The Brutalist director Brady Corbet is opening up about the realities of life as a celebrated filmmaker.
Corbet, 36, revealed in the Monday, February 17 episode of the “WTF with Marc Maron Podcast” that he’s made “zero income” from the film, which has earned 10 Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Original Screenplay. Corbet, who co-wrote The Brutalist with wife Mona Fastvold, also scored a directing prize at the Golden Globe Awards in January.
“I just directed three advertisements in Portugal,” Corbet told host Marc Maron. “It’s the first time that I had made any money in years.”
He noted that he and Fastvold, 38, “made zero dollars on the last two films that we made.”
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When Maron, 61, reacted with surprise, Corbet confirmed: “Yes. Actually, zero. We had to just sort of live off of a paycheck from three years ago.”
The Brutalist stars Adrien Brody as the fictional László Tóth, a Hungarian-Jewish architect and Holocaust survivor who emigrated to America following World War II. Felicity Jones plays Tóth’s wife. So far, Brody, 51, has won a Golden Globe, a Critics Choice Award and a BAFTA Award for the role; an Academy Award could be next, if the actor triumphs at the March 2 ceremony in Los Angeles.
In his “WTF” interview, Corbet said that he isn’t being paid to promote the film — a heavy time commitment, especially during award season.
“I mean, our film premiered in September,” he said. “So I’ve been doing this for six months. And had zero income because I don’t have any time to go to work.”
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Corbet compared promoting The Brutalist to “a six-month interrogation,” with “boundless” media interviews. “It’s constant travel, and you’re also working Saturdays and Sundays,” he said. “I haven’t had a day off since the Christmas break.”
The writer-director added that he’s not alone in his financial struggle.
“I’ve spoken to many filmmakers that have the films that are nominated this year that can’t pay their rent,” he said. “I mean, that’s a real thing.”
It took Corbet eight years to get The Brutalist from page to screen, and he made his passion project for less than $10 million. Since hitting theaters in December, it has collected $31 million at the worldwide box office.
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“I am very grateful,” Brody told Us Weekly and other reporters in the Beverly Hilton Press Room following his Golden Globe win last month. “I’ve had a very blessed career, but as you can see, it’s still a challenge to find work that is as meaningful as this.”
“That you can have a triumph in your life again is incredibly healing and rewarding,” Brody said, noting that the movie “speaks to my family’s struggles and the hardships that they’ve faced.”
