What Entitlement Looks Like? Adrien Brody’s Oscars Award Acceptance Speech

When the Best Actor award was announced and Adrien Brody took the top honor for the second time, he headed toward stage and abruptly stopped. Realizing he was chewing gum, he took it out and threw it to his partner and “personal gum valet” Georgina Chapman. That was just part of the criticism that author Joe Berkowitz offers up for Brody who’s “case study in entitlement” was broken down in this article. The reaction to his speech (which broke the Guinness record for its length) was widely negative, as media called it “self-indulgent” and “insufferable.” If you watched it, you probably agree. But was it really the length that was the problem?

I don’t think so. Rather, it was the fact that he didn’t say anything of consequence. The entire speech was about himself, and an example of a huge ego not interested in ceding the mic for anyone else to have their moment too. It disrespected the audience in the room and erased any goodwill anyone might have felt for him to win the award a second time. Do you agree with the criticism? Was this speech uniquely bad and a learning moment for us all on how NOT to behave, or are the critics inventing a controversy here?