Oscar front-runner "The Brutalist" faces AI accent controversy
"The Brutalist" is the top favorite among bookmakers in the Oscar race, particularly in the most prestigious categories like Best Actor. However, the film's editor revealed that AI enhanced Adrien Brody's Hungarian accent, which might influence the Academy members' decisions.
Last week, "The Brutalist" won three Golden Globes: Best Film, Best Director (Brady Corbet), and Best Actor (Adrien Brody). These wins are considered strong indicators for Oscar nominations. The Golden Globe-nominated screenwriters, composers, and supporting actors Guy Pearce and Felicity Jones can likely expect similar recognition. The nominees for the Academy Awards will be announced on January 23, 2024.
Following its success in the Hollywood Foreign Press Association's awards, "The Brutalist" is currently the leading favorite among bookmakers for the Oscars in the top categories. Adrien Brody was expected to compete against Timothee Chalamet ("Completely Unknown") for the Best Actor award, and he likely will. However, it remains to be seen how the Academy will respond to the news about Brody's use of "assistance."
"The Brutalist" tells the story of a Hungarian architect of Jewish origin, László Tóth (Brody), who flees post-war Europe and arrives in America to rebuild his life, work, and marriage with his wife Erzsébet (Felicity Jones). Alone in a foreign land, László settles in Pennsylvania, where a wealthy industrialist (Guy Pearce) recognizes his immense talent for designing and building.
Much of the film was shot in Budapest, with Hungarian editor David Jancso among the crew. In an apparently casual interview, he disclosed technical details about the making of "The Brutalist," revealing something that, according to American journalists, might affect the prospects of the two lead actors.
"I am a native Hungarian speaker and I know that it is one of the most difficult languages to learn to pronounce. They did a fabulous job but we also wanted to perfect it so that not even locals will spot any difference. If you’re coming from the Anglo-Saxon world certain sounds can be particularly hard to grasp. We first tried to ADR these harder elements with the actors. Then we tried to ADR them completely with other actors but that just didn’t work. So we looked for other options of how to enhance it," the editor revealed. It remains to be seen if the use of AI will affect the evaluation of the actors' performances in "The Brutalist."
