Yes, Adrien Brody Gave the Longest Oscar Acceptance Speech Ever — Whose Record Did He Break?
Five minutes and 30 seconds was the former record for the longest acceptance speech in Academy Awards history, but Sunday night, a victorious Adrien Brody surpassed even that.
While accepting his award for Best Actor at the 97th Oscars ceremony, Brody — who was accepting for his portrayal as Hungarian-Jewish architect László Tóth in The Brutalist — ignored the 45-second time limit, standing at the microphone for a lengthy five minutes and 40 seconds, and beating the record previously held by Mrs. Miniver’s Greer Garson. (Garson received the Best Actress trophy for her title role at the 1942 ceremony held on March 4, 1943.)
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Four-minutes in, Brody demanded that the producers “turn the music off” so he could continue speaking. “I’ve done this before. Thank you,” he said, alluding to his first win, in 2003 for The Pianist. “It’s not my first rodeo, but I will be brief.”
From the stage, he covered a variety of hot button topics including anti-semitism, racism and the repercussions of war.
“I pray for a healthier and 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,” he said.
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He continued: “[The profession] looks very glamorous, and certain moments it is, but the one thing I’ve gained having the privilege to come back here is to have some perspective, and 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 to do the work that I love.” (Watch the speech in full below.)
Upon accepting (and winning out against fellow nominees Timothée Chalamet, Sebastian Stan, Colman Domingo and Ralph Fiennes), Brody became the first person to win two Best Actor Oscars on their first two nominations. The rare 100% win rate for multiple nominations puts him in the company of Vivien Leigh, Kevin Spacey, Christoph Waltz, Luise Rainer, Helen Hayes, Mahershala Ali and Hilary Swank.
Although Anora swept the night with a total of five big wins, The Brutalist also scored trophies for Best Original Score and Best Cinematography. View the full list of winners here.
What did you think of Brody’s acceptance speech and the night overall? Drop some comments below!
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