**Las Vegas.**
**Caesars Palace.**
Located in the heart of the city, Caesars Palace is the first themed casino resort in Las Vegas.
As soon as you enter, you're greeted by a grand rotunda, resplendent in gold, reminiscent of ancient Rome.
To enhance the immersive experience, there are even cosplaying Roman soldiers roaming around.
"Hey~"
Seeing Adam spot him, Joey Tribbiani—dressed in gleaming golden armor and wearing a red-plumed helmet as a "Roman soldier"—awkwardly turned around and waved with an embarrassed smile.
"Joey, what are you doing here? And why are you dressed like that?"
Adam asked, his expression puzzled.
"I'm here for an acting gig," Joey explained, trying to strike a heroic pose when he noticed Duncan's family and Juno all staring at him.
"Acting? Here?" Teddy asked curiously.
"Yeah," Joey quickly nodded. Noticing Teddy was a beautiful young woman, he instinctively flashed his signature Tribbiani smile and said, "How you doin'~"
"Joey!"
Adam scolded.
"Sorry," Joey snapped back to his senses, realizing these were likely Adam's relatives. He quickly apologized and dropped the flirtatious smile.
"Focus on your acting. We'll catch up later," Adam said, signaling a hotel attendant to guide them to their rooms so they could get settled in first.
"Wow! This room is gorgeous!"
The moment Teddy entered the luxury suite, she squealed with excitement and began running around.
She wasn't the only one; Charlie and their mom, Amy, were just as thrilled.
Amy handed Toby to her husband, Bob, and then began twirling around the suite, showing off her favorite dance moves while admiring the lavish decor.
There's just something about sparkly, shiny things that women can't seem to resist.
"Dad, get comfortable. We'll have dinner together later," Adam reminded him.
"Got it," Bob said with a sigh, holding Toby as he watched his wife and kids run around.
Adam and Juno headed to another suite, just one room over.
"You all settle in. I'm going to check in with Joey," Adam said with a chuckle. "I mean, he's filming here? I'm curious about what kind of movie this could be."
"Maybe it's an *adult* movie," Juno teased. "I mean, this is Vegas—the world's most famous gambling city. It's got the perfect ambiance, and with the whole Roman theme... well, you know how those movies are."
"How do you know so much?" Adam gave her a curious look.
He couldn't help but agree, though.
Anything set in ancient Rome or Sparta could easily be mistaken for something much more risqué.
Alright, maybe there was a difference: those movies had bigger budgets, grander sets, more beautiful actresses, and way more scandalous scenes.
"You mean you don't?" Juno shot him a mocking look.
"Oh, come on!"
Adam was speechless.
They both understood, so why was she giving him that look?
Without another word, Adam left to find Joey, who was taking pictures with tourists in his Roman soldier costume.
"What's going on?"
With no family around, Adam didn't hold back. "You're not seriously here to film a Roman-themed adult movie, are you?"
"How did you know?"
Joey's eyes widened in shock.
"What?"
Adam was stunned. "You're serious?!"
"It's not what you think!" Joey quickly explained. "Okay, here's the deal..."
It turned out that Joey had landed a leading role in an indie film shooting in the desert outside of Las Vegas, and he was over the moon about it.
A lead role in a movie!
This was the peak of his career—or so he thought.
Even though it was just an indie film without the budget of a blockbuster, with no paycheck, no luxury suite, and not even enough money for a plane ticket (he had to borrow Phoebe's grandma's taxi to drive all the way here), a lead role was still a lead role.
The title alone made him feel important.
Once this movie blew up, he imagined fame and fortune raining down on him.
While he wasn't getting paid upfront, he was promised a share of the profits. For every dollar the movie made, he'd get a cut.
If it made millions at the box office?
He'd be a millionaire!
Alright, at this point, Adam didn't have the heart to crush his dreams.
He knew the truth: profit-sharing wasn't the same as box office earnings.
Even if the movie made millions, once production and distribution costs were deducted, Joey would be lucky to see a penny.
In fact, with how unreliable this crew sounded, the movie might not even get made.
When Joey had finally made it to Vegas, exhausted from his cross-country drive, he was met with a nasty surprise:
The cast wasn't fully assembled, there was no detailed script, and—worst of all—they were out of money.
The director told Joey to hang around for a couple of weeks while he tried to secure more funding... and then promptly disappeared.
Heartbroken but unwilling to give up his chance at a lead role, Joey stayed behind, waiting for the director's call.
But like most Americans, Joey didn't have any savings. To cover his expenses while waiting, he took on odd jobs around the city.
Finding work wasn't easy, but being an actor had its perks. Dressing up as a Roman soldier for photo ops was right up his alley.
"But what about the *adult movie* thing?" Adam pressed.
Joey hesitated, but when Adam threatened to call Monica and the others, he finally admitted, "Remember that time I almost starred in an adult movie?"
"Oh," Adam laughed, "You didn't just almost star in it. You were in it."
"But I wasn't the main character!" Joey protested.
"Sure," Adam chuckled.
Back in high school, Joey had been tricked into appearing in an adult film. At the last minute, he chickened out of the main role, so they cast someone else.
But Joey still made a cameo as a repairman who walked in on the lead actors using a printer in ways printers were definitely not meant to be used.
He played his role perfectly, going from annoyed repairman to enthusiastic spectator, clapping and cheering by the end.
He actually had quite a bit of screen time.
Adam and his friends had even gone to a video rental store to find that movie and watch Joey's performance together.
They had laughed so hard, a few of them almost passed out.
"Stop laughing!"
Joey's face darkened as he pulled a short sword from his costume and waved it threateningly.
"Okay, okay," Adam tried to stop laughing. "But what does that have to do with this? Did they track you down again?"
(End of Chapter)