"Tap, tap."
Renly rapped on the door. After a brief pause, a cheerful voice echoed from inside, "Just a moment."
Soon after, a burst of laughter and playfulness resounded from within. After a short while, the door to the dressing room swung open, revealing a winsome young girl. Her bright pink hair caught the eye, though it appeared more like a wig than a product of natural coloring.
"May I ask who you are?" The girl stood cautiously behind the door, her words gentle and inquisitive.
Renly was unperturbed; after all, this was a woman's dressing room, and various situations could arise, warranting the necessity of caution on the other person's part.
Before he could respond, a familiar voice sounded from inside, "Laura, don't make things difficult for the guest. Let him in. Quickly, come in." Following this, a wave of laughter and warmth filled the room, as inviting as a spring breeze.
The girl named Laura stepped aside, opening the door.
Renly smiled, nodding politely, but he didn't hurry to enter. Instead, he inquired with a touch of jest in his composed words, "Are you sure I can come in now?" Amidst his poised words, there lingered a hint of light-hearted banter. Soon enough, the room echoed with laughter, and someone playfully quipped, "What are you imagining, then?"
That candid tease brought a wry smile to Renly's lips. He then stepped inside, greeted by the sight of Katy seated at the makeup table.
At this moment, she appeared truly extraordinary, almost too dazzling to gaze upon directly.
Her head was adorned with an octopus-inspired hairstyle, each strand held in place by hairpins, creating a fusion of bright orange and deep black, akin to merchandise elegantly showcased in a boutique. Below her neck, a peachy plastic cape enveloped her, and her face wore a mischievous smile. Her arched eyebrows shot upward, and her lips formed a heart-shaped pout, while her eyes playfully danced.
This whimsically uninhibited expression was reminiscent of a character from "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland."
Renly blinked, momentarily taken aback, then chuckled in spite of himself, quipping, "At the very least, not the scene I just witnessed."
Renly's witty and humorous response elicited a broad grin from Katy, her hearty laughter reverberating within the makeup room. "So, your imagination turns out to be quite dull, disappointing indeed," she retorted with a lively twinkle in her eye.
"Which means I won't be becoming Katy Perry," Renly responded, once again exceeding expectations with his reply. Not only did Katy find his remark amusing, but even others in the dressing room burst into laughter.
Seated before him was none other than Katy Perry, affectionately referred to as the "Fruit Sister". Her style was always bold and unexpected, a constant source of surprise. Her second studio album, "Teenage Dream", released last year, had brought her tremendous success. It not only soared to the top of the Billboard album charts but also featured five Billboard number-one singles, matching the record set by Michael Jackson. As of now, she was the only female artist to hold such an achievement.
Currently, Katy was promoting the third single from that album, titled "Firework".
A style like today's was hardly remarkable in Katy's extensive repertoire, not to mention that she was still in the process of getting styled; the final transformation was far from complete.
Observing Renly before her, Katy's eyes brightened after just a couple of sentences. If not for the constant emphasis on Renly's youth whenever anyone mentioned him, at only twenty-one years old, Katy would have completely overlooked his age. She found it intriguing. Hollywood never lacked for such prodigious personalities. However, she wondered how far this young man would ultimately go.
"The pleasure is mine." Katy extended a warm smile, her eyes sparkling with a bright and cheerful light. "Nice to meet you. I'm Katy Perry."
"Delighted to meet you as well. It seems I'm definitely not Katy Perry now, that's settled," Renly responded, hands folded behind his back in a gentlemanly manner. "I'm Renly Hall."
Polite, mild, with a smile that always carried a touch of witty humor.
Katy's pupils contracted slightly. Was he really only twenty-one? "I know. Your name was mentioned so many times last night, it's hard not to hear about you."
Katy had attended the Golden Globe Awards celebration party last night as well. However, with more than six hundred people at the party, they hadn't directly crossed paths, not even a chance encounter across the crowd. "Now we finally have a chance to meet. You're even more interesting than the rumors suggest."
"That's not good. The rumors seem to paint me as a dull and stiff fellow," Renly remarked with some surprise, expecting "young" to be a more frequently used adjective.
"Not just dull and stiff, but also reserved and introverted. You're said to avoid interacting with colleagues on set, rejecting the integration into the crew's daily life. You're even said to live in your own world with a sense of haughty pride. It's truly a headache. With such a personality, it'd be a real challenge for a host if you were on a talk show." These words didn't come from Katy, but from behind them. Everyone turned their heads simultaneously, revealing Ellen.
Ellen from The Ellen DeGeneres Show herself.
