Adrien Brody wins best actor Oscar for ‘The Brutalist,’ his second for playing a Holocaust survivor
Brody called out antisemitism in his acceptance speech
Actor Adrien Brody accepts the award for Best Actor in a Leading Role for “The Brutalist” onstage during the 97th Annual Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California, March 2, 2025. (Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty Images)
(JTA) — Adrien Brody nabbed an Academy Award Sunday for his portrayal of an architect in “The Brutalist,” marking the second Oscar for the Jewish actor.
Both awards for best actor in a leading role came for Brody’s portrayal of Holocaust survivors. In 2003, he received the best actor for his performance in “The Pianist,” in which he played Władysław Szpilman, who was among a handful of Jews to survive the Warsaw ghetto and went on to resume a classical music career. That movie focused almost entirely on Szpilman’s Holocaust experience.
“The Brutalist,” on the other hand, centers on the postwar period, as Brody’s character, László Tóth, makes his way as an architect in the United States. In his acceptance speech, Brody acknowledged the resonance of the two roles, saying:
I’m here once again to represent the lingering traumas and the repercussions of war, and systematic oppression and of antisemitism and racism and of othering, and I believe that 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.
Brody previously won a Golden Globe for his “The Brutalist” performance last month, as well as a Critics Choice Award earlier this month. At that ceremony, he hobnobbed with Adam Brody, who won best actor in a comedy series.
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