Adrien Brody is this year’s lead actor British Academy Film Award winner for his remarkable performance in The Brutalist. The prestigious BAFTA ceremony, hosted by David Tennant, took place on February 16 at the Royal Festival Hall in London, where the talented actor took the stage to express his heartfelt gratitude to his supporters.
“Where do I begin? I am so grateful, and I want to thank this institution for not only honoring me, but for everyone here tonight who’s done such great work and everyone who’s been nominated and for acknowledging all of this hard work,” Brody, 51, stated during his acceptance speech. He further emphasized the theme of The Brutalist, stating, “This film is really about this pursuit of leaving something meaningful, and I think that’s something we can all relate to. So I congratulate you all. I share this with my fellow esteemed nominees, Ralph, Coleman, Hugh, Timothée, Sebastian, I admire all your work tremendously.”
Brody continued to express his appreciation towards the awarding body and reflected on his newfound connection to the people of Britain. “I want to thank the BAFTA voters. I greatly appreciate this. I also want to thank the British public for embracing me and my creative endeavors,” he mentioned. “I was recently brave enough to step back on the stage here, and lived here for a while in London. This is incredibly meaningful as England has felt quite a bit like home lately.”
In conclusion, he extended his gratitude to director Brady Corbet and the production team by saying, “This is for our collaborative efforts. I’m so humbled by this. Thank you. I will cherish this.” For his compelling portrayal of László Tóth, a Hungarian-born Jewish architect who emigrates to the U.S. to escape the Holocaust, Brody has previously won a Golden Globe and a Critics Choice Award. Directed and co-written by Corbet, The Brutalist features co-stars BAFTA nominees Felicity Jones and Guy Pearce.
This commendable win marks Brody’s second BAFTA nomination after his Oscar-winning performance in The Pianist in 2003. At the 78th BAFTAs, he faced off against formidable actors, including Timothée Chalamet for A Complete Unknown, Colman Domingo for Sing Sing, Ralph Fiennes for Conclave, Hugh Grant for Heretic, and Sebastian Stan for The Apprentice. Notably, all but Grant are also nominated in the Academy Awards’ corresponding category, which will be held on March 2.
At the upcoming February 23 Screen Actors Guild Awards, Brody, alongside Chalamet, Domingo, Fiennes, and Daniel Craig for Queer, will compete for the lead actor prize. In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE, Brody spoke about his personal connection to the role, sharing, “My mother and my grandparents owned a very similar journey of fleeing war-torn Europe and coming to the U.S. in the ’50s.” He elaborated on the significance of the role, stating, “The hardships and sacrifices and their own resilience and everything that they endured — in addition to my mother as an artist and her yearnings to leave behind a body of work of some great significance, they’re all things that are very personal to me. So I felt a deep responsibility to convey that authentically.”
Chalamet, who has earned three BAFTA nods and a Rising Star honor in 2018, has had a busy year leading both Dune: Part Two and A Complete Unknown. The latter is a biopic about Bob Dylan in the 1960s, co-starring fellow BAFTA honorees Edward Norton as Pete Seeger and Monica Barbaro as Joan Baez. Meanwhile, Fiennes, a seasoned veteran in the British Academy, boasts seven nods, dating back to his sole win in 1994 for Schindler’s List.
Adapted from Robert Harris’ novel, the papal drama Conclave imagines twists and turns in modern-day Vatican City, co-starring notable actors like Stanley Tucci and John Lithgow. Colman Domingo is continuing on a roll, earning back-to-back BAFTA nominations with last year’s Rustin and now with Sing Sing, where he portrays the formerly incarcerated John “Divine G” Whitfield, dramatizing a real-life theater program known as Rehabilitation Through the Arts.
Hugh Grant’s Heretic marks his fifth BAFTA nomination, following a win for his first nod for Four Weddings and a Funeral in 1995. In this new horror film from A24, Grant plays a sadistic recluse who subjects two young missionaries to a test of faith. Meanwhile, Sebastian Stan has received critical acclaim for his recent roles, including A Different Man, which earned him his first Golden Globe, and portraying a young Donald Trump in The Apprentice, gaining nominations at the BAFTAs, Spirit Awards, and Oscars.
As the excitement builds for the 77th British Academy Film Awards, all eyes are on the fascinating narratives these actors bring to the forefront, reflecting talent, resilience, and the human spirit in their performances. Fans eagerly await further developments as the awards season unfolds, celebrating films that connect deeply with audiences around the world.
