Chương 22: Chapter 22: Restless

Just as work was about to end, a new task unexpectedly popped up.

Andrew looked at Anson, whose eyes were full of sincerity, with an expression of disbelief. Despite this, he shrugged slightly and said, "Honestly, who likes working? Come on, I'm not one of those bloodsuckers from the Big Five agencies."

"Haha!"

Anson laughed heartily, said no more, and after signing the documents, turned to leave.

His footsteps paused slightly at the door, and he turned to look at Andrew, who was squinting, "Hope you can get off work on time today."

Behind him came the sound of soft laughter.

And a faint "You better" followed.

The business with the Actors Guild was settled quickly, but that was only the first stop for the day. Back in the car, engine on, and off they went again.

Within just twenty-four hours, Anson found himself returning to the Warner Bros. studio lot, easily locating the office building from the day before.

The news of passing the audition yesterday was accompanied by a series of important updates, revealing Hollywood's precisely calibrated production machine—

Anson was set to guest star in Episode 21 of Season 6 of "Friends."

According to the plan, this season of "Friends" would have a total of 25 episodes. As they approached the season finale, quality became even more crucial. While mid-season episodes could be slightly less intense, the end of the season had to deliver top quality no matter what.

It had already been mentioned that although the show had been renewed, the actors' salaries and next season's ad sponsorships were still up in the air.

The viewership ratings among the key demographic of 18-49-year-olds were critical, and a series of major decisions would hinge on these numbers.

A mere "0.1" fluctuation could sway millions of dollars, much like on Wall Street.

Naturally, the shooting schedule and production cycle became a bit more tense.

Filming was set to start on Monday, so Anson had to go to the studio for a costume fitting by Sunday; then, he would receive the script and start preparing for the role.

That meant from the moment Anson got the script to the start of shooting, he would have less than twenty-four hours.

Tick-tock, time was tight.

Because of this, Darren had to arrange everything in a single evening, which was one of the reasons why the more straightforward and convenient Actors Guild was chosen.

However—

Sitcoms are different from regular movies and series. Each episode runs around twenty minutes, and the script isn't thick. Moreover, since the scenes are shared among different actors, there aren't many lines, so guest stars can easily jump in.

Compared to the lines and acting, sitcoms focus more on the chemistry between the actors. Comedy isn't something you can perform by the book.

So, despite everything being crammed together, there was still some room to maneuver.

After leaving the Actors Guild, Anson returned to the studio for a costume fitting.

So far, Anson knew nothing about the role—what character he would play, what plot he would connect to, which actors he would interact with—he had no idea. It was hard to imagine that filming would begin the next day.

But this uncertainty was exciting.

...

"Anson!"

Suddenly, Frank Simmons stood up.

Seeing Anson again today, Frank still felt a bit nervous, not daring to look him directly in the eye.

"Mr. Anson."

After a pause, Frank added.

Then Frank saw the man in front of him smile slightly, as if he could see through his little schemes. Frank sincerely hoped the bathroom incident could stay in the bathroom.

"Anson, just call me Anson," Anson said.

Frank relaxed a bit. Maybe this was an olive branch?

Frank straightened up and quickly pulled out a thin booklet from the desk, handing it to Anson.

"This is the script for episode twenty-one."

Anson reached out and took the script, flipping through it briefly. It was just over twenty pages, light and insubstantial in his hand—

And yet, this was it. This was the script for his first acting challenge.

The feeling was somewhat surreal.

"Do you need to check the confidentiality agreement?" Anson asked.

Frank froze.

Anson looked up at Frank but didn't say anything more, just smiled.

That was enough. Frank slapped his forehead, "Right, the confidentiality agreement. Uh, wait, I need to check… Ah, the email just came through…"

After a bit of fumbling, Frank finally managed to regain his composure.

He looked up with an apologetic smile, "Thank you for the reminder."

Anson took a deep breath, "Relax, don't worry. I'm not planning to sabotage my career, so you don't need to be nervous."

Frank met Anson's eyes, maintaining eye contact throughout the entire conversation. The sincerity and focus drew him in without him even realizing it—

Maybe what he was worried about wouldn't happen after all.

Phew.

Frank exhaled softly, finally regaining his composure. "The fitting room is just over there. The writer, Marta, is also inside. Do you need me to show you the way?"

Anson waved him off, "I don't want to interrupt your work. I'm sure I won't get lost."

Actually, the fitting room was just down the hall, no more than eight meters away.

Get lost?

Of course not.

But precisely because of this, Anson's humor hit the mark, and Frank burst into laughter. It wasn't even that funny, but Frank laughed exaggeratedly, as if it were the funniest joke in the world.

Anson gave a mock salute and turned to head toward the fitting room.

As Frank's smile faded, he noticed the knowing, gossiping glances from his colleagues. He quickly put on a serious expression and sent out a warning with his eyes.

"Shut up! Everyone shut up!"

A bit flustered.

Meanwhile, Anson didn't need directions to find the fitting room.

The door was slightly ajar.

Inside, he could hear a normal conversation, but just as Anson was about to knock to announce his presence, he caught a particularly sensitive part of the discussion.

"…God, who knows if David has lost his mind?"

"Surely it's not that bad?"

"I heard he's eighteen, has no acting experience, just a pretty face…"

A pretty face?

Anson glanced down at himself, then looked down the hall where Frank was standing. Frank seemed to have been watching Anson the entire time, and when their eyes met, Frank mouthed, "That's the room," with an eager gesture and a bright smile.

Anson thought, being a pretty face isn't so bad; life gets easier.

"Uh, well…"

"We're all saying this guy's probably David's illegitimate child, parachuted in. If we're not careful, he might embarrass us all."

"So what do we do now?"

"What else can we do? Just make the best of it. I just hope he sticks to being a pretty face and doesn't try to actually act or be funny. If he pisses off the lead cast or the director, that would be a disaster."

"Look at it this way, it's just one episode. Grit your teeth, bear it, and it'll be over soon. So how did you write the script?"

"How else? I wrote him as a pretty face, just there to look good. I was thinking of adding some contrast, like making the handsome guy do something unexpected, which could be funny and make him stand out; but David personally oversaw the script, so I decided to let it go. No need to waste brain cells on jokes…"

So, Frank said the writer was also in the fitting room?

Thanks to all the readers for your support! Truly grateful!