Chapter 676: Chapter 84: Not Necessarily Going on Stage
On stage, the large screen had been divided into five sections, each bearing one of the nominees. Although they all maintained composure, their nervousness about the upcoming result couldn’t be completely concealed. Kate frequently pursed her lips; Zetajones’ eyes darted around; Nicole’s smile seed stiff; Gwyneth’s gaze betrayed her longing; Adrian did not miss any of these subtle actions.
Small Emma was the most relaxed among them, firstly because she didn’t quite understand the significance of the award, and secondly, because Julia and Adrian had told her just to enjoy the Oscar experience without worrying too much about the awards. Though she also liked mischief, she was obedient in this regard, hence she was in the best spirits.
So, who would win the award? Adrian’s interest peaked as he watched the envelope in the presenter’s hands. Having neither explicitly supported any of the nominees for Best Supporting Actress nor interfered, and without delving into how their agents managed their public relations, he surely did not know the outco, which only added to the suspense.
Finally, the envelope was opened, and a na was announced: “Nicole Kidman, ‘Billy Elliot’!”
Imdiately, music from “Billy Elliot” began to play, and after a mont of silence, the room erupted in gasps. All eyes turned to a figure rising slowly, seemingly in disbelief that she had won Best Supporting Actress. Only a few years earlier, this woman had gained attention in Hollywood as Mrs. Cruise, mostly playing ornantal roles, despite having won a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Cody, her acting was hardly recognized until she divorced Cruise.
Suddenly, she erged as a serious actress while remaining undeniably charming, with her reddish-golden curly hair enchanting many. Whether in “The Others” or “Mulholland Drive,” she showed remarkable acting skills and was firstly nominated for an Oscar Best Actress for “Arican Beauty,” now winning Best Supporting Actress — a total transformation.
Countless eyes unavoidably drifted to another part of the hall, not easy to see from afar, but that didn’t stop anyone. There sat Miracle Director Adrian Cowell; his influence unmissable – Julia revived her career because of him, Gwyneth erged because of him, Blanchett ascended to the Best Actress throne because of him, Naomi was discovered because of him, and Nicole, too, continued to receive acclaim and now this Best Supporting Actress award thanks to him.
Applause suddenly erupted from his seat. Realizing the mont, people began to clap, building into an enormous wave through the hall, unmatched in fervor. Upon reaching the stage, a flustered Nicole finally allowed a full smile to spread across her face. Accepting the Oscar statuette, she beca even more animated.
“Thank you, thank you everyone, thank you to the Film Academy for bestowing this honor on , thank you Director Dedley…” Nicole took a deep breath before beginning her speech, full of the expected gratitudes – a routine every winner must follow. Whether it brought any novelty depended on individual flair.
“Thank you to my dad and mom, who, even though they were initially against it, eventually supported my decision to attend drama school unreservedly. No matter what happened, you always stood by , comforting and encouraging . You are the best parents in the world, I love you!” Nicole delivered her speech emotionally on stage, her sincere tone and glittering eyes making her incredibly compelling, spurring more enthusiastic applause.
However, Nicole’s speech wasn’t done; she continued once the applause subsided: “Lastly, I need to thank one person, Mr. Adrian Cowell. He taught how to truly imrse myself in acting and showed a broader world. Thank you, truly thank you!”
After bowing slightly, she finally descended from the stage as applause rose again, though not as fervent as before. With varied expressions, the audience absorbed her speech. While Nicole’s final thanks to her parents was more emotional, her precise and professional gratitude to Adrian – given the award was for a role not directed by him, and without any ntion of Cruise – said a lot. It was unknown if Cruise was present or how his expression might change upon hearing those words.
Adrian didn’t think too much; while Nicole was giving her speech, he was observing the other three won. It seed as though the organizers knew his wishes, placing them all nearby. Kate looked indifferent; she had spent the most ti by Adrian’s side and had the best mindset among them. Although Zetajones maintained her smile, her teeth occasionally grazed her lips, betraying an acceptance of reality but not wholeheartedly.
But Gwyneth was the least reconciled. No matter how much she tried to disguise it, her distraught appearance was evident. She kept covering her mouth with her hand, and Adrian believed that if he were alone with her, without anyone else around, she would imdiately start complaining and crying. After all, she had been nominated for Best Actress twice in a row, only to see the awards slip through her fingers. A year later, she finally received a nomination for Best Supporting Actress, believing that this ti, with no strong competitors, she would surely win an award; however, she lost to Nicole Kidman! She lost to the woman she had always looked down upon!
