Daytime talk show host Ellen DeGeneres made quite the first impression on Orland Park native Justin Hartley, who presented DeGeneres an award at the 2005 Daytime Emmys ceremony.

“I remember this like it was yesterday. This was exciting for me. I was so happy for you and I remember you doing a little dance on stage,” Hartley said as DeGeneres played footage of the awards show on Thursday's episode of “Ellen.”

Hartley, who grew up in Orland Park, is in the spotlight now with his starring turn in the new NBC drama “This is Us.”

In his “Ellen” debut, he discussed his rise to fame after stints on soap operas.

“It's been hard for me — I've been trying forever. I had to occasionally call my parents and be like, ‘No, no, it's going to be fine. Trust me,' ” said Hartley, 39.

“Like they would call and say, ‘Are you OK?' ”

Later in the “Ellen” episode, Hartley took his shirt off so he could be hit with water balloons to raise money for breast cancer research.