DOS Ch-352

“How was your day, love?” Scarlett asked as soon as I got home.

I kissed her before bending down to kiss the heads of my two sons, Ace and Ian. I was so used to calling them by their nicknames that I had stopped using Atlas or Damian. The two were in the middle of a play session, but as soon as they saw me, their faces lit up with big grins, and their babbling increased.

“It was okay-ish, I guess,” I answered Scarlett’s question after a beat, hoisting both my sons against my chest.

“It wasn’t fun?” Scarlett asked conversationally. “I thought you were excited to work with Evan beyond just a music video.”

I shook my head at that thought. “If you think it’s fun crawling through mud, then climbing ropes and ladders and completing a run, only to find out the take was ruined and you have to do everything again, starting with a shower and clean clothes, five times, then I’m sorry to say that you and I have very different definitions of fun. It doesn’t help that Evan is a hard taskmaster and wants everything perfect.”

“I feel you.”

“I mean,” I continued, ignoring Scarlett’s words, “this one take was ruined just because this idiot of an extra was laughing in the background when he was supposed to be running behind me. Everything else was perfect, and we could’ve easily removed him using CGI, but no. Evan wouldn’t have that. He wants perfection. Bloody asshole!”

Scarlett listened silently until I had nothing else to say.

“Done?” she asked after a few moments. “Or do you need to vent more?”

I sighed before cuddling my sons closer to me, who were now eagerly playing with my shirt.

“Yeah, I’m done,” I said finally. “Sorry for that. I just got tired of showering and changing clothes again and again. Each setup took more than an hour. I felt like the day would never end.”

“But it did end, right?” she asked. “No more of that scene?”

“Yes,” I nodded. “If we weren’t shooting it in a studio with a blue screen for the sky, we’d be doing it tomorrow as well, because there are only so many hours of daylight to finish the scene. Since we’re done, the next scene will be shot on Monday.”

“Good,” Scarlett said happily. “I can run you a hot bath to leave all that stress behind. And if you want, I can join you as well.” She leaned closer and whispered the next part in my ear, “But only if you want it.”

“I want it, very much so,” I nodded so fast I was amazed I didn’t give myself whiplash.

Scarlett laughed and patted my cheek. “Remember, it’s the Golden Globes this Sunday, so tomorrow we need to decide on our wardrobe so we don’t look out of sync with each other.”

All my happiness from a moment ago evaporated immediately. As much as I liked seeing myself in good clothes, I hated the process of selecting them. Earlier, I used to hire a designer and give them carte blanche to dress me however they wanted, as long as I didn’t look like one of the weirdo celebrities everyone made fun of. But ever since I started appearing on red carpets with Scarlett, I had to choose outfits with her because she liked doing that stuff for some reason. The worst part was that she wanted me to actively participate.

Where’s my gay brother with all his flamboyance and good fashion sense when I really need him?

(Break)

I walked the red carpet with Scarlett on my arm. In the end, I had decided to go for something simple. A plain white suit from head to toe, with a white shirt and a few top buttons open to show my defined chest and a silver locket. Meanwhile, Scarlett was dressed in an elegant dark pink gown that flowed to the floor but showed her left leg, thanks to a slit running up to her upper thigh.

She looked smoking hot in that outfit. To create some synergy between our looks, I had opted for a pocket square in a similar shade of pink as hers. That’s what I love about black and white. It goes with every color. No need to think too much about combinations and contrasts.

We posed for a few photos, ignored the shouts and screams, and then walked further down the carpet. As usual, my appearances came with the baggage of extra security. I didn’t mind covering the cost, but the hassle of everything made the whole experience a little less enjoyable.

“Troy, Scarlett!” came the voice of a familiar red carpet host.

“Rose, so good to see you,” I greeted her with a brief hug. “How’re you doing?”

“I’m great,” she grinned back. “Even better now that I know you still remember me after all these years.”

“Always,” I said in a gruff voice, imitating Alan Rickman, which made both Rose and Scarlett laugh.

“Do you think you’ll be winning anything tonight?” she asked after regaining her composure. “You have quite a few nominations this year.”

“I don’t know about that, but I seriously think that Scarlett here should win every award possible for her role in [Black Swan], which is easily her career-best performance to date.”

