Adrien Brody has broken the record for the longest ever Oscars acceptance speech.
The 51-year-old, who picked up his second best actor Oscar on Sunday, spoke for five minutes and 40 seconds, beating Greer Garson, who spoke for five minutes and 30 seconds when she accepted for Mrs Miniver in 1943.
Brody beat out competition from A Complete Unknown’s Timothée Chalamet and Conclave’s Ralph Fiennes to win for his role in low-budget drama The Brutalist, this year’s longest best picture nominee at 215 minutes.
“I feel so fortunate,” he said on stage after spitting out his gum and throwing it to partner Georgina Chapman, ex-wife of Harvey Weinstein. “Acting is a very fragile profession. It looks very glamorous and in certain moments it is, but the one thing that I’ve gained having the privilege to come back here is to have some perspective. No matter where you are in your career, no matter what you’ve accomplished, it can all go away.”
Brody, who previously won for his performance in Roman Polanski’s The Pianist, spoke for so long that the wrap-up music started to kick in. “I’m wrapping up, please turn the music off,” Brody said. “I’ve done this before. Thank you. It’s not my first rodeo, but I will be brief.”
He went on to talk about the important themes of the film which, like The Pianist, also deals with the Holocaust. “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,” he said. “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.”
Earlier in the evening, Halle Berry kissed Brody on the red carpet to recreate the controversial moment on stage 22 years ago when he kissed her. “I had to pay him back,” she said.
The Brutalist won two other Oscars last night for cinematography and original score yet the night was dominated by wins for sex worker comedy Anora taking home five awards, including best picture.
