Monique spends several days gathering everything available on Evelyn Hugo, acknowledging the scope of the actress’s public history—from early divorce and rumored abuse to high-profile marriages, affairs, and a celebrated comeback. The magnitude of Evelyn’s story clarifies Monique’s goal: prepare rigorously to elicit real answers while resisting Evelyn’s control over the narrative.

After a late night at the office, Monique returns to her small apartment, now stark after her husband David moved to San Francisco five weeks earlier. The missing coffee table, shared gifts, and divided belongings sharpen her sense of being left behind. She debates whether David left her or she refused to follow him, accepting that both are partly true but still hurt by the fact that he actually left.

Seeking respite, Monique showers, orders pad thai, and tries to zone out with TV, but anxiety about work and David keeps intruding. She redirects herself into preparation, spending the next three days reading old coverage and watching Evelyn’s films and clips, turning her research into a late-night ritual.

As Monique studies Evelyn’s image—her beauty, iconic photographs, and famously tantalizing on-screen moments—she discerns a deliberate strategy: Evelyn reveals just enough to keep audiences wanting more while withholding the rest. This observation reframes Monique’s task; she anticipates Evelyn may try to manage the interview the same way and questions whether Evelyn will truly reveal herself or “tell just enough to keep me on the edge of my seat.”