Yes, Gwyneth looked down on Nicole. She was able to get cozy with Blanchett, also from Australia, both on and off-screen because she saw herself as similar to Blanchett, both in appearance and acting skills—of course, this belief was also fostered by Adrian’s insinuations and coaching. As for Liv, she accepted Liv because Liv got along well with them during the filming of “The Lord of the Rings” and Blanchett didn’t object, knowing Adrian enjoyed such interactions.
Moreover, Gwyneth had well-connected parents and an even more formidable godfather in the industry, and she attached herself early to the Miracle Director, earning Oscar nominations for Best Actress twice in a row. On the other hand, Nicole Kidman, if not for marrying Cruise, how could she have ever made it from Australia to Hollywood? If not for secretly liaising with Adrian, serving him comfortably in bed, how would she have erged as a contender at the Oscars?
She was just a whore. That was Gwyneth’s opinion of Nicole, hence, even at parties and receptions, her interactions with Nicole were superficial and perfunctory, never truly acknowledging her. But losing to her? Unacceptable! Losing to Kate Beckinsale wouldn’t have mattered; Gwyneth knew Kate held a special place in Adrian’s heart, but losing to Nicole was unbearable.
Adrian saw through all of this clearly. Although Gwyneth never ntioned any of it to him, he could easily discern her petty sches. Thus, it seed fitting that Nicole won Best Supporting Actress. He had never ddled in their public relation matters, but he knew Gwyneth was the likeliest candidate for Best Supporting Actress, given her two consecutive nominations for Best Actress in the past three years, which the Film Academy would likely acknowledge.
However, Nicole and Zetajones also had chances: one had been nominated for Best Actress last year and had more experience in Hollywood than Gwyneth. The other was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for the second ti and had been gaining considerable popularity lately. Had it not been for her lesser experience, she might have won during “L.A. Confidential”. It wouldn’t have been surprising for any of the three to win.
Yet from Adrian’s perspective, Nicole was more suitable for Best Supporting Actress than Gwyneth, whose mind gas showed that she was not as submissive as Blanchett or Liv to let him play as he wished. It wasn’t that Adrian couldn’t toy with Gwyneth at will, but rather a deep, inner willingness she wasn’t even aware of—submission!
Relatively speaking, Nicole had done well. While her intentions were clear, that deep, hidden submission was still perceptible to Adrian, so perhaps it was best to keep Gwyneth waiting a little longer. With Nicole’s performance, winning Best Supporting Actress first and then Best Actress later was feasible; having a Best Supporting Actress might complicate things slightly, but wasn’t too worriso.
At this mont, Nicole had already walked down from the stage. As Adrian listened to the closing speech, he clapped nonchalantly and then glanced at Julia beside him, who seed sowhat displeased, probably feeling that her lines had been stolen. Smiling silently to himself, Adrian didn’t speak to her but continued to focus on the stage, awaiting the Best Supporting Actor category.
Although only four nominees for Best Supporting Actor were from films under AC dia, it was still a civil war among them, John Hawkes could be disregarded; it was his first nomination for this award. But the Best Supporting Actor would erge among Albert Finney, Michael Caine, and Alan Arkin, who all had significant experience.
Soon, the presenter, Catherine Keener, announced the winner: “Albert Finney, ‘Erin Brockovich’!”
Sitting in front of Adrian, Finney, who kept adjusting his bow tie, clenched his fist and swung it downward, whispering “yes,” then hugged or shook hands with the cast mbers who stood up to applaud him.
“Congratulations, Al,” Adrian said loudly after giving him a hug.
“Thank you, thank you, Ed.” The old man’s eyes were visibly reddened.
No wonder, he had begun acting in movies in the fifties, received his first Best Actor nomination in the early sixties, and had been nominated five tis at the Oscars including this session, but had never won until today. Although the old man privately claid that “a title doesn’t really add much,” which actor wouldn’t want the affirmation from an Oscar?
Now, thanks to Adrian’s efforts, he had finally fulfilled his longti wish; how could he not be excited?
“…Nearly fifty years, I’ve always dreamt of standing on this stage, proving myself here, but luck was never on my side, so I kept missing the Oscar statuette. But today, I finally received affirmation, and now I can have no regrets… Words cannot express how thrilled I am at this mont. Thank you to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for awarding Best Supporting Actor. Thank you, Adrian Cowell, you are one of the finest directors, and it’s my greatest honor to work with you. Thank you, everyone, thank you all.” After the old man eagerly finished his speech, thunderous applause filled the hall.
What a pity, Adrian thought to himself at that mont. Solely in terms of acting, although Finney was excellent, he was at most on par with Alan Arkin, and half a notch below Michael Caine. If it weren’t for the fact Caine had already won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar, and Finney’s five nominations were too conspicuous, Caine’s chances of winning Best Supporting Actor again would have been at least 80%.
