Adrien Brody and Mikey Madison Are New Oscar Winners

The 97 Academy Awards, hosted by Conan O’Brien, was a must-see event. The nominees gathered in flocks at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles to determine who would take home the Oscar. Among them were talented actors Adrien Brody and Mikey Madison.

There were many highlights of the evening, including a plethora of stars. However, the most anticipated and debated awards were the Oscars for Best Actor and Actress in a Leading Role.

Best Actor in a Leading Role nominees included Adrien Brody (The Brutalist), Timothée Chalamet (A Complete Unknown), Colman Domingo, (Sing Sing), Ralph Fiennes (Conclave), Sebastian Stan (The Apprentice).

Nominees for Best Actress in a Leading Role include Cynthia Erivo (Wicked), Karla Sofía Gascón
(Emilia Pérez), Mikey Madison (Anora), Demi Moore (The Substance), Fernanda Torres (I’m Still Here).

Adrien Brody wins Best Actor for The Brutalist

Brody’s win is not a surprise; his performance in The Brutalist as László Tóth, a Hungarian-Jewish architect who survives the Holocaust and flees to America, has been sweeping this Awards season.

He took home the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama and the BAFTA for Best Actor in a Leading Role.

However, there has also been some controversy about whether these victories were legitimate. The Brutalist‘s editor, Dávid Jancsó, admitted that production used AI voice technology to make Brody sound more authentic when he spoke Hungarian in the film.

This is Brody’s second Oscar win in this category. He also won the Best Leading Actor Oscar for portraying the famous composer Władysław Szpilman in the 2002 film The Pianist.

The Brutalist won two other Oscars for Best Original Score and Best Cinematography.

First Win For Mikey Madison

On the contrary, Mikey Madison’s victory for Anora Sunday evening was a surprise. Her fellow leading lady, Demi Moore, has dominated this category for her role in The Substance most of the award season.

Madison is Anora “Ani” Mikheeva, a 23-year-old stripper who marries the son of a Russian Oligarch (Mark Eydelshteyn). It was a massive hit at the 77 Cannes Film Festival, winning director Sean Baker the Palme d’Or.

Anora was the film to win big this year, taking home the Oscars for Best Director (Sean Baker), Best Original Screenplay (also Sean Baker), Best Film Editing (again, Sean Baker), and Best Picture

This was Madison’s first Academy Award nomination and win. At 25, she has become the ninth youngest recipient of this award, joining Jennifer Lawrence, Hilary Swank, and Audrey Hepburn. Anora also became the fourth film to win the Palme d’Or and Best Picture.

See the complete list of Oscar Winners here.