Adrien Brody now holds a new Academy Awards record—one that Kieran Culkin may have seen coming.

The actor delivered the longest Oscars acceptance speech in history during the 2025 ceremony, speaking for approximately five minutes and 40 seconds. This surpasses the previous record set by British actress Greer Garson, who spoke for five minutes and 30 seconds when accepting her Best Actress award for Mrs. Miniver in 1943.

Brody’s lengthy speech followed a lighthearted moment at the SAG Awards a week prior, where Culkin jokingly called him out for his famously wordy speeches. While accepting his own award, the Succession star quipped, "I don’t think there’s any way anyone can hold this for 45 seconds, which is the allotted time, Adrien Brody — 45 seconds."

The remark drew laughter from the audience, including Brody himself. Culkin quickly backtracked, saying, "There was no reason to take that shot. I love you; it’s a joke. You take your time. Lord knows I will."

At the Oscars, Culkin secured his own victory for A Real Pain, and although he took his time thanking loved ones, his speech still ran under three minutes—far shorter than Brody’s.

Brody, accepting his second career Oscar for The Brutalist, was well aware of his speech’s length. About four minutes in, the orchestra began playing, a traditional cue to wrap things up. But the actor wasn’t ready to leave just yet.

"I’m wrapping up. I will wrap up; turn the music off. I’ve done this before," he insisted. "Thank you. It’s not my first rodeo, but I will be brief. I will not be egregious, I promise."

This wasn’t the first time Brody resisted being played off the stage. When he won Best Actor for The Pianist in 2003, he delivered a speech that stretched over four minutes—despite the orchestra’s attempts to cut him off. At the time, he firmly told the producers, "Wait, one second. One second, one second, please. Cut it out—I get one shot at this."

Though the Academy has no strict time limit for acceptance speeches, winners are generally given 45 seconds before the music starts playing. Several honorees at this year’s ceremony, including those in the Best Sound and Best Cinematography categories, were cut off quickly.

Brody, however, held his ground—cementing his place in Oscars history once again.

Source: Entertainment Weekly