*Titanic* was put out by Twentieth Century Fox, with some help from the AA agency crew. So, when it came to Oscar campaigning, besides Bill Mechanic's killer connections, AA's big shot Brian Lord set up a fancy dinner.
The idea? Get Cameron, Dunn, Leonardo, Kate, and the rest of the *Titanic* gang to hobnob with some Oscar old-timers over food—build a little rapport, you know?
Dunn wasn't a fan of these schmoozy events, but he's smooth as heck anyway. After that deep talk with Francis Coppola, he started cutting these stubborn Academy geezers some slack.
They're real Hollywood filmmakers, not just money-hungry capitalists calling the shots at studios.
Even if there's beef in the industry, it's all family drama at the end of the day.
Oscar nomination voting kicks off February 1st next year—runs for a week. Right now, with two months to go, all the big players are popping up. Winter's chilly, but it's peak Oscar season—things are heating up!
With Francis Coppola's backing, plus Bill Mechanic and Brian Lord working the angles, Dunn's got a solid shot at a Best Director nod. No sweat!
Meanwhile, *My Big Fat Greek Wedding*'s post-production is pretty much wrapped—onto dubbing now.
Lately, though, whether it's Oscar rivals stirring the pot or just tabloid hype, the gossip rags are all over Dunn's love life. Liv Tyler, Kate Winslet, Katherine Heigl… even Nicole Kidman made the list!
The others? Fine, whatever. But Nicole's married to Tom Cruise, and that's a whole mess. The pressure's so bad she flipped out the second she saw Dunn.
"Nicole! Nicole, chill, hear me out—nothing happened between us, right?" Dunn dodged her icy glare.
"But you've seriously messed with my marriage!" Nicole snapped, practically unhinged.
Dunn kept his cool. "Nicole, think about it. Does Tom trust you? If he does, no big deal. If he doesn't… why even bother getting mad?"
"What… what are you saying?" Nicole froze, shocked.
Dunn lowered his voice. "Look, we haven't hung out much, but I can tell you're not happy in that marriage. You've been stuck in Tom Cruise's shadow—can't shake it. To everyone, you're just 'Mrs. Cruise.'"
"What's your point?"
Nicole calmed down a bit, but she still felt a chill.
"Haven't you ever thought about leaving him?"
Dunn's words hit like a thunderbolt. Nicole's greenish-blue eyes widened, glowing with disbelief.
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Time flew by—boom, it's 1998.
*Titanic* had wrapped its global run, except for a few stray theaters. Worldwide box office? A jaw-dropping $1,874,780,000. North America alone raked in $600,460,000—Hollywood was straight-up dazzled. Dunn nailed his prediction!
His other flick, *My Big Fat Greek Wedding*, was fully done with post-production too. Next up: hashing out distribution with Twentieth Century Fox.
January 18th rolled around—the big night! The Golden Globes, hosted by the Hollywood Foreign Press, were going down at the Beverly Hills Hilton.
*Titanic* was the hot favorite, snagging eight noms: Best Picture (Drama), Best Actor (Drama), Best Actress (Drama), Best Supporting Actress, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Original Song, and Best Score.
The core *Titanic* team, Dunn included, showed up in full force. They owned the red carpet—total spotlight stealers!
Kate Winslet, arm-in-arm with Dunn on one side and Leonardo DiCaprio on the other, strutted out, and the fans lost it. Screams so loud you'd think Beverly Hills was shaking!
After an AB network interview, they finally headed inside.
The Golden Globes are a fancy banquet-style deal. The *Titanic* crew? Front row, right by the stage. No question—they were the night's MVPs!
The Globes cover movies and TV, and to keep ratings up, they mix up the order. First big award of the night? Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy—pretty prestigious!
Jack Nicholson nabbed it for his killer role in *As Good as It Gets*. Well deserved!
After a few TV awards, another heavy hitter came up: Best Actress (Drama)!
The *Titanic* table tensed up—especially Kate Winslet. She pressed her lips tight, glancing at Dunn.
Her main rival? Judi Dench from *Mrs. Brown*—a tough old pro.
"I've got a gut feeling you're gonna win!" Leonardo winked, trying to lighten Kate's nerves.
Dunn stayed quiet.
He knew Kate totally deserved Best Actress (Drama). Her work in *Titanic*? Stunning—especially the second half. Pure perfection!
If Helen Hunt's unbeatable turn in *As Good as It Gets* was the benchmark, maybe Kate seemed a tad green—but that's a Musical/Comedy category, no overlap with Kate's race.
Last year's Best Actress, Brenda Blethyn, stepped up to present. Under everyone's anxious stares, she grinned and announced, "Best Actress in a Drama goes to… Kate Winslet, *Titanic*!"
The room erupted in applause!
The whole *Titanic* crew jumped up, cheering Kate's win.
"Thank you! Thank you!"
Kate hugged everyone around her, saving Dunn for last. She threw her arms around him tight. "Thank you, Dunn—you're my best friend!"
Dunn patted her back, grinning. "Alright, save the speech for the stage!"
"Pfft!" Kate cracked up, rolling her eyes big-time before heading up, lips pursed.
First win in the bag!
The *Titanic* crew clinked glasses in a toast. 🥂
Half an hour later, Helen Hunt snagged Best Actress (Musical/Comedy)—no surprise there. She'd be Kate's toughest Oscar rival in a month.
Then *Titanic* swept Best Original Song and Best Score too.
Perfect streak so far! Every nom they were up for, they won.
Until Leonardo's Best Actor (Drama) turn came up—and everyone held their breath.
This one? Tough call. Leo was great in *Titanic*, but the role was too straightforward—no real room to flex. Plus, his competition was brutal.
Dunn figured Daniel Day-Lewis from *In the Name of Love* was the lock for Best Actor.
But when the winner dropped? Total shock—Peter Fonda! Out of nowhere!
The crowd played it cool, though—pros through and through. They cheered and moved on, no awkward vibes for Peter.
Maybe luck turned sour after that. Gloria Stuart, old Rose in *Titanic*, lost Best Supporting Actress to Kim Basinger's jaw-dropping turn in *L.A. Confidential*.
Then James Cameron got edged out for Best Screenplay by Ben Affleck.
Three wins, then three losses—bam, bam, bam!
The *Titanic* table's vibe shifted. Faces got weird, and chatter died down.
Until the big one loomed: Best Director!
The screen flashed the nominees: Steven Spielberg (*Amistad*), James L. Brooks (*As Good as It Gets*), Curtis Hanson (*L.A. Confidential*), and Dunn Walker (*Titanic*).
"Dunn…" Kate shot him a nervous look—same jitters she had before her win.
Dunn patted her hand. "Relax, I'm still young, right?"
He wasn't even 20 yet. The Globes rarely hand a huge award like that to a kid.
"But… you're the best!" Kate hissed, indignant.
Dunn smiled softly. "Having you guys behind me is enough. Golden Globes? Meh, not my endgame."
Kate pouted. "Still, I wanted us—you, me, and Leo—to win together. Me winning alone feels… off."
Dunn chuckled. "You earned it—100% legit!"
Up came the presenter: legendary director Miloš Forman.
He strolled out slow, opened the envelope slower, then looked up at the *Titanic* crew with a sly smile.
Gasps rippled around Dunn.
Wait…
"Best Director goes to: Dunn Walker, *Titanic*!"
The room went quiet for a split second—then exploded in the loudest applause of the night!
Dunn Walker: youngest Golden Globe Best Director in history, right then and there!
Kate tackled him like an excited kid, her face pressed to his ear, bouncing. "You did it! Dunn, you did it! I knew you could—I *knew* it!"
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