Murray returned to the table from the stage with his award to little fanfare. He’d just won the award for best original screenplay and still had three categories left for his movie, An Outside Chance. Everyone at the table congratulated him but then moved on.
Everyone else at Murray’s table worked on a movie called Last Diner in Cleveland. The close-knit Last Diner crew loved collaboration. They shared a vision and discussed how making the movie was like creating a new family. They talked about doing a sequel. Murray thought it would be called Last Diner in Cincinnati. You don’t make award-winning movie sequels.
Murray sat at the table because no one else would sit with him. Murray’s lead actress refused to speak to him and chose to sit somewhere else. His lead actor quit acting altogether because working with Murray had been so contentious. Murray directed the film after firing three other directors. He bought out all of his producers to make the movie. Murray thought about a review he liked, “a triumph for a singular vision over the thoughts and feelings of others.”
“You know who I haven’t seen in a while,” the director for Last Diner said to the table. “Our craft services manager Darryl. You know, Darryl suggested we do that fight scene as a walking scene outside. We originally shot it in the diner.”
Everyone agreed that Darryl was a delight.
“Wait, you took direction from the guy who brought you sandwiches?” Murray asked, shocked.
“A good idea is a good idea,” the director said. “I should mention him if I win best director.”
Murray thought he’d make fun of this story in his own best director speech.
The next category was best casting. Murray thought about his casting director. The last time she’d seen him, she threw a drink at him, and the glass exploded over his head.
When Last Diner won best casting, the table exploded. They rushed over to find their casting director, who had a much worse seat at the back of the theater. Murray sat drinking a glass of water and looking at his trophy.
He received a text from his lead actress turned enemy, a picture of him sitting alone at the table. “Glad you get to celebrate with everyone you credit for making the movie with you.”
Murray scowled but didn’t turn around to find her. He was resigned to playing all the characters in his next movie, too—there would be no more actors, directors, writers, editors or publicists in his films.