Adrien Brody is looking back on his impromptu Academy Awards kiss with Halle Berry with some perspective.
During a wide-ranging interview with Variety published on Wednesday, the star of “The Brutalist” briefly addressed the memorable but much-debated moment from the 2003 Oscars, when he spontaneously swept Berry into a passionate embrace after winning Best Actor for his role in “The Pianist.”
At the time, people saw the kiss as an example of unscripted Hollywood magic.
In the decades since, however, many believe it was inappropriate for Brody to blindside Berry, given how the sudden gesture gave her zero chance to consent.
While talking to Variety, Brody said he valued critics’ views of the kiss but wasn’t exactly apologetic.
“We live in a very conscious time, which is a wonderful thing,” he said. “And nothing that I ever do or have done or would’ve done is ever done with the intention of making anyone feel bad.”
Back in 2017, Berry admitted that she was blindsided by the incident but that she also understood how the thrill of winning an Oscar could have clouded Brody’s judgement.
During an appearance on “Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen,” she told the Bravo host she “knew nothing about” the kiss before it all played out on stage.
Remembering her reaction, she told Cohen, “I was like, ‘What the fuck is happening right now?’ That is what was going through my mind.”
But the star, who won the Best Actress Oscar one year prior to the incident, went on to add, “Because I was there the year before and I know the feeling of being out of your body, I just fucking went with it.”
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Despite the awkwardness of the whole affair, there doesn’t appear to be any bad blood between actors.
When Brody celebrated his Golden Globe win for “The Brutalist” on Instagram last month, she dropped a comment that said, “Congratulations my friend. You are truly one of one!”