The next day, by mid-morning, Mia Sara was gone, flown back to Los Angeles on the private jet. The parting was absolute, sealed in a heavy silence, with no final words exchanged between her and Alex before her swift departure.
Alex was grateful that his family didn't press him for details about Mia's sudden exit. They simply offered quiet support and allowed him the space he desperately needed.
Diane Lane sensed the finality of what had transpired but maintained a discreet silence.
The days passed and the New Year came and went. Shortly after, Robert Downey Jr. and Diane, who had fully recovered from her twisted ankle, left Texas reluctantly. They had wanted to stay longer, but Alex assured them he was not good company and needed solitude.
Meanwhile, in Hollywood, the commercial performance of Platoon continued to defy all expectations for a serious war drama. Following the massive Christmas weekend, the film earned $12.4 million during the subsequent four weekdays, showing incredible endurance.
The momentum carried through the third weekend, where the film still dominated the box office, grossing $12.7 million. This represented a sharp drop after the exceptional Christmas holiday boost of the previous weekend, yet it remained a dominant number for the film's third week of release. The following four weekdays added another $8.2 million to its tally.
The remarkable run culminated in the fourth weekend, where Platoon again claimed the weekend box office crown, taking the number one spot for the fourth consecutive time by earning $8.9 million. The next four weekdays added $5.9 million.
After four full weeks in domestic release, Platoon's total domestic box office stood at an astonishing $114.3 million.
*******
In Texas, the immediate silence after the departures of Mia, Robert, and Diane was profound. Left alone with his family, Alex found a physical outlet for his inner turmoil by engaging in the hard, mundane labor of the ranch. He spent his days in the fields surrounding Eagle Lake, focusing on maintenance—repairing fences and tuning farm equipment—anything that required concentration and kept his hands busy.
As he was working on a stubborn gear on a tractor, his father, John, walked up and stood silently beside him for a moment. Alex stopped what he was doing and wiped the grease from his hands with a cloth, anticipating the conversation.
"You know, son, you need to go back to L.A.," John stated simply.
Alex didn't respond immediately.
"The farm work isn't enough," John continued gently. "You need to get busy with the thing you love—films."
Alex sighed, the sound heavy with resignation."Relationships, Dad, are proving to be an immensely difficult and fundamentally messy affair."
John chuckled softly. "They are. Sometimes, it feels like being alone is the only sane choice."
"Right now, I'm feeling exactly that way," Alex admitted, managing a wry smile.
"Maybe. But they are also deeply worth it, once you find the right person."
"You can say that," Alex replied, a trace of envy in his voice. "You found that with Mom, and then you found it again with Maria. Twice. You're the lucky one. Do you truly think I can ever find that?"
John laid a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "I can't promise that, Alex. But if you don't keep trying, you absolutely guarantee you won't."
Alex met his father's gaze, the truth of his words instantly clearing the fog of his self-pity. "I needed to hear that. Thank you for your advice, Dad."
"Anytime, son. Anytime," John replied.
They turned and walked back toward the house together, leaving the ranch equipment behind.
Two days later, Alex was back in Los Angeles, ready to face the world—and his work—again.
*****
Alex's return to Los Angeles proved to be the necessary reset. He stepped off the jet and immediately plunged himself into work, determined to fill the vacuum left by the breakup with the relentless focus of his career.
The first week of February saw the beginning of intense table reads and rehearsals for MGM's upcoming romantic comedy, Moonstruck. The cast—which included Cher, Alex Hayes, and Olympia Dukakis—was electric, and the early production energy was infectious. Alex's role was pivotal in the film, and his schedule was thankfully light, anticipating only a week to ten days of filming for his role due to the film's compact, New York-centric locations.
However, before the cameras could officially roll, Hollywood paused for the announcement of the 59th Academy Award nominations, and the news that followed overshadowed everything else.
Alex Hayes's two major 1986 releases, which showcased his dramatic range, were showered with nominations:
The Color of Money was nominated for five awards, including Best Actor for Paul Newman, Best Supporting Actress, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Art Direction, and Best Supporting Actor for Alex Hayes.
Platoon, Oliver Stone's visceral war epic, received nine nominations, including the highly coveted nods for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, Best Sound, and two Best Supporting Actors for Willem Dafoe and Tom Berenger, alongside a nomination for Best Actor for Alex Hayes.
At the age of just 23, Alex Hayes made cinematic history by receiving nominations in two separate acting categories in the same year. This remarkable achievement instantly placed him in one of the rarest clubs in Oscar history, a feat that had only occurred four times before.
Fay Bainter was the first to achieve this distinction at the 11th Academy Awards in 1938. She was nominated for Best Actress for her performance in White Banners and for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Jezebel. Bainter ultimately secured the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.
In 1942, Teresa Wright repeated the accomplishment. She earned a nomination for Best Actress for her work in The Pride of the Yankees and a second nomination for Best Supporting Actress for Mrs. Miniver. Wright went on to win the Academy Award in the supporting category.
The most unique case belongs to Barry Fitzgerald in 1944. For his portrayal of Father Fitzgibbon in Going My Way, he received the unprecedented distinction of being nominated for both Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor for the exact same performance. He ultimately won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.
More recently, Jessica Lange achieved the dual nod at the 55th Academy Awards in 1982. She was recognized in the Best Actress category for her intense performance in Frances and in the Best Supporting Actress category for her lighter role in Tootsie. Lange took home the statue for Best Supporting Actress.
For Alex, these two nominations represented his second and third overall acting nods from the Academy, following his debut nomination for Catch Me If You Can. The nominations confirmed, beyond any doubt, his status as a leading dramatic force in Hollywood.
The nomination announcements provided a late-stage box office surge for The Color of Money. It officially crossed the $100 million mark domestically, riding the awards buzz. With its overseas run having concluded at $61 million, the total worldwide box office for the pool hall drama stood at an impressive $161 million.
Meanwhile, Platoon saw its already colossal numbers grow even larger, hitting $131 million domestically. Coupled with its international gross of $67 million, the film's total worldwide box office soared to $198 million, cementing its status as one of the most commercially successful war dramas ever released.