Actor in Hollywood

After the high-level meeting, David and the "Friends" production team began discussing the direction for the upcoming seventh and eighth seasons.

Setting aside the plot development for the moment, they agreed that inviting big-name actors as guest stars was a good idea. It would create buzz, provide highlights, and potentially spark creativity, giving the scriptwriting process a fresh angle.

For example, Brad Pitt.

Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt were deeply in love, and after the current broadcast season ended, they were expected to get married in July.

Without a doubt, they were the most talked-about couple in Hollywood at the time. If Brad were willing to make a guest appearance, it would easily generate a lot of attention and interest.

Guest stars were indeed a promising direction.

Now, there was another opportunity—

Anson.

Bringing in a fresh face could inject new energy into the series and test the market's reaction to the potential direction for the seventh and eighth seasons.

Once the idea emerged, it became unstoppable, and David couldn't wait to share it with his friends and brainstorm further.

David's boldness and directness left Darren slightly taken aback.

As a producer, Darren was well aware of the importance of guest stars.

For "Sex and the City," the guest stars were either handsome and beautiful eye-candy or big-name actors, all of whom needed to be closely tied to the plot and characters. But "Friends" was different; everything had to be tied to ratings.

Thus, the guest stars on "Friends" were often A-list Hollywood movie actors, and the promotional campaign would begin as soon as the guest appearance was officially announced.

Of course, there were exceptions.

Take Maggie Wheeler, for instance.

She was a golden supporting actress who had appeared in classic shows like "ER," "The X-Files," "Seinfeld," and "How I Met Your Mother," but she was never considered an A-lister, not even a B-lister. Yet, her role as Janice Litman on "Friends" was a unique case, beloved by the audience.

However, such situations were rare.

In other words, if Anson were to guest star, the pressure of ratings and reputation might fall entirely on his shoulders.

Darren had a bad feeling about this. He sensed that David was treating Anson like a guinea pig, and his instincts as a fellow producer quickly pinpointed the issue.

His mind raced.

But Darren also acknowledged that sometimes, taking a risk was necessary.

Darren hesitated, "Are you sure?"

Unlike Darren, David grew more confident and excited after voicing his idea. He was convinced it was a good one.

"Darren, how should I put this?"

"Golden boy. Yes, a golden boy."

"Anson… he has both intensity and subtlety, and I'm not just talking about his appearance. His acting, too."

"He's really, very interesting. Truly."

David's fierce enthusiasm left Darren slightly bewildered, and his words became hesitant as he responded, "I'm not sure about the 'very,' but interesting—I agree with that."

But... when a gift is presented to you, there's no reason to refuse it.

Moreover, even if this gamble fails, David should be the one to bear the consequences. As for Anson, Darren himself would help cover for him.

As he thought about it, Darren calmed down, "Are you planning to pair him with Jennifer? Have you asked Jennifer about this?"

David laughed heartily, "You're getting anxious because you're concerned, aren't you?"

By now, Darren had regained his composure. "Haha, what do I have to worry about? I'm sure Anson will be well taken care of, right, dear David Crane?"

There was a pause before Darren shifted the conversation. "Look, the kid is straightforward—he doesn't even have an agent yet. Why don't we talk about his pay?"

"This season, you haven't really used much of your budget for guest stars, have you?"

Click.

Anson casually closed the office door, then turned to see Frank standing in front of the desk, utterly dumbfounded and shocked.

Frank's eyes widened as he looked at Anson, then back at the office, his gaze bouncing between Anson and the room several times.

For a moment, his brain couldn't process what was happening.

Finally, his eyes were involuntarily drawn back to the man.

Usually, when having a conversation, people look at the other person's face out of politeness, but it's more of a general focus rather than direct eye contact.

But Frank couldn't quite figure out why, when he raised his eyes and looked at the other person, he accidentally fell into those deep blue eyes again.

Then, the still-fresh memory of the bathroom flooded back.

His mind was in chaos.

His first reaction was: this man barging into David's office—this is bad, really bad. He might get fired on the spot. David's anger isn't something just anyone can handle. He only went to the bathroom for a moment—when did this guy sneak in?

Wait, anger…?

Why was the office so quiet? And why wasn't David angry?

For once, Frank's gossipy instincts quickly pieced things together, and an absurd idea popped into his head: So, this man in front of him was the parachute auditionee?

"...Anson Wood?" Frank's mind was in disarray, and a name slipped out of his mouth.

As soon as he spoke, Frank silently prayed: No, no, no, please deny it.

However—

"Yes, I'm Anson."

Frank's heart plummeted like a free fall, yet it trembled slightly at the sound of that deep voice.

"Sorry, while I was waiting here, Mr. Crane called me in, so I just went in directly. I hope I didn't disrupt your work."

Anson placed a finger on his lips, making a "shh" gesture, and whispered, "Mr. Crane is on an important call inside."

Frank instantly held his breath, unable to tell if he was more excited or nervous. He stared at Anson, who smiled, waved, and then left. Frank's mind was buzzing, thoughts erupting like a firework show, chaotic and overwhelming.

He blinked several times, struggling to regain his composure. Then he finally remembered his gossip from the bathroom—how much had Anson overheard?

Getting caught bad-mouthing someone behind their back—so that's what it feels like.

Terrible, terrible.

Wait, who exactly is this guy?

Instinctively, Frank moved to the window, peeked through the blinds, and furtively looked toward the parking lot, craning his neck to find Anson. He couldn't help but start biting his nails and shaking his legs, his heart pounding so hard that he felt an uncontrollable wave of anxiety.

After a short wait, those long legs appeared in the sunlight, casting a tall and slender shadow on the ground.

Anson seemed a bit hesitant, as if he had forgotten where he had parked. He glanced around the parking lot at the Fords, Volkswagens, and Chevrolets, uncertain of which direction to head in.

Then, Anson pulled out his car keys and pressed the alarm button to unlock his car.

Beep beep.

The sound echoed through the parking lot.

Frank's heart skipped a beat, and as if bewitched, he followed the sound with his eyes. His brain short-circuited, his senses scattered, and all his thoughts vanished, leaving nothing but a buzzing in his head.

Anson was just as stunned.

He stared at the two sleek, silver-gray Aston Martins in front of him—

I mean, who drives an Aston Martin to audition for a guest role?

Well, I guess it'll have to do.

---

Dear readers, this is the debut work of a new entertainment author, and I'm begging for your support! Please don't let the book sit unread, as the current recommendation spots are directly tied to the number of active readers. Letting it sit too long might kill it! Please follow, comment, and actively participate. Thank you all so much!