Chapter 134: Pleasant Surprise
As James Franco, Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill, and Kerry Mulligan stepped into the backstage of the interview program, Murphy immediately spotted a familiar figure.
Dressed in a fitted suit, with a slender figure and curly blonde hair, Carla Fess stood at the entrance of the production room, arms crossed, wearing a subtle smile on her face as she looked towards Murphy's direction, as if greeting a long-lost friend.
Murphy tilted his head and smiled at her, then quickened his pace and stretched out his hands. Carla did the same, and they embraced each other warmly.
"Kerry..."
A little distance away, Jonah Hill lowered his voice and asked, "Who is this woman? She's hot! So beautiful!"
Kerry's eyes remained fixed on the two figures ahead. She knew that before James Franco and the others, Murphy had only two friends in Los Angeles—one gradually faded away due to some inexplicable reason, and the other was the woman in front of them.
She remembered Murphy mentioning that this woman was similar to him, back when they weren't dating.
During the filming of "Hard Candy," Kerry often saw this woman around the set. At the time, she thought she was just one of Murphy's ordinary friends. However, watching the two embrace now, even though she knew it was a polite reunion between friends, she couldn't help but feel uneasy.
As someone who didn't hide her emotions well, Kerry's feelings were written all over her face.
Unfortunately, Jonah Hill was an outspoken and lively character. Seeing Kerry's lack of response, he continued to inquire, "Who is she? Seems to be very close to Murphy."
James Franco pulled him back from behind.
Jonah Hill didn't catch James Franco's hint. Instead, he turned around and stared, "Jim, why did you pull me?"
He turned back to see Murphy and Carla parting ways. "Wow, wow, wow, she's really beautiful! Absolutely the most beautiful woman I've ever seen."
Kerry's doll-like face turned black.
Jonah Hill wanted to say more, but Seth Rogen pulled him aside. With a glance at Kerry, Seth Rogen gestured with his eyes, and Jonah Hill took a step back, only able to see her profile. Yet, her gloomy expression seemed ready to drip water any moment, prompting him to quickly close his mouth.
With some distance between them, Murphy could hear Jonah Hill speaking softly. Although he couldn't make out the exact words, he didn't bother with it. He was delighted to see Carla, one of the few friends he had made since coming to Los Angeles.
"When did you come back?" Stepping back a bit, Murphy slightly widened the gap between them. "Why didn't you let me know?"
"A few days ago," Carla flicked a loose strand of golden curls, "I saw that the program wanted to interview you, so I wanted to surprise you."
"Such a big surprise," Murphy exaggerated slightly.
"Not sincere!" Carla pouted slightly, then opened the door to the production room. At the same time, she gestured to the others behind Murphy. "Come in and chat."
There was still some time before the program started, and there was no rush to do makeup.
"You're in charge of this program now?" Walking beside her, Murphy asked, "Did you finish your internship in six months? Did you transfer to Fox?"
"I'm temporarily assigned here," Carla walked to a glass round table and pulled out a chair to sit down first. Then, she motioned to the others. "I just came back, and my specific position hasn't been determined yet. I have to wait for the news from 20th Century Fox. The producer of this interview program went on maternity leave a few days ago, so I'll be in charge for a while."
Murphy clapped lightly. "Looks like we're a perfect match again."
Hearing this, Kerry wrinkled her nose at Murphy, then glanced at Carla sitting across from him, and lightly hummed.
She felt that Murphy had completely forgotten about her after seeing this blonde woman.
After exchanging a few words with Carla and Bill Ross, Murphy winked at her. "You won't give us a hard time, will you?"
Carla shrugged elegantly. "I'll make sure Miranda digs up your past!"
Miranda was the host of the program.
Murphy smiled, and Carla smiled back. She nodded to the others and looked at Murphy. "I have other things to attend to. You should also go for makeup."
After Carla left, Murphy and the others were led by a staff member to separate makeup rooms for men and women. While doing makeup, Seth Rogen sitting beside him reminded in a low voice, "Kerry... seems unhappy."
Upon hearing this, Murphy looked over at her in confusion.
