At this year's Oscars, The Sixth Sense received a total of seven nominations: Best Picture, Best Editing, Best Original Screenplay, Best Supporting Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Actor, and Best Director.
Among these, the most certain categories were Best Actor and Best Original Screenplay. There was no denying that Bruce Willis delivered an actor-level performance in the film, but his competitors were also strong: Roberto Benigni for Life is Beautiful, Tom Hanks for Saving Private Ryan, Ian McKellen for Gods and Beasts, and Edward Norton for American X. All of them were formidable contenders.
On the other hand, Martin's chances for Best Original Screenplay were better, as it was a backup option to the more competitive Best Supporting Actor category. Still, Martin couldn't shake off the feeling of uncertainty—especially with Harvey's influence looming over the awards.
After the presentation of the Best Supporting Actress award, the night proceeded with several technical awards, with Shakespeare in Love and Saving Private Ryan dominating the categories. Harvey Weinstein's Shakespeare in Love won Best Original Score, Best Art Direction, and Best Costume Design, while Saving Private Ryan claimed multiple awards including Best Film Editing, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound, and Best Cinematography. Life is Beautiful, on the other hand, performed poorly in the technical categories, winning only Best Soundtrack (Non-Original).
Next came the presentation for the Best Original Screenplay award.
"An excellent movie begins with an excellent script," the presenter said. "The script forms the very foundation of a film. Every great script is a result of hard work by the screenwriter."
"Now, let's look at the nominees for Best Original Screenplay..."
Mark Norman and Tom Stoppard for Shakespeare in Love
Martin Meyers for The Sixth Sense
Vincenzo Crami and Roberto Benigni for Life is Beautiful
Robert Rodat for Saving Private Ryan
Andrew Niccol for The Truman Show
Bruce Willis, who was sitting beside Martin, was curious. "You don't seem nervous at all. How do you stay so calm?" he asked.
Martin took a sip of juice, smiling casually. "Because I have no hope at all."
He pointed to the big screen, where the nominees were displayed. "Obviously, Shakespeare in Love is going to win. There's no way I'm winning."
Bruce looked puzzled. "Why do you think Shakespeare in Love will win?"
Martin explained, "It's not because the script is so amazing, but because Harvey's PR efforts have been enormous this year. He's using every trick in the book."
As the presenter on stage opened the envelope and announced the winner, "The Best Original Screenplay goes to Mark Norman and Tom Stoppard for Shakespeare in Love!" Bruce Willis looked startled for a moment, then immediately composed himself, forcing a smile and clapping.
Martin, however, was unbothered. He smiled and applauded without a hint of disappointment. The camera didn't even catch them in the frame.
Martin thought to himself, It's not a bad thing that you have a crooked smile, Bruce. At least no one can tell whether you're smiling sincerely or sarcastically.
Bruce was left wondering what Martin had meant by that. Did Martin know something? Was he aware of how powerful Harvey's PR push was? And would it affect his chances for Best Actor?
The next award to be presented was for Best Foreign Language Film. The nominees were:
Life is Beautiful (Italy) by Roberto Benigni
Grand Central (Israel) by Walter Salles
Tango Love (Argentina) by Carlos Saura
Grandfather (Spain) by José Luis Garcí
Children of Paradise (Iran) by Majid Majidi
Just like in the original timeline, Life is Beautiful took home the award for Best Foreign Language Film.
After this, the Best Supporting Actor award was up next. Martin, almost instinctively, glanced over at Harvey. The moment their eyes met, Harvey gave him a thumbs up.
Martin furrowed his brow, confused by this gesture. What's Harvey trying to tell me? he wondered. Is he signaling something?
As Martin thought about it, he remembered that in the original timeline, Harvey had put all his efforts into campaigning for Best Picture and Best Actress for Shakespeare in Love. The Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress categories were somewhat secondary, and Judi Dench's win for Best Supporting Actress had little to do with Harvey's influence—she had established her own connections in the Academy.
So, Harvey may have given up on Best Actor for me? Martin thought. This was just speculation, of course. The lack of solid information from his memory left him with no clear answers.
Although Martin was still somewhat unsettled, he was generally confident in his own abilities. Being a succubus, he had access to power and influence, and while the Oscar could bring him fame and status, he didn't feel desperate. He could wait, and there was no need to rush things. When he grew older, he could always use his magical abilities to manipulate the judges if necessary—just like Leonardo DiCaprio did when he eventually won an Oscar after years of snubbing.
The next presenter, the famous American sweetheart Meg Ryan, stepped onto the stage to announce the Best Supporting Actor nominees:
"An excellent movie can never be without the wonderful performance of supporting actors. The nominees for this year's Oscar for Best Supporting Actor are..."
James Coburn for Misery
Robert Duvall for The Forbidden Truth
Ed Harris for The Truman Show
Geoffrey Rush for Shakespeare in Love
Martin Meyers for The Sixth Sense
Bruce, seated beside Martin, sneaked a glance at him. Martin was as calm as ever, unbothered by the tension surrounding the award. Bruce felt conflicted—on one hand, he wanted Martin to win, but on the other hand, he knew that if Martin did win, his chances for Best Actor would diminish.
Despite these conflicting emotions, Bruce couldn't help but feel guilty for wishing Martin wouldn't win, and his expression showed the internal struggle he was experiencing.
At that moment, Meg Ryan opened the envelope, and the winner of the 2000 Oscar for Best Supporting Actor was announced...
𝙥𝗮𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙤𝙣(.)𝙘𝙤𝙢/𝙂𝙤𝙙𝙊𝙛𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧
✨ • 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀: 𝙂𝙚𝙩 𝟲𝟬+ 𝙖𝙙𝙫𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙙 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙖𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙚𝙡𝙨𝙚.