Chapter 22 – Hollywood Follows Gustavo
The Rio de Janeiro sun streamed through the windows of Gustavo's suite at the Copacabana Palace. He stretched, his body still feeling heavy from the previous night's revelry. Carnival had been an absolute delight, but now, back in the tranquility of the hotel, a strange feeling began to take hold of him.
He picked up his cell phone from the bedside table.
And then he froze.
Notifications exploded on the screen.
Thousands of new messages.
Millions of new followers.
But what really caught his attention was the list of Instagram notifications.
Because now, Gustavo was followed by some of the biggest stars in the world.
Timothée Chalamet, Ariana Grande, Zoe Saldana, Demi Moore, Kylie Jenner, Kendall Jenner, Kim Kardashian, Tom Cruise...
And the list went on and on.
— OMG!
He almost dropped his cell phone.
It was then that Selton Mello entered the room, yawning and with a coffee in his hand.
— Good morning, Oscar Winner. Did you sleep well or were you kidnapped by Brazil's collective outbreak?
Gustavo looked at him with an expression of pure shock.
— Dude... Tom Cruise is following me on Instagram.
Selton spat out some of his coffee.
— WHAT?!
— Yes! And not just him. Look at this!
He threw the phone to Selton, who started scrolling through the screen, his eyes widening more and more with each passing second.
— Brother... YOU WERE ACCEPTED BY HOLLYWOOD.
Gustavo ran his hand over his face, still in disbelief.
— I just wanted to make a movie, and now I'm being followed by Kim Kardashian.
Selton laughed out loud.
— Congratulations, you've made it in life.
Gustavo being Gustavo on social media
Still trying to process it, Gustavo opened Instagram and recorded a Story.
— Good morning, Brazil. Good morning, world. I just woke up and...
He turned the camera to his cell phone showing the list of new followers.
— Can someone explain to me what's going on?!
The Story went viral in minutes.
And then, Timothée Chalamet responded in the comments:
"You make history and still wonder? Welcome to the club, bro!"
Ariana Grande responded with a rocket emoji.
Kylie Jenner commented:
"Now that's it, Gustavo! Hollywood loves you."
Tom Cruise simply wrote:
"Talk to you soon, pilot."
WHAT?!
Gustavo held his breath.
Selton, who was on the other side of the room, saw the comment and yelled.
— TOM CRUISE WANTS TO TALK TO YOU?!
Gustavo held his head.
— Brother… I don't know what's real and what's a collective delusion anymore.
Fernanda arrived in the room with sunglasses, a coffee and a look like she needed another five hours of sleep.
— Why are you yelling at nine in the morning?
Gustavo picked up his cell phone and showed her the screen.
— Look at this, Nanda.
She picked up her cell phone, looked at her list of followers, then looked at Gustavo.
Then she looked back at her cell phone.
Then she looked back at Gustavo.
— It's official. — she said, taking a sip of coffee. — You've become Hollywood's darling.
He let himself fall on the bed.
— I'm living a simulation.
Fernanda laughed.
— Welcome to your new reality, Gustavo.
And he realized she was right.
Chapter 23 – At the Planalto Palace
The presidential plane descended smoothly on the runway in Brasília, while Gustavo looked out the window, still trying to process what was happening to his life.
Less than a week before, he was at the Oscar party, holding the golden statuette and celebrating in Hollywood.
Two days ago, he was dancing samba at the Rio Carnival, becoming a meme all over Brazil.
And now…
He was going to the Planalto Palace to be honored by the President of the Republic.
This was not normal.
"Brother, if someone told me that your life would turn out like this, I wouldn't believe it." Selton said next to him, adjusting his jacket.
"If I told myself that a year ago, I wouldn't believe it either." Gustavo replied, laughing.
Fernanda, sitting further forward on the plane, closed the book she was reading and looked at him.
"Well, believe it. Because all of Brazil is watching your every move now."
Walter, always more discreet, just smiled.
— Enjoy it. This is more than just a prize. It's a historic moment.
Gustavo nodded, trying to mentally prepare himself.
After all, it wasn't every day that you received an official tribute from the President of Brazil.
When the official car dropped them off at the entrance to the Planalto Palace, a crowd was already waiting for them.
Fans, journalists, photographers…
And politicians from all walks of life.
