience in to prepare for filming.

Filming is ultimately different from live broadcasting, allowing for mistakes, retakes, and repeated shots. But to ensure the quality of the filming, the actors and crew members still need to approach it with a live attitude.

Mistakes? They're allowed.

But it's still necessary to minimize the number of mistakes and ensure that each performance has chemistry, making sure the live audience enjoys it. Otherwise, if a scene is filmed 30 times, the fun turns into torture, which is definitely not the effect that comedy aims to create.

For Anson, this is a particular challenge.

To all the readers, please keep following and supporting this book. Seven Cats sincerely thanks you all for your support. Thank you!

---