He had participated four times before and always ended up running alongside the winners, while she could close her eyes and effortlessly walk away with major and minor awards alike. Winning awards was easier for her than picking up chopsticks to eat! This year marked her fifth attempt at the Best Foreign Language Film category—if she failed again... sigh. Truly, it was a case of defeat in every battle, yet still having to keep fighting.
"Thank you for the compliment." Being praised—especially by a director she had admired in her past life—made Laila feel genuinely happy. Still, she knew when to be modest. "The competition is really tough this year. In the end, it'll depend on who the judges prefer."
The Golden Globes weren't exactly a professional film award to begin with. It was its strong global presence that allowed it to attract so many celebrities every year. Ultimately, who wins depends on who the judges want to give the cake to.
Not long after, Leslie Cheung finished walking the red carpet and came to sit next to Laila.
He was acquainted with Director Zhang as well and was happy to see familiar faces here.
"Leslie's performance this time was outstanding. I have nothing but respect for his acting skills," Director Zhang said with emotion. "Back home, the industry is obsessed with hyping up IPs and traffic stars. We're churning out a bunch of pretty-faced young idols—sure, they look good, but when it comes to acting, let's just say it's hard to even comment. But what can you do? They bring in money, so they get worshipped like gods."
These kinds of complaints were fine coming from Director Zhang, but not something others in the room could openly discuss. As an "outsider," Laila wasn't in a position to comment on the internal issues of the Eastern industry. And Leslie Cheung, as a "senior," couldn't speak too critically either—it would come off as bullying the younger generation. Especially on a day like today, when he might be about to reach the pinnacle of his career, such comments were better left unsaid.
But Director Zhang was mostly just venting. His real intention was to bring up something else. "So… when are we going to collaborate on something?"
"Sure." Leslie didn't refuse. After all, the other party was one of the top-tier directors in the country. As long as the script was good, he wouldn't turn down a great story.
Finally, the awards ceremony officially began.
Laila had received five nominations across two films—a very strong start.
The Avengers earned her a nomination for Best Director. Meanwhile, Silence brought her nominations for Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actor, and Best Motion Picture – Drama.
Notably, both Roy and Leslie were nominated for Best Actor. The other nominees included George Clooney, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Michael Fassbender.
Looking at that lineup, it was clear how fierce the competition was for Best Actor in a Drama—practically a group of death. No matter who won in the end, fans might grumble a bit, but nobody would say the winner didn't deserve it. All of them had the prestige and acting chops worthy of a Best Actor nomination.
Even just making it to the nominations this year was a major achievement. If it hadn't been for the sudden emergence of Silence, Ryan Gosling and Brad Pitt would have been strong contenders as well.
According to industry speculation, the Best Actor award was likely to go to someone from Silence. The only question was—which of the two leads would it be? Even the press couldn't confidently guess.
One major factor was Leslie's Eastern background. Generally speaking, actors with white skin were more likely to win favor with the judges. But things could go either way. If this year's Golden Globes wanted to create buzz or be seen as progressive, Leslie's identity could actually work in his favor.
It wasn't that the other three nominees weren't qualified to compete—it was just that the two leads of Silence had delivered such extraordinary performances. They portrayed their characters' emotional complexity with stunning depth. The other nominees were solid, but none of their films delivered the same level of impact as Silence.
The first award for Laila's team was Best Screenplay.
From the moment she first read the script, she had revised it again and again. The final version used for the film was completely different from the original draft.
But her revisions weren't random. If a film was going to succeed, the script was the foundation. The original writer, Buddy, had no real understanding of what made a good Hollywood film. His knowledge came from watching movies and trying to imitate them, relying solely on his talent to create the stolen script.
He may have been self-taught, but unlike Laila, he had never systematically studied or researched the craft. His expertise was limited to the screenplay itself. In terms of plot construction, pacing, and character dynamics, he was no match for her.
So when they worked together on the revisions, Buddy was more than willing to take on the role of assistant and follow her lead. It was the right choice. The future would show him just how important it was to learn from Laila Moran—watching her edit scripts would be critical to his future success.
If they could win this award, it would mean a lot to Laila as well. This was a script she had immediately recognized as special, and after pouring so much effort into improving it, an award would be proof that her work hadn't been in vain. She could finally declare with pride: She had an Oscar-level eye for stories!
"…And the award for Best Screenplay goes to—Buddy Dlamini and Laila Moran, for Silence!"
Laila was still lost in thought when she suddenly heard her name announced.
"We won! Haha, we actually won!" Buddy went wild, hugging everyone around him. Whether he knew them or not, no one seemed to mind—if it were them up there winning, they might be even more excited. Besides, hugging him could get you on camera—why not?
Laila was long used to this kind of thing. Smiling, she hugged Roy, accepted congratulations from the rest of the crew, and then grabbed Buddy to go up on stage.
She had to—left to his own devices, the guy was like a hyper bee that had lost its hive. He was about to hug his way halfway across the continent.
"Are you planning to hug every single person in the building?" she teased, amused.
Buddy grinned foolishly as she pulled him up onto the stage, his mind still a blur. Even as they reached the stage, he still looked like a giddy fool, making the audience burst into laughter.
Of course, no one was laughing at him. For a Black man to rise to such prominence at a prestigious ceremony like this was no small feat. Everyone—regardless of race—was happy for him. Even those with some inner prejudice wouldn't show it here.
"Congratulations." The presenter smiled as they handed the trophy to Buddy.
"Thank you! Thank you so much!" Buddy's eyes turned red in an instant.