Brazil was treating this as a state event.
As soon as Gustavo got out of the car, he heard the people shouting his name.
— GUSTAVO! GUSTAVO!
He waved, smiling, still finding it all surreal.
Selton, at his side, murmured:
— If you run for president one day, you're already guaranteed votes.
Gustavo laughed out loud.
Inside the Palace, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was waiting for them with a warm smile.
Lula opened his arms and was the first to greet Walter Salles.
— Walter, my friend, you made history. Brazil owes you a lot for what you did for our cinema.
Walter shook the President's hand, grateful.
— Brazilian cinema has always deserved this recognition. Now, finally, we have achieved it.
Lula then turned to Fernanda and hugged her affectionately.
— Nanda, my dear, you are a pride of this country. Your performance was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen.
Fernanda smiled, moved.
— Thank you, President. It means a lot to hear that.
Lula then looked at Gustavo and smiled broadly.
— And this kid here, huh? Twenty years old and he has already put Brazil on top of the world!
Gustavo laughed, not knowing what to say.
Lula put his hand on his shoulder.
— Gustavo, you didn't just bring an Oscar to Brazil. You made the whole world respect us even more. This is just the beginning.
Gustavo swallowed hard, feeling the weight of those words.
— Thank you, President. I just wanted to make a good movie, and now I'm here, in Planalto. This is all surreal.
Lula laughed and patted him on the back.
— And there will still be many surreal things in your life, my son. I guarantee you that.
A little later, Lula led everyone to a main hall, where an official event was taking place.
On the stage, a large Brazilian flag shone in the background.
The President went up to the podium and began his speech.
— Today, we are here to honor a historic moment for Brazil. For the first time, we brought an Oscar home. And not one, but TWO!
The audience burst into applause.
Lula smiled and continued.
— This is not just an award. This is a symbol of Brazilian talent, of our art, of our culture. And this award belongs to all the people of Brazil.
He then called Gustavo and Walter to the stage.
Gustavo came up a little awkwardly, still finding it all surreal.
Walter was calmer, but he also felt the weight of the moment.
Lula picked up a document and read it out loud.
— The Government of Brazil awards Walter and Gustavo Salles the Order of Cultural Merit, for their invaluable contribution to cinema and Brazilian culture.
The audience gave a standing ovation.
Gustavo felt a shiver run down his spine.
It was official. He had made history in Brazil.
Lula then looked at him and handed him the microphone.
— Go ahead, Gustavo. Brazil wants to hear you.
Gustavo took the microphone and took a deep breath.
Then he smiled.
— Okay… first of all, can someone pinch me? Because I still can't believe this is happening.
The audience laughed and applauded.
Gustavo continued.
"I started this journey just wanting to tell a story. I never imagined that it would bring me here, in front of the President of the Republic, holding an Oscar."
He looked at Walter and Fernanda.
"I only got here because I had incredible people by my side. Walter, my brother, you believed in me even before I believed in myself. Selton, you were the guy who made me laugh in moments of tension. And Nanda... you taught me what it means to be a true actor."
Fernanda was visibly moved.
Gustavo looked at the audience.
— But, above all, this award belongs to Brazil. Because I'm just a boy who loves to tell stories. But this victory isn't just mine. It belongs to every actor, every screenwriter, every Brazilian filmmaker who fights every day for our art to be recognized.
The audience burst into applause.
Lula smiled and said:
— If I knew you spoke so well, I would have invited you to politics, young man!
Gustavo laughed out loud and waved his hands.
— No, no, President! I'd rather stay in the movies!
The entire room laughed and applauded.
After the event, Gustavo and the others took pictures with Lula and other politicians present.
Journalists fought over every detail of the ceremony.
The videos of the speech went viral within minutes.
And on Twitter, Brazil went crazy again.
— GUSTAVO IN THE PLANALTO! ISN'T THIS A DREAM?!
— I'm crying with that speech. He really deserved every moment.
— Imagine going from an Oscar straight to the Planalto Palace? THIS KID'S LIFE IS NOT REAL!
That night, when Gustavo returned to the hotel in Brasília, he sat on the balcony, looking at the illuminated city.
He made history.
He put Brazil on top of the world.
And now?
What was next?
He didn't know.
But one thing was certain:
He was just getting started.
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