Chapitre 39: The Pilot was aired

Day one in the Bluejohn's clutches.

Despite being lauded for his exceptional acting, Lucas remained humble. Even a single off-kilter moment was enough to send him willingly diving back into the scene, eager to perfect it. Danny, the director, witnessed this dedication firsthand, impressed by the young actor's raw talent and relentless pursuit of excellence. He'd seen his fair share of stars, but Lucas shone differently — a supernova of talent was still adjusting to the spotlight's glare.

"You're a natural, Lucas," Danny said, watching the young actor emerge from the shadows. "But don't push yourself too hard. We've got five, maybe seven days for this sequence, at most."

Lucas, still catching his breath, offered a tired smile. "Five days? The crew thinks we can do it faster."

The canyon shoot, initially estimated to take 5-7 days, already shimmered with the possibility of completion sooner thanks to Lucas's precision and unwavering focus. The crew, their initial awe tempered by respect, buzzed with shared anticipation for the film's birth.

September 23rd, 2009. As Lucas neared the finish line of his first film, a different kind of magic filled the airwaves.

In living rooms across the nation, the pilot episode of Modern Family flickered to life. In a rural corner of Kansas, Sarah, a teacher with a penchant for sitcoms, sat mesmerized.

The quirky Pritchett-Dunphy clan charmed her, but her attention snagged on Dylan, the brooding teen with a mischievous glint in his eyes. He was played by none other than Lucas.

The Dylan on screen, portrayed by Lucas, was captivating – a cool breeze ruffled with nervous awkwardness, reminiscent of Rodrick Heffley, toned down by a dash of sunshine. This Dylan was cool, sure, but beneath the laid-back veneer lurked a hint of endearing goofiness.

Sarah's jaw dropped at a certain scene, the one where Dylan hoisted Phil onto his shoulder like a reluctant teddy bear. "Oh Phil, honey, not your best angle!" she cackled, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Though I gotta admit, you're rocking that pink tutu."

After the TV show "Modern Family" concluded, Sarah sighed, yearning for the show to continue, longing for more laughter.

Despite feeling disappointed by the brief episode, she anticipated more episodes. "I hope the show continues," she sighed.

The next day, Sarah woke up to a different kind of sunrise. She turned on her computer and browsed the Yahoo! website...

A day had passed since the "Modern Family" pilot, and in the Yahoo! Community, "Modern Family" trended as one of the TV shows gaining attention on the site.

Internet users discussed the "Modern Family" pilot and its funny scenes. Despite the show not having much of a soundtrack, that only added to its charm and humor.

Threads sprang up faster than popcorn kernels: "OMG, the Dunphys are hilarious!", "Can we all agree Gloria is a queen?", "But who is THAT Dylan guy?"

One thread caught Sarah's eye. "Who's the hot new guy playing Dylan?" it blared, followed by a flurry of responses. She scrolled through the comments, a smile curving her lips.

The Dylan question quickly became trending. Users swooned over his blonde hair and captivating blue eyes.

Someone dubbed him "the perfect mix of cool and goofball," and Sarah couldn't help but nod in agreement.

"Cool with a side of endearing clumsiness." Laughter-laced comments dissected his every line, speculating: "Is he just playing himself? Because I'd be his Haley any day!"

In the thread, there were already dozens of posts, with subject lines such as "New sitcom alert! 'Modern Family' is hilarious, and Dylan is my new crush!" One post read: "Just watched the Modern Family pilot and I'm obsessed! Dylan cracks me up. Gotta love that laid-back charm with a dash of goofiness. Who plays him? I need to know!"

And there were already dozens of replies in the post: "Omg, Dylan's eyes are like the bluest ocean! And his hair is like sunshine. He's totally dreamy, but also kind of awkward at the same time. I can't wait to see more of him!"

User 2: "Seriously, the blonde hair, the blue eyes, the charm – I'm officially head over heels! Any idea who plays him?"

As Sarah scrolled through the Yahoo! site, she noticed several posts dedicated to the character of Dylan. She scoffed when she read something like, "Dylan was definitely a ladies' man for sure!"

