"The nominees for Best Original Screenplay are..."
On stage, Jessica Alba turned towards the large screen behind her, where the nominees and their films were displayed: "Eric Singer and David O. Russell for 'American Hustle,' Bob Nelson for 'Nebraska,' Murphy Stanton for 'Dark City,' Woody Allen for 'Blue Jasmine,' and Craig Borten and Melisa Wallack for 'Dallas Buyers Club.'"
Jessica Alba opened the envelope and announced, "The Oscar goes to Murphy Stanton for 'Dark City'!"
Applause erupted once again in the Dolby Theatre. Murphy stood up and walked briskly towards the stage amidst the applause. As he passed by the "Great Gatsby" crew, he caught a glimpse of Leonardo DiCaprio's slightly angry face, but he paid it no mind.
He climbed onto the stage and accepted the Oscar statuette for Best Original Screenplay from Jessica Alba.
"Congratulations, Murphy," Jessica Alba said as she gave him a light hug.
"Thank you," Murphy nodded gently.
Murphy then moved to the center of the round stage and said, "Thank you! Thank you to the Academy, to everyone in the 'Dark City' crew, to my friends and partners. You are the best!"
After these simple words, he turned and headed backstage.
In the backstage area, Murphy declined an interview request from ABC TV reporters. Accompanied by a staff member, he returned to the main hall of the Dolby Theatre through a designated passage. As he sat down, Ellen DeGeneres was introducing the next award presenter.
"Please welcome last year's Best Actor winner, Daniel Day-Lewis..."
The music played, and Hollywood's most atypical actor, Daniel Day-Lewis, walked onto the stage holding an envelope.
Margot Robbie, seated to the right of Gal Gadot, immediately tensed up, as the next award to be presented was... Best Actress!
Thirty feet away from the "Dark City" crew, Cate Blanchett looked over. She knew exactly who her main competition was.
It wasn't Sandra Bullock, it wasn't Amy Adams, nor was it Meryl Streep. It was fellow Australian Margot Robbie!
"Five extraordinary women have been nominated for Best Actress."
In his typically brief style, Daniel Day-Lewis said, "The nominees are..."
The large screen lit up again, "Amy Adams for 'American Hustle,' Sandra Bullock for 'Gravity,' Meryl Streep for 'August: Osage County,' Margot Robbie for 'Dark City,' and Cate Blanchett for 'Blue Jasmine.'"
The Dolby Theatre fell silent as everyone awaited Daniel Day-Lewis' announcement of the winner.
Murphy glanced at Margot Robbie, who was visibly nervous, clutching Gal Gadot's hand tightly.
He then looked over at the "Blue Jasmine" crew.
In this category, the real competition for "Dark City" was Cate Blanchett. Amy Adams wasn't very favored by the Academy, Sandra Bullock's heavily Botoxed face worked against her, and while Meryl Streep continually refreshed her nomination record, winning another Best Actress Oscar was highly unlikely.
On stage, Daniel Day-Lewis opened the envelope, "And the Oscar for Best Actress goes to... Margot Robbie for 'Dark City.'"
Murphy immediately began clapping, and soon the whole theatre joined in. The applause grew into a sea of sound.
Margot Robbie was stunned, covering her mouth in disbelief that she had won the Oscar for Best Actress. Amidst the congratulations, she slowly stood up, hugged Gal Gadot and Murphy, and made her way to the stage.
Leonardo DiCaprio's face was grim, his worst fears coming true.
Not far from him, Carey Mulligan looked at Margot Robbie with envy. The Australian actress had won the Oscar for Best Actress... If she had stayed by Murphy's side, she believed that it would have been her moment on stage.
Carey Mulligan gave a bitter smile.
"Thank you, thank you to the judges. I... I am truly... too... too excited!"
Margot Robbie was almost too overwhelmed to speak as she accepted the Oscar statuette from Daniel Day-Lewis. "There are so many people I want to thank."
