“The Brutalist” director Brady Corbet just got his first paycheck “in years,” but it wasn’t from working on or promoting his critically acclaimed A24 drama, which is nominated for 10 Oscars this year, including Best Picture.
“I just directed three advertisements in Portugal,” Corbet shared on a recent episode of the “WTF With Marc Maron” podcast. “It’s the first time that I had made any money really in years, because both my partner [‘The Brutalist’ co-writer Mona Fastvold] and I made zero dollars on the last two films that we made. Yes, actually zero. So we had to just live off of a paycheck from three years ago.”
Corbet explained that he took the commercial directing job overseas despite his busy awards season schedule because he just could not pass up the financial opportunity of it. “Obviously, the timing during an awards campaign and having to travel every two or three days was less than ideal,” he commented. “But it was an opportunity that landed in my lap, and I jumped at it.”
Maron admitted that he found it strange that even the director of a film as acclaimed and celebrated as “The Brutalist” would still be living paycheck-to-paycheck. Corbet, who is nominated for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay at this year’s Academy Awards, said he is not the only independent filmmaker in such a position right now.
“I’ve spoken to many filmmakers that have films nominated this year that can’t pay their rent,” the director revealed. “That’s a real thing. You’re not paid to be promoting a film. And, you know, if you look at certain films that premiered in Cannes — that was almost a year ago. Our film premiered in September [at the Venice International Film Festival], so I’ve been doing this for six months and had zero income because I don’t have any time to work. I can’t even take a writing job at the moment.
“It’s seven days a week. It’s boundless,” Corbet continued, offering further insight into the demanding time commitment of an awards season promotion cycle. “It’s constant travel, but you’re also working Saturdays and Sundays. I haven’t had a day off since the Christmas break, and that was also only four days.”
Corbet’s comments come at a time when the financial conditions of the entertainment industry, both within and outside of the traditional Hollywood studio system, remain a point of concern for many. The financial reality of living as an uncompromising artist is also, notably, one of the key focuses of Corbet’s film.
Listen to Corbet’s full interview with Maron here.
