Adrien Brody won his second Oscar for best actor on March 2. While many winners had very brief speeches, Brody had a record-breaking 5 minute and 36-second speech when most had a strict 45-second speech. The previous Guinea World Record breaker was 5 minutes and 30 seconds by actor Greer Garson in 1943, but the Oscars weren’t televised during that time. Many others were cut off, including the Oscar winners for best sound for Dune: Part 2.
“I find it very discriminatory that some of the winners were rushed while Adrien Brody gave the longest acceptance speech in Oscar history. I wonder if the Oscars have a time limit,” said senior Ivy Chi.
The Oscars have not officially come forward with the guidelines and time limits regarding speeches. But around 45 seconds later the infamous music comes on to try and get the winners to wrap it up. I believe this is fine as airing a live award show must be on time, or it could wreak havoc with the television schedule. But this cut off should be equal for all as it is quite evident that the Oscars favored Brody over other “lesser known” winners. Brody did receive the cut-off music but stated “Please turn the music off. I’ve done this before.” This really shows the power that successful actors over Hollywood as they wouldn’t have turned off music for any production award winner.
Not to mention, Brody could be described by many as a classless act. Throwing his gum at his girlfriend when going up to receive his award. While many people may think this isn’t a very big deal, I feel that this deplorable act disrespects the other nominees and kind of makes Brody look like a fool. This really reflects the broader concern regarding the behavior of celebrities at highly publicized award shows.
The brutalist uses AI to help with Adrien Brody’s Hungarian dialect. Many people believe this is unfair as they believe this severely impacted his chance of receiving an Oscar. While technology can enhance performance, it raises ethical and fairness questions. Some critics have also said that while Adrien Brody was enhanced with AI, Timothée Chalamet wasn’t and spent about five years learning Bob Dylan’s dialect and mannerisms.
“I personally find that Brody should have been disqualified for the use of AI in his performance,” said senior Ava Riehl.
Furthermore, Brody’s second Oscar win highlights privilege and unfairness within Hollywood as a whole. The Oscars have always been lacking in diversity as many minorities have been left in the dark by the academy. In the last 97 Oscar awards, only 3 women have won the award for best director. People of color have a significant difference in Oscar awards compared to whites, as only 10 African American actresses won for best actress in the history of the Oscars.
In conclusion, Adrien Brody’s second Oscar win and acceptance speech has caused many different reactions that are usually negative towards him. While his speech was record-breaking, it emphasizes the privilege many actors and actresses have in Hollywood. As we evolve as a society, we must also become more inclusive and give everyone a chance at success.
