As a project personally proposed by Simon, Desperate Housewives did not need to go through complicated and bumpy processes like pilot episodes or sales pitches. It was directly scheduled for USA Network's prime time slot this fall.
However, although the production time was very relaxed, the project's preparations still proceeded rapidly.
After Simon gave the order, the Wisteria Lane set design plan to be built inside Universal Studios was quickly produced. Upon returning to Los Angeles from San Francisco, the television department sent a list of main actor candidates to Simon.
In this era, the status of television series in Hollywood was still very low, and the same went for television actors, who basically occupied the bottom of Hollywood's hierarchy.
For projects on regular television networks, it was usually hard to cause much stir in the circle, and this was even more true for cable network projects with smaller audience bases.
However, once Desperate Housewives was linked to Simon Westeros, the series immediately made many qualified Hollywood actresses flock to it. Even actresses who had originally been active in the film circle began trying to vie for roles in it.
After all, this was Simon Westeros.
During the 1988 Hollywood writers' strike, the few hit reality shows Simon launched had directly created a reality show era. Now, although it was a cable network and a television series, who knew if it would therefore start a new trend?
As a key project of Daenerys Entertainment's television department, the series leads would not undergo large-scale casting. Instead, actors with suitable images and qualifications would be selected from the artist materials submitted by various agencies for small-scale auditions.
Inside a dedicated audition room in Administrative Building No. 1 at Daenerys Studios.
No audition was taking place here. Simon's preferred casting director Linda Vargas was showing Simon the main role candidate materials after the first round of selection via projector.
On the whiteboard on one side wall of the audition room, staff had also created a detailed character map for the series based on the script Simon had provided.
"There are five candidates for Lynette Scavo: Patricia Wendi, 41 years old. Relying on MGM's That '80s Show, Wendi won the Emmy for Best Actress for three consecutive years. That series just concluded last year; Sanda Bergman, 41 years old. This actress previously competed for the role of Queen Hippolyta in Wonder Woman. She debuted in the 1970s and has appeared in many film and television works; Catherine Harrold..."
The thing Simon was most satisfied with about Linda Vargas was that this casting director never actively tried to influence his decisions. Moreover, the casting results for every project she handled could meet Simon's standards.
Therefore, ever since she had been introduced to cooperate with Simon on Run Lola Run, this sharp and capable behind-the-scenes woman in her thirties had always been Simon's preferred director.
For projects Simon personally oversaw, casting matters would always be personally overseen by Linda Vargas.
Even now, when he would personally follow up on casting for some projects, Simon often only paid attention to the final one or two rounds. Because of this, although she did not have a very specific position at Daenerys Entertainment, Linda Vargas's power was very great.
It was obvious that actors wanting to compete for roles in projects Simon personally oversaw could not bypass Linda Vargas at all. If this lady wanted to suppress a certain star, unless the other party had sufficient strength to contact Simon directly, they could forget about having any chance to rise.
After introducing the five candidates in sequence, Linda Vargas turned her head to look at Simon, who was sitting casually at the conference table with his legs crossed, gazing at the materials on the projection screen.
From the very beginning with Run Lola Run, having personally witnessed this young man who had only turned 24 last month soar to the skies, Linda Vargas still felt a sense of fantasy to this day.
Speaking of which, Linda Vargas had originally been just a nobody in Hollywood.
At first she had wanted to be an actress. However, although her looks were decent, after struggling for a few years with no progress, she had decisively chosen to get married.
Her husband Joey Vargas was also part of this circle. Because his family had some connections in Hollywood, he mixed better than her.
Of course, only a little better.
He called himself a producer, but in reality he only hovered in the low-budget independent film circle, holding the title of producer while doing all kinds of legwork and odd jobs.
Maintaining a decent life in Los Angeles was not easy.
Because finances were not abundant, after marriage she naturally could not be a full-time housewife. Using some connections she had, she teamed up with her husband as a couple and did all kinds of behind-the-scenes work in the low-budget independent film circle.
Until six years ago, when she inadvertently received a job as casting director for a low-budget independent film.
That film happened to be Run Lola Run.
When Run Lola Run became an overnight sensation, she gradually became Simon Westeros's preferred casting director.
Six years had passed in the blink of an eye.
Of course there had been opportunities to switch careers during this period. WMA had extended an invitation for a vice president position. Paramount, Fox, and Warner Bros. had all privately contacted her. Department executive and film producer positions had seemed within easy reach.
In the end she had chosen to reject them all.
She knew her own abilities very clearly and had not become as arrogant as Ron McMillan, who had come out of Run Lola Run with her. In her heart she had always understood that closely following this young man's steps was the wisest decision.
