The interview

"Here, right here!" Edith raised her right hand and scratched beside her cheek. Her assertive words carried an undeniable sense of authority. She tossed her leather jacket aside, rolled up her T-shirt sleeves, and with her brisk and domineering demeanor, she effortlessly commanded the scene. "Try to relax your expression a bit. You wouldn't want me to come forward and adjust it with my own hands."

"Poof!" Rami couldn't hold back and burst into laughter. Then he saw Renly, who was sitting by the French window, spread his hands in a helpless gesture, his shoulders shrugging. Rami covered his mouth, but found himself unable to stop laughing. It was rare to witness Renly feeling flustered.

Compared to the camera lens, Renly seemed rather unaccustomed to the camera.

"Click!" However, Edith quickly pressed the shutter, capturing that moment sensitively. Then she lowered her head to inspect the results.

In the photo, Renly's movement appeared vivid and lifelike, as if he had truly captured that precise moment. His clear brows furrowed slightly, the corners of his mouth drooped just a bit, and the emotions in his narrow, almond-shaped eyes were so vivid – a mix of mockery, innocence, and rebellion – captured by light and shadow, transforming a fleeting moment into something timeless.

Edith lifted her head and announced, "Alright, that's the one." She then saw Renly's dumbfounded expression. Deep inside, she was already bursting with laughter, but she maintained her professionalism on the surface. "Didn't you hear me? I said, that's enough. Now, go for the interview and wait for the group photo session. Next!"

Without giving Renly a chance to retort, Edith swiftly moved on.

Renly stood still for two seconds, ultimately letting his shoulders droop before leaving the windowsill with an air of resignation. He walked towards the interview area. Watching Renly's crestfallen figure, Edith felt like she was on the verge of bursting into laughter.

When Edith began studying photography, her first subject had been Renly. She knew him inside and out. Renly wasn't suited for stillness; when he was quiet, he needed to be completely at ease. If he realized the presence of the camera, his muscles would tense up. Often, the camera struggled to capture his essence, sometimes making him look comical. Renly looked best when in motion, especially when he smiled. In those moments, his smile was like the sun breaking through clouds, brightening the mood and emanating a likable charm.

So, Edith's actions just now were intentional. She shattered Renly's stiffness, allowing his freedom to flow. As a result, she captured the most vivid moments, his unique charm solidifying on the film, exuding a prolonged and exquisite flavor, much like the lingering scent of tea.

Renly pressed his lips together firmly, preventing himself from laughing out loud. He made an effort to slow down his pace, not to flee in haste. With slightly heavy steps, he continued walking, while internally he began to celebrate: Finally, he had escaped this ordeal!

Back when Edith first started learning photography, she often used him as a model. No matter what he was doing, she would be beside him, clicking incessantly. Each session lasted for hours, and he was on the verge of nervous breakdown. Consequently, he developed a strong aversion to photography.

Previously, when shooting the promotional photos for "The Pacific", Renly had been nagged by the photographer for a long time, saying his expression was as if everyone owed him money. Renly also had his own grievances about this. Some things, even with a rebirth, didn't necessarily mean they would go smoothly.

Today, he had mentally prepared himself, but he hadn't expected Edith to finish the shoot in just five minutes. Renly let out a long sigh and quickly left. However, he still needed to put on the appearance of being unwillingly defeated, letting Edith think she had succeeded. Otherwise, he would have to continue enduring this ordeal.

The interview area was set up in the bedroom, while the living room outside was left for Edith's free rein. Today's interview was with Vanity Fair, an influential Hollywood entertainment magazine. Apart from the annual Oscars night, the magazine had a massive readership base. Its content covered entertainment, fashion, sports, photography, and more. Its columns, essays, and reviews were of exceptional quality, earning praise from industry professionals.

HBO had placed tremendous importance on "The Pacific". With an investment of $220M, it was nearly twice the budget of "Band of Brothers", ranking as the most expensive TV series in history. With the star power of Tom and Steven, this TV series had garnered attention from the very beginning. Now, as its premiere date approached, the promotional strategy was going all out.

Vanity Fair was about to kick things off.

After Jon Seda finished his interview, Renly stepped forward and took a seat opposite the journalist.

The journalist before him was a woman around thirty-five years old. Her long legs clad in black stockings were undoubtedly the most eye-catching. The professionalism of her black suit did not hide her figure's advantages; her confidence oozed from every inch of her being. It made sense upon careful thought – to break into the male-dominated news industry, one needed either the advantage of being a decorative piece or unquestionable competence.

