The Greatest Showman #1293 - Tucao Conference

Graham immediately caught the slyness in Renly's eyes.

Renly had made a gesture, but the button wasn't actually undone, and his expression remained calm. The crowd, however, was erupting with boos and cheers. In truth, Renly had maintained his usual elegance throughout, and the slightly relaxed comments weren't exaggerated or teasing—they were subtle, and everything was guided by Graham's direction, as well as the audience's perception. Unintentionally, this created one of the most memorable moments since the show started.

In the end, Renly remained poised, his ever-present elegant smile still in place.

Brilliant, truly brilliant! Without missing a beat, Renly had adapted to the atmosphere of The Norton Show, effortlessly taking the lead. Even Graham couldn't help but feel a rush of admiration and surprise. If the show weren't still recording, Graham might have clapped for Renly.

But this was Graham's turf, and he was not an easy host to be outdone by.

"Ed, I've got to ask," Graham teased, trying to shift the focus back to Ed, "do you plan on unbuttoning that button?" This was in direct response to Renly's earlier gesture, and smoothly returned the conversation to Ed.

Ed, however, was caught off guard. He stood up, confused, looking between Renly and himself. "Whose button am I unbuttoning? Mine or his?" The struggle was clear in his expression. What was he supposed to do? What should he say?

In the end, Ed buried his face in his hands, overwhelmed by the situation, which only made the crowd erupt in laughter, whistles, and cheers.

But Graham was quick to regain control, effortlessly moving the conversation forward. "Ed, seriously, you've mentioned your relationship with Renly many times on different occasions. Where did you first meet?"

Sitting next to him, Renly immediately understood Graham's plan and flashed a helpless smile.

Ed, still confused, glanced at Renly and replied, "Well, our first meeting was on the streets of Los Angeles, when I was performing, and then suddenly, this guy appeared..."

"No, no," Graham interrupted. "I mean, what happened that night? What was so special about your street performance?"

Ed paused for a moment, then realization hit, and he continued, "Oh, oh! It was the night of the Emmy Awards! I was just outside the venue, the Nokia Theatre, performing."

Graham nodded encouragingly, prompting Ed to continue. Ed glanced at Renly again, unsure whether to keep going, but Renly simply smiled and said, "Ed, I'm not Magneto." The unspoken message was clear: "I'm not controlling what you say."

The audience burst into laughter.

Ed joined in the laughter, and Daniel, who was sitting beside him, added with a grin, "Don't worry, Graham's not Voldemort either."

At this, everyone, including Renly and Graham, laughed even harder. The studio was completely out of control with laughter.

Amid the chaos, Daniel added, "When I first appeared on the show, I was just as nervous. I was wondering, 'What should I say? Is this okay? Should I just talk about the weather?'"

Graham shrugged, a playful expression on his face. "But you see, you were worried about the wrong things. It's me you should be afraid of, not the weather," he joked. Then, quickly changing topics, he turned to Daniel. "By the way, Daniel, I heard you had an interesting experience when you were on a show in the U.S."

Daniel, clearly prepared for this question, responded, "Yes, I was about eleven or twelve, promoting Harry Potter. I did some shows, including the Today Show, which was filmed in Times Square."

"Ah, the Fishbowl Studio," Ed chimed in.

Daniel nodded, confirming, "Yes, exactly. I was standing there, so nervous, trying to figure out what to say, because no one told me what to do. I couldn't just talk about the weather in London, could I?"

Laughter rippled through the audience. Daniel continued, "There was another person on the show with me—Donald Trump. I had no idea why he was famous, but there he was. He was asked if he wanted to meet the kid who played Harry Potter. He agreed, and then we met."

"I said hello, and he asked me, 'What are you thinking?' I told him honestly, and he said, 'Tell the host you just met Donald Trump!'" Daniel finished, and couldn't help but laugh.

The audience joined in with claps and chuckles. The name Donald Trump stirred a memorable moment, as Renly, sitting next to Daniel, nearly lost his composure. Three years later, in 2016, Trump would become a historical figure, for better or worse. Renly's self-restraint kept him composed.

Daniel finished his story, "I couldn't help but laugh at that. It was a strange moment."

The laughter continued, and Graham quickly chimed in with a mocking tone, "Wow, Trump, what an ego. He must be the most self-absorbed person since Napoleon."

He turned to Ed, "But Renly, you're not like that, right? No egos here, huh, Ed?"

"Of course not," Ed said with a relaxed smile, feeling more at ease now. "We were talking about the Emmy Awards earlier." He caught Graham's approving nod and continued, "That night, Renly had just won an Emmy. But instead of going to all the celebrity parties, he came to perform with me on the street. It's still one of the most incredible moments I look back on. He even composed 'Ophelia' that night, which I ended up performing in my solo shows later."

Ed's story had the audience in rapt attention. Before Graham could speak, Renly added with a smirk, "Did you get the copyright?"

Ed blinked, confused.

Graham quickly answered for Ed, "No, no copyright. So, Ed, next time you see Renly, it should probably be in court."

The studio erupted with laughter at Graham's quip.

After the chaos subsided, Graham turned back to Renly, "So, the Emmy—your first trophy—beating Al Pacino. And now, you've won your first Olivier Award. You've conquered TV, movies, music, and theater. Renly, is there anything you're not good at?"

Without hesitation, Renly responded, "Socializing."

Graham was momentarily stunned by this answer. "Socializing?!" he exclaimed, not quite believing it.

Renly shrugged nonchalantly, "That's exactly what I mean. Making things awkward is my specialty."

The crowd loved it, clapping and cheering.

Graham, eager to get back on track, said, "But seriously, at twenty-four, you've already achieved so much. Do you ever feel the pressure of living up to it all?"

Renly gave a big smile. "Yeah, I know. But honestly, it's kind of sad. I feel like I've reached the peak, and now it's all downhill from here. So don't remind me of that, alright? My heart's heavy now."

Graham laughed at Renly's self-deprecating humor. The audience joined in, enjoying the banter and the lively atmosphere of the show.