Faced with Renly's reversal of roles, Ellen lifted her chin slightly, attempting to adjust her line of sight to be at the same level as Renly's. However, it was evidently quite challenging. She spread her arms, deliberately revealing an air of pride. "Are you trying to be the host now? Feeling good to have control over the conversation? But here, I'm the master. If you want to give orders, you need to sign a contract to become a co-host."
"Hmm... What's the price?" Renly squinted slightly, his expression brimming with excitement.
"You know, a lifelong contract, forever bound to the show. Even after the show ends, you'll have to come home with me," Ellen replied, equally serious while talking nonsense.
Renly pursed his lips, exclaiming, "Wow, I'm not so sure, has family life become this peculiarly intense?"
That profoundly inquisitive expression sparked a collective burst of laughter from the live audience. Even Ellen squinted her eyes, shaking her head continually, and pointing at Renly, she exclaimed loudly, "This is daytime talk show, daytime!"
Renly shrugged innocently. "What did I say? Family life, I was just talking about family life." Then, he turned to the audience with a comically absurd expression. "Folks, clearly it's not me."
His blatant insinuations set the audience's minds running wild, and the laughter and applause in the room seemed endless.
Ellen, with her head tilted back, laughed heartily, then invited Renly to sit down. She attempted to speak but couldn't hold back her laughter and only managed to express, with a smile on her face, "Before we start the official interview, I just want to say, you look incredibly handsome today."
Renly politely nodded without speaking, but Ellen wasn't ready to let go of the subject. "I mean it, really, you look so handsome."
This time, Renly furrowed his brow slightly and said earnestly, "Should I be worried?" The expression he wore seemed to say, "You clearly like women, so why are you looking at me like that? It's making me a little concerned." This expression made the ladies in the audience burst into laughter, and a few even dared to whistle.
"Calm down, calm down," Ellen had to address the audience, "I know you've all been waiting for this day. We've been discussing this guy for a while now, and he's finally here. Everyone's a bit excited. But, calm down. I'm the first, okay?" Ellen's serious expression only sent the laughter spiraling out of control.
Ellen turned back to Renly. "What I mean is, you really stunned a lot of people on the red carpet last night." As she spoke, the large screen behind her displayed Renly's look from last night. The screams had already started, and Renly felt as if he had stepped into high school.
"This outfit really suits you. Today, Vogue magazine ranked the top ten shining moments on the red carpet, and this is number one." Ellen's commentary made the screams resonate ceaselessly.
Renly nodded and smiled, saying, "Thank you for bringing this up. I've been thinking about how to flaunt it. But now that you've mentioned it, it couldn't be better." His strong ironic humor brought to mind the enthusiastic applause.
Ellen couldn't help but smile too, and after the noise had subsided somewhat, she said, "Forgive them, you know women. After a certain age, they're always a bit impatient."
Was she implying "Thirty as a she-wolf, forty as a tigress"? Renly couldn't hold back his laughter at once.
However, Ellen remained calm and continued hosting. "On the red carpet, men often have limited choices. Your selection last night was truly eye-catching."
"It was a bold attempt. In fact, I've been trying to figure out how to create buzz. Compared to others, I don't have many advantages. So, I thought, why not be a little unconventional? Make the reporters dislike me, make other actors despise me – that's not a bad strategy." Renly's jesting kept the laughter flowing in the room, and even though he wore an expression of seriousness, the contrast only amplified the humor.
"Here, I must thank George Wilkes. He designed and made this outfit. He's the only one willing to sacrifice his own reputation to take a chance with me. So, strictly speaking, I didn't really have a choice."
Renly's ability to earnestly talk nonsense seemed to be on the rise. The live audience had turned into a bundle of laughter, and even Ellen had a smile on her face. Yet, Renly maintained a deadpan expression.
"George Wilkes?" Ellen nodded with a sigh. "He's quite a wild guy."
"Yes, I think the same," Renly nodded with utmost concentration, expressing agreement. One could imagine the expressions on Eaton and George when they watched this show – who was the real madman?
"What about today?" Ellen asked casually. "I like your shirt, navy blue, is it navy blue?"
Today, Renly had chosen a navy blue shirt paired with light gray jeans. He completed the look with a pair of deep blue canvas shoes. The buttons on the shirt were meticulously fastened, but the sleeves were rolled up. This semi-casual, semi-formal attire had no unnecessary accessories – it was clean, simple, and full of youthful vigor.
"Are you serious? Are we really discussing my shirt right now?" Renly didn't answer directly but turned the question back on Ellen. "I thought your show didn't go for this kind of thing."
