Once Upon a Time in Hollywood: A Novel

After working as a guest star on Westerns for more than 10 years, Jim Stacy finally has his own series. On the first day of filming Lancer, Rick Dalton’s mustache irritates Jim, but he takes comfort in knowing that the audience will see Johnny Lancer defeat Jake Cahill on screen. However, Jim is frustrated that Rick’s character has better lines than his character does.

Rick sits reading his book, waiting for his next scene. He sees Stacy looking over at him but doesn’t get up to greet him because in Hollywood, the lead character is supposed to welcome people on set first. Stacy comes over and introduces himself, telling Rick how much he enjoyed Bounty Law. Stacy sits down to talk with Rick and then asks him about his least favorite story: whether he was up for Steve McQueen’s part in The Great Escape. Rick doesn’t want to tell the story again but tells it to be polite. After finishing the story, he soothes his humiliation by asking Jim what he thinks of his mustache, knowing it will make him mad.