"Dylan, the ladies' man?" Sarah snorted, clutching her stomach. "More like the walking disaster zone!" she laughed, her heart swelling with warmth.

"Wait, does he even have a Wikipedia page?" Sarah commented on a particular post, sparking a mini-investigation.

The lack of an online footprint only fueled intrigue among internet users trying to find information about the actor who played Dylan. "A mystery hottie in a hilarious sitcom? Sign me up!" declared another user, summarizing the collective sentiment.

"Blonde hair, blue eyes, can definitely rock a princess carry," another user wrote, followed by a string of heart emojis. Sarah chuckled, feeling a strange pride bubble in her chest. She knew this blond, blue-eyed actor – not from fame magazines or red carpets, but from popcorn-fueled Wednesday night spent laughing along with his awkward charm.

---

Lucas was unaware of the ripples his sitcom debut was sending across the internet. In the canyon's suffocating embrace, he embodied Aron Ralston, a man teetering on the precipice of sanity. Reality and acting blurred as he stared at his mangled arm, ensnared by the unforgiving rock.

"You have to cut it, Aron," he muttered, his voice a dry rasp against the silence. The words struck him like a blow. No, cutting was surrender, anathema to Aron's spirit. He shook his head, a wild denial.

"No! I don't want to cut my arm!"

"But you have to!" he countered, his own voice an accusatory echo. The multi-tool felt flimsy in his grasp, a pale imitation of the sturdy knife he hadn't brought. It danced mockingly against his skin, refusing to bite into the flesh, let alone bone.

Frustration boiled over. Sweat ran in rivulets down his face, each bead a silent scream. He gripped the tool so tight his knuckles turned white, a silent war raging within him. Then, a strangled sob escaped his lips, the canyon mirroring his despair with its echoing emptiness.

The scene didn't end with a director's shout but with a whimper of defeat. The ensuing silence was heavy, the crew holding their breath as the canyon held its own. In that quiet, Lucas emerged from Aron's skin, shaken but resolute. He knew this was just one battle, one excruciating step in the dance with survival.

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Chapitre 40: Contract Renewal

The lights dimmed, a final note from the soundtrack echoing through the empty set. Lucas slumped into his chair, the day's exhaustion settling in his bones. His mind replayed the final scene, Aron's desperate plea for survival, a raw echo in his memory. Suddenly, his phone buzzed, snapping him back to reality.

It was Liza, her voice crackling with excitement. "I just saw the pilot! You were..." her words tumbled over each other, overflowing with a fan's adoration. Lucas chuckled, basking in her enthusiasm. He spent a comfortable while on the phone, savoring the validation of his work.

They chatted for what felt like hours, laughing and reminiscing, before the call ended. Then, just as the silence threatened to settle again, the phone jolted him back to reality. It was Paul, his voice warm with genuine praise.

"Loved your performance in Dylan, Lucas," Paul boomed. "Couldn't have picked a better fit."

Lucas's smile stretched wide, the weary lines around his eyes crinkling with genuine warmth. He mumbled thanks, the gratitude thick in his throat. He knew, with a heart full of quiet conviction, that without Paul's initial leap of faith in giving him the opportunity to play the role of Dylan, none of this would be happening. No Christopher Lloyd's glowing recommendation letter, no connection to Innovative Artists, and certainly not this grueling yet exhilarating portrayal of Aron Ralston in "127 Hours." Paul had been the first domino, setting off a chain reaction that brought him here, to this raw, sun-baked canyon, where he was wrestling with survival and breathing life into a desperate soul.

***

The current scene was a whirlwind of hallucinations – Scooby Doo, neon-lit parties, and the bittersweet ghost of a past relationship.

The handheld camera, his only companion in the suffocating silence of the canyon, flickered to life.

Aron's face, etched with exhaustion and desperation, swam into view. He was a man teetering on the precipice of sanity, his gaze vacant as he contemplated his predicament.

Then came the scene that would become etched in everyone's memory. Aron, stripped to his bare humanity, clinging to his survival instincts.

Aron's gaunt face filled the screen, sweat clinging to his stubble. A rasping cough escaped his lips.

His gaze flickered to the CamelBak, a lifeline transformed into a grotesque chalice.

