A month ago, when the Golden Globe nominations were announced, Hugo received two nods, instantly becoming the center of attention. Everyone praised him, believing that he would sweep away the misfortune of winning the Worst Actor award at the Razzies a year ago and usher in a new era. This wave of attention, combined with A Few Good Men's eight consecutive wins and The Oprah Winfrey Show's 23 million viewers, reached a peak, focusing unprecedented attention on Hugo.
Just watching the Golden Globe red carpet gave a clear picture: Hugo was arguably the biggest focus of the evening. Even industry insiders couldn't help but glance his way. No one knew that Hugo had missed the opportunity to perform in The Firm, or that six months had passed since A Few Good Men without a new script reaching him. Nobody saw that Hugo was facing renewed pressure from Tracy and Ron. People only saw Hugo's surface-level glamour, unaware that his so-called "first-tier" status was mostly nominal.
Originally, it seemed like this Golden Globe could be Hugo's. In reality, however, Hugo was not the star. The expected brilliance never materialized: he lost Best Supporting Actor to veteran Gene Hackman, and Best Actor in a Drama went to Al Pacino. Unforgiven slightly edged out overall acclaim, while Hugo and A Few Good Men, which had shone during nominations, both fell short, leaving fans disappointed.
In truth, Hugo's failure to win was entirely predictable. Even ignoring other subjective factors, objectively, it made sense.
Gene Hackman was not only a seasoned Oscar-winning actor but had earned four Oscar nominations for acting during his career. His performance in Unforgiven was outstanding, making his win fully deserved. Al Pacino, one of the greatest actors in American film history, delivered what many considered a masterwork in Scent of a Woman. Not just Hugo, even Jack Nicholson had to contend with Al's brilliance this year. Al's victory was almost inevitable.
So, while Hugo felt some disappointment, he had no regrets. Being outperformed was natural, and it reminded him that his progress in acting was still at a developmental stage. True "excellence" was a long journey ahead.
The media, however, saw things differently. Hugo, once the darling of the nominations, was virtually invisible throughout the evening. He seemed like a passing onlooker, his star power masked and this, of course, became a story. At the post-ceremony celebration, reporters swarmed him with questions like a hailstorm.
Hugo was surprised by the journalists' unreasonable behavior. To him, the results were entirely reasonable. Yet reporters framed them as absurd, asking: "Hugo, you weren't the leading role tonight. Are you disappointed?" This was only the beginning.
"Hugo, do you think receiving two nominations but leaving empty-handed was due to the Golden Raspberries, or some other special reason?" Clearly, they were trying to lead Hugo toward a controversial statement, hoping he would criticize the winners.
If those questions were understandable, the next one was almost ridiculous: "Hugo, do you think Gene's performance was really good enough to beat Al, Jack, and you for Best Supporting Actor?"
This question essentially implied: "Do you think Gene truly deserved the award? Shouldn't it have been you?" The reporters emphasized "and you" in a way that bordered on coercion.
Hugo couldn't comprehend this logic. Was it necessary for pre-favorites to always win? It was like saying Usain Bolt losing a race would be a cosmic injustice. Yet, throughout history, competition without challenge or rivalry is meaningless — upsets and underdog victories are what make events thrilling. Moreover, Gene was hardly an underdog.
"Of course, I think Gene's performance was outstanding. His win is well-deserved!" Hugo's brow furrowed slightly, clearly annoyed by the reporters' approach. They kept pressing him as if failing to win was catastrophic.
"So, by that logic, you don't feel sorry that Jack and Al missed out?" the reporter pressed.
Hugo's friendly smile immediately faded. "Why should I? Jack and Al are both exceptional actors. Jack doesn't need to prove his greatness, and Al won Best Actor on his own merit — fully deserved. As for Gene, his performance absolutely earned this award!" Hugo's tone was firm. He wasn't angry, but the warmth from before had vanished. "So I see no problem with tonight's results."
"Even though you left empty-handed?"
"Yes! Even though I left empty-handed!" Hugo replied sharply, glaring at the reporter. He didn't know the journalist personally, but he was certain this person had replaced Nicholas as his most disliked reporter.
"Alright, the interview ends here," Joseph stepped in, stopping the line of questioning. Normally, after an award show, attention is on the winners, and losers rarely attract focus. But Hugo's situation was unique. Even without a single win, reporters still swarmed him, clearly determined to press.
With Joseph intervening, the questioning subsided. When Al arrived, all eyes shifted to him, allowing Hugo, Uma, and Joseph to escape the crowd and move to the Hilton Hotel's backyard for the post-ceremony celebration.
"They're just trying to provoke you deliberately," Joseph remarked, slightly exasperated, yet advising Hugo to stay calm.
"Why?" Hugo's eyes widened. He couldn't understand the reporters' reasoning.
Joseph shrugged. "For the front page headlines."
Hugo finally understood. It wasn't that he didn't know — he just hadn't experienced it firsthand, so it hadn't left an impression. Back when he was an extra in film crews before traveling through time, he had seen plenty of situations like this. Reporters, actors — everyone would go to extreme lengths to create news. Especially in the age of rampant fake news online, anything that could generate buzz or draw attention was fair game. But back then, Hugo had only been an observer. Only by being in the thick of it could he truly understand what "anything goes" really meant. In comparison, the reporters' provocations just now were actually rather tame.
Understanding that much, Hugo still couldn't accept it or rather, he despised such behavior. "If they have the guts, why don't they just say it directly in the newspapers, under their own names? Why do they make me the mouthpiece?" Hugo ground his teeth, frowning deeply.
"Trust me, they would," Joseph said, leaving Hugo momentarily speechless. Indeed, the reporters would dare — especially in the United States, where freedom of speech is highly valued. "Besides, they're forcing you to speak only for the sake of a headline. There's no other reason."
"So I'm just a megaphone," Hugo muttered angrily. Only by truly entering this circle could one see such nastiness. It was enough to make anyone frustrated.
Hearing Hugo's remark, Uma chuckled lightly and teased, "A megaphone that amplifies everything tenfold."
"And drags you into it," Joseph added. "You're a megaphone for them to watch the show unfold."
Hugo was stunned. He had to admit that, in the entertainment industry, he was still very inexperienced. There was so much he had yet to learn. Just dealing with reporters alone — he had thought he was improving, judging by his interactions with Nicholas McClane but now he realized that was because he hadn't yet faced real storms.
These interruptions from reporters ruined Hugo's relaxed mood. Even at the celebration party, he couldn't get excited. Moreover, almost everyone at the party focused on the winners, making it difficult for Hugo to meet new people — a genuinely disappointing situation.
It was especially frustrating to see Brad and Tracy standing side by side across the pool, raising champagne glasses toward Hugo and Uma in a victorious gesture. Hugo struggled to restrain an eye-roll. The Firm hadn't even been released yet — in fact, it hadn't even started filming and Brad was already showing off. Unable to hold back, Hugo finally let his irritation show with a subtle eye-roll.
Finding the party completely dull, Hugo perked up when Uma mentioned Joseph. He decided to ask Joseph when they could leave. Hugo and Uma wandered around the party, politely greeting colleagues as they searched. After a while, Hugo spotted Joseph standing in a corner near the garden's back door.
Joseph was engaged in a lively conversation with a balding middle-aged man. Once the man left, Hugo and Uma approached, Hugo casting a curious glance at Joseph, wondering who the visitor had been. Before Joseph could answer, a figure suddenly leapt from the other side, brandishing a black square object toward Hugo's face, shouting a rapid stream of words. The attack caught Hugo completely off guard, he momentarily thought a crazed assailant had appeared!
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