“Stop!” Scarlett lightly hit my arm. “You can’t say that.”

“I can,” I shot back. “Because it’s the truth, love. Seeing you in the film made me regret not fighting for one of the smaller roles so I could witness your performance live.”

I looked Scarlett in the eye as I said that, meaning every word. The pleased yet shy look in her eyes told me she liked that.

“Aww, you two are so cute together,” Rose gushed while I was still staring at Scarlett. “One last question before I let you go. How do you think your kids have changed the dynamics of your relationship?”

“I’ll answer that one,” Scarlett said before I could. “Before the kids, we preferred to bask in each other’s presence in silence. Sometimes, Troy and I would just sit together, reading a book or a script, without speaking a single word for hours. I loved his strong, solid presence.”

“And now?”

“Now? There’s no silence to be found anywhere. We don’t want our kids to be raised by nannies alone, so we try to spend as much time with them as possible when we’re home. That’s made our lives vibrant, lively, and so meaningful, but noisy.”

I laughed before agreeing, “Couldn’t have said it better myself, babe.”

Before the woman could find another reason to keep us on the carpet, I led Scarlett further down by the waist.

“You know, I’ll always have a soft spot for the Globes,” I said conversationally. “Because I got to meet you here. The moment I saw you in that red dress, I wanted to undress you right then and there and have my way with you.”

Scarlett gave me a look, all while keeping a smile on her face. That was a talent unique to her. “You’ve told me that story at least ten times.”

“Because it’s true. Just search ‘Scarlett Johansson Golden Globes’ online, and that’s the first photo that always comes up.”

“For all I know, you manipulated the search results to make sure that photo comes up on top.”

I mock gasped. “You think so lowly of me?”

“Are you saying you’re incapable of doing that?”

“I am capable of it, but seriously, that’s too much work for something so trivial.”

She gasped this time. “Are you saying that making sure everyone sees my best photo is trivial?”

I pulled her closer and whispered in her ear, “If I had my way, no one but me would look at any of your photos. Ever. But we can’t all have what we want, can we?”

She pushed me away playfully. “Let’s go in, Romeo. I don’t wanna give these people more rumors about our relationship than what’s already out there.”

I wanted to banter some more, but as luck would have it, we ran into one of my ex-costars, Christian Bale.

“Troy!” he greeted me with a hug. “So good to see you.”

“Good to see you too, Chris,” I said, patting his back. “How’s the family?”

“All’s good,” he grinned. “Thank you so much for coming to Luka’s birthday. She really loves you for some reason that I don’t get.”

I laughed and waved it off. “Anything for you, man. Joker has to keep Batman happy.”

He laughed before turning to Scarlett. “And you’re as beautiful as ever, Scarlett. You outdid yourself in [Black Swan].”

“And you in [The Fighter],” she shot back. “I’ve been meaning to ask you this, but how the hell do you lose and gain weight like it’s nothing?”

“It just takes dedication,” he said seriously. “I’ll do anything for a role, and I think Troy would understand that, given how far he was willing to go for the Joker.”

I shook my head. “That was just once. I prefer not to go that extreme if I can avoid it. Also, I haven’t ever lost as much weight as you did for your character.”

Christian inclined his head in agreement. “My wife’s also mad at me for going that hard against my doctor’s advice. Believe me, this will be the last time I lose so much weight for a role.”

“But you won’t mind gaining it,” I mused.

He shrugged. “I’ll have to. For the next Batman. You’ve given your dates to it, right?”

“I have. And I’ll start prep for it as soon as I’m done with this film I’m shooting right now.”

“The war film with McConaughey and Hardy, right?”

I was surprised he knew that much about my schedule. Then again, nowadays, almost everyone knew everything about me, thanks to those bloody leaks.

“Yeah, and from what I recall, you’re working on a war film too, but in China.”

He inclined his head. “I am.”

“Boys,” Scarlett cut into our conversation smoothly, “let’s go in. I have to present the first award, so I can’t be late.”

I turned to Christian. “You heard the lady, Chris. Let’s go in.”

