Steven Spielberg was anxious. The film that he had been w on for such a long time was stalled once more, only because of his inability to find the leading actor. The problem wasn’t that there was any ck of actors in Hollywood. Far from that. But the person he needed for his film should be a kid actor. That too, a bankable kid actor to carry a film costing 100m on his shoulders. A odity that was very rare in Hollywood.

  At the top of his head, he could only think of one kid who at the moment was sidered a superstar: Troy Armitage. Sure, there were ood child actors in the industry as well, but Troy’s performan films like [Sex Education] and [The Sixth Sense] just blew Steven's mind. Not only that, the kid was meant to be Harry Potter , which was undoubtedly a superhit film. A film that was offered to Steven first but he deed it in favor of w on [A.I. Artificial Intelligence] because he felt that Harry Potter would be better off as an animated film while everyone else wao make a live-a film.

  At this point in his career, Steven didly need another superhit film. He wao make good films that left an impa people. Moreover, this film was a longtime passion project of his mentor and friend Stanley Kubrick, who passed away just a year ago. For Stanley, he would make the best film that he could and for that, Steven would get the best talent out there that he had decided already. All other actors had been firmed, only the lead, David, was yet to be cast.

  Normally, Steven would have moved on with another kid, but Warner Bros, the co-producers and distributors, had pced the dition of casting Troy as David if Steven wahe full budget of 100m for the film.

  One would think that with Steven being who he is, people would bend over backward to aodate his budget while making a film. The problem was that the script was ceptualized by Kubrick, who had added the character of Gigolo Joe as an important supp character—a robot male prostitute. All other studios were strongly against this character as it would alienate kid audiences and ge the rating from PG to PG-13. Warner was the only studio that had agreed to let Gigolo Joe remain, provided their other ditions were satisfied by DreamWorks, namely, casting Troy in the lead.

  When Steven had tacted Troy’s mother, who was also his manager, for the role of David, she had deed the offer, g his busy schedule with [Harry Potter]. A perfectly valid reason.

  So Steven waited and tacted Waro tell him at the earliest as soon as Troy became free from shooting [Harry Potter]. He tacted Troy’s main, just a week before [Harry Potter]’s shooting was to , only to be rebuffed again.

  “He’s just a kid, Mr. Spielberg,” Kathy Kloves had argued. “He needs some time for rest as well. He is shooting non-stop for months on end. I don’t want him to move from one film set to another. Is that too much to ask as his mother?”

  Steven had felt a little guilty when he heard that excuse from the dy and decided not to pursue the topiymore. But what could he do exactly? The only option he could see at the moment was holding an open audition call for David and hopefully finding one of the other young actors who would take up the responsibility. He’d have to cut down the budget substantially ahe project by a few months at the very least in the absence of Troy, but he didn’t have any other alternative at the moment.

  At that moment, he chucked all of his aies aside and smiled for the cameras alongside other filmmakers, actors, and writers from around the world at that year’s es Film Festival where he was serving as Jury President. A great honor rested with him to award the year’s Palme d’Or and other major awards, a duty he took very seriously.

  Had he got his lead actor for the film, he would be fog exclusively on [A.I. Artificial Intelligence] and most probably would have deed the jury duty. But sihe project was as good as stalled temporarily, he accepted the task.

  “So what do you think of this year’s sele, Steven?” Jonathan Demme, Oscar-winning director of [The Silence of the Lambs] and a fellow jury member, asked curiously when they were doh the photos.

  “I am excited for Brothers’ [O Brother, Where Art Thou?]” Steven replied holy.

  “Oh?” Jonathan raised an eyebrow. “Iing. I am more ied in seeing [Billy Elliot] by Stephen Daldry.”

  Steven jogged his memory to see if he remembered any of the films with such a came up bnk. Finally, he asked, “I’m sorry, which film is that?”

  Jonathan gri Steven’s ck of knowledge, “Oh, it’s our you Oscar winner’s film. You must know it by its old name, [Dancer]. They ged it when they saw the name of the Idic film [Dancer in the Dark]. I have heard from Ron Meyer of Universal himself that the film received a rave response in an internal sing. In Ron’s own words, Troy Armitage’s sed Osomination is as good as locked. This will be one of Universal’s biggest award tenders of the year.”

