Chapter 2: Chapter 2: Every Second Counts
David Klein was very frustrated, extremely so.
A few days ago, David received a call from his friend Darren Star, asking him to arrange a role for a kid he had practically watched grow up. David readily agreed—this was hardly a big deal.
As the producer of "Friends," David's influence in Hollywood was at its peak. The sitcom was now in its sixth season, with ratings still sky-high, making it NBC's undisputed cornerstone. Besides "Friends," he was also producing three other shows.
Giving someone a small role was a simple task.
In reality, Darren could have handled this himself. "Sex and the City" was also a top-rated show with great reviews, regularly featuring handsome and beautiful guest stars. Arranging a small role was easy. But there was a slight problem: "Sex and the City" was a mature-rated show.
"He's only just turned eighteen. I'm worried his mom might send me a nasty letter protesting. She probably wouldn't want to see her youngest son taking his shirt off on screen."
Those were Darren's exact words, which earned a hearty laugh from David.
So, David agreed and, being quite generous, decided to find a small role in "Friends" for him, as a favor to his friend.
Longtime fans of "Friends" would know that Chandler and Joey's favorite show in the series was "Baywatch," a show produced by Darren. This little detail showcased the close friendship between David and Darren. Naturally, David couldn't refuse such a small request from a friend.
Especially since it was just a minor task.
Shows like "Friends" and "Sex and the City" were mostly filmed and aired simultaneously. On one hand, this allowed the writers to incorporate current trends and topics. On the other hand, it allowed them to adjust scripts based on audience feedback and ratings to ensure quality—especially on network television.
"Sex and the City" was an HBO show, airing on a cable network. They didn't have to worry about ratings; the only thing that mattered was subscriber feedback. This gave them much more creative freedom, allowing HBO to produce countless classics in the late '90s and early 2000s.
"Friends," however, belonged to NBC, a network television station where weekly viewership numbers and ratings were constantly monitored and evaluated. These numbers determined whether a show would be renewed for another season, so script adjustments based on feedback were routine.
Typically, the show's creative team would hold weekly script meetings to discuss future episodes and storylines. Now, per David's instructions, the writing team just needed to insert a small character into the upcoming scripts. It was supposed to be simple and wouldn't affect the show.
But!
Unexpectedly, the writing team completely misunderstood David's intentions—
A small role?
No, the writers crafted an entirely new script focused on a guest star! The entire episode was built around this guest character.
What...?
Where did the communication break down?
David was furious.
On HBO, they didn't need to worry about ratings, but NBC was different.
Of course, a show of "Friends'" caliber wouldn't be canceled over one or two episodes with fluctuating ratings. The seventh season was already confirmed. But this could directly impact ad rates and, more importantly, David's reputation—something he had no interest in jeopardizing.
Damn it!
David's head throbbed.
But after his initial outburst, David quickly calmed down and found a solution. After all, this wasn't the first time something like this had happened.
Darren Star's request was still no problem; it just needed to be postponed a bit.
The only thing that truly frustrated David was that "Friends" was nearing the end of its season, where ratings were crucial. They needed a strong finish. Now that the writing team had come up with an idea, all David needed to do was find a big star to play the guest role—and he already had someone in mind.
——Bruce Willis.
The actor who became a Hollywood A-lister thanks to the "Die Hard" series, Bruce Willis, had just reached a career peak again last year with the low-budget thriller "The Sixth Sense." This year, he ventured into comedy for the first time with "The Whole Nine Yards," and his career was on fire.
In "The Whole Nine Yards," Bruce co-starred with Matthew Perry, who played Chandler on "Friends." At the time, Matthew made a bet with Bruce that if their movie topped the box office on opening weekend, Bruce would guest star on "Friends" for free. Bruce agreed.
As it turned out, "The Whole Nine Yards" dominated the North American box office for two consecutive weekends.
David Crane believed it was time to collect on that bet.
The tricky part was figuring out whether Bruce had any free time in his schedule.
Damn it!
Cursing aside, David was, after all, one of the top producers in the industry, and he moved quickly to handle the crisis at hand.
The audition could wait.
To be honest, today's so-called audition was mostly for show. What most people don't realize is that while auditions are indeed crucial, decisions are often made before they even begin.
David just wanted to see Anson in person, maybe offer some advice as a senior figure in the industry. That was all.
But now, the audition had to be pushed back. He needed to contact Bruce first, use his connections to convince Bruce, and then pressure his agent to clear up Bruce's schedule.
Time was of the essence.
Then, David saw the young man.
After twenty years in Hollywood, he'd seen his fair share of handsome faces—Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jude Law, Hugh Grant, and more.
But still, his eyes were immediately drawn to the young man standing before him.
His features seemed meticulously crafted by the finest artisans: eyebrows sharp as blades, a nose chiseled like a mountain, and a perfectly proportioned face, with cheekbones and jawline that seemed measured to perfection with steel threads. It was a sight that was both pleasing and satisfying.
His expression was relaxed, like the first rays of sunlight breaking through the blue morning sky to touch the tips of pine trees—a natural and invigorating burst of youthful energy.
No tension, no anxiety, no awkwardness. He simply stood there, composed and at ease.
David hesitated for a moment, thoughts racing. The angry words that had been on the tip of his tongue were quickly replaced as he made a split-second decision—
The situation was still urgent, but there was no rush in the next few minutes. Right now, Bruce was probably still nursing a hangover.
"Come in," David said, decisively pushing open the office door and gesturing for the young man to enter.
Anson flashed a polite smile at the person beside him—a statue of sorts—and gracefully stepped around them into the office. The bewildered figure was left in a daze:
What just happened?
Weren't we in a time crunch? What was with the sudden 180-degree turn in the storyline?
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