Chapter 135: How Is It Possible?

"There's no serial killer here."

A person suddenly appeared on the stage, grabbing the puppet from the small bicycle. "This is Billy, just a puppet."

The audience was somewhat puzzled, not knowing who this newcomer was. They were certain that none of the main characters from the movie looked like him.

"Could it be..." Daisy stared at the figure on stage, "Could it be him?"

The stage lights brightened, revealing the person's appearance and stature clearly.

"But he looks..." Daisy lightly furrowed her brows, finding the newcomer's appearance completely different from what she had imagined.

Tall and robust like a palm tree, with a fair face adorned with a few scars but devoid of any sense of perversion, instead exuding a rugged charm. A faint smile lingered on his lips, giving him an extra touch of sunshine.

What surprised Daisy the most was his age. How could he be under thirty? He looked barely twenty, if even that?

Since when did Hollywood have such a young and talented director?

Thinking this, Daisy quickly shook her head. Perhaps he wasn't the director after all, just an assistant or some staff member of the program.

A person in their early twenties being the director of a multi-million dollar North American box office hit film, and not one that relied on hype like "Blair Witch", but rather on genuine quality—how could that be possible?

She shook her head again. The director of the film should be more like Jigsaw.

But Miranda's words made Daisy gasp in disbelief.

"Let me introduce him." Miranda left her seat and walked towards Murphy, addressing the audience below, "This gentleman is Mr. Murphy Stanton, the director of 'Saw'."

Murphy waved to the audience, "Hello, everyone."

There was no applause, just a collective murmur of astonishment, "Uh..."

Like Daisy, everyone, especially the fans of "Saw", couldn't believe that Murphy was the director of such a film.

So young, how could it be possible? That was the thought running through most people's minds.

Daisy looked at Murphy in astonishment, her mouth hanging open, unable to close. Suddenly, she felt that having such a director wasn't too bad after all. At least he looked pleasing to the eye, right?

She liked the director's style very much. If the director himself looked good, then she wouldn't mind being a fan of the director too.

Miranda could sense the audience's doubts and invited Murphy to sit on the single sofa beside her, then immediately asked the four actors, "Is he really your director?"

Seth Rogen adjusted his glasses, "I guarantee he is!"

James Franco nodded vigorously, "Absolutely."

Kerry Mulligan glanced at Murphy and affirmed, "It's him."

Jonah Hill, being the most dramatic, as if he had been abused during filming, exclaimed loudly, "I swear, he's the guy who hung me on the barbed wire and turned me into jerky!"

Applause erupted in the audience.

Daisy could see that these three male actors were all skilled comedians.

The applause grew louder, and all eyes turned to Murphy. Indeed, he was the director of "Saw"!

Miranda continued to smile, waiting for the applause to die down before formally introducing, "This is Mr. Murphy Stanton, the director of 'Saw'."

"As real as it gets," Murphy quipped.

Quite humorous! Daisy was the first to applaud again, and the audience followed suit with another round of applause.

"Congratulations, Murphy," Miranda understood the purpose of this episode, "The North American box office for 'Saw' is close to 30 million dollars."

"Thank you," Murphy appeared modest, then looked towards James Franco and the others, "This is the result of the entire crew's hard work. Without Jim and the others, there would be no 'Saw' as it is today. I want to thank every member of the crew."

"It sounds like you're a very united team?" Miranda tilted her head slightly.

"Very united," Murphy put away his smile and said seriously, "We have a common goal, and we all work towards that goal. We all look ahead, put our efforts in the same direction, cooperate seamlessly, and overcome all difficulties encountered in our work."

Miranda gestured towards the long sofa, intentionally asking, "Including them?"

"Everyone!" Murphy glanced at James Franco and added, "In fact, we're more like a family."

These words of unity, friendship, and mutual assistance would be welcomed in mainstream society worldwide.

Daisy once again applauded along with the other audience members, feeling that this director not only looked good but also had a special charm.

The program continued. With sufficient groundwork laid by the four actors earlier, the conversation quickly shifted back to "Saw," which was the main purpose of Murphy's appearance on the show.

