What Cillian Murphy Told Adrien Brody When He Gave ‘The Brutalist’ Star His Oscar, According to a Lip Reader
Adrien Brody is once again an Oscar winner. The 51-year-old took home the second statuette of his acting career at the 97th Academy Awards on March 2, 2025. As The Brutalist star took the stage to get his Oscar, he received some kind words from presenter Cillian Murphy. What Murphy told Brody, according to a lip reader, ahead.
Cillian Murphy presented the Oscar for Best Actor
In Oscar tradition, the previous year’s Best Actor winner, Murphy, took the stage at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, Calif., to present the award. The Peaky Blinders alum previously won in the same category for his performance in 2024’s Oppenheimer.
Murphy praised the nominees—Brody, Timothée Chalamet (A Complete Unknown), Ralph Fiennes (Conclave), Colman Domingo (Sing Sing), and Sebastian Stan (The Aprentice)—beore announcing the former as the winner.
“I think I speak for all of us when I marvel at the performances of these five nominees for Best Actor who, at every time, made the right choice,” the 48-year-old said.
Murphy called Adrien Brody ‘brilliant’ when ‘The Brutalist’ star took the stage
Moments after Brody’s viral gum-throwing (more on that later), the actor headed to the stage to accept his Oscar from Murphy. As he did, cameras captured Murphy saying something to The Brutalist star.
But what? Maybe a simple, “Here you go,” “Congratulations!” or “Well done.” According to lip reader Jeremy Freeman’s analysis, Murphy complimented the 2025 Best Actor winner, telling Brody, “Man, you’re bloody brilliant.”
Adrien Brody ‘didn’t think’ to swallow his gum before making his Oscars speech
After Murphy called Brody’s name, the actor, who won the same award 22 years earlier in 2003 for The Pianist, headed for the stage only to turn around and take his gum out of his mouth and throw it—yes, throw it—to his girlfriend, Marchesa fashion designer Georgina Chapman. (She didn’t catch it.) The moment quickly went viral, sparking much conversation online.
Speaking backstage after his big win, Brody told Live With Kelly and Mark he wasn’t exactly thinking clearly when he won. Hence, why he didn’t get rid of his gum in another way before delivering his five-minute acceptance speech. “I could’ve swallowed it,” Brody said, per Variety. “But I didn’t think about that. I had to get rid of it somehow.”
During his speech, Brody asked that the music, which tells award winners their time is up, stop playing. “I’m wrapping up, please turn the music off,” he said. “I’ve done this before. Thank you. It’s not my first rodeo, but I will be brief.”
He went on to discuss his career and give Chapman (and the children she shares with her ex-husband Harvey Weinsten) a shoutout.
“One thing that I’ve gained having the privilege to come back here is to have some perspective,” Brody said. “No matter where you are in your career, no matter what you’ve accomplished, it can all go away. And I think what makes this night most special is the awareness of that, and the gratitude that I have to still do the work that I love.”
