"Call me Howie," he'd said as he bounced over, smiling, and pumped my hand. "Love you Aussies! Had some great times fishing for marlin off the coast of Queensland." When he came on the line, Howie was just as briskly cheerful as the day before. He assured me how hard he'd fought on my behalf for a reasonable contract. The terms were now satisfactory, so he was having it delivered to Kendall & Creeling by courier this afternoon for my signature. I'd pretty much thrown myself on Howie's mercy yesterday, so he'd given me a rapid-fire description of series television, including who was who on a soundstage and what I was to expect as a member of the cast. It'd soon become obvious that I was totally out of my depth, so Howie arranged for one of his junior staff members to liaise with the studios on my behalf. Now he had my schedule, plus various must-know and must-do items, which he'd courier to me with the contract. "First up," Howie said, "you report Monday morning for a session with a dialogue coach to get your accent right." "But I've got a dinky-di Aussie accent already!" Howie laughed.
