"Thank you, Kate," said Amelia. Cody's shoulders dropped half an inch in relief. "It's great to be here."
"Absolutely," said Cody. "Even though it is ridiculously early."
Amelia smiled knowingly. It was going to be one of those interviews. She loved it when it was like this, when she could see the cogs in Cody's mind grinding away fruitlessly. He'd say the wrong thing or, rather, he'd say the right thing but about the wrong person, leading to all kinds of trouble and fervent back-pedalling.
"It's the best part of the day," said Kate. "And even better with the two of you here. I have to say, the movie is fantastic."
"Aww, thank you so much," said Amelia, making it sound completely sincere.
"It's such a physical role for you," Kate said, addressing Amelia. "Did you have to do much training? Was there a diet and exercise routine you had to follow?"
"There was, yes."
"Because you look amazing."
"You're too kind. No, I tend to watch what I eat anyway but for this I was extra careful. So much running around and like you say, it was a really physical role."
"I believe you ran, like, 5k every day, just to stay in shape?"
"Well, not every day, but yeah, it was a tough exercise program at times."
Kate turned her attention to Cody. "For you, Cody, this was quite a different character to what you normally play. What was it about the script and the challenges that drew you to the role?"
"I think for me, Kate," he paused ever so slightly before saying her name, suddenly doubting himself. When it got no reaction, he continued with confidence. "I just tried to stay sensible with what I ate and kind of did the same exercise routine that I've been doing for the last decade."
Kate looked at him confused, lines scrunching on her forehead. Amelia bowed her head, turning it away from the camera, hoping to hide the laugh that she was trying to hold in.
"Oh, I'm sorry," said Cody, feigning shock. "Is that not what you asked? It's just, you asked Amelia about how she stayed in shape so I just presumed you'd be asking me the same thing."
Amelia flicked at him with her right foot. She admired how he always stood up for her and the misogyny she'd often encounter, so this was a way that she could let him know that she was grateful, whilst at the same time warning him off taking it any further. This was, after all, her last interview in promotion of the film and she'd rather it didn't end with too much controversy.
"Just ignore him," she said to Kate.
"You're right," said Cody. "About it being a challenge. Not about it being best to just ignore me. Please don't ignore me. I'm an actor. Fragile ego and all that."
Amelia swivelled to look him dead on. "Do you need a moment?" She turned back to Kate. "He needs a moment sometimes. It's a shame."
Two conflicting thoughts were going through Kate's head by now. First, that this was a train wreck that might be the worst interview she'd ever been involved in. And second, that it was ratings gold. As much as she wanted it all to end right now, she knew that seeing it through for the allotted eight minutes might, if she could keep a tight enough grip, be the boost that her career needed.
"The two of you seem to have struck up quite the friendship." Was it possible that there was more to things than that? It would be quite the scoop if there was.
"Good lord no," said Amelia. "He's insufferable."
"I am hard work, yes."
"How many takes did you need for that one scene?" said Amelia, cocking her head. She leaned further over to Kate. "It wasn't even a difficult scene but he still kept messing it up. Eleven takes he needed."
"It was ten actually. And, it might not have been a difficult scene from your point of view, but it was from where I stood."
"There's this moment, pretty early on in the film, where I've got to... do something, shall we say." Amelia grinned. "No spoilers." She hooked her thumb over at Cody. "He has to launch into this angry bit of dialogue. A couple of paragraphs, all in one go. That's the scene he messed up ten times. Perfectly understandable. The one he got wrong eleven times in a row was where he just has to go and open a door."
Cody bit his lip, looking sheepish. "Okay, yeah. I'd forgotten about that. Thanks."
"You're welcome."
"You seem to have this sparky friendship," said Kate, twisting her head slightly, hoping it would elicit juicy details from them. "It's as though you've known each other forever, but you'd never met before making this film had you?"
"No," said Amelia. "If only I'd been warned."
"I wouldn't go as far as to say it's a friendship," said Cody.
"Absolutely not," said Amelia. "Actually, we can't stand each other."
"No that's right. Can hardly bear to be in the same room as each other." He waved his hand in the gap between where he and Amelia sat. "You'll notice that this is the minimum required distance of eight inches."
"Any closer and I'm liable to throttle him."
Kate smiled. She could see that this was all an act and surmised that it was being used to hide something else.
"Is there anything about him that you do like?"
"He does have a nice ass," said Amelia. "Can I say ass or is it too early for that kind of thing?"
"We'd rather you didn't," said Kate. The cheeriness vanished off her face for an instant (the train was derailing) but she was back in gear before anyone could notice. "You're known for playing the more glamorous roles," she said to Amelia. "Was it the lack of glamour that drew you to this one?"
Cody leaned back on his seat. "A question about beauty for the lady."
"It wasn't really about any of that," said Amelia, shaking her head playfully. "In all honesty, scripts like this don't come around very often. Especially not for people like me. So the image side of things never crossed my mind. It was simply a role that I had to play."
"What was it like working with such an inexperienced director?"