We went our separate ways soon enough, and I accompanied Scarlett to the same table as Emily Stone, who had been nominated for another of my movies, [Easy A], along with two other people I didn’t recognize, probably members of the Hollywood Foreign Press. We all exchanged greetings before Scarlett got up and walked backstage since she had to present the first award.

“I can’t believe the response [Easy A] has received,” Emily said after we had settled down. “And it’s all thanks to you.”

“You sell yourself short,” I said emphatically. “That film was all you. I was barely there for a few minutes, so the credit goes entirely to you.”

There were multiple reasons [Easy A] was as big a hit in this timeline as it had been in the original. The biggest was the fact that Emily herself was a much bigger draw, thanks to [Twilight]. Most of her other films had been major box office successes as well. Then there was the fact that Emily and I had great chemistry, something fans enjoyed in [Echoes of You], so us getting together again was bound to grab a lot of eyeballs.

“I’m talking about your help in producing it when the funding fell through,” Emily explained. “Of course, the box office is because of me.”

I laughed at her playful tone. Before our banter could continue, the show began, and a man took the stage who would be known more for his Golden Globe appearances than anything else.

Ricky Gervais was a funny man, undoubtedly, and I absolutely loved him when the jokes were at others’ expense. Thanks to the leaks, I was slightly worried about what he might say about me.

“Hello and welcome to the 68th annual Golden Globe Awards, live from the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles. It’s going to be a night of partying and heavy drinking. Or, as Charlie Sheen calls it, breakfast.”

The room erupted in laughter at the joke made at Charlie Sheen’s expense as Ricky went on to explain more about the “pornstar” Charlie had hired. I personally hated people like Sheen, who let fame get to their heads. Or maybe he was just a product of his time. The ’80s, when Sheen rose to prominence, were a wild time in Hollywood. The lack of internet and accountability also made people careless about the consequences of their actions.

“Lucky for him, the pornstar was of legal age, or Troy Armitage would be having a problem with that.”

The moment he said that, a hush fell over the crowd, as if no one wanted to laugh at my expense. But because the camera was focused on me, I kept a smile fixed on my face.

“Yes, go silent,” Ricky continued. “Exactly like you did with Harvey Weinstein.” At the collective gasp around the room, he pointed at the audience. “You did it, I didn’t, and Troy certainly didn’t. All those leaked emails from him were fake.” Then he leaned toward me and said, “Now no one will believe those emails, Troy. Problem solved.”

“I don’t think it did,” I shot back before I could stop myself.

“These people are really gullible,” Gervais retorted. “If they can believe that Jeffrey Epstein and Harvey Weinstein were good people, they’ll believe anything. Trust me.”

This time, I didn’t bother controlling my laughter. Ricky sure had a way with words and was quick on his feet. The best part was that his comedy was based entirely on truth.

“It was an incredible year for 3D movies. [Toy Story], [Tron], [Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows]. It seems like everything this year was three-dimensional, except the characters in [The Tourist].”

Johnny Depp, who was sitting just behind me, didn’t look very happy with that joke but kept a straight face, because the camera was now trained on him.

The rest of Ricky’s monologue was just as funny and spot-on as I had expected it to be.

“Our first presenter tonight is beautiful, talented, and Jewish, apparently. Mel Gibson told me that. He’s obsessed. Please welcome Scarlett Johansson.”

Despite Scarlett being involved in the joke, I couldn’t help but laugh at the situation. Ricky Gervais’ roast of Mel Gibson would never stop being funny. I clapped with everyone as Scarlett took center stage to announce the first award of the night: Best Supporting Actor.

It was a very competitive category, with two of my colleagues from [The Deathly Hallows], Ralph Fiennes and Alan Rickman, nominated tonight. I personally thought Michael Gambon should have been nominated as well, but it was unrealistic to get so many nominations in the same category from one film alone.

“And the Golden Globe goes to… Christian Bale for [The Fighter].”

It felt a little bad losing the first award for Harry Potter, but I knew that Bale’s performance in the movie was far superior to that of any other actor nominated tonight. So I stood up and clapped for a well-deserved win.

I could only hope that the rest of the awards went in our favor. While it’s true that not many people care about the Golden Globes, they still play a big role in swaying the winds of the Oscars. It also helps determine whether the voting body is responding positively to the campaign.