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	Golden put together the cast of the summer hit Survivor. From top, Survivor winner Richard and fellow castaways Jenna, Rudy, and Kelly.

ointing in the direction of a comfortable-looking sofa against his office wall, below a grid depicting prime time schedules for all of the major networks, Golden acknowledged "there is a couch." He says that the practice of granting work in exchange for sexual favors–perhaps most visibly characterized by the "casting couch" stereotype in Hollywood–unfairly dogs the entertainment industry. "It's horrific, but it happens in every industry, not just entertainment, [though] in my 20 years here I've never come across it," he said.

Jokes about the casting couch come less often as the respect and esteem for his and his colleagues' work grows, says Golden. Casting directors are more prominent and respected in the industry now than when he began 15 years ago. "It used to be that the casting director credit was buried at the end of the film. Now you see that title right up front with the director and producer. That has happened because of the realization of the importance of getting just the right actor for a part.

"When you find the actor who defines a character, that can make a show. When I think of the shows I watched as a kid, I can't imagine anybody except Elizabeth Montgomery as Samantha on Bewitched. Or Peter Falk as Columbo. James Garner as Rockford. Without those particular personalities, those shows would not have worked."

One thing that hasn't changed about Hollywood is that every audition attracts hundreds of actors hungry to break in. But the stories of actors "discovered" in drugstores, off the street, are mostly myth, according to Golden. "There aren't many overnight successes," he said. "Actors we hire almost always have been in other shows, films or on Broadway. Actors build up experience in smaller roles and eventually move up to larger ones."

The auditions themselves reveal fairly clearly who would and who would not be good for a part. "I look for an honest performance," he said. "Some actors come in so eager to please that they play to the casting people, and it comes off as insincere. I've always thought the best acting was the kind that seemed effortless. When a person is right for the role, they seem to be playing themselves rather than a character, and you forget for a moment that they're reading someone else's words. It's pretty obvious when that happens, so often it isn't difficult to choose who is best for the part."

And when that perfect actor is discovered for a role, says Golden, "producers and directors think you're a genius. They want to know, 'Where did you find this person?'"

Nancy Tellem, president of CBS Entertainment, says Golden is essential to the successful creation of programming at the network, that he "has the uncanny ability to identify talent and cast them appropriately."

But Golden claims no particular genius and in fact defers credit for what may be the greatest casting story in recent television history–the selection of the 16 Survivor cast members. "We all sat in a room considering the final 30 contestants and said 'yes' to this one and 'no' to that one, but it was a different process than a typical casting. It wasn't about actors."

Then Golden paused momentarily and reconsidered, perhaps remembering the theatrics of Richard and his fellow millionaire wannabees. "Well, maybe it was about actors," Golden said, and smiled.  

Kevin Cool, a former editor of Colby, is editor of Stanford University's alumni magazine.