Oscar nominee Brady Corbet exposes brutal truth about the industry: ‘I made $0’

One of this year’s Oscar nominees for Best Director and Best Film has revealed a shocking truth about the state of his career.

Award-winning director Brady Corbet claims he did not make any money from “The Brutalist” — despite the critically acclaimed film grossing $31.1 million globally at the box office.

The former actor said on the “WTF with Marc Maron” podcast Monday that he had just wrapped directing three advertisements in Portugal and it was the first time he had “made any money, really, in years.”

Corbet claimed he “made zero dollars on the last two films” he made before reaffirming, “Yes, actually zero. So we had to just live off of a paycheck from three years ago.”

His last few directorial works are listed as “The Brutalist” in 2024, three episodes of the miniseries “The Crowded Room” in 2023, a Maya Hawke music video in 2022, the short film “30/30 Vision: 3 Decades of Strand Releasing” in 2022 and “Vox Lux” in 2018, according to his IMDb profile.

US director Brady Corbet, poses in the press room with the silver medallion for his Directors Guild of America Theatrical Feature Film nomination. Picture: AFP.

Corbet, 36, explained that the time it takes to promote a film has also been a factor in his finances.

“If you look at certain films that premiered in Cannes, that was almost a year ago. … I mean, our film premiered in September,” he explained of “The Brutalist.”

“So I’ve been doing this for six months. And had zero income because I don’t have any time to go to work. I can’t even take a writing job at the moment.”

“The Brutalist” is a period drama starring Adrien Brody in the role of a Hungarian-Jewish Holocaust survivor who moves to the US to rebuild his life, career and marriage.

The film has not only been a box office hit but has also garnered four BAFTAs and three Golden Globes, including awards for best director at both ceremonies.

It is also nominated for 10 Academy Awards, including best picture, best director, best original screenplay, best actor, best supporting actor (Guy Pearce) and best supporting actress (Felicity Jones).

The Oscars take place March 2.

Corbet added on “WTF with Marc Maron” that his financial situation is not unique to him, as he has spoken to “many filmmakers with films nominated this year who can’t pay their rent.”

A Hollywood insider tells Page Six exclusively, “This is the epitome of independent filmmaking, where creators have to invest in themselves. This project is a testament to that in every way.

“People can fight over pennies, but this is also [Corbet’s] love letter to all other filmmakers and creators who want to just make their art, which is really what [‘The Brutalist’] is about, too, which is ironic.”

TOPSHOT - US director Brady Corbet poses with the award for Best director for "The Brutalist" during the BAFTA British Academy Film Awards ceremony at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, in London, on February 16, 2025. (Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP)

Corbet appeared to express some remorse for taking on the task of making such a complex film, which he said has consumed nearly a decade of his life and took time away from his 10-year-old daughter, Ada.

“Years of my life have been eroded as a result of the stress of making the film, of protecting the flame of the film — even though the film has been so impressive, inspirational and even commercially viable, which is kind of amazing,” he shared. “I don’t know if eight years of torment is worth four months of success.”

Corbet explained that his changed perspective comes from getting older and “saying goodbye” to loved ones who have died, adding, “I think you value your time differently.”

The filmmaker pointed out during the interview that he may see movie profits, though — just at a later time.

He said, “Everyone gets paid back, like, 17 times over before you make a dollar as its creator — it’s amazing.”

According to the Directors Guild of America, movie directors get paid a salary depending on the length of time and type of project they are working on. Reps for the organisation did not immediately respond to Page Six’s request for comment on Corbet’s remarks.

Agreements reportedly also include how much the filmmaker will receive from royalties, DVD sales, licensing fees, screening tickets and TV showings.

“The Brutalist” was distributed by A24 Films. A rep for the studio declined to comment. However, a source says A24 acquired the finished film and was not involved in the deal-making of the production.

This story originally appeared on Page Six and is republished here with permission.

Originally published as Oscar nominee Brady Corbet exposes brutal truth about the industry: ‘I made $0’