(January 2006, London, UK)

  "It's good you came when you did," the middle-aged man sitting in front of An said with a small smile. "The most difficult part of treatment in this disease is the diagnosis. As I like to say, if you diagnose early, half the battle is already won. Today, I officially decre you pletely cer-free."

  An heaved a sigh of relief he hadn't realized he was holding. It had been a long and arduous battle, but he had finally overe the disease he wouldn't have even known about, were it not for Troy.

  It all started a couple of years ago when Troy and he were promoting the third [Harry Potter] film.

  (Fshback - November 2003)

  "An," Troy said in a serious voice. "Do you believe in prophetic dreams?"

  "Prophetic dreams?" An raised an eyebrow in clear amusement. Their st interviewer for the day had just left, and it was time to head home, but Troy didn't seem ready to leave, opting instead for small talk.

  Ahe kid wouldn't waste their time with something inane, so he decided to indulge him.

  "Yeah," Troy nodded. "Yesterday, I had a very vivid dream. A dream of the future."

  An chuckled. "It's very on, Troy. Usually, when we want something and think about it during the day, we unsciously ma it through our dreams at night."

  "But that's the thing!" Troy sat up straighter. "I don't want it to happen."

  Aated before asking, "What exactly was your dream?"

  Troy took a deep breath. "I dreamed that you had cer and that you died because of it."

  Aed the urge to ugh out loud. He had dreamt of people dying before; it didn't mean those dreams came true. But seeing Troy's pale face, An uood the boy was genuinely spooked.

  "I don't have cer," An said firmly. "You rest assured, Troy, it was just a dream."

  "It wasn't just any cer," Troy tinued as if he hadn't heard An. "You had two cers: prostate and paic. They didn't even ether. Initially, you had prostate cer, but it got better. Years ter, you developed paicer. That's when you died."

  That gave An pause. The dream was oddly specific, spanning such a long period. Oail gave him chills: his father had died of prostate cer when An was just a kid. It wasirely impossible for him to i the same fate.

  "My biological father died of paicer," Troy tinued. "I know death is iable for us all, but I don't want anything to happen to anyone I care about. So please promise me you'll get tested as soon as possible."

  An could only nod silently. Troy's warning had given him a lot to think about.

  (Fshbad)

  As soon as the movie promotions were over, An got himself tested with the most prehensive cer sings. To his utter shock, Troy's prophetic dream had partially e true. He didn't have paicer, but he did have first-stage prostate cer. He got it treated at the earliest opportunity, and after nearly two years, his test tests came back perfectly normal. That day with Troy had turned his life upside down. He'd even had a long talk with his oncologist about ways to prevent paicer.

  An had massively ged his lifestyle after that. He'd stopped drinking, smoking, aing red or processed meat, and he'd started w out as much as possible between work itments.

  Today, he was healthier and fitter than he had been five years ago. And all the credit went to one young man: Troy Armitage. The same guy who was currently busy running an Oscar campaign for three movies simultaneously.

  (Break)

  I waited backstage patiently for my cue to enter when I heard it loud and clear.

  "All right, dies alemen," a redhead said in a jovial voice but with a mock-serious expression that made him look quite funny. "Our guest has achieved more before turning 18 than I've done in my entire career. He starred in three blockbuster films st year, including his test one, [Echoes of You]. He is already more famous than the Beatles were at his age. Please wele Troy Armitage!"

  I walked in, greeted by the liveliest rea from the audiehe appuse was almost deafening, and some of the girls were on their feet as if it would give them a better view. I chuckled at their behavior before waving at them. Seeing su enthusiastic response always felt good. Moments ter, I walked over to the show host, who stood even taller than me.

  O'Brien was oall ginger motherfucker. After exging the ary handshake and a brief hug, he showed me to my seat, by which time the audience had calmed down somewhat.

  "Wow," I said in amazement. "What an awesome crowd."

  "They sure are," said with a grin. "I don't think we've ever had so many young girls here in the audience. Makes sense. Why would they want to e here to see me when you're not here?"

  A portion of the audience, seemingly made up of girls exclusively, started cheering loudly. I waved at them again. It felt good to see so much love from my audience.

