Dreams of Stardom (Hollywood SI)

"Troy!" A female reporter offered me a mic. "You are one of the youngest persons to be nominated for a Tony. If you win tonight, you'll be the youngest winner in the leading category. Also, the youngest person to complete the Triple Crown of Acting. How do you feel about that?"

"I feel honored," I bowed my head a little. "We don't make a film, show, or a play for the awards. It's always for the audience. And the audience has already given us the biggest award by watching our show so enthusiastically. We have already recovered all our costs from both London and New York. For me, as the producer, that is more than enough."

The reporter looked at me in surprise before asking, "I didn't know that you produced it personally."

I laughed, "I don't advertise it. I'll give credit to Elton John for that. I ran into him at Cannes and he said that he wanted to make a musical out of [Billy Elliot]. I loved the idea, but my father wasn't very enthused about it. So I offered him to make the musical out of my salary from the [Harry Potter] movies. He agreed, but there were a lot of unnecessary rules and regulations for minor producers, so on paper, my father is co-producing it, but all the investment is mine."

"You learn something interesting every day," she remarked before asking the next question. "Are you excited to perform tonight?"

"Very much so," I grinned. "Can't wait."

"Wish you all the best for your performance and the award," she greeted before moving on to the next celebrity who walked the red carpet. I recognized that man instantly. He was Sam Robards, the man who played my adoptive father in [Artificial Intelligence]. I didn't know what category he was nominated in, but at least I knew that we weren't competing for the same award.

I waved to him from a distance, and he waved back. I would have waited for him to come over when I came across another one of my co-stars. Alan Rickman.

"Alan!" I greeted him enthusiastically by hugging him. He patted my back before we separated.

"Didn't think you would make it here," he remarked in his deep, measured tone. "You caused quite a scandal back in London for avoiding The Olivier Awards. Just like you abandoned the BAFTAs last year. People are saying that you don't like British award shows."

I rolled my eyes at that news. "Why don't people get a real job rather than speculating the reason for my absence from some award show? I am attending here tonight because it was convenient for me as I was already here."

Alan snickered openly at my sour mood, "You know the funniest things to say sometimes."

I shook my head in amusement before changing the topic, "How are you feeling about your chances tonight?"

"I'm not winning," he said with absolute certainty. "But you are. You definitely will win tonight, there's no chance you won't. I saw you both at West End and here at Broadway. Any actor worth their money could see how much effort and nuance you have put into your performance. There was a reason that they gave you the Olivier Award despite you not going there in person."

I had read a lot of reviews about my performance, speaking along the same lines as Alan was at the moment. Reading it was one thing, and hearing it from a colleague of yours and an actor as great as Alan was another thing entirely.

"That's very kind of you, Alan," I said gratefully. "But you were great yourself in [Private Lives]. You have a great chance to win yourself."

Since I knew he was doing this play, I had taken a day off from my busy schedule and had gone to see him perform. He was remarkable in it.

"Let's agree to disagree," he said seriously as we made our way inside the hall.

We kept talking idly about our lives and work, like old friends as some of the top actors in the industry passed us by. Liam Neeson, Jeffrey Wright, John Lithgow, Laura Linney, Helen Mirren, Patrick Wilson, and more were nominated tonight and were attending the ceremony.

Soon we had to separate when we were escorted to our respective seats which were in different rows, and I reunited with Mum and Evan. Then the award show began with a musical performance, as it usually does. Unlike other major award shows, like the Oscars or the Emmys, which were mostly focused on giving out awards, the Tonys had a secondary agenda: marketing. They were the best marketing that any Broadway show could get. People from other cities did not care about some theater plays in New York unless they were marketed to them. The Tonys did that job wonderfully and thus started a big tourism industry in NYC centered around Broadway. It was affected a lot by the attacks last year, but since then, it has recovered a lot.

As the show continued, musical performances were done by different actors on stage in between the awards to keep the audience entertained. And finally, it was time.

"Troy," a smartly dressed man in a tuxedo walked up to me and whispered, "It's time for your performance."

I nodded and got up from my seat, following the man backstage to the dressing room where everything was set for me. I had a set of Billy Elliot costumes that I quickly changed into before a makeup artist walked in and helped me prepare for the performance. Then I was fitted with a mic by the sound department, and I was ready to roll.

I took a deep breath as I waited backstage for my name to be announced and then I stepped forward.

(Break)

Alan Rickman rarely gave out praise to someone. As an actor, he thought that you shouldn't yearn for praise. At least he didn't. But there was just something about young Troy Armitage that he couldn't stop himself. When he was offered the role of Severus Snape, he had half a mind to reject the offer. But a conversation with Steve Kloves changed his mind. Steve told him how he was making the film for his son. A son who had a grand dream to become a superstar.

He thought that this Troy must be a low-key megalomaniac. But he was curious, so he saw his performance in [The Sixth Sense]. And he was stunned to see the talent of the young boy. To become an undeniable superstar, you need three things: talent, likability, and drive to succeed. Usually, actors lack one of the three things to become a big star. But Troy, if Steve was to be believed and as much as Alan could see, had all three. That's why he just knew that Troy would become a superstar sooner or later. That was a big reason for him accepting the role of Snape.

And then, he started loving the films. It didn't mean he wouldn't do other projects in between, like stage plays or even TV shows now and then. Something that Troy had talked to him about when they were shooting for the second film. He didn't take that seriously but answered the kid nonetheless.

And now here we were. Troy was performing on live TV a song called "Electricity" that just shocked everyone (pun intended) with the complex choreography and beautiful vocals. Alan was surprised that of all his performances, this was the best version of 'Electricity' he had seen from Troy.

Just as he had predicted, Alan didn't win the award he was nominated for tonight. He didn't mind that much, because he knew that he wasn't the best actor, nor did he have ambitions of grandeur like Troy.

Finally, the time for the award for Best Actor in a Musical came and was presented by Anne Heche and Bill Pullman, who began the announcement by making some light jokes before announcing the nominees.

"The nominees are:

John Lithgow; [Sweet Smell of Success]

John Cullum; [Urinetown]

Troy Armitage; [Billy Elliot the Musical]

Patrick Wilson; [Oklahoma]

Gavin Creel; [Thoroughly Modern Millie]"

Anne Heche slowly opened the envelope before looking up at the audience with a huge grin, "And the Tony goes to Troy Armitage for [Billy Elliot the Musical]."

Alan scoffed internally as he clapped. As if anyone else could have won that.