Along with these poor decisions was a talent for spending and wasting money, and Millie appeared to be permanently insolvent, even though her share of the repeat royalties should have been more than enough to keep her afloat. Whatever the reason this time, it soon became clear she was desperate for this job or, indeed, any job.
‘I think it’s a simply wonderful idea, Al. It’ll be just like old times.’
‘That’s what I’m afraid of.’
‘What do you mean? We had a lot of fun, didn’t we? And it would mean loads of money. We all know that the cast of Friends each got a million dollars an episode towards the end. That would be great, wouldn’t it?’
A million dollars an episode would indeed be great, although it was a forlorn hope. They had been well paid, but never anything like that amount and this would be a brand-new venture for the studio. But even if they were to be offered a whole heap of money, it couldn’t compensate for the sheer awfulness of working with Zoë again. When Alice mentioned this, Millie pointed out something that she had missed.
‘What if it isn’t Zoë? There’s no mention of her in the email. Maybe they’ve finally worked out she’s a witch and they’ve replaced her.’
Alice mulled it over for a few moments. It was true that a pleasant, sympathetic replacement for the irritable director would create a hell of a lot nicer working environment. Certainly, a twenty-episode series at even a fraction of the sort of money Millie was mentioning would provide a healthy income. And, give or take a few paparazzi and the serious constraints on her private life, she really had had a whale of a time in Hollywood.
‘I wonder…’ Of course, it would mean putting her art history career on hold, but there was no reason that couldn’t wait a year or two. ‘I’ll be honest with you, Millie: I’ve been sitting here remembering the stress of those last months on set, with Zoë screaming and shouting at everybody, and I’ve been dreading finding myself back in that situation again, but maybe it is worth a thought. What does your agent say?’
‘She’s all for it. After all, her cut would add up to a load of money. What about yours?’
‘I no longer have an agent. Students don’t need them. Apart from exchanging a few holiday greetings, I haven’t been in touch with Amos for ages. But I think I’d better give him a ring and see what he says.’
After speaking to Millie, Alice checked her watch to make sure it wasn’t too early in Hollywood and called her former agent. When she was put through to him, he greeted her with a cheery laugh.
‘Alice, honey, hi! I’ve been expecting your call. It’s great to hear from you after so long. You just beat me to it. I was about to call you. So, what do you intend to say to Conrad Chesterfield?’
So he already knew all about the plan to revive Pals. Not that this surprised Alice in the slightest. Amos had always had his finger firmly on the Hollywood pulse and his ear glued to the ground. Alice told him what she had discussed with Millie – in particular whether Zoë would be involved as director or not – and he came up with a sensible suggestion.
‘Why don’t I go back to them and say you might be interested, but you’re gonna need a hell of a lot more information first? Apart from anything else, we need to talk money, serious money. It probably needs a meeting – and a long one at that. How’re you fixed? Could you come back over here if required?’
Alice told him she had finished her doctorate and was currently free to travel. ‘I’m sure you’re right about a meeting being a good idea. Apart from anything else, we need to find out if the other cast members are also interested. What about Richie? I haven’t heard from him for ages and I haven’t heard anything from Harry for years.’
‘Harry’s still around. Since breaking up with Layla, I hear he’s been working his way through most of the pretty girls in Hollywood – and there’s a hell of a lot of them. As for Richie, I don’t know. He’s disappeared off the radar. I’ll do a bit of digging.’
Richie, the highbrow one of the group in the sitcom and Alice’s will-they-won’t-they on-screen – and for a few months off-screen – love interest had turned introspective towards the end, although he had never missed a day on set and had rarely fluffed his lines. The stress had got to him more than the others and, as a result, he had got himself a ‘spiritual counsellor’ as well as a variety of tattoos and piercings, and a permanent aroma of marijuana hung over him. Even so, he had become ever more morose and taciturn with everybody, including Alice, and his sense of humour had deserted him completely. Being with him had become ever more draining, until Alice had had enough and had finally been forced to call time on the relationship.
Since returning to the UK, she had lost contact with him and had feared the worst. She had enough experience of actors going off the rails under the influence of too much fame and too much money. It would be really interesting to find out how and where he was now. As for Harry, Amos’s description of how he was spending his time sounded par for the course. Still, she thought to herself, pretty girls,
