New Delhi:
David Cronenberg has dismissed the controversy surrounding The Brutalist, calling it a targeted campaign against the film. The backlash emerged after reports revealed that artificial intelligence was used to refine lead actor Adrien Brody’s accent.
Speaking at the London Soundtrack Festival, the acclaimed Canadian director addressed the issue, comparing it to his own experience while working on M Butterfly (1993). He pointed out that filmmakers have long altered actors’ voices in post-production.
“I must confess, there was a scandal (with) The Brutalist. There was a discussion about Adrien Brody… but apparently they used artificial intelligence to improve his accent. I think it was a campaign against The Brutalist by some other Oscar nominees. It’s very much a Harvey Weinstein kind of thing, though he wasn’t around,” Cronenberg said.
Reflecting on his own past work, the 82-year-old director recalled how he adjusted actor John Lone’s voice in M Butterfly. The film, which starred Jeremy Irons as a French diplomat, featured Lone as Song Liling, a Chinese opera singer with a hidden identity.
“We mess with actors’ voices all the time. In the case of John (Lone), when he was being this character, this singer, I raised the pitch of his voice (to sound more feminine) and when he’s revealed as a man, I lowered to his natural voice. This is just a part of moviemaking,” he explained.
Directed by Brady Corbet, The Brutalist follows Laszlo Toth (Brody), a Hungarian Jewish architect who flees post-World War II Europe to start a new life in America. His journey takes an unexpected turn when he encounters a wealthy and enigmatic client.
The controversy arose after editor David Jancso revealed that AI had been used to refine lead actor Adrien Brody’s performance during the editing process.
Despite the criticism, The Brutalist triumphed at the Academy Awards, winning three Oscars, including Best Actor, Best Cinematography and Best Original Score.