Two-time Oscar winner Adrien Brody knows he “made the longest Oscars speech in history.” Days after his big win at the 97th Academy Awards, he celebrated the unexpected milestone — with even more words.
“The Brutalist” star and lead actor winner on Tuesday acknowledged his record on Instagram, telling fans in a selfie video (which he promised and managed to keep fairly brief at 29 seconds), “I love you all.” He added: “You know I’m grateful. Keep smiling and I hope that this proves that dreams can come true and I hope your dreams come true as well.”
“God bless you,” he said.
The 51-year-old actor on Sunday delivered the longest acceptance speech in Oscars history. After blowing a kiss to the crowd, Brody spoke for approximately five minutes and 40 seconds by The Times’ count before backing away from the mic. That broke the record previously set by Old Hollywood “Mrs. Miniver” star Greer Garson. According to Guinness World Records, Garson celebrated her lead actress win at the 1943 Academy Awards with a 5½-minute speech. For reference, winners are typically granted 45 seconds to speak before they’re played off.
Guinness confirmed on Tuesday that Brody broke Garson’s record and offered an official count: He spoke for 5 minutes and 36 seconds.
Brody, who won his first Oscar at age 29 in 2003 for “The Pianist “ (he also remains the youngest lead actor winner), began his speech Sunday by acknowledging that the show’s producers were “already counting me down.” The playoff music, meant to signal winners to wrap up their spiels, began playing more than halfway into Brody’s speech. He dismissed the score: “I will wrap up. Please turn the music off. I’ve done this before.”
“It’s not my first rodeo,” he said, before adding, “I will be brief. I will not be egregious. I promise.”
After two more minutes — which he dedicated to thanking his parents and calling for a “healthier and happier and more inclusive world” — Brody conceded. “OK, I’ll get out of here,” he said as the playoff music returned. Backstage, Brody still had more to share.
“I think we all know that it’s an important time to recognize that there’s no place for intolerance,” Brody said in response to a question from The Times. “As I had mentioned in my speech, I’m oddly receiving recognition for representing a time in history that we witnessed unchecked antisemitism and hatred and oppression, and their place in this world, and that we must learn from the past.”
In “The Brutalist,” directed by Brady Corbet, Brody stars as Hungarian Jewish Holocaust survivor and architect László Tóth, who searches for a new beginning under a wealthy patron (played by Guy Pearce). “The Brutalist” also won Oscars for original score and cinematography.
Even before his speech, Brody turned heads during Sunday’s telecast for seemingly spitting out his gum and chucking it to his partner, Georgina Chapman, as he headed to the stage to accept his Oscar. He addressed the viral moment backstage with Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos, telling the morning show co-hosts and spouses that he forgot he was chewing gum.
“I could’ve [swallowed it], but I didn’t think about that,” he said. “I had to get rid of it somehow.”
Times staff writer Kaitlyn Huamani contributed to this report.
