"Are you starting to get used to it now?" Daisy struck up a conversation with Renly before the makeup session officially began. Of course, for a journalist, casual conversation was part of the interview. This was why she deliberately avoided mentioning the "interview" aspect, wanting to portray a more private side of Renly.
Renly had initially intended to start eating his breakfast, but seeing Daisy's demeanor, he set the paper bag aside for the moment. "Is it starting already? I thought there'd be a bit of breathing space."
Daisy felt a bit regretful; Renly had actually seen through her calculations. Still, she raised an eyebrow and said in surprise, "Don't you know? Today's interview will be recorded from start to finish and then edited and uploaded to YouTube. Recording began the moment you stepped out of the car."
Renly paused for a moment, and his gaze quickly scanned the surroundings. It was only then that he noticed the red lights on the nearby cameras. However, everything had been so chaotic earlier that he hadn't fully awakened yet. It was truly a misunderstanding.
With a self-deprecating tone, Renly said, "Looking at it from a positive angle, at least I didn't curse or misbehave. That's a good thing."
Even Daisy couldn't help but find it amusing. Not to mention the others who were preparing nearby. "So, are you getting used to it now? More and more people are getting to know you, and more and more people are going crazy for you."
"No, I'm still not quite used to it." Renly thought seriously for a moment and replied, "In fact, everything that's happened today is a first for me. Are you sure these aren't temporary actors hired by the magazine? They seem really committed." His witty words finally made him burst into laughter, echoing throughout the warehouse.
Over the past month, Renly's skyrocketing popularity had been unimaginable. In every city where "Fast 5" had its promotional events, the frequency of the name "Renly Hame" in the media coverage was the highest, even overshadowing Vin Diesel and Paul Walker. He had received countless adorations, not only from moviegoers but also from radio hosts, talk show hosts, and event hosts who couldn't help but focus their attention on Renly.
If during the Sundance Film Festival, Renly had felt the power of fans for the first time, this time, he truly experienced the frenzy of fans. Although he felt somewhat excited despite the unfamiliarity, for Renly, it was still hard to adapt. Everything seemed distant and dreamlike, as if disconnected from reality.
Renly always believed that dealing with journalists was much easier than dealing with crazy fans.
After the official end of the promotion last night, he thought he wouldn't encounter it again, but he hadn't expected it to continue today. This made Renly still feel detached from reality, and that's why he was making such jokes.
After all, Daisy wasn't a talk show host; she was just a journalist. Faced with Renly's humor, she couldn't engage in back-and-forth banter. Instead, she smiled passively, keenly observing Renly's expressions and reactions. "Under the spotlight, you're someone who values your personal privacy a lot, and it's almost impossible to find much information about you."
Not long ago, after the completion of "50/50", Renly had completely disappeared from the media's view for nearly a month. Up to this point, people still knew nothing about Renly's family.
"So when people see you in private, they are both surprised and curious. You can't blame them for their enthusiasm," Daisy's words were a kind of explanation for the enthusiasm of the fans just now. At the same time, it was an attempt to get Renly to respond and talk about his personal life.
But Daisy once again felt frustrated. Renly just smiled and slightly closed his jaw without showing any intention of responding. Daisy knew that Renly wasn't incapable of understanding the question; he was deliberately avoiding it. For a journalist, this was a bit frustrating but also a challenging situation.
"A couple of days ago, I heard an interesting rumor," Daisy tried again. "You and Paul Walker went to watch a movie together, and you had a little adventure. Both of you played the hero and resolved a crisis. Is that true?"
Renly didn't react immediately at first, hesitated for a moment, and then recalled, nodding to confirm, "There was a man trying to harass a little girl in the theater. Paul stepped in to stop him, and I provided some assistance." He made a casual remark, bypassing the almost explosive crisis situation, clearly indicating his reluctance to discuss personal life.
But this time, Daisy was well-prepared. She refused to compromise easily, inquiring about the entire story in great detail, seeking confirmation from Renly step by step.
Renly didn't say much but instead became an attentive listener, occasionally confirming or denying Daisy's questions. His attitude as a bystander left Daisy somewhat frustrated.
As she watched those eyes gradually regain their brightness and clarity, filled with sincerity and focus, seemingly fully immersed in the recent story, Daisy realized that Renly hadn't really revealed any substantial content. She finally understood that Renly was a person who was extremely guarded about his personal life. He would rather forgo the opportunity for publicity than expose himself too much.
Although reluctant to admit it, Daisy had to concede. However, she had come prepared today. When she brought up this matter, her initial intent wasn't about the "heroic rescue", but rather, "Are you and Paul good friends? He even accepted an award on your behalf at the Gotham Awards."
"Paul is a friendly guy, especially with friends who share his interests like surfing and racing," Renly's words remained concise but gave a positive response. "Due to work commitments, I regrettably couldn't attend the Gotham Awards. Paul stepped in, and it was a big help."
Then, when Daisy further inquired about their surfing trip in Hawaii last year, she received Renly's affirmation, "Paul is absolutely crazy about surfing. Yesterday in Washington, he mentioned that with summer approaching, it's the prime surfing season, and he can't wait."
Paul is a surfing enthusiast, a fact well-known in Hollywood, but that wasn't Daisy's focus. After laying the groundwork, she shifted her line of questioning. "It seems like you and Paul are indeed good friends. What about Vin? Do you travel together privately?" This was Daisy's real intent, and before Renly could react, she unleashed all her questions. "There have been rumors that you and Vin had some disagreements, which affected the atmosphere on set during the filming."
The enormous success of "Fast 5" at the box office naturally came with controversies, including the persistent rumors of internal conflicts within the cast. However, there was no concrete evidence, and with the three lead actors traveling together for promotions without any apparent issues, the rumors never reached a boiling point.
But Daisy's journalistic intuition was sounding alarms. She felt there had to be some insider information.
"In that case, you should talk to the informants," Renly replied nonchalantly. "I, for one, didn't sense anything wrong. Men talk openly to each other; if there are issues, they address them directly. The atmosphere on set has always been pleasant. However, everyone's perception is different, so you should carefully ask the informants where they felt something was amiss."
Daisy didn't easily give in, though. "But in private, you indeed don't have much interaction with Vin."
"Yes," Renly gave a straightforward response without beating around the bush, which excited Daisy, and her eyes lit up. "Vin and I are not the same type of people. He's more into the gym, while I prefer outdoor sports. So, we don't have many common interests in our private lives."
Daisy's excitement froze in the corners of her eyes as she looked at Renly, utterly speechless. This explanation... she couldn't argue with it. "Did you ever consider inviting Vin to go surfing with you?"
"The condition for that would be, Vin and I go together for a free fight?" Renly replied with a counter-question, leaving Daisy momentarily stunned. Then, she couldn't help but smile, looking at Renly helplessly. "But judging from the final product of the movie, you and Vin had quite a showdown, and neither of you backed down."
"Now, do you understand why Paul and I are friends?" Renly added cryptically. Daisy immediately caught the dark humor in his words and burst into laughter. She smoothly transitioned to another hot topic: Renly's willingness to renew his contract, Universal Pictures' offer for the renewal, and the financial arrangements for Vin and Paul.
"I thought we were already on the same team. Haven't you seen the second half of the movie?" Renly wasn't one to be taken lightly, returning to the plot of "Fast 5", playing on words to address the previous question and cleverly deflecting the sequel discussion.
Watertight!