Adrien Brody nabbed an Academy Award Sunday for his portrayal of an architect in The Brutalist, marking the second Oscar for the Jewish actor.
Mikey Madison, who is Jewish, also won best actress for her role in Anora, which won best picture.
Both of Brody’s best actor wins came for portrayals 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, centres on the post-war 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 for Nobody Wants This.
Madison, who grew up in Los Angeles, won for portraying a sex worker, and said in her speech, “I also just want to again recognise and honour the sex worker community. Yes. I will continue to support and be an ally. All of the incredible people, the women that I’ve had the privilege of meeting from that community has been one of the highlights of this entire incredible experience.”
The best supporting actor award went to Kieran Culkin for his role in A Real Pain, about two Jewish cousins on a tour of Holocaust sites in Poland.
Composer Daniel Blumberg, who grew up in Muswell Hill, won Best Original Score for The Brutalist.
