Dreams of Stardom (Hollywood SI)

"It's on, it's on, it's on!" Emma squealed happily from beside me while grabbing my hand tightly. I smiled at her and turned towards Jamie, who was trying to look nonchalant. Trying was the keyword here.

His posture didn't hide his excitement as we sat together in our living room past midnight, waiting for the award announcement.

It was nice of Emma to suggest that she would support me for my award ceremony. Jamie was not one to be left behind, so both of them had asked permission from their respective parents for a sleepover.

It was more like a wakeover, however. The award ceremony started at 12:30 AM because of the time difference, and the award for Best Supporting Actor wasn't for a couple of hours.

So it was already nearing 3 AM, and all four of us (including Mum) were barely suppressing our yawns when finally Ben Affleck and Charlize Theron came on stage to announce the award we were waiting for.

"And the winner is…" Ben Affleck built up the suspense on the telly as Emma gripped my hand even tighter. Even Jamie placed a supportive hand on my shoulder.

"Tom Cruise for [Magnolia]."

I deflated a little. As I had expected, Tom Cruise is the winner. He will likely win the Oscars as well. The different awards before the Oscars are pretty much an indicator of your likelihood of winning that one. So with no momentum on my side, it would be difficult for me to win the big prize.

"It's okay, Troy," Emma patted my back, "Your performance was better than any other out there, I know that."

I snickered at her innocent attempt to pacify me, "It's not like you've seen any of the other actors' movies."

She huffed and crossed her arms over her chest, "It's not my fault that I cannot watch them because of my age."

"By that logic," Jamie chipped in, "Both of you shouldn't have even seen [The Sixth Sense]. Isn't that PG-13?"

Emma decided that that was the best time to practice her punching prowess on poor little Jamie.

"Alright, kids," Mum cut over our bickering loudly, "It's time for bed. You know you have to be on set tomorrow. Or rather today."

Emma and Jamie didn't protest because they were very sleepy and quickly acquiesced to Mum's cajoling.

"Are you feeling okay, love?" Mum asked after showing Emma and Jamie their sleeping place.

"Why wouldn't I be?" I shrugged, "I mean, I never expected to win a Golden Globe this year as well. There are other greater actors out there; I can't win everything all the time."

"That's a very mature thing to say." Mum nodded at me proudly, "Good, now go to sleep. We have a long day ahead."

(Break)

Days turned into weeks, and I got engrossed in the filming of [Harry Potter] once more. The simplicity, yet the complexity of this fantasy place was out of this world. Witnessing the entire production in person, rather than on a screen, was a unique and satisfying experience.

Here, most of the cast consisted of kids, so the overall environment was much more laid-back and joyful compared to [Sex Education] or even [The Sixth Sense]. The first scene we shot in the Great Hall was one I won't ever forget. As soon as I walked inside the hall in one of the two rows of my fellow kid actors, I was floored by the sight in front of me. Floating candles were everywhere in the hall, and I bet this was the reason they didn't let any of us visit this part of the set earlier—to get our genuine reactions.

The effect was slightly lessened by the ceiling, which was a green screen to add in the fake sky effect, but that didn't diminish the impact of the floating candles too much. As the scene was still being shot, I remained in character, looking around everywhere and nowhere curiously and in awe.

"It's not real, the ceiling," Emma commented from behind me, "It's just bewitched to look like the night sky. I read about it in Hogwarts: A History."

As soon as we reached the front of the hall, Maggie Smith, who played Professor McGonagall, stepped up on the stage and said, "Can you wait along here, please? Now, before we begin, Professor Dumbledore would like to say a few words." She turned towards Michael Gambon, who stood up.

"Cut!" Chris Columbus' voice rang out in the hall. "Terrific job, kids. Let's take one more shot of the entrance, yeah? Quick, before the candles melt."

We hurried back to the entrance and took positions to redo the scene.

Yeah, it is the story of any film set. You go back and do things again and again. From what I remember, thank every god out there that David Fincher isn't directing [Harry Potter], or we'd be stuck doing one scene tens, if not hundreds, of times. Chris passed the scene on his fourth take. Luckily, it was the last one for the day.

"Troy!" I turned towards the voice, which turned out to be Mum. "You ready?"

"Yeah, Mum," I nodded enthusiastically before deflating, "Just wish the flight was shorter."

"Don't we all?" Mum said. "But just imagine, you get to be present for the Oscars. How cool is that?"

"Very," I replied with a smile. "Anyway, let me just change out of my costume, and then we can go directly to the airport."

"Go ahead."

So, I may have skipped over some of the juicier parts about how I got my first Oscar nomination at the tender age of 11. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) announced the nominations for the 72nd Academy Awards on February 15, 2000. [American Beauty], a film by Sam Mendes, dominated the nominations with 9, while second place had a tie, [Cider House Rules] and [The Insider] both having 7 nominations. [The Sixth Sense] came in third with a total of 6 nominations in the categories of Best Picture, Director, Screenplay, Editing, Supporting Actress for Toni Collette, and to my greatest surprise, Best Supporting Actor for yours truly.

