The Brutalist director says Oscar contender made him ‘zero dollars'
The Brutalist director Brady Corbet said that he 'made zero dollars' from the Oscar-nominated film.
Corbet's comments come on the heels of the BAFTAs, where The Brutalist won four awards – Brady took home best director, Adrien Brody won best actor for his role as Hungarian architect and Holocaust survivor, László Tóth, and the film also won best original score and cinematography.
Corbet and Brody both took home best director and best actor at the Golden Globes, in addition to winning best film.
The Brutalist has received a whopping 10 nominations at the forthcoming 97th Academy Awards, and has been considered a frontrunner on the awards circuit this year despite controversy over the use of AI in the film.
Appearing on Marc Maron's WTF podcast, Corbet said that he had been living paycheck to paycheck, and multiple filmmakers were in a similar situation.
'I just directed three advertisements in Portugal,' Corbet said. 'It's the first time that I had made any money in years.'
The Vox Lux director explained that he and wife Mona Fastvold, who co-wrote the screenplay for The Brutalist, 'made zero dollars on the last two films that we made'.
Responding to Maron's surprise, Corbet said: 'Yes. Actually, zero. We had to just sort of live off of a paycheck from three years ago.'
Corbet went on, saying many other filmmakers are also struggling to make ends meet.
'I've spoken to many filmmakers that have the films that are nominated this year that can't pay their rent. I mean, that's a real thing.'
Explaining that filmmakers are 'not paid to be promoting a film,' he continued: 'If you look at certain films that premiered in Cannes, that was almost a year ago… I mean, our film premiered in September. So I've been doing this for six months. And had zero income because I don't have any time to go to work. I can't even take a writing job at the moment.'
On the long awards campaign and press circuit he's currently on, Corbet said it felt like 'a six-month interrogation,' and that he had just completed 90 interviews last week.
'It's seven days a week,' he said. 'It's boundless. It's constant travel, and you're also working Saturdays and Sundays. I haven't had a day off since the Christmas break, and that was also only four days.'
The Brutalist spans 30 years and explores the life of Hungarian Jewish architect László Tóth, who survives the Holocaust and, after emigrating to America with his wife, played by Felicity Jones, crosses paths with the mysterious Harrison Lee Van Buren, played by Guy Pearce, who changes the course of his life.
In a five-star review of The Brutalist for The Independent, Clarisse Loughrey wrote: 'It's not a film to devour, but to be devoured by. There's such a weight to it that it creates its own field of gravity – which, coupled with the same fierce cynicism of Corbet's previous films, The Childhood of a Leader (2015) and his pop star psychodrama Vox Lux (2018), turns a traditional historical epic into an existentially disturbing monster movie. The monster in question, of course, is America.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Press and Journal
2 hours ago
- Press and Journal
Fraserburgh Junior Arts Society: The group backed by Judi Dench that 'means so much to so many'
Driven by a unified passion for theatre Fraserburgh Junior Arts Society has been at the heart of the local community for more than 70 years. With the youngest member only six-years-old and the oldest 93, generations combine to bring the magic of stage to the Broch. Supporters of Fraserburgh Junior Arts Society (FJAS) include King Charles, legendary Oscar winning actor Dame Judi Dench and Joanna Lumley. Dame Judi's donation helped fund a sign that shines a beacon for arts and creativity through the streets of Fraserburgh town centre. Their latest production is an ambitious performance of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory at Fraserburgh Leisure Centre – complete with stunning glass elevator. Their rendition of the classic Roald Dahl novel also contains unique Oompa-Loompa's. Show producer Lewis Platt said: 'Fraserburgh Junior Arts Society means so much to so many people and we are very proud of the organisation. 'We are fully self-funded and rely on the goodness of people buying tickets for our shows. 'We have support from the King, Dame Judi Dench, Joanna Lumley and the Lord Lieutenant of Aberdeenshire. 'A donation from Dame Judi was used to buy a big Junior Arts logo for our 70th jubilee. 'Our logo sits above the Leisure Centre building and when it is on at night it lights up and shines right up the Broch. 'When you come down from Broadgate you can see our sign which is amazing.' Rising talent Caleb Patterson plays Charlie Bucket who visits the wonderful factory of eccentric chocolatier Willy Wonka, played by Craig Roger. First published in 1964 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory focuses on the adventure of 10-year-old Charlie and his grandpa Joe (Joss Duthie). In the irreverent, darkly comic children's novel Charlie wins a golden ticket to tour the magical chocolate factory. Timeless characters also include Augustus Gloop (Joss Maclaren), Veruca Salt (Eden Park), Violet Beauregarde (Zoe Burnett) and Mike Teavee (Ethan Doutre). FJAS's production also has unique Oompa-Loompas that are the result of tireless work from the costume design team. Lewis, who is also president of FJAS, said: 'We have a cast of 48 with our youngest member Caleb Patterson who is 12-years-old and plays Charlie Bucket. 