  "So," leaned forward excitedly. "I've heard you've had quite a dry year. Barely any movies, no music, just sitting around, I assume?"

  I ughed at his joke before replying with one of my own. "Of course, I didn't have any film released in 2006 yet."

  made an exaggeratedly enraged face. "Of course, you didn't have a film released in 2006. It's January!"

  The audiend I erupted in ughter at his dramatic delivery.

  "Let's talk about simple things," said. "You very retly turned 17. Did you have a party?"

  "Oh yes," I replied excitedly. "I celebrated New Year's Eve in LA, then flew back to London the same day to tinue promotions for [Echoes of You]. My birthday was on the 2nd, and I suspected my family would surprise me in some manner, but the party they anized was not what I expected. All my friends were there. We partied all night. I got one of the best gifts from Dad—a new car. The day, I was on a pne again to finish this publicity tour."

  shook his head in mock exasperation. "How do you do all that? I'm in my forties, and hearing your schedule is giving me sedhand ay."

  I shrugged. "You get used to it."

  gnced down at his cue card for the question. "So, your most ret movie, [Echoes of You], is a big hit. It has shattered all records for any live-ausical film ever made. How do you feel about that? Did you expect it to be such a big hit?"

  "Holy? Yes," I said bluntly with a deadpan expression. and the crowd ughed uproariously at my admission. I joined in because was too damn funny not to ugh with.

  After posing myself, I crified, "Jokes apart, I had no idea the film would bee so big. In fact, out of the three films I released this year, I was least fident about [Echoes of You]. [The Perks of Being a Wallflower] had a dedicated readership, so we k would at least recover costs. [Brick] was made on a sh budget, so it wasn't a big either. But [Echoes] was an unknown factor. I had no idea if people would accept me as a singer."

  I don't think I've ever spoken this mu a talk show before. was a nice fellow who actually let his guests talk rather than hogging all the limelight himself.

  "And then it blew up through the roof," tihe versation when I didn't. "And deservedly so. You are so good in the film. I've already bought your album. My kids love you. My you isn't eve, and whenever he's ky, I just py your song 'All of Me,' and he goes to sleep instantly."

  I smiled widely at the story. "Did you just say my song is a s?"

  The audieed in ughter at the quip, while shook his head in amusement. "That's not what I meant," he emphasized.

  "If I were a product, that could've been my tagline," I tinued. "Troy Armitage: Putting kids to sleep since 1989."

  "No," cut in, "it should be, 'Troy Armitage: Supreme Leader of the Trojan Army.' By the way, was that Trojan a refereo some other brand you secretly own or something?"

  I groaned audibly, making the audience ugh and cp at my embarrassment.

  "I have a clip. Let's see what exactly you said." pyed a video on the s—a clip of the one I posted on YouTube dissing [South Park] and calling my fans the "Trojan Army."

  "That was not my fault," I lied fidently when the clip ended. "Seriously, I used 'Trojan Army' as a joke. It wasn't meant to be as popur as it has bee now."

  smiled. "It didn't occur to you at all that people would think of s when they hear the word Trojan?"

  "Not until my publicist called me, no," I said emphatically. The audience howled with ughter, much like . "The worst part is, when I was making that video, my brother was right there. He listeo the whole thing. Heck, he eveed the video! He had ected the dots, but he didn't oell me why I shouldn't say it. And now… I am the supreme leader of the Trojan Army," I said in a mock-proud tone.

  ughed again before asking, "Would you like your fans to drop the title?"

  "Nah," I shrugged. "It's fine. I like being the leader of an army that won't cause any violence."

  "Hear, hear," said before smoothly transitioning topics. "Your performan the smash hit [The Perks of Being a Wallflower] has also received unanimous critical accim. I'm just amazed at how you do it all. One moment, you're this uber-fident British boy wizard, and the , you're this shy, reserved teenager. Had I not seen your [Harry Potter] movies, I wouldn't even know you were British. That's how good you were in it."

  "Thank you," I nodded in gratitude. "I spent weeks perfeg my Ameri at before we started shooting. Charlie was emotionally the most difficult character I've ever pyed. There are so many nuao him, and the plexity of his character that's revealed only at the end made it quite challenging. But I loved every moment of it."

