Adrien Brody received a rare second Best Actor Oscar at Sunday night’s Academy Awards, but his acceptance speech has left industry experts and critics reeling. The 5-minute, 40-second speech broke an Oscars record for the longest speech given by a winner in the Academy’s 97-year history.
Critics say Brody’s speech was overly long, self-important, and came across as arrogant. Despite expressing gratitude to his colleagues and loved ones, the speech was seen as “insufferable” and “abominable” by many. Even the call for an end to war, systematic oppression, and racism, which was intended to be an inspiring message, was deemed unfocused and lacking in substance.
Industry experts note that Brody’s career has not been without controversy. His first Best Actor Oscar win in 2003 for playing a Holocaust survivor in “The Pianist” was seen as a long time coming, given his struggling career in Hollywood beforehand. The second Best Actor Oscar he won for the same role broke another record, and some wonder why it took him so long to achieve this level of success.
Despite Brody’s accomplishment, his speech has left many people disappointed. While acknowledging his achievement, experts say that winning two Oscars does not necessarily guarantee a successful career. In fact, critics argue that Brody’s reputation in Hollywood may have contributed to the unremarkable quality of his post-Oscar work.
Source: https://www.mercurynews.com/2025/03/06/adrien-brodys-reputation-wasnt-the-greatest-ahead-of-abominable-oscars-speech-experts