"It's not that he's inexperienced," said Cody, sitting bolt upright. "He's had plenty of experience making short films, that have all been successful, and of course, his first feature length film was nominated for a lot of awards. What he actually brought to the table was a new outlook on things, a way of presenting this type of movie that I don't think many people will have seen before."
"I'd like to add," said Amelia, knowing that Arun and Cody were an item and therefore not wanting to bad mouth her co-star's partner, "that I've never felt more comfortable on a set. Like Cody said, Arun, our director, his way of doing things kept it all fresh and exciting and even during the more intimate moments, I never felt as though things were getting out of hand."
"I get naked in this one," said Cody. "I don't know if that's going to help sell the movie. I just thought you all ought to know."
"Not full frontal though," said Amelia. "Nobody wants to see that."
"I can think plenty of people who would," said Cody.
"They're all lying," said Amelia, not missing a beat. "No, it's a smart, tense, exciting thriller. Plenty of action and a couple of twists that'll leave you breathless." She turned to Cody, who'd let out a snort of breath. "What? Someone's got to sell this movie."
"And it's America's number one movie right now," said Kate, who by this point was feeling completely left out, as though she'd wandered into the wrong party and was told she couldn't leave. "Cody Hiller and Amelia Ferreres, thank you for joining me." She turned and looked directly into the camera. "We're going to take a short break but stay with us because coming up Teddy's going to be telling us all how we can save a few cents at the grocery store with one handy trick, and I'll be checking out the latest high street fashions, from day-glow knitwear to see-through pants. See you in a couple of minutes."
Throughout that link, Cody and Amelia were looking at each other, hoping that the cameras weren't still on them (which, thankfully, they weren't) and pulling silly faces at what they heard. Whoever thought that see-through pants were a good idea!
"Thank you so much for coming in," said Kat
e, once the all clear had been given.
"Not at all," said Cody. "It's been great fun."
"He's only saying that because it's the last one. No more interviews now."
"Not for you at least. I've still got a couple more to do."
"You get to escape do you?" said Kate, still clinging to the teasing nature of things in the hope that, now the cameras were off, they might say something of value.
"Only because I'm needed elsewhere for another film."
"Jetting away to the other side of the world," said Cody.
"As far away from you as possible," said Amelia. She hopped off her seat. Cody did the same and Amelia slipped her arm through his. "Come on, you can buy me breakfast before I go."
She turned on her heel and sauntered off, pulling Cody along with her as she waved behind at Kate.
"It's been great fun, thanks."
The three of them were slowly making their way into the theatre, the Oscars now less than an hour away. Excitement was beginning to build in the air. A man that was stood close to them (the smartness of his suit undercut by the bedraggled beard that engulfed his face), who none of them recognised, was telling the woman he was with that he really wanted to win. The woman (presumably his wife) said that she hoped he'd win too, if only because he'd be intolerable for days if he didn't.
Amelia pulled a face at Cody, suggesting that win or lose, there was already trouble in that relationship. Cody smiled at her, thinking exactly the same.
"Wouldn't it be funny," she said, lowering her voice (though with the cacophony in the air, there wasn't really any need to), "if the two of you ended up like that?"
"You'd hope we're a classier act than that," said Cody.
"I'm sure we are," said Arun.
"How are you both coping, now that the two of you are out in the open?" It was a relief that she no longer had to side-step any questions about it or flat-out deny things. It also made her feel enormously proud for the two of them, that they could finally be themselves and not have to hide.
"It's okay so far," said Cody.
Arun shrugged his shoulders. "It's only been out there a few minutes. I dread to think what the reaction will be once it's spread across social media."
"I've spotted one or two open mouths," said Cody, "at the sight of us holding hands. And a few raised eyebrows, but it's been fine so far."
"I did overhear one woman," said Arun, "who was clearly very disappointed that you aren't straight."
Amelia smiled. "I know how she feels."
Slapping her playfully on the arm, Cody said, "You can stop playing that particular game now. The secret doesn't need protecting any more."
"I suppose," said Amelia. "It was fun whilst it lasted though."
"How are you getting on with your next film?" Arun said, wanting to change subject. He knew that Cody had tried to cover his sexuality in the past, and had even gone as far as sleeping with women to try and deflect attention. Amelia had been flirty with him during interviews because it was her nature to do so, but also because—and she'd never actually said this, but Arun could see it quite clearly—there was a desire to protect him. She knew the two of them were an item but was savvy enough to know that if they were going to come out, it should be on their terms, when they were ready. But there was still the slight worry that there was more to it than that. He was convinced that there'd been no need for Cody to actually sleep with women, yet he'd done exactly that and, from what Arun could gather, he'd done so more than once. So, did that mean that Cody wasn't one hundred percent gay? Can a person be one hundred percent of anything? He'd dismissed this thought before and did the same now, persuading himself that it was just the fear of someone who was newly in love and didn't want it to end. But, the way that Cody and Amelia were so relaxed with each other prickled at him in a manner that threatened to turn from being fun to being irritating.
"Yes, come on," said Cody. "We've not seen each other since that last interview, so you'd better have some stories to tell."
"It's going fantastically. I've just spent the last four weeks filming in the Bahamas and the two weeks before that in Australia."