  Steven hummed audibly at that but internally he was flicted. That was a little troublesome. Not only was Harvey Weinstein a pain in the ass for hijag the award season for the st few years, but now he’d have to pete with Universal as well? DreamWorks was a fledgling studio at the moment and he had full iion to take it to the heights of the Big 6. So obviously they swayed the academy members whi turn gave them full support from the best actors out there. Who wouldn’t want the temptation of an Oscar, huh?

  DreamWorks’ biggest movie of the year, [Gdiator], was just released a couple of weeks ago and Russell Crowe is already a fan favorite to wi Actor. If only he was a little more likable, his win would be as good as guaranteed given Troy just won an Oscar. The more diator] wins, the better it would be for the film's home video sales.

  Given that, [Billy Elliot]'s arospects must be nipped right now in the bud. Even if the film is amazing. And it wouldn’t look good if Steven supported an English-speaking film over numerous films from all over the world that are on dispy here.

  Making up his mind quickly, Steven turo Jonathan Demme, “When you put it like that, I ’t help but get excited for [Billy Elliot] as well.”

  (Break)

  The reception I received at es was crazy. Given that my movie hadn’t even premiered till then, it was something. Till now, the reality hadn’t even sunk in about my popurity. Sure, there were many crazy people, reporters and fans alike, who had approached me over the st year, but nothing could beat my first es experience.

  At least a hundred photographers clicked away numerous fsh photographs as I posed in my perfectly tailucci champagne suit with a white shirt and a bck bow tie. I was a little surprised when I got sponsors for my es wardrobe. Mostly because of my current age. I khat older people get such sponsorship all the time, but for kids as well?

  I was joined by Julie Walters, Jamie Draven, Gary Lewis, Stephen Daldry, and Jamie Bell on the red carpet, but most of the cameras were focused on yours truly. Normally, Jamie Bell wouldn't be io su event, but since he had received widespread attention of his own owing to his uping role as Ron Weasley, the producers didn’t leave him behind from the promotions. In the meanwhile, he got to tour es for free, obviously, Jamie didn’t dee.

  “What will we do ?” Jamie asked from beside me as we posed for a photo, just the two of us. It was his first film premiere so his ck of knowledge was uandable.

  “We’ll just go in ahe film with everyone from the cast and the crew,” I replied while keeping a griched on my face as more photos were being taken. “After that, it would be some questions from reporters all around the world. Mostly British and Ameri as our film is in English. Obviously, they’ll ask about [Harry Potter]. Don’t say too much about it. romoting [Billy Elliht now.”

  Jamie nodded as the photo session finally came to an end. Stephen Daldry had the fht to rush us along inside, saving us from spending any more unnecessary time with the vultures.

  “Keep them on edge,” Stepheured sagely. “The more you give these photographers, the more they will take. Be as evasive as you .” Then he bent down to our level and whispered, “Don’t tell anyone I said that.”

  Jamie and I snickered at his antics before moving along ihe theater where our respective guardians were waiting for us. It didn’t take long for us to be seated and for the film to begin. Since I had already seen the inal one, all I was doing at the moment was looking for the ges that my presence brought to the script. The biggest one was the much more plex dance sequences and the oake ematography of all those ses.

  I had to give it to Stephen Daldry, the director, and Brian Tufano, the ematographer. The ses came out much more natural-looking aing than what I remember from my past life.

  All the themes of the film that Stephen had talked about during the table read like internalized homophobia, the css divide between the rid the poor, the toxic masity imposed upon young boys, and many more, came out very naturally, without it seeming forced upon the viewers.

  I closed my eyes when I saw that awkward kissing se between my character and Nico, the girl who pyed my daeacher's daughter. That was embarrassing on so many levels.

  “My son, the dies’ man,” Mum elbowed me teasingly, and I groaned out loud again. Not that it wasn’t awkward enough already.

  I just ignored her and focused ba the film. As the story came he end, I shed a few tears over the ag of Gary Lewis, Julie Walters, and surprisingly some of my ses as well. Stephen was a master director who had forced us all t ame into the fold. My st se in the film where I bade farewell to my best friend Michael and my family brought a fresh wave of tears as Jamie Draven, who pyed my brave another master-level performance.