"In the film, we see many terrifying ideas," Miranda pointed to the joint-twisting device erected on stage, saying, "Like this device, it's simply too terrifying. How did you come up with it?"

Murphy pondered for a moment before smiling, "Many of the film's ideas come from our real life experiences. This joint-twisting device..."

He began to improvise, "It was inspired by some mechanical devices I saw."

Miranda didn't let up and continued to ask, "Can you tell us which other terrifying scenes in the film were inspired by your real-life experiences?"

"Such as Adam, played by Seth..." Murphy looked at Seth Rogen, the chubby man flashing a simple smile, "The scene where Adam reaches into the toilet to retrieve feces, that was inspired by a friend from real life."

"Did someone really do that?" Miranda's expression was one of shock.

Daisy and those around her perked up their ears, wanting to hear who could be so disgusting and twisted.

"When I was in prison," Murphy reminisced, his expression reflecting his memories as he recounted, "I once briefly shared a cell with a guy who got caught for drug possession and trafficking. He somehow got hold of drugs and hid them in the toilet. I secretly threw them into the toilet, and when he had a drug fit, he went straight to the toilet and stuck his hand in. You know the conditions in prison, the scene at the time..."

He shook his head, not elaborating further.

Miranda's lips trembled, her hand covering her mouth as if genuinely disgusted.

These were all prearranged, and Murphy was well aware that his past would soon be dug up, so he might as well divulge it himself. After all, he couldn't deny the foolish things his predecessor had done.

But these were real experiences, like the guy he had saved.

Thinking of him, Murphy suddenly felt that perhaps he should visit the state prison.

Before he and Ross were released, the guy had sworn to kick his drug habit and start anew.

"Wait..." Miranda raised a hand, seemingly just realizing, "You said you were in prison? You... have been to prison?"

"Yes," Murphy nodded, "Before I turned eighteen, I got into a lot of trouble and made a lot of mistakes, and paid the price of losing my freedom. Later, I realized I needed to make a change, couldn't continue living aimlessly, so I cut ties with the past and started striving for the future."

To put it in West Coast terms

, he was the epitome of a prodigal son returning with a treasure trove.

"Why choose to be a director and make movies?" Miranda continued to dig deeper, "Was it a childhood dream?"

"No, before I was of legal age, my main concern was filling my stomach." Murphy recalled his past while fabricating a story, "My mother thought I would at best become a construction worker because my grades were so bad, but I was physically strong. My father wanted me to become an American football player, so I could make a lot of money, which he could use for his drinking and..."

Murphy paused deliberately, shrugged, and said, "Well, let's just say he wouldn't have to worry about money anymore."

Miranda laughed, "You've disappointed them."

"Perhaps," Murphy squeezed out a smile.

Daisy had been listening attentively to Murphy's words, increasingly feeling that he was a person with a lot of stories.

"What was life like in prison?" Miranda timely changed the subject.

"It was terrifying, it was difficult. Sometimes, movies don't exaggerate prison life," Murphy put away his smile, "Once you're inside, you'll find that you lose more than just freedom, much more. There, you have to be constantly vigilant; everyone can become your enemy..."

Smearing the federal government was always a favorite pastime for the public, media, and Hollywood. Murphy adhered to this principle because it pleased the audience.

In Murphy's description, California State Prison was truly a hellish existence.

"Do you know why I can come up with so many killing devices? They're not just figments of my imagination." Murphy told a lie without batting an eye, "In prison, there are robbers, murderers, serial killers, many unimaginable hardened criminals who are more than willing to talk about what they've done, especially those with extremely brutal methods."

Miranda's lips trembled, "Are these... these... the source of those terrifying scenes?"

"Yes!" Murphy nodded solemnly, pointing to his head, "There are many more cruel things stored in here that I've heard."

Only Murphy's voice echoed in the program's live scene, seemingly stunning everyone.

Daisy lightly patted her chest; prison was indeed a scary place.

How did he survive such a place? She was very curious about this. This person not only wasn't crushed, but also learned from his experiences and achieved incredible success...

After a few more words, the topic of prison came to an end. The purpose of the program was to promote the film, so the conversation returned to "Saw."

"In your second film as a director, achieving such huge success, do you have any secrets?" Miranda inquired.