He Won Oscar for Best Actor, Hasn't Worked Since

Adrien Brody says he's waiting for the role that feels right
Posted Dec 14, 2025 2:35 PM CST
He Won Oscar for Best Actor, Hasn't Worked Since
Adrien Brody and Georgina Chapman arrive for the opening of the Red Sea International Film Festival in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025.   (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

How do you follow up a second Best Actor Oscar? Adrien Brody is still deciding. The two-time Oscar winner, who took home his latest award last year for his turn as architect László Tóth in The Brutalist, told an audience at Saudi Arabia's Red Sea Film Festival on Saturday that he has yet to accept any offers for new film roles. "It's not because I have not had interesting opportunities, but it didn't feel quite right," he said, per Deadline.

He alluded to this as a luxury for an established actor such as himself, telling the crowd of aspiring actors and filmmakers to "explore anything that remotely feels like an opportunity for you to grow" in the early part of their career, regardless of payment. "Any professional experience is the biggest lesson… failing or overcoming the obstacles or pressure on set, will only strengthen you for the future obstacles to come," he said.

Brody reflected that after his first Oscar for The Pianist in 2003, he became more selective, thinking he no longer had as much to prove. Yet The Brutalist is "widely regarded as one of the most intense and emotionally demanding roles of his career," per Firstpost. Brody said the intense 23-day schedule left him "depleted" and that he often avoided socializing or even eating lunch during filming in order to maintain focus, emphasizing the personal toll that immersive roles can take. Simply put, "I have no personal life when I'm filming."

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