Although I knew already that this role was meant to have Oscar potential with Haley Joel Osment bagging a nomination in my past life as well, it was a big doubt whether I'd get it or not because my presence changed things.

The fact that I got the nomination was a big relief for me, confirming that my performance was good enough that people in the industry considered it one of the best of the year.

The day the nominations were announced was a big celebration on the [Harry Potter] set, with everyone radiating their happiness for me. I lost count of the number of times people would come up to me and shake hands or simply say congratulations.

Things became even weirder two weeks later when the BAFTA nominations came out, and I got another nomination, but this time in the category of Best Actor in a Leading Role. My role was big enough in the film that people were divided on whether to consider my performance supporting or leading. It didn't help that Disney marketed me as a lead in the UK. If I'm being completely honest, I have more screen time than Bruce Willis. It's just people's perception of me being a little kid that stopped me from getting a Best Actor nod at the Oscars as well. And BAFTA tends to favor British actors and movies over Americans more often than not.

Anyway, as I had decided earlier, I would definitely attend the Oscar ceremony in person. BAFTA as well. The latter because they were less than an hour's drive away from [Harry Potter]'s set, so that wouldn't disturb the shooting too much.

(Break)

I straightened out my black three-piece suit one last time before getting out of our rented limousine with a huge grin on my face. Immediately, camera flashes went off everywhere, capturing my first appearance on the carpet.

My parents had already given me instructions that they would follow a few steps behind me because they weren't exactly celebrities themselves. The reporters and paparazzi weren't very excited about clicking them. I waved to a crowd of people standing near the entrance, and for some reason, they went wild. I mean, I knew the reason, but it was still bizarre seeing that scene in front of me where many people, mostly grown-ups, acted insane upon seeing a kid.

Seeing the outstretched hands, posters, and whatnot, I stepped forward and shook a few hands while signing a few posters. The usual.

"Troy! Shake my hand!" "One autograph, please!" "One photo!"

Such requests had already become common for me by now. I obliged a few requests and ignored others. While I loved engaging with fans, I couldn't humor each and every person who wanted to meet me. What I found the biggest advantage of being a kid actor is the ability to outright ignore many people without offending them greatly. Some people would still feel outraged, but you can't exactly please everyone.

It seemed like almost a lifetime later when I finally entered the Shrine Auditorium, where this year's Academy Awards were being held. To be honest, it felt great being part of this year's ceremony given how 1999 was considered a landmark year for the film industry. One of the greatest years in the history of cinema. Even if I knew I wouldn't be winning tonight, anyone revisiting the year would remember my film, and for that alone, I'm more than thankful for the second chance that life gave me.

"Troy Armitage?" A voice interrupted my thoughts, and I turned towards it to see an icon standing there.

"Oh, my God!" I let out unconsciously. "You know me?"

Tom Cruise chuckled heartily before stepping forward and shaking my hand, "Of course I do. We are competing for the same award after all. Not to mention, I loved you in your film."

"Thank you, Mr. Cruise." I grinned at his response. "Although, I know you will be winning tonight, so you can rest assured, we are not competing at all."

"Just call me Tom. And I wouldn't be too sure about that," he waved off before motioning toward the gorgeous woman standing beside him. "Have you met my wife Nicole?"

"Pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Cruise." I greeted her with a kiss on her hand before saying, "Do you have a mini version of you stowed away somewhere, like a younger sister? I would've waited for you a few years, but you don't seem available." I tilted my head towards her husband.

"He's smooth," Nicole Kidman whispered between her giggles. Then she bent forward towards me and lightly pinched my cheek, "Sadly for you, young man, my sister's also married. And seeing this behavior of yours, I would keep my daughter far away from you."

"Sure about that?" I asked with a cocky grin when she released me. "Your daughter will miss the chance to befriend Harry Potter."

"Well, you could always join my kids at this summer camp our church organizes," Tom said on behalf of his wife with a grin of his own. "It has a lot of activities. I'm sure you'd love it."

I didn't know what to say to that. Being religious was one thing, but deliberately joining a 'religion' that is infamous for being labeled as a cult in countries like Germany and France didn't sound good for my mental health.

"I'm too busy filming [Harry Potter] right now," I deflected. "Maybe next year?"

"Work comes first, after all," Nicole Kidman said with a nod, but not before shooting Tom Cruise a warning look that I don't think I was meant to see. "It's good that you understand that."

At that moment, I wanted to be anywhere but there, between a disagreeing couple. I surreptitiously looked around and found Samuel L. Jackson standing with someone. Seeing him, I grinned before turning to the Cruise couple, "Excuse me. If you don't mind, I need to meet Sam Jackson over there."

"Go ahead," Nicole smiled at me, and I gladly left the duo. Dodged a bullet there.

(Break)

The ceremony finally began as it usually does, with Billy Crystal taking over the reins of hosting duties for the seventh time. He began his hosting as usual with a song about the movies that got nominated for Best Picture.

