Chapter 92 – An Unforgettable Oscar Night
On the night of February 26, 2017, Jacob Stewart stepped out of his car at the entrance of the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
Camera flashes exploded around him as fans and journalists crowded around to see him.
He wore an impeccable, tailored, elegant black Giorgio Armani suit. His hair was perfectly styled, his beard neatly trimmed, and his eyes showed the confidence of someone who had already conquered Hollywood.
The journalists soon approached him.
— REPORTER: "Jacob, you already won an Oscar last year, and tonight you'll be one of the presenters! How does it feel?"
— JACOB (smiling): "It's a great honor. Being here as a nominee is already a dream, winning is indescribable… and now presenting? It seems surreal."
— REPORTER: "And about your participation in Mission: Impossible – Fallout? What can you tell us?"
— JACOB: "I can only say that I'm training a lot. It's going to be something grand."
He waved to fans, took some photos, and walked the red carpet, stopping to chat briefly with actors and directors he already knew.
Inside the theater, he met with his agent, Richard Calloway, who was sitting in the audience.
— RICHARD: "Ready to get back on that stage?"
— JACOB (laughing): "This time without nervousness. It's not my name that will be announced tonight."
Little did he know that that night would be marked in history.
When it was time for Jacob to go on stage, the announcement was made:
— "And now, to present the Oscar for Best Actor, one of the great talents of his generation and winner of the award last year, Jacob Stewart!"
The entire theater applauded.
Jacob walked confidently to the stage, picked up the statuette envelope, and looked at the audience.
He began his speech in a relaxed tone.
— JACOB: "Good evening everyone. A year ago, I was sitting in that chair, sweating profusely, waiting for my name to be called. When they called, I froze for a second. Then I got up and walked over here… But honestly, I still think I could have tripped on the way."
The audience laughed.
— JACOB: "The Best Actor Oscar isn't just an award. It's recognition for the hard work, dedication, and passion these artists bring to the screen. This year's nominees gave their all, made us laugh, cry, and reflect. And now, the moment has arrived."
He opened the envelope and announced the winner.
Applause filled the theater as the winner ascended the stage for his speech.
Jacob handed over the statuette, greeted the winner with a handshake and a hug, and left the stage satisfied.
But he had no idea that the most unforgettable moment of the night was yet to come.
The event continued with its awards until it reached the most anticipated category of the night: Best Picture.
Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway were on stage to announce the big winner.
Jacob was sitting next to Richard and watched the scene unfold.
Beaty opened the envelope, seemed confused, looked at Faye and let her announce:
— FAYE DUNAWAY: "The winner is… La La Land!"
The cast and crew of La La Land went up on stage celebrating.
Producer Jordan Horowitz began to speak…
But then, there was a strange movement backstage.
Production assistants rushed onto the stage, whispering amongst themselves, while a commotion ensued.
Jacob realized something was wrong.
Then, Jordan Horowitz grabbed the microphone and made a historic announcement:
— JORDAN HOROWITZ: "Guys… Moonlight won the Oscar. This is not a joke. They got the envelope wrong. Moonlight, you won."
The entire audience was in shock.
The audience murmured, not quite understanding what was happening.
On stage, Barry Jenkins and the Moonlight team went up, still in disbelief.
Jacob, sitting in the audience, looked at Richard incredulously.
— JACOB: "Did this really just happen?"
— RICHARD: "This will be remembered forever."
The audience was divided between applause and expressions of pure confusion.
Jimmy Kimmel, the host of the evening, tried to ease the tension with humor:
— JIMMY KIMMEL: "I can promise we'll never invite Warren Beatty to anything again."
The entire theater erupted in laughter, but they were still in shock.
Jacob couldn't believe what he had just witnessed.
A historic mistake.
Something that would be remembered forever in the annals of the Oscars.
After the awards ceremony ended, Jacob walked backstage, where he found some colleagues discussing the mistake.
Emma Stone, winner of the Best Actress Oscar for La La Land, was speaking to journalists.
— EMMA STONE: "Guys, I'm still in shock. I had my Best Actress envelope with me the whole time. I don't know what happened on stage."
Jacob approached and greeted Emma and Ryan Gosling.
— JACOB: "That was surreal. You handled it very gracefully."
— RYAN GOSLING: "Honestly, I just wish someone had filmed my face at the time."
Jacob laughed.
It was truly a unique moment.
But the subject would still resonate for a long time.
He went to the after-party, talked to more colleagues, but the Oscars mistake was the main topic of conversation all night long.
Jacob then picked up his cell phone, went on Twitter, and saw that the whole world was talking about it.
He thought about writing something and then tweeted:
"That was the biggest plot twist in Oscars history." "I'm still trying to understand."
The tweet instantly went viral.
It was a night that would never be forgotten.
And Jacob Stewart was there to witness it all live.
It was almost 4 a.m. when Jacob arrived home.
He took off his jacket, threw himself on the sofa, and let out a long sigh.
The 2017 Oscars would be remembered forever.
He picked up his phone and saw a message from Tom Cruise:
TOM CRUISE: "You just witnessed history, my friend."
Jacob laughed and replied:
JACOB: "And I didn't even need to do an action scene for that to happen."