  In the final se, Billy’s all-grown-up form performs a final dand the credits roll. I wipe off my tears one final time and turn to Mum who was faring much worse than me. She had soaked up the entire handkerchief that she was carrying in her little clutch. Seeing me looking at her, she engulfed me in a hug and cried anew.

  “That was marvelous, son,” she whispered in my ear between sobs. “I’m so gd you talked me into allowing you to do this film. This is much better than [The Sixth Sense].”

  “Thanks, Mum,” I patted her back as she trolled her emotions.

  Betweeears, I somehow missed the moment when the audience members stood up and began g. Most of the audience members arouurowards me and gave me an appraising look. As soon as the situation dawned upon me, I stood up and bowed graciously to the audiehat did nothing to stop the appuse.

  I had heard about the porizing levels of appraisal received at es, be it appuse or boos, but this was my first time witnessing any side of it. The audience, which sisted of reporters, critics, people from the industry, and even the general popuce, seemed eoo happy to tinue g for our film.

  Stephen Daldry, who stood just a row in front of me, burst into tears when the appuse crossed the seven-minute mark. It was further four mier at 11 minutes and 20 seds that the appuse finally died down. It felt so surreal but so f that the people liked our film.

  Finally, as the appuse had ehe premiere anizers ushered the cast and the director onto the stage to answer some of the media’s burning questions.

  “Troy,” unsurprisingly, the first question was for me. “First of all, what an amazing performahe best I’ve seen this year.”

  “Thank you,” I gri the middle-aged dy who had spoken first.

  “My question to you is, how did you go about with the dance performances? I noticed that they were shot in a siake. Is that your ag style like the song in [The Sixth Sense]?”

  “That’s a good question,” I replied. “I hadn’t thought of it like that to be ho. As an actor, I trust my directors to present my best performance forward. That’s what I did here. As for the dance performances, I practiced for them for months on end with our amazing chrapher Peter before shooting my first se.”

  “Stephen,” the repan. “How did you cast Troy for this role?”

  “Peter Darling, our chrapher, was Troy’s daeacher at the time,” Stephen begaory. “He reeroy for the role, and we had an audition. His northern at wasn’t that good at the time, but his ag and dance were top-notch; anyone could tell that. So, I decided to give him a ce against the better judgment of my casting director and producers, and here we are. I couldn’t have made a better decision.”

  That I didn’t know.

  “Troy,” another question came bae, this time from a man. “How do you select your scripts? Is it your adoptive parents?”

  “Not really,” I replied fidently. “While they help me a lot in weeding out bad film scripts, the ultimate decision is mine. If I don’t like the script, I won’t do the film. After [Sex Education], I had the ce to do either [Magnolia], [Stuart Little], or [The Sixth Sense]. I liked all three but could choose only one as their schedules flicted. So, I chose [The Sixth Sense] because that was the best script of the three. Simirly, for this film, my mother was against me taking up another film so soon, giveatus of [Harry Potter], which was to begin shooting shortly after [Billy Elliot]. But I loved the script so much that I begged and pleaded with her to let me do this. Needless to say, I’m very happy with the result. Thanks to the whole team of [Billy Elliot] that made such a beautiful movie.”

  “Troy,” anentleman said. “Do you think you will get another Oscar for this role?”

  “I already got one?” I replied in a half-fused tone. “I don’t think they’d give me another one so soon.”

  “Tom Hanks won two secutive Oscars,” he tered.

  “Exactly!” I shot back. “He’s Tom Hanks. By the way, as much as I’d like to discuss my arospects, let’s keep the discussion to [Billy Elliot], yeah?”

  And the questio on. Thankfully, all questions weren’t tered on me, and ot the ce to aheir questions as well. Whenever reporters were being too gy to me, I would redirect the question back to either Stephen or any of my other castmates, feigning ignorany ck of uanding about the question. That’s the charm of being a kid; you get away with a lot of things uhe guise of your immaturity.

  Hopefully, I’ll get used to this whole process as I grow older. Right now, I only hope this gets over soon.

  ___________________________

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