He mentioned the fact that the Oscar statuettes were stolen by someone but were thankfully recovered by a man who was paid $50,000 as a reward for finding 52 Oscars.

"That's not a lot of money when you realize that Miramax and DreamWorks are spending millions of dollars just to get one," Billy Crystal joked.

I clapped alongside other audience members when I heard that. Sadly, Miramax and DreamWorks changed the awards season with their heavy campaigns in the late 1990s. Before that, it was mostly simple work of talking to people, but now, it's press junkets, heavy advertising, and whatnot.

This was the biggest reason I was not expected to win tonight, as I didn't partake in any of those.

"Now the great story this year was [The Sixth Sense] and the success of the great young actor Troy Armitage, who's sitting right over there. Hello, Troy." Billy pointed at me as the camera zoomed onto my face. I smiled and waved as people around me clapped.

"Eleven years old, God, I have movies in development longer than that." Billy joked, eliciting laughter from everyone around. "Troy, this one's for you."

Saying that, Billy started singing a song dedicated to [The Sixth Sense]. I heard M. Night Shyamalan groaning audibly behind me when Billy sang about 'kids who see dead people'. I chuckled at that. Night hated anyone spoiling his stories, so as per him, Billy Crystal had just committed the greatest of sins. Night had had a great fight with Disney over the trailer which had the line, 'I see dead people,' but they didn't budge.

The awards began soon enough with technical awards being given away first, like Best Costumes, Makeup, Visual Effects, and the like. They threw in a few major awards like Best Supporting Actress in the mix as well to keep the audience engaged, which went to Angelina Jolie for [Girl, Interrupted]. I felt a little bad for Toni Collette, who didn't win.

[The Matrix], one of my favorite movies of the year, took away four technical awards, which was totally deserved in my opinion. Then came the award for Best Adapted and Original Screenplay, two of the big awards of the night. Kevin Spacey gave away the award for Best Adapted Screenplay to the writers of [The Cider House Rules], an undeserving movie, nominated only because of the excessive campaigning of Miramax. All the other four nominees were much more deserving.

I couldn't see that part of the ceremony because I was called backstage to present the next big award of the night.

"To present the Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, please welcome the Oscar-nominated actor of [The Sixth Sense] and the upcoming [Harry Potter] movie, Troy Armitage."

I briskly walked towards the center of the stage as my name was called. Thankfully, they had the common sense to lower the mic to my height, which I appreciated a lot. Despite what anyone may believe, this wasn't because of my nomination. Warner Bros endorsed this to let me gain international highlight as [Harry Potter] would be released later this year. A little conceited, but that's what every studio does while releasing a big blockbuster-level film of the year.

"Consider the writer," I began reading the introduction off a teleprompter. "Locked away in a lonely room, waiting for lady muse to alight gracefully and turn the stark blank empty void of a page into a masterpiece. Like the person who wrote this stuff. I can't possibly know what all that means, just look at me!" I made a confused face at that weird introduction, getting laughter from everywhere around me. 

After the laughter died down, I continued, "For Best Original Screenplay, here are the nominees."

I waited for a few moments before reading the names, "Alan Ball for [American Beauty]; Charlie Kaufman for [Being John Malkovich]; Paul Thomas Anderson for [Magnolia]; Mike Leigh for [Topsy Turvy], and my personal favorite, M. Night Shyamalan for [The Sixth Sense]."

That gained another round of laughter from the people for my obvious bias. "And the Oscar goes to," I opened the envelope containing the name of the winner and stood there shocked for a whole two seconds before loudly calling out, "M. Night Shyamalan for [The Sixth Sense]!"

Never had I imagined that my presence would change history like that. M. Night Shyamalan never got an Oscar. Hell, he never even got nominated again after this year. My presence surely changed some aspects of the script, and here we are.

Night climbed up to the stage and gave me a big hug after bending down a little, "Thank you, Troy! Thank you so much!" I patted his back a little before we separated. I took the Oscar statuette from the lady beside me and handed it to Night, before taking a few steps back, giving him the stage to talk.

"Hooh!" Night let out. "Never imagined I would be getting this tonight. I have a lot of people to thank, so let's begin with the people who watched our film. To the Academy members, thank you so much for this great honor. I have to thank..." He went on to thank many people, from the producers to the crew members to his family, before coming to the cast.

"I would like to thank Bruce Willis for agreeing to do this film. Without him, I wouldn't be standing here. Toni, Olivia, Donnie, and all other cast members, thank you. Last but not least, Troy Armitage for giving me my film. Thank you!" Saying the last word, he turned to me and bowed his head. After that, we walked backstage where many reporters were ready to interview Night, while I was escorted back to my seat.

I was still trying to process everything while back in my seat, pondering the meaning of my presence in the world and the significant consequences it had. Was my presence limited to changing the films around me, or could it extend beyond that as well?

The rest of the technical awards passed with me lost in these thoughts, before finally, it was time for the award that mattered the most to me.

___________________________

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