Director Brady Corbet revealed that he earned “zero dollars” from his Oscar-nominated film The Brutalist, shedding light on the financial struggles many filmmakers face.
“I just directed three commercials in Portugal… it’s the first time I’ve actually made any money in years,” Corbet shared during an appearance on the WTF with Marc Maron podcast.
“Both my partner and I made absolutely nothing from the last two films we directed… So we’ve essentially been living off a paycheck from three years ago,” he added in the episode released Monday.
Despite his financial struggles, Corbet has received widespread acclaim for his work on The Brutalist, winning nearly every major award this season.
The film, an expansive three-and-a-half-hour epic, tells the story of László Tóth, a Hungarian Holocaust survivor and architect rebuilding his life in the United States. The movie has been nominated for 10 Academy Awards.
The Brutalist
Corbet emphasized that he’s not alone in facing financial difficulties, noting that many other filmmakers with Oscar-nominated films this year are struggling to afford basic living expenses.
Once a film is released, directors often embark on lengthy promotional tours and awards campaigns that can last for months, leaving them with no income during that time.
“Our film premiered in September, and for the past six months, I’ve had zero earnings because I haven’t had the time to take on other work.
I can’t even accept a writing job right now,” Corbet explained, describing the exhausting travel required to promote a film both in the U.S. and internationally.
Despite its grand vision, The Brutalist was produced on a relatively modest budget of $10 million by Hollywood standards. However, the project took Corbet seven years to complete, requiring multiple attempts to secure the necessary funding.
