At that moment, Andrew Elliott was enduring a kind of agony he had never known before.
For the first forty years of his life, he'd been plagued by misfortune. He had written several scripts he considered excellent, but for one reason or another, none of them ever made it to the screen. Whenever one did get sold, the price was no better than a bargain-bin clearance sale.
So when he received an Oscar nomination, he'd been ecstatic for days—so much so that he had to rely on sleeping pills just to get any rest. He knew that even if he didn't end up winning the golden statuette, his days of underselling his scripts were over.
But humans are never truly content. Even Andrew was ashamed of the greed that rose within him: he didn't just want the nomination—he wanted to personally hold that gold statue engraved with his name.
Deep down, he understood: without Laila's involvement in revising the script, Blood Diamond probably wouldn't have made it this far at the Oscars. He doubted he would've even gotten a nomination on his own.
"The winner of the 82nd Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay is… Andrew Elliott and Laila Moran!"
Whoosh—
The audience erupted into applause.
When Andrew heard his name, he froze completely. All he could hear was the thunder of his heartbeat. It felt like if he moved too suddenly, the blood boiling inside him would come bursting out of his nose.
"Andrew, congratulations!" Members of the crew around him beamed as they offered their well wishes.
"Th-thank you. Thank you…" He stammered, stiff as a puppet, hugging everyone mechanically before being guided toward the stage by Laila, his limbs moving in a hilariously awkward rhythm.
His clumsy movements drew laughter from the audience and had viewers at home chuckling and shaking their heads in amusement.
Seeing Andrew like this, Laila could tell just how nervous he was. She gave a warm smile and stepped up to the mic first.
"Thank you to the Academy. Thank you to everyone at Dragon Soul Studios. I'm grateful to my fiancé Roy for always being there to support me.
Winning this award is a great honor. I'll continue working hard to bring you all more great films in the future."
Her speech was short and gracious. She quickly stepped back, giving Andrew the stage. After all, she'd have plenty more chances at awards in the future—this was his moment, and she had no intention of stealing it.
Clutching the Oscar statuette like it was made of glass, Andrew stood frozen in front of the mic. He opened his mouth several times before finally finding his voice.
"Oh my god… If this is a dream, please don't wake me up. I'm willing to stay asleep forever!"
Despite his nerves, he was still a writer. Once he found his rhythm, the words began to flow.
"To win this award, I have to thank one person: Director Laila Moran."
His voice turned hoarse as he remembered those long years of writing in frustration, only to sell his work at humiliating prices just to survive.
He had once believed that even a single script making it to the screen could turn his life around. But even that one chance never came—until now.
"She gave me immense support and taught me how to pace a script—how to shape a story so it flows.
I used to envy Director Moran's achievements in screenwriting. But working with her made me realize: that her success isn't luck.
Her meticulous standards and tireless dedication to quality humbled and inspired me. I'm so, so grateful to her."
As he spoke, he glanced at Laila, who gave him an encouraging smile. The audience applauded again for the sincerity in his words.
Andrew took a deep breath and continued:
"I also want to thank Mr. DiCaprio. Without his brilliant performance and genuine love for the script, Blood Diamond wouldn't be what it is today.
And finally, thank you to my wife and child—for never giving up on me.
And thank you to everyone who worked hard on this film. Thank you!"
By the time he finished, Andrew was in tears. His heartfelt speech moved many in the crowd and earned genuine smiles from the audience.
But among the heartfelt applause, many couldn't help but take note of something else—his admiration for Laila. Everyone knew that Laila often wrote her scripts and had even won awards for them. Now, hearing how much she contributed to the adapted script made people wonder: Was she really that good at adaptations too?
The win also delighted fans watching at home. Whether she was listed as first or second author didn't matter—in their hearts, Laila was the best. Like Andrew, they believed this award wouldn't have been possible without her hand in the script.
With the screenplay category wrapped up, the show moved on, following its usual schedule. And at last, it was time for what audiences looked forward to the most: the acting awards.
Laila deliberately glanced toward Leonardo and saw him chatting casually with his female companion—calm and relaxed, showing not the slightest hint of nerves. It was clear he truly didn't believe he had a shot at winning.
Laila didn't know whether to laugh or be annoyed. Just one "bad feeling" and he was already counting himself out? Come on—at least show a little of that big-name Hollywood confidence!
Among the acting nominations, Blood Diamond had two: Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor. Personally, Laila felt the lead actress had also outdone herself—delivering a performance far above her usual level and deserving of a nomination.
But clearly, the judges disagreed—or rather, not enough of them shared her opinion. In the end, the actress missed out, which was a shame. Still, it was undeniable: actors who worked with Laila, even in minor roles, were viewed very favorably within the industry. Her reputation for "sculpting" talent was well-known. Working with her almost always increased an actor's value.
At this moment, Djimon Hounsou was watching the stage with intense anticipation. The presenter was Penélope Cruz, last year's Best Supporting Actress winner.
Leonardo, noticing Djimon's nervousness, even cracked a light joke—but his co-star barely responded, eyes bloodshot and locked on the stage.
Unfortunately, he didn't win. The Oscar for Best Supporting Actor went to Christoph Waltz for his role in Inglourious Basterds.
Though Djimon managed a polite smile for the cameras, the entire Blood Diamond team knew how badly he'd wanted it. Just as Leonardo had often said this was his closest shot at winning Best Actor, Djimon felt the same about his category.
He didn't know if he'd ever get another chance to work with Director Moran—so he had truly cherished this opportunity.
As the team comforted Djimon and praised his powerful performance, the time had finally come…
Best Actor was up next.