Adrien Brody had a lot to say at the 2025 Oscars!
The actor, 51, took home the win for Best Actor for The Brutalist at the 97th Academy Awards on Sunday, March 2, where he poked fun at himself for giving a lengthy acceptance speech. As he began, he joked, “You’re already counting me down,” before going on to ask for more time on stage.
“I’m wrapping up, please, please, please. I’m wrapping up. I will wrap up. Please. Turn the music off,” he said. “I’ve done this before. Thank you. It’s not my first rodeo, but I will — I will be brief. I will not be egregious. I promise.”
Brody’s girlfriend, Georgina Chapman, even mouthed to him from the audience to thank his mom in the midst of his pleas to remain on stage, and he took note.
“I have to thank my mom and dad, who are here as well,” he said. “They’ve just created such a strong foundation of respect and of kindness and a wonderful spirit, and they’ve given me the strength to pursue this dream.”
He then addressed the importance of the film. “I’m here once again to represent the lingering traumas and the repercussions of war and systematic oppression and of anti-semitism and racism and of othering, and I believe and 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.”
As the music initiating his exit from the stage turned on for a second time, he quipped: “Okay, I’ll get out of here!”
“I love you. I appreciate you all. Let’s fight for what’s right. Keep smiling, keep loving one another. Let’s rebuild together. Thank you,” he concluded.
Earlier in the speech, Brody also gave a sweet shoutout to Chapman and her two children.
“I share this with my amazing partner, who has not only reinvigorated my own self worth but my sense of value and my values and her beautiful children, Dash and India,” he gushed. “I know this has been a roller coaster but thank you for accepting me into your life and Popsie’s coming home a winner.”
He went on to recognize those who worked on the film with him and everyone who showed a “tremendous outpouring of love” from the Academy.
“I feel so fortunate,” Brody explained. “You know, acting is a very fragile profession. 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. And no matter where you are in your career, no matter what you’ve accomplished, it can all go away.”
He continued: “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. Winning an award like this signifies a destination and something my character references in the film, but to me, it also beyond the pinnacle of a career. It is a chance to begin again, and the opportunity to hopefully be fortunate enough for that the next 20 years of my life that I can prove that I am worthy of such meaningful and important and relevant roles.”
Brody was the only actor nominated in this category with a previous Oscar win to his name, going up against Timothée Chalamet for A Complete Unknown, Colman Domingo for Sing Sing, Ralph Fiennes for Conclave and Sebastian Stan for The Apprentice.
He previously dominated awards season with wins at the Golden Globes, Critics Choice Awards, British Academy Film Awards and more for his work leading The Brutalist. The historical drama, which was directed and co-written by Brady Corbet, follows Brody as a Hungarian immigrant and architect fleeing to the U.S. in the wake of the Holocaust.
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See PEOPLE’s full coverage of the 97th annual Academy Awards, hosted by Conan O’Brien and airing on ABC.
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