If someone said that all of this was a meticulously planned segment by Darren for Anson, David would be the first to retort—
Absolutely not necessary.
Seriously, there's no need.
This is just a guest role in a TV series, not an audition for the male lead in "Titanic"; even if Anson had a poker face, as long as he wasn't hideous or a complete mess, it wouldn't be an issue.
What's more, with Darren's protection, taking on a guest role with that face would be a breeze.
Audition?
It was just a formality.
Even David himself had a spur-of-the-moment idea, a hundred percent unexpected, with no expectations, yet he received two hundred percent surprise.
"Is this your audition performance?" David scrutinized Anson.
Anson was a bit hard to read—
This was his first performance, and it was for others to see, giving him a strange sense of nakedness, with a mix of excitement, awkwardness, and rawness.
Involuntarily, he couldn't help but feel a little anticipation.
Meeting David's gaze, Anson hid his emotions and joked, "Or do I need to sing? I can find my pitch now."
"Ha." A hint of appreciation gleamed in David's eyes, "So, your parents?"
"Oh, no, they're not divorced. I don't want to judge their marital status, but at least for now, they haven't divorced." This was a fact.
However, before his transmigration, Anson's parents did divorce, in the year he took his college entrance exam, and they told him, "This isn't your fault."
David didn't know this; what he saw was the performance that had just been so convincing, and a spark of interest appeared in his eyes as he began to probe.
"But why didn't you choose a classic scene?" David asked directly.
Anson spread his hands, "I know my limits. I'm not Jack Nicholson, nor am I Robert De Niro. Of course, the role we're discussing now isn't 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.'"
"Ha." David laughed again, unconsciously nodding slightly in appreciation—
Many actors think that auditions test acting skills, but that's not entirely true. Most of the time, auditions test temperament and state, occasionally testing the agent's connections and ability. Only a small portion tests basic skills, after all, an audition director isn't an acting academy teacher.
David looked deeply at Anson, "Do you have any roles you'd like to try?"
Anson's smile widened at the corners of his mouth, "One of the most interesting things about being an actor is opening up possibilities, trying adventures that real life can't offer. So, there's no need to rein in such a profession, don't you think?"
He humbly stated that he had no right to choose, yet he packaged it in a grand, impressive manner that wasn't off-putting.
"Haha." David laughed heartily, "Young man, you have guts and spirit. This old man is truly envious. Alright, I understand. Let's delve into the possibilities of an actor."
The audition ended there.
An audition that was originally unnecessary ended up lasting a full twenty-five minutes, far exceeding David's expectations.
After the performance, there was another round of pleasantries and laughter. Anson's wit and humor truly left a deep impression on David, who found it hard to believe this young man was only eighteen.
It wasn't until he watched Anson's retreating figure leave the office that an idea sparked in David's mind, growing rapidly at a visible pace—
Ring. Ring, ring, ring.
David's personal cell phone on his desk rang loudly, temporarily putting his thoughts aside. He glanced at the caller ID to see if it was necessary to answer, then saw a familiar name and his smile completely broadened.
"Hey, Darren, why are you calling personally to rush me? Are you worried I'll bully the kid?"
The call was from Darren Star, and the voice on the other end was both helpless and annoyed, "Yes, I'm worried you'll scare that kid."
David: ???
Darren grumbled impatiently, "I just told you to give him a small role, two or three lines, a little bit of screen time, that's enough. That kid has never acted before. Giving him a big role right away adds unnecessary pressure. What about later?"
David also looked a bit helpless, "Darren..."
Darren didn't give him a chance, "A small role doesn't even need an audition, it's just a matter of a word. Yet, almost an entire morning has passed, there's no news from your end, and no movement from his end. Old man, honestly, what are you plotting? His parents aren't small figures, don't mess around."
David wanted to continue teasing his old friend, but he was worried Darren's blood pressure couldn't handle it, "Darren, Anson is great."
Darren paused slightly, "Huh?"
David couldn't suppress his excitement either, "I mean, he's excellent."
"At first, I had the same idea as you, just arrange a small role, take it slow, first get used to the camera and the set atmosphere, and talk about it later. Leonardo DiCaprio also started with small roles in 'Growing Pains.'"
"But."
As he spoke, David himself became a little excited—
"Darren, I have a bold idea."
"How about Anson appearing as a guest star in one episode of 'Friends,' partnering with Jennifer?"
Making the best of a bad situation—that was David's idea.
Since the writing team had already gone off track, creating an episode script based on a young actor as a guest star, it would clearly be difficult to overturn and restart now; but he also didn't need to argue with Bruce Willis's agent anymore, he might as well just use Anson to star in this episode.
This way, things would actually be much simpler, and all the troubles would be smoothly resolved.
Going with the flow might yield surprisingly delightful results—
In fact, even if David didn't say it, Hollywood could now feel the pressure on David's shoulders. The ratings for "Friends" Season Seven still dominated, but its advantage was rapidly being eroded and swallowed.
The ratings for NBC Television's "Will & Grace," "frasier," "The West Wing," "Law & Order," "ER," and other series were steadily climbing, not to mention the pursuit and interception by excellent works from other television stations. "Friends"'s position as the leader was precarious.
It's the same for all TV series; generally, after crossing the threshold of one hundred episodes in the fifth season, they will encounter a trough and cancellation crisis.
The main reason is that after a series reaches one hundred episodes, the copyright can be packaged and sold to other platforms for on-demand viewing. At the same time, the series' vitality enters a bottleneck. Naturally, both the creative team and the television station will view the series from a slightly different perspective.
"Friends" was no exception.
Not long ago, after the winter hiatus ended, David had just met with NBC executives to discuss future development prospects, as "Friends" was about to enter its seventh season.
For the first time ever, a television executive unprecedentedly mentioned, "If the series lacks vitality, should we consider how to wrap it up? Rather than dragging on and barely surviving, it's better to think about how to achieve a dignified ending."
Of course, this doesn't mean NBC was truly ready to end its flagship show; they probably still couldn't bear to. But at least it indicated that such a thought had emerged.
What's more, NBC was currently in its heyday, with a hundred flowers blooming and a hundred schools of thought contending.
So, David was pondering—
Perhaps, taking a different approach could yield unexpected results?