Adrien Brody jokes he shouldn’t take ‘a paddling’ over record-breaking Oscars speech length

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Actor Adrien Brody, known for his intense and immersive performances in Hollywood, has addressed his widely discussed and record-setting Oscars acceptance speech from 2025.

Now making his Broadway debut in 'The Fear of 13', Brody has taken a more self-aware and lightly humorous tone while revisiting one of the most talked-about moments of his career.

Adrien Brody addresses record-breaking Oscars speech

In early 2025, Adrien Brody delivered the longest acceptance speech in Academy Awards, speaking for 5 minutes and 40 seconds after winning Best Actor for 'The Brutalist.'

The moment quickly went viral, sparking online debate over its length and emotional depth. During his speech, he reflected on themes including racism, systemic oppression, antisemitism, and his personal journey, while also acknowledging several people who supported him throughout his career.

Reflecting on the experience, Brody said, “a very funny thing, First of all, I’d like to see anyone really have perspective in that moment in their life, because you don’t have any. It takes me a while – as you can see – to express my thoughts, but I really try to share what I mean to say."

He added, “There are a lot of people and a lot of circumstances that got me to that place, miraculously, that I tried to unpack under the pressure of being in front of the world. And it took a little longer than I thought.”

“I witness people blather on about things that … you know, no one’s criticizing as much, But it’s all good. It’s part of the privilege and the joy of recognition. Nothing was done ever to take more time than was allotted, if that makes any sense," he continued. 

Brody further said, “It clearly was a moment of profound contemplation and joy that I needed to try and express as well as I could. And sometimes I don’t.”

Adrien Brody jokes about Oscars speech and 'Brutalist' success

Despite criticism, Adrien Brody leaned into humor when reflecting on the moment, saying he shouldn’t take ‘a paddling’ over the length of his Oscars speech.

In the nearly 3½-hour epic 'The Brutalist', he portrayed a fictional Hungarian-Jewish architect who survives the Holocaust and rebuilds his life in America while facing exploitation and hardship.

With this performance, he surpassed Charlton Heston’s long-standing record for most screen time by a Best Actor winner, appearing for 2 hours and 8 minutes in the Brady Corbet-directed film.

Brody was also present at the 97th Academy Awards in March, where he presented the Best Actor award to Michael B. Jordan for 'Sinners.' 

Before announcing the winner, he added a comedic touch by walking onstage with a stack of papers and playfully reacting to the orchestra’s cue to wrap up.

The segment was a planned bit developed with his team and pitched to producers. During rehearsals, he improvised more than what aired.

“I was playing around, but they asked me to please stick to the script,” Brody recalled with a grin.