Adrien Brody is up for an Oscar for his role in The Brutalist (Image: We Love TV)
Adrien Brody kicked started 2025 with a bang when he accepted his first ever Golden Globe at the 82nd Annual Gold Globe Awards last month.
The 51-year-old Hollywood actor finally lifted the gong for Best Actor in a Motion Picture for his latest film in The Brutalist after three decades as an established actor.
But not all of his work has been a big hit with fans across the globe, with many of his TV stints causing controversy online. Some of his most controversial film and TV roles include a stint on Saturday Night Live and Chapelwaite.
With the Oscars right around the corner, the American actor is set to pick up another award for his role in the blockbuster film.
As the actor gears up for another star-studded walk on the red carpet, let’s take a look inside his more controversial roles throughout his career on the silver screen.
He has reportedly been “banned” from SNL for a controversial skit (Image: SNL )
‘Banned’ from SNL
Back in 2003, the star hosted the show in May 2003 and infamously introduced musical guest Sean Paul – who hails from Jamacia – in a bizarre Jamaican accent while wearing dreadlocks.
It was rumoured at the time that he went off-script for the controversial introduction, surprising Lorne Michaels and the SNL crew with his terrible bit.
Although, he’s never returned to the late-night sketch comedy show, the actor claims that he’s not been “banned” from the show in an interview with Vulture magazine.
He told the outlet: “I think Lorne wasn’t happy with me embellishing a bit, but they allowed me to. I thought that was a safe space to do that, weirdly.”
However, Michaels is notoriously anti-improv, because SNL is a very precise show. Adrien explained in a different Vulture interview: “Every line, every bit of dialogue has a camera cut attached to it.
“If you’re not where you’re supposed to be, then they’re going to miss the show.” Vulture has since reported that the rumour “to [Brody’s] knowledge is not true” however, he added: “I also have never been invited back on”.
Adrien Brody played a widowed father who inherited a spooky estate (Image: Sony Pictures Television)
Halloween struggle
Back in 2021, Adrien Brody took on the titular role of Charles Boone in the Paramount Plus horror series Chapelwaite. The TV series is based on Stephen King’s short story Jerusalem’s Lot which is set back in 1850 and follows Captain Boone and his family as they return to their ancestral home in Maine.
Despite boasting an incredible cast and a gripping tale written by one of the most successful horror writers of his generation, the ten-hour drama failed to pull in viewers.
At the time, the Metro.co.uk described the series as “lifeless” which many fans agreed with online. Taking to Reddit, one user fumed: ”I hardly finished the ninth episode… just one left (thank God!).
“I mean this is SERIOUSLY SLOW PACED!!! The first episode was interesting so I kept watching, but wow how bad it gets as the series moves on… the plot (more likely the lack of it), the costumes, the twists, the crazy decisions the heroes make, the acting (Adrian Brody included) – I mean he has the suffering face on 99% of the time, speaks with the same tone, regardless of the situation)… IT IS BAD PEOPLE!!”
The actor stepped into a producer role in his 2022 film Clean (Image: IFC Films)
‘Fantastically bad’
Later that year, Adrien stepped into a backstage role as a producer, co-writer and composer as well as starring in the blockbuster film Clean.
The action movie follows the life of a tormented bin man named Clean who tries to live a quiet life of redemption. But when his good intentions make him the target of a local crime boss, he must soon reconcile with the violence of his past.
However, the film received terrible reviews from critics, with Paste magazine branding it “irrefutably, deliciously bad”. And many fans agreed, as they flooded to online forums to share their complaints online.
One user penned: “Adrien Brody is one hell of an actor, but honestly this feels like a sad John Wick film. The voiceover is soooo mind-blowingly BAD. It plays like an SNL spoof done straight, or AI writing a Paul Schraeder rip-off.
“I can’t believe no one pleaded with them before release: ‘Guys, please, just lose the VO’.”
‘Cartoonish’ overacting
In 2017, the star joined the stat-studded cast of the British crime drama Peaky Blinders when he took on the role of New York Mafia leader Luca Changretta.
set in the late 1920s, Tommy Shelby (played by Cillian Murphy) was elected as an MP and useed his power to demolish the gang leader in a dramatic turn of events.
But many fans were disappointed with Adrian’s portrayal of the American gangster, branding his “cartoonish” and relying too heavily on outdated stereotypes.
Taking to Reddit, one user fumed: “From his cartoonish overacting and ridiculous posing (peaking out from behind the brim of his hat etc) to his ridiculous Marlon Brando ripoff accent and get-that-f***ing-matchstick-out-of-your-mouth I’m too cool for you attitude, he simply ruined the entirety of Season 4”.
Another agreed: “Acting is subjective. To me and I’m sure others Brody was f***ing horrible. If you liked it, great. I’m glad you like s****y acting.” A third echoed: “Moreover, he’s ripping off DeNiro ripping off Brando, that matchstick makes my eyes roll so effing hard!”