She paused to catch her breath, then continued, "First, I want to thank Murphy. Every collaboration with him has shown me my shortcomings and led to tremendous improvement. I also want to thank Gal Gadot, my best friend, who always motivates me to keep moving forward. I want to thank my family—David, Peter, and Lylia—your support means the world to me. Finally, I want to say that Hollywood's independent, free, and democratic atmosphere has led to our success."
Her statement clearly placed her in the liberal camp, and the theatre erupted in cheers.
Margot Robbie raised her statuette, "Any force that imposes censorship on Hollywood interferes with freedom!"
No one expected Margot Robbie to make such a controversial statement in such a significant moment, but the Dolby Theatre responded with cheers, not debates or ridicule.
No Hollywood professional likes the idea of arbitrary moral censorship imposed on their work.
The applause was even more enthusiastic than when Margot Robbie had first taken the stage. The "Dark City" crew stood up, and soon, the entire front row joined in, applauding as if Margot Robbie had spoken for them all.
Murphy clapped vigorously. Like everyone else, he despised unnecessary censorship.
Indeed, Hollywood films have the MPAA rating system, but that's an internal self-regulation mechanism controlled by the major Hollywood studios, not external forces. This system is vastly different from the moral censorship imposed by the Catholic Church in the past century.
It was breaking free from that so-called moral censorship that allowed Hollywood to dominate the global film market.
Every country has some level of media censorship, but no industry professional appreciates overly strict limitations.
Murphy recalled working at a TV company on the other side of the Pacific during his summer break. Even in a low-level job, he witnessed the exaggeratedly stringent censorship for a TV show in production.
A series about ordinary people starting businesses required approval from six departments.
During its approval process, one character working abroad needed clearance from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Public Security; street vendors caught by the commerce department needed approval from the General Administration for Industry and Commerce; characters going to the northwest for oil drilling required approval from the Ministry of Land and Resources, the Ministry of Energy, and the Ministry of Environmental Protection; farmers starting import-export businesses required approval from the Ministry of Commerce...
Young Murphy had been astounded, though many so-called approvals were just a matter of getting a stamp. Many know how difficult that can be.
If similar censorship were imposed on Hollywood, the industry would go insane.
As Murphy's thoughts wandered, last year's Best Actress winner, Jennifer Lawrence, stepped onto the stage to present the Best Actor award.
Leonardo DiCaprio immediately perked up. Despite knowing his chances were slim, every nominee wanted to take home the statuette.
James Franco, on the other hand, remained calm. Although he hadn't won Best Actor before, he wasn't as nervous as Margot Robbie had been.
"It's an honor to present the next award."
Jennifer Lawrence carefully watched her step. "The performances by these five nominated actors were mesmerizing and unforgettable. The nominees for Best Actor are..."
She turned to the screen, "Matthew McConaughey for 'Dallas Buyers Club,' Chiwetel Ejiofor for '12 Years a Slave,' Christian Bale for 'American Hustle,' Leonardo DiCaprio for 'The Great Gatsby,' and James Franco for 'Dark City.'"
Murphy remained calm. Compared to Margot Robbie's Best Actress win, James Franco had an even better shot at Best Actor.
CAA hadn't invested much in promoting Matthew McConaughey; getting the nomination was already a stroke of luck. Chiwetel Ejiofor lacked the clout, his nomination more a gesture to placate a delicate sentiment. Christian Bale was still building his credentials. Leonardo DiCaprio's chances were lower than Chiwetel Ejiofor's...
In Murphy's view, James Franco had the best shot at winning Best Actor.
Jennifer Lawrence opened the envelope, and her announcement matched Murphy's expectation, "And the Best Actor Oscar goes to... James Franco for 'Dark City'!"
Upon hearing Franco's name, DiCaprio's face went ashen. Knowing he had a slim chance was one thing, but watching his nemesis win was another.
But as a seasoned superstar, he composed himself before the camera panned over, replacing his grimace with a smile and joining the applause.
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