The implied message was that The Oprah Winfrey Show really liked this approach – starting from everyday details and then embarking on an exploration of emotions.
Making fun of the competition, The Oprah Winfrey Show, on the current show immediately won cheers and applause from the live audience. Even Ellen herself wore a broad smile. "So, what do you think my show should discuss?" Ellen leaned back, striking a pose reminiscent of a guru, and crossed her legs.
"I don't know," Renly replied without a trace of panic, spreading his hands, "I've watched some of your shows. You're always discussing family, children, Christmas, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and handsome guys..." Before he could finish his sentence, the applause had already erupted. "Heaven knows, I can't join in on these topics." Laughter exploded immediately.
Renly shook his head, pointing to the audience section. "So, I came here today with a spectator's mindset. I think I should be a decent audience member. When everyone is screaming, I'm pretty sure I can scream too."
As he spoke, Renly unexpectedly stood up and walked towards the audience section. The entire hall buzzed with excitement. The audience in the center stood up, screaming and cheering – the atmosphere was lively and festive.
Just as Renly had said, the audience of the show was truly enthusiastic. For a rising newcomer like him, the live support and reactions were nothing short of incredible, and the level of engagement was truly high.
Ellen hurriedly got up, jogged over, and grabbed Renly's arm. "Wait, wait. I think you've gone too far. I don't want to see that scene."
"Are you sure? Are you sure it's not because you don't want to see them cheer for me?" Renly followed Ellen back, smiling playfully.
Ellen blinked for a moment and then purposely put on a dejected expression. "Yes, this is my turf. I don't want to see you become too popular. For the love of Jesus, I still have to come back tomorrow to work." Her complaining demeanor sent the entire audience into fits of laughter as they doubled over in amusement.
"Come, come, let's talk about your movie, "Buried"," Ellen had Renly sit back down. "After all, that's the main purpose of your appearance today, isn't it?" Ellen had actually expected Renly to segue into "Buried" earlier, but to her surprise, Renly wasn't following the usual script. Instead, he was adding to the liveliness of the atmosphere.
"After it was released, I watched this movie three times," Ellen finally steered the conversation towards the main topic of the day. "I recommended it to many friends, and I even watched it twice with friends. Honestly, initially, it was Portia who recommended the movie to me, and I went to the cinema out of sheer jealousy."
Renly furrowed his brows, looking puzzled as he faced the audience. "Wait a minute, what happened today? I feel like something's off. Did you have a fight with Portia?"
In truth, Renly's words were teasing Ellen, suggesting whether she no longer liked women and was now interested in men. Indeed, throughout the show today, Ellen had been full of praise for Renly.
"Yes, because of you," Ellen explained, making the atmosphere even more peculiar. As the audience looked at Renly's astonished expression, they collectively burst into belly-aching laughter. Ellen joined in the laughter. "In fact, we've discussed the movie a lot. After watching it, I had numerous questions and wanted clarifications, but Portia and the others didn't find the movie complex. She explained it to me as if to say, "It's like this, it's like that." The expression on her face was as if she was calling me an idiot."
"I don't think this is a confusing movie; it's a curious movie. Curious about the ending," Renly stopped joking and answered seriously. "So, I hope you all go to the cinema and watch it multiple times, boost the box office numbers. But, honestly, don't waste your money."
Laughter erupted from the audience.
Ellen blinked and looked at Renly. "Are you saying I'm an idiot?"
Renly shrugged, still smiling but not speaking. Ellen wore a frustrated expression, and the audience laughed so hard that there was no sound. "But... well... I mean..." Ellen tried to explain, but she found herself at a loss for words. She eventually spread her hands in resignation. "I have to admit, your performance was truly remarkable. Even before the movie started, in the darkness, just hearing your breathing, the performance had begun. I think you deserve an Oscar nomination. Absolutely deserving!"
Applause and whistles filled the air as everyone in the audience began cheering for Renly.
Ellen nodded repeatedly. "Yes, that's right. An Oscar nomination – you deserve it."
A broad smile lit up Renly's face too. Using his left hand to prop up the armrest of the couch, he lightly stroked his chin with his fingertips, his gaze fixed on Ellen with a half-smile. "Are you a member of the Academy? Great, I'll count your vote."
This unexpected response caused a momentary pause in the room, followed by collective laughter. Even Ellen was momentarily stunned, her smile gradually overflowing from her eyes and the corners of her mouth.
And then, at that very moment, a loud explosion rang out from the left side of Renly's seat! A sudden and unexpected "Boom"!