Alan Arkin was also in the race, the foul-mouthed old man left a deep impression; if the majority of judges only watched a few clips before voting, he surely would have attracted them, if not for Caine. Luck wasn’t on his side, and in a few more years, his chances would have been high, but for now, it was a pity.
However, what Adrian really cared about wasn’t this; Finney’s speech was what he wanted to hear. So things were just beginning—he didn’t need to be on stage, yet he could still capture everyone’s attention.
After the major awards were presented, naturally, it was ti for so technical awards, such as Best Sound, Best Sound Editing, although the atmosphere was sowhat dull, the host, Martin, suddenly hit his stride, his humorous jokes drawing hearty laughs from the audience, plus a well-executed dance, the atmosphere was still quite lively.
Moreover, the films receiving these awards were not predominantly from AC dia’s affiliated movie companies; “Gladiator” won Best Visual Effects, but Best Sound Editing went to “U-571”; “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” picked up Best Art Direction, while Best Makeup went to “The Grinch.”
This sowhat relieved the people present, especially the executives and producers from other movie companies, despite the many entries from AC dia’s affiliated companies, they did not necessarily dominate the Oscars.
Unfortunately, they celebrated too soon, and after another dance performance, “Gladiator,” “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” and “Traffic” began to gain montum. “Gladiator” won Best Visual Effects and Best Costu Design, while “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” picked up Best Cinematography and Best Original Score, with Tan Dun naturally becoming the second citizen from mainland China to win an Oscar.
Thankfully, there were no surprises. Adrian applauded and thought to himself, then gently shook his head. If the Chinese really wanted to make a breakthrough at the Oscars, starting with music scores was best, as Su Cong, the first mainland citizen to win an Oscar, had done with Best Original Score.
Not to ntion this, “Traffic” also secured two awards: Best Film Editing and Best Adapted Screenplay. Suddenly, the applause in the hall seed sowhat sparser compared to the beginning. A ga becos tedious if one person is always winning, even if they are behind the scenes, and others can’t help but feel bored. Moreover, the Best Original Screenplay was up next, and AC dia’s film company had four entries, with Adrian once again having two nominations, which seed only a matter of ti.
Indeed, “Winter’s Bone” no longer had an original novel; the script naturally beca original. Although the Film Academy didn’t give Adrian the double nomination for Best Picture and Best Director, they did nominate him twice for Best Original Screenplay, almost as a form of compensation. Adrian didn’t mind and remained relaxed. When the presenter read the na, he didn’t even blink.
“Michael Arnt, ‘Little Miss Sunshine’!”
Almost everyone was stunned. Over the years, Adrian had been double-nominated for Best Original Screenplay for “Braveheart” and “The Usual Suspects,” only for it to be awarded to soone else, sparking much discussion. Unexpectedly, it happened again this year, leaving everyone wondering what the Film Academy was thinking.
This ti, a smiling Arnt had already reached the stage, accepted the Oscar statuette excitedly, and stood before the microphone before finally managing to utter a word, “Sorry, I…”
His nervous deanor imdiately triggered a round of laughter filled with goodwill, which also drew everyone’s attention.
“I… I want to thank many people. Thank my parents for understanding and supporting my career. Thank Mr. Matthew Broderick. Working as his assistant, I learned a lot…” After stamring for a while, Arnt suddenly burst into rapid-fire speech, his lips moving and a stream of words continuously popping out, rhythmically fast, as if even a rapper couldn’t match his speed.
This went on for several minutes, with everyone’s eyes wide open, before Arnt suddenly stopped and then gasped for air. After several seconds, he said, “God… This is the first ti I’ve talked so much and… so fast…”
Imdiately, laughter accompanied by applause erupted as the audience applauded this amusing man.
“Thank you, thank you all. For a rookie standing here for the first ti, this is not easy,” Arnt recovered and said playfully, then suddenly took a different tack, “Lastly, I must thank one person, Mr. Adrian Cowell. I will always rember the day I ran into him at Studio 23—admittedly, it was intentional. I wanted to pitch my script to him. Mr. Cowell asked only three questions: ‘Do you have five minutes to describe it,’ ‘Do you have your script with you,’ and ‘Are you available tomorrow afternoon.’ I still can’t describe how I felt at that mont, excited, thrilled… Thank you, Mr. Cowell. He saw my potential, he discovered , and I have not let him down. Today, as I stand here, I sincerely want to say to him: Thank you, thank you very much, it’s been an honor to work with you!”
After these words, silence fell, followed by enthusiastic applause. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welco to vote for it on qidian. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
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