Brady Corbet Gets Real: Oscar Noms But Zero Dollars from ‘The Brutalist’
In a candid chat on Marc Maron’s WTF podcast, director Brady Corbet spilled the tea about the harsh realities of indie filmmaking, particularly regarding his critically acclaimed flick, *The Brutalist*. Despite its impressive haul of ten Oscar nominations—including Best Picture, Actor, and Directing—the film has yet to earn Corbet a dime. Yes, you read that right, zero dollars. Corbet lamented that he and his writing partner (who also happens to be his wife), Mona Fastvold, have been so strapped financially that they’ve had to survive on a paycheck from as far back as three years ago.
The struggle doesn’t stop with Corbet, as he revealed that many of his fellow nominees are experiencing the same plight. It’s a pretty surreal situation: directors who’ve created Oscar-worthy films can’t even cover their rent. This paradox often plays out during the grueling promotional campaigns that can stretch on for months after a film’s release. For Corbet, the whirlwind meant he was too busy jet-setting to do any paid work, including turning down writing gigs while promoting *The Brutalist* for six long months—who knew even Oscar contenders had to hustle?
Corbet described the promotional grind as akin to “a six-month interrogation,” packed with relentless travel, weekend work, and up to 90 interviews in just a week. You’ve got to give it to him; balancing art with survival is no easy feat, especially when you’re trying to carve a niche in the current landscape inundated with franchises and algorithm-driven content.
Adding fuel to the fire, actress Natalie Portman echoed these sentiments in a Deadline guest column, praising Corbet’s unique approach to filmmaking during an era defined by monotony in content. She described his work as transformative, noting that *The Brutalist* embodies the quest for innovative storytelling amidst franchise fatigue. The film itself tells the emotive story of Hungarian Jewish architect László Tóth, navigating life after the Holocaust in post-war America—a narrative as sprawling as its length, clocking in at over three hours with a 15-minute intermission.
In a film industry that often seems like a glamorous dream from the outside, Corbet’s honest assessment serves as a sobering reminder of the financial risks that come with pursuing artistic integrity. Who knew pursuing the Oscars could be just as fraught with peril as seeking a paycheck in the indie world?
Sources: Celebrity Storm Wire and Deadline, Variety, IndieWire