He passed out soon after, exhausted.
And so ended one of the most chaotic and historic nights in Hollywood.
Chapter 93 – Jacob Stewart, the Official Helicopter Pilot
After the historic night of the 2017 Oscars, Jacob Stewart wasted no time.
In the following days, he focused entirely on honing his helicopter piloting skills.
Despite already being officially certified as a pilot, he knew that continuous practice was essential. After all, he didn't want to be just a certification pilot; he wanted to be an excellent pilot.
And that would be crucial for his role in "Mission: Impossible – Fallout".
On the morning of March 1st, Jacob arrived at the private airfield where he conducted his training.
The sun shone brightly in the blue Los Angeles sky, reflecting off the fuselage of the Airbus H125, a light but powerful training helicopter.
Next to the aircraft was David Henderson, his flight instructor and former US Army pilot.
— DAVID: "Ready for another day in the air, Jacob?"
— JACOB (smiling): "You know I don't back down from a challenge."
David laughed and patted him on the shoulder as they walked toward the helicopter cockpit.
— DAVID: "Great. Today we'll focus on advanced maneuvers, including landing on slopes and autorotation in case of engine failure."
— JACOB: "Bring whatever you have that's most difficult. I want to be ready for any scene in the movie."
They boarded the helicopter, and Jacob performed the pre-flight procedures with precision.
Fuel check? OK.
Navigation instruments? OK.
Hydraulic system? OK.
Within minutes, the main rotor began to spin, and soon the helicopter lifted off smoothly.
David's voice came over the radio:
— DAVID: "Okay, Jacob, I want you to practice low-altitude approaches over rough terrain. In the movie, you might have to land in a tricky spot."
Jacob nodded and adjusted the controls, feeling the machine's power in his hands.
He piloted the helicopter over a rocky ravine, keeping it steady as it descended slowly.
The wind was strong, making landing more challenging.
With great concentration, he reduced speed and adjusted the rotor blade pitch, touching down precisely and in a controlled manner.
— DAVID: "Good job, kid! Now, I want you to take off quickly and simulate an airborne emergency."
Jacob pulled the collective, increasing power, and the helicopter soared back into the sky.
Then, David deactivated one of the engines to simulate a failure.
Jacob felt the power loss immediately, but remained calm.
He put the aircraft into autorotation mode, allowing the main rotor to spin freely to ensure a safe landing.
With a smooth and calculated landing, Jacob touched down again.
— DAVID (clapping): "If I didn't know, I'd say you've been a pilot for years!"
— JACOB (smiling): "I learn fast."
They repeated the exercises several times throughout the day, perfecting every detail of the piloting.
In the following days, Jacob continued training and improving his skills.
But then… the news leaked to the media.
A paparazzi managed to capture photos and videos of Jacob piloting helicopters and posted them on social media.
Soon, newspapers and news portals began publishing headlines about it:
"Jacob Stewart is now officially a certified helicopter pilot!" – TMZ
"The Hollywood star who does his own stunts" – Variety
"Does Jacob Stewart want to be the new Tom Cruise?" – The Hollywood Reporter
Within hours, social media was buzzing with the story.
On Twitter, fans commented:
"My God, this man is unstoppable. He acts, fights, shoots, and now he PILOTS helicopters?!"
"Jacob Stewart is basically ready to join the special forces at any moment."
"Tom Cruise has found his successor."
Even famous personalities commented on it.
Upon seeing the news, Tom Cruise tweeted to Jacob:
TOM CRUISE (@TomCruise): "Welcome to the club, @JacobStewart. Let's see if you can handle the real Mission: Impossible scenes now!"
Jacob responded in a lighthearted manner:
JACOB STEWART (@JacobStewart): "Tom, I hope you're ready for competition. Let's see who pilots better."
The interaction instantly went viral, with fans going wild.
Following the buzz, Jacob was invited for an interview on "Good Morning America".
During the conversation, host Robin Roberts asked:
— ROBIN ROBERTS: "Jacob, now in addition to being an actor and wrestler, you're also a certified helicopter pilot! What motivated you to get this certification?"
— JACOB: "I've always been fascinated by aviation. But the main reason was the movie Mission: Impossible – Fallout. I wanted to challenge myself, just like Tom Cruise does."
— ROBIN: "And how was the training?"
— JACOB: "It was intense! I spent weeks training, learning emergency landings, advanced maneuvers, everything to ensure I could do the scenes safely."
— ROBIN: "So, we can expect incredible scenes.?"
— JACOB (smiling): "Oh, absolutely. And without stunt doubles!"
The audience cheered enthusiastically, and the interview clip quickly circulated all over the internet.
In the following days, Jacob continued training, now with more advanced helicopters.
He knew that filming for "Mission: Impossible – Fallout" was approaching, and he wanted to be 100% prepared.
His days were divided between flight training, physical conditioning, and combat rehearsals.
The media was all about him.
Fans and critics recognized what he was doing:
"Jacob Stewart is not just another Hollywood actor. He is a true professional who takes his work seriously."
And he knew this was just the beginning.
Filming would begin soon…
And Jacob Stewart was more prepared than ever.
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