Seth Rogen made a gesture of shrugging, realizing that Murphy, who had no experience in this regard, wouldn't understand his meaning.
On the other hand, James Franco simply said, "You and Carla..."
"Carla? Me?" Murphy pointed at himself, finally understanding. He shook his head and smiled, "Carla and I are just ordinary friends. Kerry is overthinking it."
The other three glanced at him, but didn't say anything more. Murphy thought it was a trivial matter and didn't pay much attention to it.
After finishing their makeup, it wasn't long before the program started. According to the planned schedule, the two male leads, James Franco and Seth Rogen, would take the stage first. They would interact with the audience, answer a few questions from the host, and then Jonah Hill and Kerry Mulligan, representing the victims in the movie, would come on stage.
The program was broadcast live, during prime time, and Fox had given Fox Spotlight ample support.
Murphy stood at the entrance of the stage, out of the camera's view but able to see most of the stage clearly.
James Franco and Seth Rogen sat on the same couch, promoting the film and the crew with unwavering enthusiasm. The two guys were as naturally in sync as Murphy and Carla, bantering and engaging the audience effortlessly.
Both possessed excellent comedic talents, eliciting hearty laughter from the audience seated below.
Daisy, sitting in the audience, laughed until tears welled up in her eyes. She hadn't expected the two characters, who seemed so miserable in the film, to be so entertaining in real life.
What about the director? Was he like them?
Hearing about this interview, she had managed to get a ticket, hoping to catch a glimpse of the mysterious and eccentric director. She was curious about him—while all the main characters in the film had been interviewed, he had remained behind the scenes.
Although she understood it might be a promotional strategy, Daisy still felt a bit frustrated.
Why keep up the mystery? Was the guy so bizarre-looking that revealing him would scare the audience away?
Just as Daisy was pondering, there was a sudden exclamation from the crowd around her. She quickly snapped out of her thoughts and refocused her attention on the stage. There, a chubby man was strapped to a contraption resembling a cross, being pushed onto the stage.
Anyone who had seen the film would recognize what it was—a joint-twisting device!
Applause erupted from the audience, followed by a person in a black robe, resembling Jigsaw, emerging from behind the chubby man. Pressing a button on the remote control in hand, the chubby man let out a heart-wrenching scream...
The scene from the movie flashed before Daisy's eyes again, sending a shiver down her spine.
"Jigsaw! Jigsaw!" A few people on her left shouted, seeming to be fans of Jigsaw. "Jigsaw, kill him! Kill him!"
The people around them looked at each other. Could these guys distinguish between the movie and reality?
The joint-twisting device on stage was just a prop, so of course, it wouldn't actually kill Jonah Hill, the chubby man. He was quickly released, but Jigsaw remained in his iconic robe.
Daisy frowned, "Is this the director? Making such a mysterious entrance?"
"Jigsaw! Jigsaw! Jigsaw..."
Those few fans continued to shout, as if they had gone mad.
A fair-skinned hand reached out from under the robe, gently lifting off the hood to reveal striking short blonde hair. The adorable doll-like face had no expression, yet it looked so innocent.
"This is..." Daisy widened her eyes. "This is Amanda!"
"Amanda..."
Although her hair had changed from black to blonde, many people recognized the girl who played a role in the film.
Daisy scratched her head, realizing it wasn't Jigsaw or the director after all.
But why was Amanda dressed as Jigsaw? Daisy found it strange. Was it arranged by the program team? That seemed to be the only explanation.
As the interview with Jonah Hill and Kerry Mulligan began, backstage, a staff member brought over the puppet Billy, carefully designed by the crew.
Just like in the movie, the puppet Billy was placed on a bicycle, and someone came over to give Murphy some last-minute instructions.
Daisy, no longer interested in Amanda and the chubby man who played a minor role, grew impatient waiting. Suddenly, the lights dimmed, and a grating squeak was heard from the stage. In the darkness, something appeared on the stage.
When the lights came on, it was the puppet from the movie. Before the audience could react, its jaw moved up and down, and the familiar voice echoed once again.
Anyone who had seen "Saw" would remember this voice.
"Hello, everyone. I want to play a game with you..."