We walked in, and Chubby greeted us. He was talking to none other than Terrence May, two-time Academy Award winner and currently nominated for another in my category of Best Supporting Actor. Terrence was the odds-on favorite to win his third. I knew this because I’d read in one of the trade magazines that Vegas had him as the 5–1 favorite. They had me as a long shot at 36–1 to win, meaning for each dollar bet, you would win 36.
“Aren’t you Halle James, Rita James’s daughter?” Terrence asked.
“Yes, I am. She should be here later. Didn’t you and my mom make a movie together?” Halle asked.
While they talked, Chubby pulled me aside.
“You ready for tomorrow night?”
“It should be fun. I expect Terrence has it locked up.”
Chubby gave me a knowing smile.
“You might want to have your speech ready, just in case,” he suggested.
“Why? Do you know something?” I asked.
To this point, I hadn’t even given it a second thought. I was flattered to be nominated, but never in my wildest dreams had I imagined I had a chance to win. I hadn’t really done anything that people in the know called ‘serious’ work until I’d done
“No, but I’ve been in this town too long not to see that your performance was the best of the ones nominated. I have a feeling that they’ll discount Terrence because his film is also nominated for Best Picture, Best Actress, and several of the lesser categories. It’s seldom that a single movie garners that kind of hardware. Besides, he has won twice before. Once he’s out of the way, the field is wide open for you to step in and take it,” Chubby said to explain his reasoning.
“I didn’t even think I had a chance,” I confessed.
“The studio thinks you have one.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Didn’t they tell you they were pushing for you to win?” Chubby asked, looking surprised.
“Gabe Francis told me that they were, but I figured it was just talk.”
Gabe Francis was the head of the studio that had made
“They don’t do it in public. They contact all the voters directly,” Chubby enlightened me.
“How do you know?” I asked and instantly realized how naïve I sounded.
“I’m one of the voters,” Chubby confessed.
“You don’t think that the Zander Lewis incident caused any of the voters some heartburn?”
“It did at first, but everything was handled quietly after the initial flare-up. They spun it that you’re someone who stands up for what’s right but is smart enough to work within the unspoken rules of Hollywood,” Chubby said.
“I’m not sure how to take that,” I admitted.
“Take it as a compliment to your handlers. If Zander hadn’t been handled correctly, it could have wrecked not only Halle’s career but also yours,” he said.
He could tell this didn’t sit well with me.
“David, I only have your best interests in mind. Not only because you’re about to act in one of my biggest movies, but because I’ve gotten to know and like you. What Zander did was way out of bounds, and he needed to be taken care of. You did that without turning it into a media frenzy. And the collateral damage to the other studios and to the industry as a whole was kept to a minimum.”
I could see his point. Every instinct I had told me I should blow the lid off the worst-kept secret in Hollywood: if you were a woman, sexual favors were expected to get ahead. What had stopped me was the worry for my friend Halle.
“Is Halle going to be okay?” I asked to voice my biggest concern.
Chubby gave me a wan smile.
“I’ll be honest with you. If Halle weren’t Rita’s daughter, she would have a problem.”
“Is there anything you or I can do to help her?” I asked.
Chubby looked away for a moment to consider his response.
“Would you be willing to do me a favor at some point in return?”
“As long as I won’t object on moral grounds, and as long as it wouldn’t interfere with school or sports,” I said to set the ground rules.
I’d added the last part because Saul, my agent, considered going to college a waste of my time. I didn’t need Chubby hounding me about doing a movie until I graduated.
He chuckled.
“What good are you if you have a moral compass?” he teased.
“All kidding aside, Halle’s a good friend, and I would do almost anything to help her. I hope you realize that I would do the same for all my friends. That includes you,” I assured him.
Chubby gave me a measured look.
“You’re one of the very few people I know who would say that because he meant it. Most would consider it a good bargaining chip to play and later throw away,” he said.
Chubby was lost in thought for a minute, which to me meant whatever he said would be a straight commitment of his own.
“I’ll see what I can do,” he said and then smiled. “Did you know that Mia Hilliard is here tonight?”
