With the Oscars taking place this weekend – and Halle Berry set to present at the ceremony - people are looking back at the moment Adrien Brody kissed her on stage, but this time social media is divided.
In 2003 at the 75th Annual Academy Awards, Berry presented Brody with the Best Actor award for his role in The Pianist.
The show took a rather bizarre turn when Brody decided to go against the tradition of accepting his award, delivering a quick speech to thank all his collaborators and loved ones before exiting the stage. Instead, he grabbed the X-Men star’s head and planted a kiss on her lips.
Although the impromptu kiss was brushed off two decades ago, Berry admitted many years later that it was not planned and she actually had no idea what was going on.
During an interview with Andy Cohen on Watch What Happens Live in 2017, she said: "That was not planned, I knew nothing about it.
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"I was like, 'What the f**k is happening right now?' That is what was going through my mind.
"I was there the year before and I know the feeling of being out of your body. I just f**king went with it."
As the audience erupted in laughter Cohen asked how the kiss was, to which Berry replied: "I don't know, I was too focused on what the f**k was going on."
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Brody was asked about the kiss in 2015 during an interview with Vanity Fair. When the publication asked if he’s ‘seen Halle Berry recently’, the Blonde star said ‘no’ before describing the unplanned moment as ‘one of the most memorable moments ever'.
He went on: "You could say time slowed down, that was that moment when I really, really felt it slow down."
Apparently, the sign telling him to ‘get off the stage’ was flashing by the end of the kiss.
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In the years that followed, the kiss was often mentioned as one of the most iconic moments from the world’s most prestigious awards ceremony. In fact, it was named as one of its 'favourite Oscars moments' when it was uploaded on the official YouTube channel for the Academy Awards 15 years ago.
People seemed to love the randomness and ‘passion’ between the two actors, even though Berry made it very clear that she had no idea what was happening in the moment and she clearly didn’t have a chance to agree or prepare for the kiss.
Now in 2023, after the start of the #MeToo movement in 2006 and its spread on social media in 2017, people are starting to look at the on-stage moment differently.
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“In 2003, Adrien Brody kissed Halle Berry during his acceptance speech without warning and without her permission. Everyone just laughed and moved on,” one Twitter user said.
Another comment said: “Adrien Brody suddenly kissed Halle Berry on the lips, without her consent, did it live on stage in front of everyone. People laughed it off as a funny story.”
A third film fan said: “Halle Berry presenting at the Oscars made me think of Adrien Brody weird a**”
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A fourth commented: “Are the Oscars going to retroactively ban Adrien Brody for kissing Halle Berry, too?”
Someone else thought about the reaction on Twitter if the app was around when the kiss happened. “I know that Adrien Brody kissing Halle Berry at the Oscars would have torn this app apart,” they said.
UNILAD has contacted Adrien Brody's reps and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for comment.
Topics: Film and TV, Oscars, Halle Berry
Gregory Robinson