David Cronenberg Addresses ‘The Brutalist’ Controversy Over Using AI to Enhance Adrien Brody’s Accent

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David Cronenberg, the renowned Canadian filmmaker, has waded into the debate concerning AI in ‘The Brutalist.’ This acclaimed movie, helmed by Brady Corbet, is causing a stir with its grand narrative and captivating performance by Adrien Brody. However, it’s recently been garnering attention for a different reason – some viewers are displeased about the way technology was employed to refine Brody’s Hungarian accent.

As reported by The Hollywood Reporter, during a recent London Soundtrack Festival event with his frequent collaborator Howard Shore, director Cronenberg expressed a theory about the backlash against “The Brutalist”. He implied that it might not have been purely based on ethical or artistic concerns, but could have been a strategic maneuver. In other words, Cronenberg suggested that some other Oscar-nominated films’ teams may have launched a campaign against “The Brutalist” to harm its chances of winning an Oscar. He likened this to the tactics used by Harvey Weinstein, although Weinstein was not involved in this instance. Essentially, Cronenberg believes that rival film camps might have been trying to undermine the film’s Oscar potential.

‘The film titled ‘The Brutalist’ focuses on László Tóth, a Hungarian-Jewish architect portrayed by Brody, who escapes to America following World War II in an attempt to restart his life and profession. This lengthy movie clocks in at over three hours and has been receiving acclaim since its premiere at the Venice Film Festival, where Corbet won the Silver Lion. Brody’s performance has also been exceptional, earning him a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Drama and, more recently, his second Oscar for this role.’

The debate began when editor Dávid Jancsó accidentally revealed that an AI technology from Ukrainian company Respeecher was employed to perfect Brody’s Hungarian lines in the film. Hungarian is known for its linguistic complexity, and while Brody and Felicity Jones put in extensive efforts with a dialect coach, the team aimed for perfection—even native speakers wouldn’t notice any imperfections. To achieve this level of precision, they inputted the actors’ voices, including Jancsó’s own, into the software to make subtle adjustments to specific sounds. This wasn’t a complete transformation, just minor improvements in certain areas.

Cronenberg remains unfazed by the commotion. He noted that altering voices in films isn’t a novel concept; he himself adjusted John Lone’s voice for his 1993 film ‘M. Butterfly’, to suit the character’s gender disclosure. For him, it’s simply another tool in the filmmaking arsenal—nothing worth causing a fuss about. And indeed, voice modifications have been around for quite some time, from traditional pitch adjustments to modern digital techniques like those used by Cher in her ‘Believe’ track.

Despite the intriguing timing of this drama, Hollywood has been quite tense regarding AI since the 2023 strikes when actors and writers vigorously resisted technology encroaching on their roles. The fact that ‘The Brutalist’ employed AI, even minimally, did not sit well with some—particularly given Brody’s acclaimed performance. I understand their sentiments too. When one thinks of an Oscar-worthy portrayal, they anticipate a gritty, human quality rather than a refined machine-polished performance.

I’ve dismissed the commotion surrounding my performance, asserting that my dedicated efforts on the role—spending months perfecting the dialect and delving into deep emotional depths—speak for themselves. Corbet has echoed this sentiment, emphasizing that the AI was merely a minor aid, not a substitute. frankly, with ten Oscar nominations and three Golden Globe awards already under my belt, ‘The Brutalist’ isn’t in need of validation.

It’s uncertain if this is an attempt to discredit, as Cronenberg suggests. The awards season has always been somewhat cutthroat, reminiscent of Harvey Weinstein’s past strategies where he would promote his films while subtly undermining competitors. This could be a contemporary adaptation of that strategy. Regardless, the film remains formidable and Brody’s victory demonstrates that the Academy paid little heed to the commotion surrounding it.

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2025-03-22 22:44