  "Are you ready for tomorrow's Golden Globes?" asked. "Your three films have garnered a total of 13 nominations this year, seven of which are direinations for you—setting an all-time record for the most Golden Globe nominations in a single year by anyone."

  "We don't make movies for awards. At least, I don't," I smiled. "But I'm happy to be nomihough I don't think I'll win anything when so many more talented people are also nominated in the same categories—"

  "I beg to differ," interrupted uncharacteristically. "How about a bet? I'm 100% sure you'll walk away with at least one Golden Globe tomorrow."

  "And if I don't?" I raised an eyebrow inquisitively.

  "If you don't, then I'll shave my head," said fidently. "But if you do win, you'll give me a very memorable shoutout on stage during your acceptance speech."

  The crowd erupted in cheers and appuse at his bold proposition.

  "Are you sure about this?" I asked . "Because I'll make sure you're as bald as Voldemort if you lose."

  "I am," he said firmly.

  I shrugged before extending my hand. "It's a deal, then." He shook it with equal firmness.

  I'm damn sure I'm not winning anything tomorrow. None of my films are the typical artsy fare that awards voters seem to prefer. It'll be hirious seeing a bald O'Brien in two days.

  (Break)

  [Echoes of You] opened worldwide on December 21, 2005, in 3,858 theaters across North America. Warner Bros., having learned from their past mistakes with [Brick] and [The Perks of Being a Wallflower], ehe widest possible release for [Echoes of You]. This was a release size parable to that of a [Harry Potter] film. Alongside the robust North Ameri unch, a massive iional publicity campaign was orchestrated.

  Troy Armitage, Emma Stone, and Rihanhe primary faces of the campaign. The inclusion of the first two was natural given their lead roles, while Rihanna's involvement stemmed from her high-profile retionship with Troy. The media and public adored the romaweewo teens, and Warner Bros. capitalized on the widespread attention.

  Photos and videos of the pair—holding hands, hugging, or simply being together—domiabloids and social media. To further leverage this buzz, the marketing team incorporated Rihanna into the promotional material. One iic poster featured Troy and Emily face-to-face, their eyes closed, and foreheads toug. Between them, in the ive space, Rihanna could be seen peeking through from a distance.

  This creative strategy geed immense publiterest in the film. Coupled with overwhelmingly positive critical reviews, the film ositioned as a must-see event.

  "[Echoes of You] is a on-a-lifetime film that makes all the right decisions in its limited scope: perfect casting, perfect music, perfect dire, and perfect story. If that wasn't enough, Troy Armitage and Emma Stone's chemistry is off the charts. Seeing those two together on film, you'd be amazed to know that she's not his real-life dy love."

  Rating: 4/4

  —Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

  Other critics echoed this se, with glowing reviews across the board. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film achieved an 88% positive rating, with an average score of 7.9. Metacritic awarded it an impressive 82/100. emaScore, known for its audience-based grading, gave the film a rare A+ rating. This marked Troy's sixth A+ rating from emaScore after the four [Harry Potter] films and [Perks], solidifying his record as the actor with the most A+ rated films in emaScore history.

  These factors bio create extraordinary hype for the movie.

  In an alterimeline, [Echoes of You], if released at the same time, could have faced stiff petition from ret blockbusters [King Kong] and [The icles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witd the Wardrobe]. However, the butterfly effect caused by Troy's presence had shifted release schedules. [Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire] was released a year earlier, leaving a prime slot for [Narnia]. Simirly, [King Kong] reponed.

  This left December 21 retively free of major blockbusters. The only other films releasing that week were [Cheaper by the Dozen 2] and [Fun with Did Jane], both edy films that received lukewarm to terrible reviews. Steven Spielberg's [Munich] and Rob Marshall's [Memoirs of a Geisha] also debuted that week but were limited releases, with their wide releases postpoo avoid g with [Echoes of You].

  Trade analysts initially predicted a substantial 50–55 million opening weekend for [Echoes of You]. However, when the film hit theaters, it surpassed all expectations and stuhe industry.

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