Lucas headed toward the "Modern Family" set and was immediately met with a warm barrage of greetings from the cast members he hadn't seen in a long time.
"Ah, I genuinely thought I'd never see you again, Lucas. Looks like I was wrong," Ty sighed as he embraced Lucas warmly.
"You don't seem thrilled to see me, Ty," Lucas said, chuckling.
"Not thrilled? Of course, I'm not thrilled," Ty quipped. As all eyes turned to him, he clapped Lucas on the back and clarified with a smile, "I'm excited to see you again, Knight."
Lucas smiled, tickled by Ty's humor. "I'm excited to see you too."
Julie chimed in, "I've heard about your new album, Lucas. With the hectic schedule of filming the show, I haven't managed to grab a copy yet, but I'm really looking forward to listening to your songs."
"It's been all over Twitter, and from what I've seen, people are praising the album so much that I started to wonder if they were paid or something," Sarah Hyland said with a chuckle, lounging on the couch.
"Hehe, curiosity got the best of me, and I checked out the Twitter buzz about my album too. I might've had the same doubts if I hadn't heard the songs myself," Lucas responded, laughing along.
Lucas spent time catching up with the "Modern Family" cast, who had become more familiar faces to him after his absence. Nolan, the child actor, was especially curious about Lucas's album, while Ariel showed a keen interest in his acting career thus far.
Reconnecting and sharing moments with the cast of one of his favorite shows brought a subtle joy to Lucas.
After his time with the cast, Lucas then moved on to chat with the show's creators, Steven Levitan and Christopher Lloyd.
"I'll be honest with you, Lucas," Christopher started, sighing a bit, "Initially, Steven and I didn't plan for Dylan's personality to evolve much in the second season. But your charm won the audience over, and the network, along with the producers, insisted we flesh out Dylan's character more. They wanted him to show personal growth, even amidst the comedic scenes with Haley, despite his limited appearances this season."
Steven chimed in, "And after your Emmy nomination, the network and producers were even more adamant that Dylan's character shed some of his naivety and experience some personal growth."
Lucas raised his eyebrows, slightly surprised. "Oh? So, Dylan will experience personal growth beyond his relationship with Haley?"
Both Steven and Christopher nodded. "Honestly, we initially wanted to keep Dylan's development simple, maintaining his naiveté for comedic effect," Christopher confessed. "But the producers pushed for him to show at least some personal growth and to start pursuing his career as a band's lead vocalist..."
Hearing that the producers wanted Dylan to progress in his career, Lucas let out a wry chuckle. "So, the producers basically want Dylan to belt out another song that could go viral among music fans and on YouTube?"
Steven and Christopher shared a laugh, with Steven responding, "What can we say? You're partly to blame for creating a hit like 'Perfect' that exploded online and racked up millions of YouTube views. That's why the producers are eager to harness your musical talent through Dylan, hoping you'll deliver more songs in a scene or two this season."
Lucas gave a wry smile, thinking to himself, 'No wonder ABC Network offered me such a lucrative contract—$75,000 per episode—even though I'm only in a few episodes...'
Noticing Lucas's mixed expression, Christopher added, "Don't worry, we're not planning to claim copyright on any of the songs you might perform in a scene or two this season. Just like with 'Perfect' in season one, you'll retain the rights."
Lucas nodded, sharing his thoughts aloud, "Well, it really depends on whether I feel inspired to write a song. If I do, maybe I could feature Dylan's band in a scene or two..."
Steven and Christopher understood, with Steven adding, "We get it. If you come up with a song, just give us a heads-up. We'll figure out how to work in a scene where Dylan performs with his band."
Lucas acknowledged this; it seemed he might need to draw some songs from his past life for Dylan to perform.
Despite the unexpected request from the production team for Dylan, the role of Lucas, to potentially include a song in a scene or two, Lucas wasn't overly concerned. He knew the copyright would remain his, and he'd also profit from any royalties the song generated on the show, courtesy of the ABC Network. And Lucas was not one to turn down an opportunity to earn some extra income.
With these considerations in mind, Lucas joined the rest of the cast for rehearsals before they officially filmed the episode featuring his character, Dylan.
Even though Lucas's screen time was brief, his role in the episode made a significant impact, enriching the comedy and engaging the audience with his lines.
***
The production of "Modern Family" for season 2 started early, giving the team ample time to refine scenes and adjust storylines to ensure they meet their high standards before the episodes are aired.
After wrapping up his scenes, Lucas was saying his goodbyes to the cast and crew when he noticed an argument between Steven and Christopher. This wasn't new to him; he remembered from season 1 that the two often had creative differences. Eventually, Steven, looking frustrated, conceded and left the writing of the entire episode to Christopher.
This kind of tension wasn't unusual on set. Lucas observed other familiar sights: Ariel's mother was still a constant presence, watching over her daughter who seemed increasingly reserved. And Sarah appeared more fatigued than before, often taking breaks to rest or nap—a change from the energy she displayed during season 1's filming. It was a reminder that, despite changes, some things on the set remained the same.