Adrien Brody opens up about that controversial Oscars kiss with Halle Berry
Adrien Brody is an intensely private person and has never been a typical leading man, he explained in a February 2025 interview with Variety. He often got passed over for roles because of his unconventional looks. Perhaps this chip on his shoulder explains why in 2003 at age 29, he kissed presenter Halle Berry without her consent when winning the Oscar for Best Actor for his work in The Pianist.
The move was not preplanned or rehearsed. After laying one on Berry, he quipped “I bet they didn’t tell you that was in the gift bag.” Berry looked visibly surprised and wiped her mouth.
At the time, the move was celebrated as fun and spontaneous. Thankfully, we have evolved past this short-sightedness and have a deeper understanding of boundaries. Brody reflected on the infamously iconic moment in the Variety profile.
“We live in a very conscious time, which is a wonderful thing. And nothing that I ever do or have done or would’ve done is ever done with the intention of making anyone feel bad,” he explained. It’s not exactly an apology, though, is it?
In 2017, Berry discussed the controversial moment during an appearance on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen. Although the move took her off guard, there did not appear to be any bad blood between the two actors.
“I was like, ‘What the f— is happening right now?’ That is what was going through my mind,” Berry explained. “And because I was there the year before and I know the feeling of being out of your body, I just f—ing went with it. But I was like, ‘What the f— is going on right now?’ “
Brody’s reflection comes as he finds himself nominated for best actor once more, this time for his work in The Brutalist directed by Brady Corbet. Brody plays László Tóth, an architect and Holocaust survivor who comes to the United States to start over but struggles to find his place in his new home.
The film has also found itself at the center of a controversy over its use of AI. This all started when editor Dávid Jancsó revealed that AI was used to tweak the Hungarian voice-over of Brody and Felicity Jones in an interview with RedShark News. Film purists were quick to jump on this but the bottom line is the enhancements were only used on five minutes of the film and not on any English dialogue.
“There’s, unfortunately, a lot of misinformation and disinformation that’s got out there, but this was actually incredibly meticulous work that was done by hand. And I really understand why people are so sensitive on this issue, but this was all frankly blown way out of proportion,” Corbet explained in response to the furor.
Beyond his professional life, Brody is no stranger to the judgment of the outside world. He is dating Georgina Chapman, a fashion designer and actress who perhaps is best known as Harvey Weinstein’s ex-wife. Chapman and the disgraced movie executive were together from 2007 to 2017 with their divorce being finalized in 2021.
At first, Brody was cagey in the Variety interview about Chapman. “I’m not going to delve into it, so let’s skip it,” he replied to interviewer Tatiana Siegel.
Since this portrait of the actor took place over a two year span, later on he warmed up a bit. He opened up about creating a beautiful life in the countryside with Chapman and her two children complete with lots of furry friends.
“We have a number of pets,” he explained. “My girlfriend has a whole menagerie of animals. We have four cats and a dog and donkeys and miniature horses, and we have a whole lot of animals around here.”
Brody, now 51, appears to have matured beyond school-boy antics, but his unwillingness to distance himself from Pianist director Roman Polanski or comment on President Trump’s anti-immigrant policies continues to frustrate fans. His impressive career displays the complex nature of living in the public eye, from moments of controversy to private retreats and evolution.
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