'Caleb had never done anything with junior arts before but came to auditions in January and blew us away. 'He is great to work with and his singing voice is beautiful. 'We purchased a unique glass elevator that has come up from London and glows. 'It will fly about the stage. 'Our Oompa-Loompas are quite unique as they all have specialised costumes made for them. 'All the costumes are made of foam and are boxed out to make them look smaller and dumpier than they are . 'Our costume ladies Wendy Simpson and Doreen Gibson sat for many hours with their team cutting out foam, lining it and putting costumes into it. 'There are four different types of Oompas for different parts of the factory. 'When you see the workers in the chocolate room they are completely different from the ones in the nut room, mixing room and television room.' The origins of the Fraserburgh Junior Arts Society trace back to 1952. A pantomime was staged by Fraserburgh Photographic Society that year to raise funds for equipment. Inspired by the success of the production the following year some of the members formed the Fraserburgh Junior Arts Society. The society represented Aberdeenshire in 2000 at the Millennium Dome, taking 200 youngsters to London to perform 'Our Town Story'. Lewis said: 'We sit 600 people per night with 4,200 people a week coming to see our show. 'We have 548 members that range from the age of six-years-old to 93. 'Our oldest member is Elma Goodlad who is 93 and makes our costumes. 'She has been making costumes for 50 years. 'Everything in Fraserburgh Junior Arts Society is built by us… all the sets, costumes and props. 'The only thing we take in is the script and light and sound where we use a company from Dundee. 'Even though it is amateur we try to make it as professional as we can. 'I have been in junior arts since I was eight and I'm 34 now. 'Many of us have been here for 20, 30 or 40 years. 'Doreen Gibson has been in our society for 50 years. 'Everything we do from the committee to front of house has a passion, from everyone.'
NBC News
6 hours ago
- NBC News
Jury in Harvey Weinstein sex assault retrial have reached a partial verdict
Jurors in the trial against disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein said Wednesday they unanimously found him guilty of sexually assaulting one woman and not guilty of assaulting another more than a decade ago. But jurors at Weinstein's retrial told the judge they were unable to reach a verdict on allegations he assaulted a third woman and Judge Curtis Farber asked the jurors to continue deliberating Thursday before sending them home for the day. Weinstein, 73, had denied all the charges and his lawyers insisted the sexual encounters with his three accusers were 'transactional' and 'consensual.' The jury weighing the evidence against disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein in his New York retrial reached a partial verdict after five days of deliberation. Weinstein, 73, who has denied all the allegations, was charged with sexually assaulting three women more than a decade ago. Weinstein found himself on trial again after the New York state Court of Appeals last year overturned his landmark 2020 conviction for sexually abusing young women, a trial that defined the #MeToo movement and helped turn the Oscar-winning producer into a pariah. The appeals court found that the judge in that trial had improperly allowed testimony against the former Miramax chief based on allegations that were not part of the case. During the six-week retrial, jurors heard testimony from a former 'Project Runway' production assistant, Miriam Haley, and actress Jessica Mann, both of whom testified in the 2020 trial. New to the retrial was testimony from a third accuser, Kaja Sokola, a former runway model from Poland. Weinstein's lawyers have argued that the sexual encounters with his three accusers were all 'transactional' and 'consensual.' 'If this person wasn't Harvey Weinstein, would we even be here?' Weinstein defense attorney Arthur Aidala asked during his closing argument in accusing the women of being grifters. Prosecutors, however, said Weinstein preyed on young women trying to make it in Hollywood, sometimes repeatedly, and threatened to wreck their careers if they talked. 'He never had any interest in their careers,' Assistant District Attorney Nicole Blumberg told the jury. 'He had an interest in their bodies. And he was going to have their bodies and touch their bodies whether they had wanted him to or not." Just as in 2020, Weinstein did not testify at his retrial. But before the jurors announced they had reached a verdict, he told a FOX5 New York reporter that he acted "immorally" and regretted hurting his wife and family, but never did anything "illegal." "I put so many friends through this and hurt people … that were close to me, by the way, by actions that were stupid," he said. "But never illegal, never criminal, never anything." Much of the evidence that resulted in Weinstein being convicted five years ago of the third-degree rape of one woman and a first-degree criminal sex act against another woman was reintroduced at his retrial. Just as before, Weinstein pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree criminal sexual act and third-degree rape based on complaints by Haley and Mann. But this time, Weinstein also pleaded not guilty to an additional charge of first-degree criminal sexual act in the alleged sexual assault of Sokola. Sokola told the court that Weinstein forcibly performed oral sex on her in 2006 at a Manhattan hotel when she was 19 years old. But the alleged abuse began in 2002, when she was 16 and Weinstein forced her to masturbate him, she said. 