Making a prompt decision

Renly Hall, the dark horse of this year's Oscars nominations, formed the new generation's "Three Musketeers" alongside Jennifer Lawrence and Hailee Steinfeld. Among them, Renly, the eldest, was born in November 1989. Thus, the media casually referred to them as "the three young actors who haven't yet reached legal drinking age."

Of course, in reality, Renly was already of legal drinking age.

Throughout this year's awards season, discussions regarding Gen Y actors remained rampant, extending from Toronto to the Oscars, even now, the question of whether Natalie Portman would become the first of Gen Y to win the golden statue was still a hot topic. It wasn't just the media; even the Academy itself joined in.

After the Oscar nominations were announced, disappointment was widespread. Two-thirds of the Gen Y nominees had vanished from the list, renewing the perception of the Academy's unfriendliness towards young actors. It seemed like they still clung to the nostalgia of the Golden Age and were unwilling to embrace the 21st century. The Academy faced criticism and controversy.

Under such circumstances, the Academy had to respond. They propelled the "Three Musketeers" into the limelight, aiming to make them this year's representative figures at the awards ceremony, offering greater encouragement to the younger generation.

Their ages were undeniably young, even among Gen Y actors. Strictly speaking, Hailee, born in 1996, was no longer part of Gen Y; she belonged to the post-1991 Millennial Generation. These three incredibly youthful actors brought hope to Hollywood's fresh blood, signifying that the younger generation was undoubtedly taking the stage.

Since the nomination list was revealed, both the media and the Academy had pulled together, rallying behind them, generating no shortage of news concerning the Three Musketeers. Despite this year's awards season having ample topics, they still claimed a significant portion of the spotlight. It could be said that many were eagerly anticipating the presence of the Three Musketeers.

But now, Renly was actually going to be absent? And at such a critical juncture?

The attendance roster for the Oscars ceremony was akin to a wedding guest list—difficult to finalize and complex. Generally, the Academy began arranging guests around mid-December.

Although December was still far from the announcement of the nominations, and even the Academy couldn't predict the outcome internally, once the awards season began and various award indicators were progressively unveiled, potential contenders emerged. Apart from this, top-tier celebrities like Tom Hanks and George Clooney were always welcomed by the Academy at any time.

Thus, the Academy sent out invitations in four to five batches. The first batch typically consisted of fresh and noteworthy figures, a batch updated annually. The second batch included frontrunners of the awards season; whether or not they secured an Oscar nomination, their attendance would undeniably generate significant attention. And so on.

After the nomination list was released, the Academy would send out another batch of invitations. On one hand, this was to account for the possibility of dark horses entering the nominations, like Hailee this year. On the other hand, it targeted heavyweight award presenters. Considering their popularity and attention, along with the power plays between various talent agencies, these top-tier presenters would be the off-stage highlights of the ceremony.

Willingness to attend or refusal to attend—no matter the response, invitees were required to reply promptly. If schedules coincided and someone couldn't attend, the Academy could prepare a backup plan to avoid embarrassment and chaos. Moreover, each award required corresponding presenters and rehearsed lines; this was a meticulous process that couldn't be taken lightly.

In summary, it was a meticulous and comprehensive process. The Academy aimed to minimize unexpected situations as much as possible.

Of course, were there any special circumstances? Indeed.

For example, someone like Woody Allen, after receiving an invitation from the Academy, could calmly consider whether to attend or not, and even wait until the last moment to decide on the "decline" option. However, even Woody wouldn't drag it out for too long; he would inform the Academy of his decision early on to facilitate their ceremony arrangements.

At this very moment, with only a week left until the Oscars ceremony, Renly, however, was deciding to be absent at this crucial juncture?

This was truly blindsiding everyone without a moment's notice, and it was even after having previously agreed. If this was handled improperly, it could offend the Academy's judges. Once a stain was left behind, rectifying the situation in the future would require doubly more effort. What was worse, after putting in that effort, it might still be unable to change the outcome of arrogance and prejudice—this could easily be considered the Academy's motto.

This was the most fatal aspect!

The most well-known case in Hollywood was Viggo Mortensen.

Years ago, he played Aragorn, the human king, in "The Lord of the Rings", particularly in the third installment. He was highly anticipated for nominations during the awards season, but Viggo had no interest in the Oscars whatsoever. He almost completely skipped the Academy's PR during the entire awards season, naturally resulting in no nominations.

