Like the pirate code, that 45-second speech timer is really more of a guideline. After refraining from kissing Cillian Murphy (hypocrite!), Adrien Brody said he’d make his acceptance speech for Best Actor brief. Then he did not. Perhaps in honor of his 215-minute film, The Brutalist, Brody talked so long he broke a record.
That speech was so long …
March 2, 2025: At one point, Brody shushed the “play off” music, telling the folks in the control room that this wasn’t his first rodeo. Variety timed his thank-yous out to five minutes, during which he thanked God and his parents. He also noted that both his Oscars have come for portraying survivors of 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,” Brody 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.”
Brody is one of the few actors who have won multiple Best Actor statuettes. Marlon Brando, Dustin Hoffman, Jack Nicholson, Sean Penn, and Tom Hanks are among those who share the honor. Brody spoke about how incredible it is to get the opportunities that lead to such glory. “Acting is a very fragile profession,” he said. “It looks very glamorous, and at 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. And I think what makes this night most special is the awareness of that, and the gratitude that I have to still do the work that I love.”
How long was it?!
March 3, 2025: When the tape came in, the speech officially clocked in at five minutes and 40 seconds long. That’s so long it is officially the longest Oscar speech in history, breaking Greer Garson’s record (five minutes and 30 seconds) for 1942’s Mrs. Miniver, per Guinness World Records. To clarify: Oscar acceptance speeches are supposed to be 45 seconds long. This thing is so long it should have taken a cue from The Brutalist and had an intermission.