"Daisy Lucas." The woman introduced herself with ease, but even before Renly could speak, she continued, "Renly Hall, right?"

Renly felt a bit nervous. The experience of being interviewed was vastly different from performing in front of the camera. Since his rebirth, he had been striving for his dream of becoming an actor. So, when he stood in front of the camera, instead of being nervous, he felt excitement and exhilaration. However, being interviewed was a completely unfamiliar territory. After he sat down, even Renly himself hadn't anticipated that his heartbeat would start racing rapidly. The tense emotion felt restless and uneasy.

Daisy's proactive approach caught Renly off guard. Almost reflexively, he made a joke, "Your preparation work isn't going wrong."

Lacking the stage fright of a newcomer, this made Daisy's lips curl slightly. Without any extra exclamation, she went straight to the question, "As a newcomer, starring as the lead in a high-budget historical TV series like "The Pacific", what are your thoughts?"

Seemingly an ordinary question, Renly sensed danger. This was his first media interview, and it was a routine promotion for "The Pacific". Could Vanity Fair be setting a trap from the start? His nervousness gradually subsided, replaced by a calmer demeanor. "First of all, just like "Band of Brothers", I don't believe "The Pacific" has an absolute lead. James, Jon, Rami – they all have significant roles. I'm merely a part of it."

Then, Renly revealed a smile. "Of course, being a part of it is indeed a magical experience for me. You see, this is a show produced by Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg, right?" Renly's excitement grew evident. For the first time, he showed the fervor of a true fan from deep within. "And, "Band of Brothers", I must've watched it at least ten times. So, it's just insane – all of this is utterly insane."

This time, Daisy began to find it amusing. Her questions had been casual at first. In HBO's official materials, Eugene was indeed the lead, even though the series followed a three-lead model. Yet, Renly's name was placed first.

You see, those A-list movie stars would pull all sorts of tricks to compete for the order of appearance in the end credits. But here was Renly, a pure newcomer, positioned at the very beginning. Daisy naturally thought this was reasonable.

However, she didn't anticipate Renly's shrewd yet clever response, infused with an enthusiast's excitement. This paradoxical blend of seasoned and youthful demeanor appearing in the same person was truly fascinating.

"So, after actually working together, how does it feel?" Daisy followed up.

Renly found interviews to be rather intriguing. The back-and-forth resembled a game of chess, and what was even more interesting was that sometimes, actors had to conceal their true selves during interviews to maintain the performance, just like in the movie "The Truman Show". How much of life under the spotlight was real, and how much was a façade?

"Disappointing." In an instant, thoughts surged and then settled in Renly's mind. He responded with a jovial tone, noticing a glint of genuine interest in Daisy's eyes. This interactive process was indeed interesting. "Because it's evident that Tom and Steven won't be on the set every day. Most of the time, we're focused on shooting, or rather, the process is too demanding for us to think of anything else. It wasn't until the end of filming that I could count the times I spoke with Tom and Steven on one hand. I guess that's reality."

The teasing remark brought a gentle smile to Daisy's face as she chuckled softly. "That's true. So, as "The Pacific" is your debut work, after finishing the shoot, do you have similar feelings? Disappointment?"

In fact, today's interview should have focused on "The Pacific". All the actors in the entire cast were relatively unknown, and the interview's content should have revolved around the series, shedding light on various aspects or behind-the-scenes anecdotes. However, Daisy involuntarily began steering the questions toward Renly.

"I would say a sense of loss and some regrets." Renly's response was quite conventional, leaving Daisy somewhat disappointed. "But I can be certain that I wouldn't want to do it all over again. The entire filming process was just too demanding." With the interview progressing, the nervousness dissipated entirely, and Renly started to grow accustomed to the rhythm of conversation.

However, in this first interview, Renly still appeared slightly excited, speaking a bit faster than usual. As he answered the questions, memories of the shoot flooded back to him, creating a unique sensation. "Before the actual filming, we had a boot camp, just like in "Band of Brothers". We thought at the time that maybe we wouldn't make it through. But later, we realized that surviving the boot camp was just the beginning. I believe the production wanted us to experience the shock of going to war through this approach."

"Haha!" Unable to contain herself, Daisy burst into laughter directly, her amusement clear.