Adrien Brody Beats Out Timothee Chalamet & AI Controversy To Win Second Best Actor Oscar

Adrien Brody has won Best Actor at the 97th Academy Awards for his performance in The Brutalist. This year’s nominees also included Ralph Fiennes (Conclave), Sebastian Stan (The Apprentice), Timothée Chalamet (A Complete Unknown), and Colman Domingo (Sing Sing). Many final Oscars 2025 predictions had Chalamet winning Best Actor for his performance as Bob Dylan, especially in light of the AI controversy surrounding Brody and the making of The Brutalist.

Now, Brody has won the Academy Award for Best Actor against Chalamet and the rest of the impressive group of nominees. This is the second time Brody has won Best Actor in his career, with his first win coming in 2003 for his depiction of Władysław Szpilman in Roman Polanski’s The Pianist. Brody now joins an elite list of actors who have won Best Actor more than once that includes Daniel Day-Lewis, Marlon Brando, Tom Hanks, Dustin Hoffman, and Anthony Hopkins.

What This Means For The Oscars

Adrien Brody And The Brutalist Fared Well Despite Two Potential Deterrents

Largely due to The Brutalist‘s AI controversy and a three-and-a-half-hour runtime, there was skepticism about how the movie would fare at the Academy Awards despite the extensive critical acclaim. Nevertheless, Brody has won Best Actor for his performance as László Tóth, even with Chalamet being the favorite. In some past years, Chalamet’s performance as Bob Dylan would have been the clear winner over Brody, but that is not the case in a year when the Oscars largely defied expectations.

In addition to Brody’s win, The Brutalist‘s Oscar wins also include Best Achievement in Cinematography and Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Score). The movie’s length ultimately did not play a role in dissuading the majority of voters from rewarding Brody and other key areas of the film. The Brutalist has already received considerable buzz, and now the conversation surrounding the movie will be further heightened in the months to come, as will interest in being able to watch it.

Our Take On Adrien Brody’s Best Actor Win

He May Be Joining An Even More Elite List Soon

Brody is a deserving winner for his exceptional performance in The Brutalist. Winning the Academy Award for Best Actor more than two decades after his first win in this category is a testament to his talent and his ability to continually take on challenging and rewarding roles. It will be intriguing to see what Brody does next in his career and if he will be able to match Lewis’ record of winning Best Actor for three different films. After The Brutalist, Brody can continue to solidify his increasingly impressive reputation in the next projects that he takes on.