The camera caught the hesitation etched on his face, the tremor in his fingers.

He clutched his empty CamelBak reservoir, a grim realization dawning on his face. Aron hesitated completely, his eyes reflecting the agony of the choice before him.

A groan escaped him, raw and primal.

He reached down, the calloused pad of his thumb trembling against his swollen bladder. This was it.

Aron, a man teetering on the edge of oblivion. Hesitation flickered across his face, a war raging within him. The camera, cold and unblinking, captured the grimace that twisted his lips as he uncrossed his legs, aiming his body like a broken compass towards the cracked plastic of his CamelBak reservoir.

It was a scene that defied the boundaries of acting, a raw portrayal of human vulnerability that made the crew squirm and yet, glued to the screen.

The act itself was a brutal ballet, desperation choreographing every flinch and shudder. The screen reeled with Aron's struggle, the stench as palpable as the tears welling in his eyes. This was no performance; it was raw survival clawing its way into existence.

The stench hit Aron first, a wave of nausea rising in his throat. Gagging, but driven by the will to survive, he held back. Taking a hesitant sip, the acrid taste flooded his senses. His face contorted in disgust, a silent scream mirroring the canyon's echoing emptiness.

As Aron raised the reservoir to his lips, the crew held their breath. The stench seemed to permeate the air, even from behind the monitor.

Lucas's face contorted in a battle of survival against revulsion. Gagging, he forced it down, his eyes squeezed shut against the horror.

The crew watched, transfixed by the macabre spectacle. Their stomachs churned, a primal revulsion at the sight, yet their eyes remained glued to the screen. Lucas, as Aron, had blurred the lines between reality and performance. His desperation, his disgust, it was all too real. Even Danny, the seasoned director, couldn't tear his gaze away, a morbid fascination battling the bile rising in his throat.

---

The canyon silence hung heavy as the end scene flickered on the monitor. Lucas, still hunched like a forgotten boulder, exhaled a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. Around him, the crew stirred, eyes glazed and stomachs churning. Director Danny, ever the stoic, remained rooted to his chair, the praise simmering under his gaze.

"Lucas," he finally rumbled, his voice thick with grudging respect, "that was... something else. I've seen actors chew scenery before, but you, boy, you swallowed the damn canyon and spat it out raw."

A ghost of a smile flitted across Lucas' lips. "Just trying to stay true to Aron, sir."

Danny snorted. "True? Hell, you lived it. I smelled it – the desperation, the disgust, the sheer... survival. I almost reached for a barf bag myself."

He shook his head, a grudging admiration softening his features. "You know, for a second there, I could've sworn you were actually drinking… you know. And if I didn't know better, if I hadn't seen the props myself, I would've believed it hook, line, and stinking sinker."

Lucas chuckled, a low rumble that echoed the canyon's emptiness. "That's the acting dream, isn't it, sir? To make them forget? To pull them so deep into the story, they lose sight of the artifice?"

Danny met his gaze, his eyes glinting with newfound respect. "It is, son. And today, you achieved it spectacularly. You performed exceptionally well that you crawled into Aron's skin, breathed his desperation, tasted his despair. And you made us, every damn one of us, taste it too. Except for that piss, I don't want to imagine the taste of it."

Almost everyone laughed at that; Lucas also chuckled softly at the words.

Danny paused, then clapped a hand on Lucas' shoulder, a gesture surprisingly gentle from the gruff director. "You, kid, you just painted a masterpiece in piss and sweat."

Lucas didn't know if Danny was joking or praising him genuinely; he chuckled wryly as the crew laughed once more, dispelling the desperate scene of Aron that was just filmed a moment ago.

The filming continued into the night. Afterward, Lucas rested and chilled in his tent, his body exhausted from acting. As morning came, he received a call from the "Modern Family" production team, offering him a contract for the entire season.

Lucas obviously agreed, but he remained quite busy. The production team, however, was willing to wait.

Simultaneously, the agents at Innovative Artists agency seemed to take notice of Lucas as the pilot of "Modern Family" became quite successful. Lucas, who guest-starred in the pilot, attracted the attention of some small-time agents at Innovative Artists. After learning that Lucas had already entered IA, a few started to contact him.

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