Chapter 9: Interaction
The moment Lucas appeared, the actors and actresses turned their attention to him, eager to see the actor they would work with later.
But when Julie saw Lucas, she gasped in astonishment and exclaimed, "Lucas!"
Lucas, who had just entered the room, turned his attention to Julie, responding to her call. As he saw her, he smiled and approached her.
"Hey, I knew you would make it!" Lucas smiled, but unexpectedly, Julie stood up slowly and hugged him as a greeting.
"Hehe, I myself wouldn't have thought I'd be cast... I even begged to secure the role, you know..." Julie laughed softly. It's true; to land herself a role, she begged the directors and writers each time she auditioned, except the last one. At that time, being pregnant, Lucas had encouraged her after the audition.
Lucas also hugged lightly as a greeting before supporting Julie to sit. Clearly concerned about her bulging stomach, he asked, "Well, how are you?" after Julie sat on the sofa.
"I'm doing fine," Julie said with a smile.
Meanwhile, the other actors and actresses observed Lucas and Julie conversing. Ty Burrell said to Julie, "It seems you already know him?"
Sarah Hyland and Ariel Winter also glanced at Lucas.
"Yeah, we met at the audition... I didn't expect Lucas to be picked," Julie said with a faint smile.
"You didn't expect me to be picked? You don't trust my ability, do you?" Lucas teased Julie. Although they didn't really know each other, Lucas wanted to gradually get along well with her and the other actors and actresses of the TV series.
"Uh... I didn't mean it that way, just surprise is all..." Julie embarrassedly explained. She hadn't thought about her choice of words and assumed Lucas must have misunderstood.
Lucas smiled and just laughed lightly, saying, "I'm just teasing you. No need to be uncomfortable."
When Julie heard that, she sighed in relief.
Afterward, Ty Burrell cast a favorable glance at Lucas, forming a positive first impression. He greeted Lucas, saying, "Your name's Lucas? Well, I am Ty Burrell, nice to meet you," as they shook hands.
"Lucas Knight," Lucas replied with a smile. After the handshake with Ty Burrell, he turned his attention to the three young talents nearby. From Lucas's memories, they were the ones who portrayed the children of the Dunphy family.
Quietly observing Sarah Hyland, he noticed her outgoing personality as she discussed their characters with Ariel Winter, holding scripts in hand.
Nolan Gould, the kid known for playing the "dumb" character in "Modern Family," surprised Lucas by appearing quite intelligent while flipping through the paper scripts. Lucas was accustomed to seeing him act dumb, but this was real life, after all.
After this brief observation, Lucas introduced himself to the young actors.
Lucas observed that Ariel Winter, who played the role of Alex Dunphy, appeared more reserved than her sarcastic and clever character.
During a conversation with Sarah and Ariel, Lucas noticed Ariel glancing at a certain direction occasionally. Following her gaze, he saw a black-haired woman, somewhat chubby but still attractive, with features resembling Ariel.
Lucas assumed it must be Ariel's mother, evident from the woman's attentive demeanor towards Ariel.
Responding to Sarah Hyland's inquiry about his role, Lucas explained, "My role is Dylan, the crush of Haley."
"Crush of m— I mean, my role's crush? I think they're already a couple, right?" Sarah stuttered initially, then corrected herself as she glanced at the scripts.
"Boyfriend already? Was it written like that?" Lucas expressed a bit of surprise before perusing the scripts provided by the crew.
"Well, I guess the relationship of Dylan and Haley was just in its early stage. I think she's not Haley's boyfriend yet, just her love interest," Ariel interjected, also engrossed in the scripts.
"Hmm, I think you're right about that," Sarah nodded, feeling a bit shy inside. She had unintentionally spoken ahead of herself, finding Lucas quite attractive. Quickly changing the topic, she steered the conversation in a different direction.
Meanwhile, Julie and Ty Burrell engaged in a serious discussion about their roles, wearing expressions of concentration.
Being a part of all this made Lucas's excitement surge through his veins.
While his fellow actors and actresses present might not have known, Lucas understood that "Modern Family" was a series destined for great success. It had been the source of laughter and lifted his mood in the comedy series genre. Now, as a relatively unknown actor, being part of this very same comedy series "Modern Family" gave Lucas mixed feelings about reality.
Lucas observed the serious yet lighthearted conversations and discussions among the future famous actors and actresses in front of him. Noticing that Nolan Gould wasn't particularly familiar with the people present, except for Julie, who seemed to have struck a chord with the young actor, making him more comfortable and engaging in discussions about their roles.
After a while, as Lucas and the others delved into discussions about their roles, the director and writers approached them.
Lucas was then pleasantly surprised as Christopher Lloyd patted him on the back. Feeling a bit overwhelmed, unlike the audition days when Christopher judged him, being in such close proximity to the renowned actor left Lucas a bit starstruck. After all, the old guy was quite well known, having written the "Modern Family" series.
"Young man, do you know why you were chosen for the role?" Christopher adjusted his glasses as he asked Lucas, capturing everyone's attention, while Steven Levitan just shook his head with a chuckle.
"No?" Lucas responded with cluelessness.
"No? Well, it's because the network thinks you're cheap," Christopher Lloyd joked, but then noticed everyone's silence.
Julie furrowed her brows, while Ty Burrell couldn't help but think, "Oh, oh... I don't think that's a good joke... At least not a good one for Lucas..."
Lucas, hearing the joke, knew it was a jest but felt a bit uncomfortable inside. Sensing the awkwardness, he faked a laugh, "Hahaha, cheap? Well, I'm not surprised..." he said.
Everyone was a bit surprised to see Lucas handling the joke about him so well. Simultaneously, they found his response quite amusing in this awkward situation—his movements, the forced laughter, and his subsequent words, creating a sitcom-like atmosphere in real life.
Some crew members who inadvertently heard Christopher's joke didn't find it funny, but upon hearing Lucas's response, they couldn't help but chuckle.
Steven Levitan and the other cast members also couldn't resist a light laugh.
Christopher patted Lucas in the back and said, "Uh huh, kid, it seems you're really suitable for the role. You see, this TV series is a comedy, and I find your response to my joke quite amusing. You have a good sense of humor..."
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