“The Brutalist” director is getting real about the realities of making an Oscar-nominated film.
During a recent appearance on the “WTF with Marc Maron” podcast, the film’s director, Brady Corbet, shared that he and his wife and creative partner, Mona Fastvold, “made zero dollars on the last two films that we made,” which include “The Brutalist” and the 2018 film “Vox Lux.”
“I just directed three advertisements in Portugal. It’s the first time that I had made any money in years,” he said on the podcast. “I’ve spoken to many filmmakers that have the films that are nominated this year that can’t pay their rent. I mean, that’s a real thing.”
Corbet doubled-down on the fact that he made “actually zero” dollars for his last two films, adding he and his wife have “had to just sort of live off of a paycheck from three years ago.”
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He went on to explain that filmmakers are “not paid to be promoting a film,” and often times the promotion schedule can get in the way of other opportunities to make money with their work.
“If you look at certain films that premiered in Cannes, that was almost a year ago… I mean, our film premiered in September. So I’ve been doing this for six months. And had zero income because I don’t have any time to go to work. I can’t even take a writing job at the moment.”
Nominated for 10 Oscars at the 2025 Academy Awards, “The Brutalist” follows Jewish architect, László Tóth, played by Adrien Brody, as he moves to America after surviving the Holocaust. The movie sees him trying to make enough money to bring his wife and niece to join him in America, when he connects with a wealthy man who hires him to build a community center.
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Brody has already won the Golden Globe, Critics’ Choice Award and the BAFTA for his portrayal of László, and is a frontrunner in the race for best leading actor at the Academy Awards.
In addition to nominations for Corbet and Brody, the film is also nominated for best picture, best supporting actress, best supporting actor, best original screenplay and many others.
“I’m grateful to have made a movie that speaks to the immense tragedy of a time in history,” Brody told Variety in February. “And for it to be told with very little sentimentality, as almost a visual reference of a time that cannot be forgotten and a pervasive undercurrent that cannot be ignored.”
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Brody previously won an Oscar in 2003, for his leading role in the 2002 movie, “The Pianist.” He won the award at the age of 29, making him the youngest actor to win the honor.