She wore a white-and-blue-striped sailor t-shirt, paired with jeans and white canvas shoes, as if she had just stepped out for a run—fresh, natural, casual. Her face was adorned with her signature warm smile, and her short, neatly cut hair lacked any aggression, easily invoking a sense of affinity.
"Did you hear about it too? I heard about it!" Katy showed an unexpectedly serious expression as she spoke earnestly. Yet, the laughter twinkling in her eyes and tugging at the corners of her mouth betrayed her playfulness.
Ellen spread her hands, an expression of helplessness on her face, shaking her head repeatedly. "Now, I finally understand what Hollywood is all about. Rumors are always confusing, maybe I should stop following TMZ."
Renly couldn't help but smile.
Just from Ellen's words, he could deduce that Vin Diesel must have spread quite a few rumors about him in secret. As long as Vin hadn't disclosed anything to the media, and it remained within the realm of industry gossip, it wasn't a big deal. After all, this was Hollywood, a place of intrigue and maneuvering.
It seemed that Vin was eager to clear up the misunderstanding. Imagining Vin's expression, looking somewhat childishly wronged, as if saying, "Baby is misunderstood, baby won't tell," brought a sense of delight to Renly's mood.
"To not disappoint you all, I better keep my mouth shut from now on. It'll be easier for you, and of course, easier for me too. That's a win-win situation." Renly made no extra movements, merely blinked his eyes and subtly curled his lips, the message couldn't be clearer. Both Katy and Ellen burst into laughter.
"Not good at all. I need you to talk for today's show recording," Ellen joked on.
Renly wore an expression of helplessness, shaking his head. "At least I get to stay and watch the show being recorded instead of being kicked out of the studio." His wry remark evoked a chuckle.
"I'm already looking forward to today's show recording." Ellen opened her arms, adopting a hugging gesture, and then winked, "Just hope you don't scrutinize the question list too rigorously. Otherwise, the show might become extremely boring."
Normally, before artists appeared on shows, their conversations and question lists would undergo preliminary review to remove sensitive topics. However, today's talk show was arranged at the last minute, so the related scrutiny wasn't as stringent. Renly speculated that Andy had probably glanced over the questions. The absence of warnings or concerns indicated that the conversation was unlikely to go awry.
If Renly knew that Andy had indeed reviewed the question list, but felt no anxiety whatsoever due to his trust in Renly's improvisational skills, then his expression might not have been so composed.
However, Renly's current train of thought honed in on a different point. "If I'm not mistaken, this is The Ellen DeGeneres Show, not Jay Leno's The Tonight Show."
The style and audience of daytime and late-night talk shows inherently differed, ensuring that the two had essential distinctions. In "The Ellen Show," the questions couldn't be too incisive. Thus, Renly didn't need to worry excessively.
Ellen tilted her head, as if expressing displeasure at being underestimated. "I can be quite thorny. Really, I can be ruthless." Then she clenched her fist with determination, biting her teeth. "If you don't believe me, you can ask Jay Leno and Ricky Gervais." True to her words, Ricky had become the subject of the show's ridicule right after the Golden Globe Awards concluded.
Regrettably, Renly appeared to be completely unperturbed, standing there with a tranquil expression. Did he not understand?
Soon after, Ellen observed Renly's unchanged expression, but a faint glimmer of amusement shone in his eyes. Unable to contain herself, Ellen chuckled softly.
Although this was only the first meeting between Renly and Ellen, their interaction seemed akin to that of old friends who had known each other for years. Their lively conversation and the harmony between them created an exceptionally comfortable atmosphere. It was easy to anticipate that today's show recording would proceed smoothly.
After a brief chat, as the time for the show recording approached, Ellen took her leave first. Subsequently, Renly made room for Katy, returning to his dressing room.
Every dressing room was equipped with a television, broadcasting the live recording in real time.
An episode of the show usually ran for around forty minutes, with the recording process taking about seventy minutes. Renly was merely a segment of today's episode, allotted fifteen to twenty minutes for the interview. The exact content that would be edited for the final program depended on his improvisational skills.
Sitting in the dressing room, watching the "live" talk show was indeed a unique experience. However, the role of an observer was quickly disrupted as a crew member knocked on the dressing room door, reminding Renly, "Five-minute countdown."
The palpable reality of his impending debut on a television program washed over him. Although he knew this was a show recording that would undergo post-production, a slight nervousness gripped him.
However, Renly had no time for nervousness. Following the crew member, he left the dressing room, walked down the hallway, and arrived at the back of the stage's entrance. The laughter of the live audience was clearly audible, causing his heart to suddenly contract.