‘The Brutalist’ Star Adrien Brody Addresses Record-Shattering Oscar Speech – Rolling Stone
By
Kalia Richardson
Much like the three-and-a-half hour epic The Brutalist, Adrien Brody‘s Oscar-winning speech at the Oscars went on longer than anticipated. Brody, who won the Oscar for Best Actor on Sunday, discussed the fragile profession that is acting, the career-topping accolade, and his talented co-stars and director for a record-breaking five minutes and 36 seconds, shattering the Guinness World Record for longest acceptance speech in the award ceremony’s history. Brody reacted to his long-winded speech in a social media post Monday, joking that he’d keep it brief.
“I’m gonna keep this video short ’cause I know I made the longest Oscars speech in history,” Brody said in an Instagram video Monday. “So, I love you all. You know I’m grateful. Keep smiling and I hope that this proves that dreams can come true.”A post shared by Adrien Brody (@adrienbrody)
Brody’s speech beat the Guinness World Record by six seconds, with Greer Garson previously holding the record for longest acceptance speech at five minutes and 30 seconds. Garson gave the lengthy speech as she accepted the Best Actress Oscar for Mrs. Miniver in 1943. Oscar winners are usually given a 45-second timer as they accept the award. Brody, who previously won the Best Actor award for his role in The Pianist, asked the orchestra to stop its play-off music several minutes into his speech, “I will wrap up. Please turn the music off. I’ve done this before.” He added: “Thank you. It’s not my first rodeo, but I will be brief. I will not be egregious, I promise.”
The Brutalist follows Brody’s László, a successful Hungarian architect who flees to the U.S., clinging to the American dream. László’s pursuit feels tangible when a rich client and industrialist, played by Guy Pearce, hires him to build a community center, but the project drives him to near madness.
The Brutalist picked up three of its 10 nominations at the Oscars on Sunday: Best Actor, Best Cinematography, and Best Original Score. In the Best Acting category, Brody won against A Complete Unknown‘s Timothée Chalamet, Sing Sing’s Colman Domingo, Conclave’s Ralph Fiennes, and The Apprentice’s Sebastian Stan.We want to hear it. Send us a tip using our anonymous form.Rolling Stone is a part of Penske Media Corporation. © 2025 Rolling Stone, LLC. All rights reserved.