"Ooh, jealous," said Cody.
"Good," said Amelia grinning. "They've scheduled me a short break, so I can come here and win Best Actress, obviously."
"Obviously," said Cody. He was mocking her but he truly did want her to win. It was entirely possible that she'd put more effort into her role than he had in his, and the results had been phenomenal. As much as he adored all the other nominees, nobody deserved the award as much as Amelia.
"And then I'm off to Morocco in a couple of days for a week or two."
"Wow," said Arun. "You really are living the jet-setter lifestyle."
"I am, and I'm having a blast. It's the most wonderful adventure of my life, something I'd never dreamed would ever happen. You know, I was thinking about it the other day. Ten years ago, all I could get was walk-on parts with maybe one line of dialogue, that nine times out of ten would end up on the cutting room floor. Look at me now."
"You've made it," said Cody. "You're a star now, darling."
"I am and trust me, I'm going to make the most of it. I've just signed on for something actually, that's really exciting. It never would have happened if you guys hadn't wanted me for this."
"We're the greatest," said Cody.
"All joking aside," said Amelia, " but you really are."
"What is this film you'll be doing then?" said Arun. The downside of awards ceremonies was that it had the tendency to make people a but gushy and sentimental. He wasn't bothered by such emotions but they could at least have the decency to wait until the actual ceremony began.
"Well, the success of our film has given me a lot more clout than before. You know what they say, you're only as good as your last film. Anyway, I was sent this script by a young female screenwriter and it's amazing. Very female-focused. Ordinarily of course, the studios wouldn't touch it with a ten foot stick. But I was able to push my weight behind it and we've got a female director on board now, a really good production team behind it and, best of all, there's three roles for women over forty in the film, and they're not just there simply to service the male characters. Honestly, it's a dream come true."
"And I bet you didn't have to sleep with anyone to get it off the ground."
Amelia laughed heartily. She would never do such a thing in the first place but it was nice, and surprising, to have found that nothing of the sort was ever even hinted at.
"It's a Hollywood miracle," said Arun. "Now, as someone much better than me likes to put it - don't fuck it up!"
"God, I know," said Amelia, her eyes wide. "There's so much pressure on us all to get it right. I've heard the pair of you talk about it this last year and now I know what it feels like. It has to be successful, either commercially or critically, or ideally both, otherwise I'll have single-handedly set things back twenty years for all the women in this industry."
"I think maybe you're putting yourself under slightly too much pressure there," said Arun.
"Okay," said Amelia, "so maybe I'm over exaggerating things a little, but you know what I mean. Even though I'm now an Oscar-nominated actress—"
"Soon to be Oscar-winning," said Cody.
"Bless you. Despite that, I'm still getting scripts where the character they want me to play is described as nothing more than the male character's wife or girlfriend. And it's always about the way she looks. Sexy. Gorgeous. Beautiful. I mean, it's flattering, but come on. Do people really only see women in that way still? When people meet me, they'll say Oh, you played Cody Hiller's wife in The Snow's Fire and I just feel like grabbing them and saying that there was so much more to it than that."
"Yeah," said Cody. "If anything, I played your husband. It's shocking really, isn't it."
Arun sandwiched himself in between the two of them, draping his arms over their shoulders. The connection that they had—the one that seemed different to one that he had with Cody�
�was becoming apparent again. "Listen," he said, his insecurities seeking to cut short their high-minded chatter, "tonight is supposed to be fun. Why don't we try and solve the world's misogyny another time. Besides, it looks like they're letting us in now and we need to go and find our seats."
"I've already had a bit of a nosy," said Amelia. "I got here far too early and when you've got a smile as bright as mine, well... Anyway, they let me have a quick look around and we're on the front row. A good omen if ever there was one."
It was shortly before eleven o'clock the next morning when Cody woke up. His mouth was dry, his head was throbbing and his eyes felt heavy. Generally speaking, his body was not at all happy. He looked to his left and saw that Arun, even though his eyes were still closed, also looked rather rough. With a degree of difficulty he propped himself up on his forearms and looked at the desk that was stood opposite the bed. On it, in a nice neat line, were the five Oscars that the two of them had won the night before.
"It wasn't a dream," said Arun, looking as though he were still asleep.
"I know," said Cody. "I'm just making sure though."
"Yes, well, you've been making sure on and off for the last six hours."
"I still can't believe it."
Arun took in a long breath and let it out slowly. He shuffled himself, with effort, into a slightly more upright position, yawned and finally opened his eyes.
"They do look good all lined up together."
"Yes," said Cody. "Three for you, two for me. Very nice. I wonder what Amelia's done with hers?"
"If she's any sense she'll still be asleep."
"Probably. Hopefully she's not going over her acceptance speech again."
Arun cringed. There were few details of the night before that he could remember right now, but that was certainly one of them.
Cody lowered himself back down and looked up at Arun. "I thought she was going to lose it at one point. I was sat there willing her to not cry. Pleading with her to pull herself together."
"It was the most terrifying moment of the evening," said Arun. He pulled his forehead tight. "She didn't cry though in the end, did she?"
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