Now, although she had no clear position, the salary and benefits she enjoyed at Daenerys Entertainment were actually those of a vice president. In reality she was equivalent to Simon's full-time assistant in personal film and television casting matters.
A base annual salary of 250,000 dollars plus generous annual bonus rewards was something she had never even dreamed of when she had just taken on that job for Run Lola Run.
Hollywood filmmakers always gave outsiders the impression of salaries in the tens of millions, but in reality this group of lucky ones was one in ten thousand in Hollywood.
In the broad sense of Hollywood, meaning the entire American film and television entertainment industry, the total number of practitioners was no less than in the millions.
Relative to such a huge base of practitioners, most people in the circle would already be satisfied with having a well-paying job.
Moreover, Linda Vargas was very clear about the hidden power she held in her hands.
In recent years, most of the stars who had been made famous by Simon could be said to have been handled by her as casting director.
Because of this power, the treatment she received in this circle was absolutely no less than that of any studio head. The top-tier high-end parties, banquets, and clubs in Hollywood's pyramid all had their doors wide open to her. Her husband had also become a truly powerful film producer because of the power she possessed, participating in the production of many film projects in recent years, including those under Daenerys Entertainment.
Last year when her youngest son reached elementary school age and the couple had not yet acted, CAA's Michael Ovitz had personally called to ask if they were interested in sending the child to one of the top private schools in Beverly Hills.
The couple knew that school. Its enrollment targets were usually only a very small portion of the true elite children on the West Coast. Even slightly ordinary rich people might not be able to send their children there.
Although she had politely declined Ovitz's somewhat awkward favor, Linda Vargas had once again firmed up her determination to hold on tightly to this job.
To hold on to this job, the first thing to do was to strictly adhere to the professional principles a casting director should have.
Having worked for Simon for so many years, Linda Vargas had gradually come to understand this young man's personality. Her boss was usually very easy to talk to. However, once certain red lines of his were touched, there was absolutely no room for maneuvering.
Therefore, in six years, although she had received countless requests, Linda Vargas had very rarely mixed her personal feelings into the casting process.
However, by inadvertently revealing some of her boss's minor personal preferences to certain stars, or by informing them in advance of some project casting results, or even through verbal hints that she had actually "exerted effort," she had unknowingly harvested countless favors. The circle had therefore come to believe without doubt that she could influence casting outcomes.
The higher the position, the more Simon understood the principle that water too clear has no fish. As long as it did not affect the work that needed to be done, he did not care what private little schemes his subordinates played.
Back then, kicking Ron McMillan, who had participated in the production of Run Lola Run, out of Daenerys Entertainment had on one hand been because this filmmaker's actions had already affected his proper duties, and on the other hand had been to kill the chicken to warn the monkey, warning other executives who had become complacent and slack because of Daenerys Entertainment's rapid development.
Without paying attention to what thoughts were in Linda Vargas's mind when she looked at him, Simon simply signaled the staff beside him to play the audition tapes of the five candidates one after another. Then he asked Linda Vargas, who was sitting on the other side of the conference table, "What is Sanda Bergman's height?"
He had gotten to know her during the Wonder Woman casting process last time. This time for Desperate Housewives casting he had also received a call from Sanda Bergman.
Of course, Linda Vargas had still not shown any favoritism. The candidate list had been jointly selected by the entire casting team based on the actors' comprehensive conditions in all aspects.
In Linda's view, Sanda Bergman's height was a "fatal flaw", not too short, but too tall.
This actress, who had come from a dance background, was a full six feet tall without any padding. Six feet was actually very suitable for the role of Queen Hippolyta. The requirement for Amazon warriors was tall stature.
However, this time, for a housewife who had been worn down physically and mentally by family and children, a height of six feet was somewhat inappropriate.
Thinking this way, Linda Vargas answered without any hesitation, "Exactly six feet."
Six feet was equivalent to 182 cm.
A woman who was 1.82 meters tall was really too tall.
Even though the audition tape that had just been played showed good results and her appearance and temperament were quite suitable for Lynette, when paired with other roles the composition of the shots would often be very uncoordinated.
Having made up his mind, Simon shook his head and said, "Sanda Bergman is out. Among the other four, Patricia Wendi will be the first candidate. Once the other roles are finalized, arrange a group audition. If there are no problems, it will be her."
With three consecutive Emmy wins for Best Actress, her acting skills and fame were more than sufficient. This actress's appearance was not particularly beautiful. With a bit of makeup, she would completely fit Lynette's image of being physically and mentally exhausted by family life.
Linda Vargas lowered her head to note Simon's decision in her memo. Confirming that her boss had no other issues, she continued, "Next is the 'perfect housewife' Bree Van de Kamp."