Later, Viggo collaborated twice with David Cronenberg in 2005 and 2007. He secured an Oscar nomination for Best Actor with "Eastern Promises". In that year's competition, Daniel Day-Lewis from "There Will Be Blood" stole the spotlight, and the other nominees hardly posed a threat. However, it was widely acknowledged in the industry that Viggo was the main challenger, with positive reviews from various award indicators leading up to that point.

However, Viggo not only refused to participate in publicity but also deemed the Oscars as a mere game, showing disdain.

This attitude reached the ears of industry professionals, spread, and coupled with his aloofness in 2003, landed him on the Academy's blacklist.

Afterward, Viggo delivered numerous brilliant performances—2009's "The Road", 2011's "A Dangerous Method", and 2014's "Far from Men". These works earned abundant recognition in Europe, racking up awards from various film critics' associations and festivals. However, they were consistently met with indifference in North America.

It wasn't until 2016 when Viggo set aside his attitude, promoting the low-budget independent film "Captain Fantastic", even actively participating in numerous PR activities, truly integrating into Hollywood, and finally securing an Oscar nomination for Best Actor.

In other words, not everyone could become a Woody Allen.

Now, even just thinking about it, Andy felt a splitting headache.

However, Andy wasn't the indecisive type. After making a decision, even if it was difficult, he would persevere to the end. "Yes, I won't attend." His decision was sharp and decisive, without any hesitation.

Renly looked at Andy before casually shrugging his shoulders. He agreed promptly and without a hint of reluctance. "Sure."

His agreement was so immediate, without a trace of sentimentality. Andy felt a bit stifled in his chest, but he wasn't surprised. He could only shake his head helplessly. "Then rest well. Will you continue working tomorrow?"

Although it was a question, Andy had already known Renly's answer.

Sure enough, Renly nodded in affirmation. "The difficult part comes next." He gazed quietly at Andy, well aware of how important it was to be absent from the Oscars.

In fact, Hollywood's fame and fortune scene was closely linked to the British aristocratic scene.

The Oscars were like the Queen's private banquet. Everyone knew that attending such an event and hoping to have a conversation with the Queen was extremely challenging. After attending, most people just became part of the backdrop. But no one would be absent. Anyone who was absent was bound to become the focus of attention and even become fodder for post-event discussions in social circles.

In simple terms, when nobles hosted banquets in the future, that person would be blacklisted, not necessarily uninvited—after all, the social network of the nobility was complex and interconnected. However, the extent of the invitation, enthusiasm, and frequency would sharply decline, and slowly but surely, they would become an outcast in social circles.

Now, the Oscars were no different. Unless Renly could be like Woody Allen, transcendent in status yet distinctive as an artistic representative on the New York East Coast. In that case, the Academy could only swallow their pride. Otherwise, the situation would become incredibly tricky.

Just as Renly had said, if necessary, he could attend.

For London's nobles, this was one of their specialties: concealing their true emotions and states in public, navigating all social activities with ease and composure, even in special circumstances.

To provide a simple example, nobles can control their hiccup—not the hiccup itself, as the action itself cannot be controlled. Rather, when they realize they're about to hiccup, they adjust their breathing or disguise it through speaking, concealing it without a fuss, and then walking away.

Hiccuping is a very impolite behavior, damaging the nobles' demeanor, even though it's a natural bodily response. It sounds incredible but is a reality in everyday life.

Of course, such actions aren't without traces. To experienced individuals, it's easily noticeable and becomes a topic of discussion behind their backs. However, newcomers or outsiders are usually oblivious to it.

As for controlling flatulence and other minor etiquettes, those are just a drop in the ocean.

In other words, Renly could attend the Oscars; he just didn't want to.

Compared to the Oscars, he had more important things to accomplish—his exploration of method acting.

Initially, Renly thought Andy might offer some advice or perhaps chitchat. But unexpectedly, Andy turned around and seemed ready to leave, apparently intending to let him rest.

To be honest, a warm feeling flowed through Renly's heart. Because more than anyone else, he understood just how difficult a decision this was for Andy.

"What about the Academy? What are your plans?" Renly asked proactively.