'Her first sexual experience was the defendant forcing himself on her,' Blumberg said. During his three-hour closing, Aidala tried to poke holes in the testimony of the three accusers. He suggested they were coached by prosecutors to describe the sexual encounters, which he likened at one point to 'naked twister,' in a sinister light. 'They did it all to get the original sinner, the poster boy of the MeToo movement,' Aidala said. The #MeToo hashtag took off in 2017 following reports in The New York Times and The New Yorker that detailed allegations of sexual misconduct against Weinstein that went back decades. It helped inspire a reckoning in Hollywood and beyond around sexual harassment. Weinstein, Aidala added, made for an easy target. 'He's a fat dude — sorry, Harvey,' he said while the former producer looked on. Aidala insisted the encounters were all 'transactional' and that all three women believed Weinstein could help their careers. 'It's not really a casting couch I thought it was,' Aidala said. 'It's different now. I know it sounds crazy, but he's the one being used.' Blumberg painted a far different picture during the prosecution's closing remarks. 'I want to remind you why we are here,' she said. 'Because he raped three people.' Sokola and Haley both claimed that Weinstein forcibly performed oral sex on them in separate incidents in 2006. Mann told the court the producer raped her in 2013. Weinstein, Blumberg said, 'had tremendous control over Hollywood. He spoke, people listened. He decided who was in and who was out.' While Blumberg spoke, Weinstein, seated in a wheelchair, appeared to be listening intently. 'Remember, it's not the person sitting here today in a wheelchair but this man, in Hollywood, who had the power and was in control,' Blumberg said. Regardless of the verdict, Weinstein will most likely be returned to California where he has to serve a 16-year sentence for a 2022 rape conviction. His lawyers filed an appeal for that conviction in 2024 that is still in process. During his latest trial, Weinstein was allowed to stay at Bellevue Hospital where he was being treated for a host of serious health issues. Back in October, two sources told NBC News that Weinstein had been diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia, an uncommon form of bone marrow cancer. Weinstein was a Hollywood titan in the 1990s and 2000s when he and his brother Bob ran Miramax, the distributor of critically acclaimed independent movies like 'Sex, Lies, and Videotape,' 'The Crying Game,' 'Pulp Fiction' and 'Clerks,' and box office successes like 'Chicago' and 'Bridget Jones's Diary.' In 1999, Weinstein won a best picture Oscar as one of the producers of 'Shakespeare in Love.' And in the early 2010s, his second distribution label, The Weinstein Company, won back-to-back best picture Oscars for 'The King's Speech' and 'The Artist.' But as Weinstein collected accolades, he was dogged by rumors that he preyed on his leading ladies and other women in the industry. By the time he was arrested, more than 80 women had accused him of sexual assault or harassment going back decades. Just as he did at his trials, Weinstein doggedly denied the claims and insisted the encounters were consensual.
Press and Journal
9 hours ago
- Press and Journal
Famous actress trades in BAFTAs for bar work in tiny Highland village
Award-winning actress and writer Ruth Jones has been swapping showbiz for seafood and serenity in the Scottish Highlands. The Welsh actress – best known for writing, creating and starring in Gavin and Stacey alongside James Corden – has become a familiar face in the small fishing village of Lochinver. In between award-winning turns on stage and screen, Jones leads a slightly quieter life at her second home in Lochinver. The actress co-owns the village's popular seafood restaurant Peet's, alongside her husband David Peet. During her frequent visits to the village, the actress has been spotted trading BAFTAs for bar work at Peet's. Many a customer has found themselves being served food and drinks by the star. Jones and her husband, a television producer, opened the restaurant in 2014. They did so a year after buying a holiday home in the village, having fallen in love with the area. The restaurant has proved popular with locals and tourists alike, serving freshly caught seafood and other local produce. Although Jones still lives mainly in Cardiff, it is believed she rarely goes more than a few months without visiting her Highland escape. Their holiday home, bought in 2013 for £240,000, sits in a secluded bay with views of Mount Suilven. Jones's husband David is said to be a more frequent visitor, to check in on the bustling local restaurant. The couple married in 1999 after meeting at BBC Wales and have worked together several times. They notably collaborated on Sky series Stella, in which Jones played the lead role. Jones has also written several bestselling novels. She was awarded an MBE in 2014 for her contributions to entertainment. Aside from Gavin and Stacey, she has also appeared in hit television shows Fat Friends and Little Britain. Despite her fame, Jones is regularly spotted out and about in the tranquil Highland town. She is also an avid supporter of the RNLI and has publicly praised the Lochinver crew for their hard work. Last month the actress was honoured with a BAFTA award for best female performance in a comedy category for playing Nessa in Gavin and Stacey: The Finale.