As she spoke, the projector screen changed again to show the actress's materials.
When Simon saw the photo of Linda Carter on the first page, he directly said, "Linda Carter won't do. She lacks a sufficiently strong and resilient temperament."
Moreover.
Her chest was too big and would easily distract the audience's attention.
Linda Vargas was stunned for a moment and subconsciously asked, "Boss, do you not need to watch the audition tape?"
Since they were candidates who had been selected, the audition effect was definitely guaranteed.
However, the difference between Linda Carter and the Marcia Cross in his memory was truly too great. Even though he had spent a night with her, Simon mercilessly chose to pass.
For women he had had relations with, unless the other party was truly suitable, Simon would rather give her a check for 1 million dollars than stuff her into an unsuitable project.
Shaking his head again, Linda Vargas could only continue introducing the next candidate.
The following two also could not satisfy Simon.
Until the fourth one, when he saw Sharla Ward's materials, Simon directly made the call.
Although she had also been to bed with him, Sharla Ward's appearance and temperament were even more suitable for the role of Bree Van de Kamp than Marcia Cross.
After all, the face of Marcia Cross in his memory, with obviously excessive Botox, would still make people feel quite uncomfortable.
Sharla Ward's looks and temperament were completely natural.
After Lynette and Bree, the candidates for the other two housewives, Susan and Gabrielle, were also preliminarily confirmed.
Because it was a female-led series, Simon only cared about the selection of these four core housewives. For the actresses playing the women's husbands and other roles, Simon would only pay attention to the final results.
Busy with various matters, another week passed without anyone noticing.
Simon flew to New York on Friday, March 6.
Because a lot of matters had accumulated at Cersei Capital during her pregnancy, Janet had been staying on the East Coast for the past week. Simon had specially come to accompany the woman for the weekend.
Inside the manor in Greenwich on the outskirts of New York.
It was Saturday morning.
March on the East Coast no longer had the chill of winter.
When Joseph Schlapp from Schlapp Consulting Company came to visit, Simon had just finished breakfast with Janet.
As March 1992 arrived, the quadrennial American presidential election had officially begun.
For the two major American parties, incumbent President George Bush was certain to secure the Republican nomination.
On the Democratic side, main candidates such as Arkansas Governor William Clinton and New York Governor Mario Cuomo had already emerged and begun competing fiercely for the party's nomination.
However, what North American media had been paying the most attention to these days was the billionaire Ross Perot, who had announced his candidacy for this year's presidential election as an independent third-party candidate.
In late February, during a live CNN interview with Larry King, Ross Perot publicly announced that if he could gather sufficient voter signatures from all fifty states and Washington D.C., he would officially run for this year's American presidential election as an independent candidate.
Starting from last year, Ross Perot had already publicly stated more than once that he would participate in this year's presidential election.
According to American election law, independent candidates who wanted to participate in the election had to gather a certain number of voter signatures in each state in order to obtain candidate qualification.
Therefore, compared with his previous statements, this public collection of signatures marked the official start of Ross Perot's campaign path.
The American stock market had begun to recover after last year's Gulf War, but the American economy was at its lowest point after the 1987 stock market crash and the previous bond crisis.
Aside from winning a war abroad, George Bush's governing results over the three years he had been president had truly left voters extremely disappointed. Coupled with the fact that several Democratic candidates were somewhat lacking in strength, Ross Perot's candidacy had attracted the interest of many voters who were very disappointed with both parties.
Therefore, after participating in the CNN interview at the end of February, in less than half a month Ross Perot had already collected sufficient voter signatures in twenty-nine American states.
It was obvious that for Ross Perot to collect sufficient signatures in all fifty American states and Washington D.C. was only a matter of time.
Because Ross Perot's personal political leanings tended toward the conservative faction similar to the Republicans, once he ran he would definitely siphon votes that should have gone to George Bush. Thus, as Ross Perot began collecting voter signatures, under the push of some undercurrents many media outlets also began to scrutinize everything about Ross Perot with a magnifying glass. A large amount of public opinion attacks followed.
Some people always thought that the power of the American president was not great, that he was constrained by Congress, frequently attacked by the media, and was merely a spokesperson for American capital forces and so on. But in reality, after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, as the head of the world's only superpower, the American president was absolutely a "job" that required the least effort yet granted the greatest power.
Because the threshold was not too high, the effort required was low enough, and the power was great enough, the competition was naturally extremely fierce.
In order to win the election victory, the various candidates and the forces behind them used every possible means in the campaign process.
Although Ross Perot was a billionaire and had experienced fierce business battles in the process of rising from nothing, this tycoon was still a complete novice in politics. After a combination punch from various sides in public opinion, this billionaire showed signs of being unable to withstand it.