Adrien Brody just added a second Academy Award to his trophy cabinet. On Sunday, the 51-year-old actor won the Oscar for Best Actor for his role in Brady Corbet’s The Brutalist. But while he’s been praised for his role in the film, fans on social media focused on something else at last night’s event.
As he walked towards the stage to accept his award, Brody spat out his gum—and did something fans have branded “disgusting.”
Adrien Brody has had a remarkable career. Even so, the 51-year-old actor’s status isn’t quite that of a Hollywood superstar. In 2003, he became the youngest person to win the Oscar for Best Actor when, at age 29, he received one for his performance in The Pianist. Timothy Chalamet would later break the record.
Many might argue that receiving an Academy Award is guaranteed to cement one’s spot as an A-list Hollywood superstar. However, Brody didn’t quite acheive that level of fame and popularity. He appeared in Peter Jackson’s 2005 movie King Kong, among other credits, and the actor has appeared in several Wes Anderson movies such as The Darjeeling Limited and The Grand Budapest Hotel.
Actors like Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon managed to secure significant roles in highly praised films following their successes. But while Brody’s peers went straight to the top, Brody had a harder time of things, and he was rejected for many roles. Speaking with Variety, Adrien explained that he had experienced this before. As a teenager, he debuted in the PBS movie Home at Last, but struggled to get a role thereafter.
“I’ve had to prove that the leading man can be unusual and unique and not typically handsome,” Brody explained. “But oftentimes, somewhat nondescript-looking choices are easier. Safer”
Sadly, many movie executives and casting agents didn’t see him as capable of a leading role.
“It was often told to my representatives, and my representatives would share that with me,” he said.
Adrien Brody wins Best Actor at the Academy Awards
Although Brody might not have appeared in some of the most well-known movies known to man, it’s safe to say that he has proven the casting agents and movie executives wrong.
On Sunday, the actor won the award for best actor following his performance in The Brutalist. He portrays the Hungarian Jewish architect Laszlo Toth, forced to leave his home country during the Second World War. He ends up in the US, meeting a wealthy industrialist named Harrison van Buren (portrayed by Guy Pearce), who sees Toth’s incredible talent.
Toth is hired to build a community center in memory of van Buren’s late mother, but their relationship soon fails. The theme of the movie is one Brody is much familiar with – remember he starred in The Pianist as pianist Wladyslaw Szpilman, who survived the Holocaust by hiding from the Nazis in his home city of Warszaw.
Brody’s work in The Pianist helped him prepare for The Brutalist, which is 3 hours and 35 minutes long.
“I only do what I feel is necessary to find a closeness and a sense of truth so that I can, you know, quote, “act” less, you know, and feel honest in an interpretation. I can’t portray a man who’s starving if I don’t understand hunger, I can’t portray the physical shift of a man who’s starved by not losing that weight, I can’t understand classical music without knowing to play it. You name it,” Brody told NPR.
“Adrien has a face that is from another era”
“And fortunately, a lot of that work that I had done in an effort to honor Szpilman in The Pianist, and really to honor one man’s journey that represented the loss of 6 million and spoke to such a horrific time in our history, gave me a great deal of insight and understanding in what Laszlo’s past experiences were, that he is just on the precipice of overcoming as he arrives to the United States.”
Brody continued: “And so while this movie is a vastly different story and a story about an immigrant’s journey, it is also the journey of someone who’s endured that. And it’s quite remarkable how that has lived with me and given me greater insight years later in a role like this.”
Brody’s performance in The Brutalist earned him an Academy Award nomination – and a win. He accepted the award on Sunday at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood in Los Angeles, California, and joined a very exclusive club. Among those who have won two Academy Awards are Marlon Brando, Jack Nicholson, Tom Hanks, Dustin Hoffman, and Anthony Hopkins. The Brutalist had ten Academy Award nominations and won three: Best Actor, cinematography, and Original Score.
“Adrien has a face that is from another era,” his friend Scarlett Johansson told Variety. “He has such pathos in his face. It’s a face that’s made for a close up. Such expressive eyes — and some of his features are so exaggerated and yet delicate.”
“I feel so fortunate”
Brody walked up on stage to accept the award, and his speech would make headlines. He began by expressing gratitude for his career and the life he has given himself. The winners had a 45-second acceptance speech timer, something Brody disregarded.
“They’re already counting me down, okay, thank you, God. Thank you for this blessed life. If I may just humbly begin by giving thanks for the tremendous outpouring of love that I felt from this world and every individual that has treated me with respect and appreciation, I feel so fortunate,” Brody said.
“You know, acting is a very fragile profession, it looks very glamorous, and certain moments it is, but the one thing I’ve gained, having the privilege to come back here is to have some perspective and no matter where you are in your career, no matter what you’ve accomplished it can all go away and I think what makes this night most special is the awareness of that and the gratitude that I have to still to do the work that I love.”
“Winning an award like this it signifies a destination and it’s something my character references in the film but to me it also beyond the pinnacle of a career it is a chance to begin again and the opportunity to hopefully be fortunate enough for that the next 20 years of my life that I can prove that I am worthy of such meaningful and important and relevant roles. I share this with my fellow nominees, who are just wonderful human beings who exude grace and goodness and brilliance with their work, theres so many people to thank. I will really try and be as brief as possible.”
Adrien Brody commanded the music to be shut off during acceptance speech
When 45 seconds had passed, the production began to play music, signaling to Brody that his time was up. However, Brody kept going for five minutes, commanding them to turn off the music.
“I’m wrapping up, please, please, please. I’m wrapping up. I will wrap up. Please. Turn the music off,” he continued. “I’ve done this before. Thank you. It’s not my first rodeo, but I will — I will be brief. I will not be egregious. I promise.”
“I’m here once again to represent the lingering traumas and the repercussions of war and systematic oppression, and of antisemitism and racism and othering. I pray for a healthier and a happier and a more inclusive world, and I believe if the past can teach us anything, it’s a reminder to not let hate go unchecked.”
Brody’s girlfriend, Georgina Chapman, was heard telling him not to forget to thank his mother.
“I have to thank my mom and dad, who are here as well,” Brody said. “They’ve just created such a strong foundation of respect and of kindness and a wonderful spirit, and they’ve given me the strength to pursue this dream.”
Adrien Brody slammed for spitting out and throwing his gum to partner
While Brody made headlines for his long speech, social media users noticed another thing that quickly became a talking point. As he walked towards the stage to accept his Oscar, he spit his chewing gum into his hand and threw it to Georgina Chapman. It didn’t take long before fans criticized him for what he did.
“Adrien brody could’ve used his long speech to apologize to his partner for throwing gum at her,” one user wrote on X.
“Adrien Brody THROWING his gum at Georgina Chapman while on the stairs to accept his award I honestly more shocking to me than Will Smith slapping Chris Rock,” another said.
A third stated, “Arrest adrien brody for hurling his gum at his wife at the oscars,” while
Another user wrote, “Adrien Brody’s wife just won the award for Best Supportive Significant Other and her statuette is a wad of her husband’s chewed gum that he tossed at her on his way up the stairs to accept his Oscar. Next level,” while another said, “Adrien Brody throwing gum at his wife and then trying to give a moving speech somehow even worse than both??”
What did you think of this year’s Academy Awards? Please share this article with friends and family on Facebook and let us know your opinion!
