David Cronenberg defends AI use in ‘The Brutalist’ amid backlash

David Cronenberg, legendary horror director, shared his wise thoughts on why Adam Brody’s film, The Brutalist received backlash on use of AI.

Back in January, The Brutalist editor Dávid Jancsó said AI tools were used to improve the Hungarian dialogue of stars Adrien Brody and Felicity Jones.

The use of the technology caused an online outcry against the Oscar front-runner, but Cronenberg believes the backlash was more than just a social media spat.

During the London’s Royal Festival Hall, Cronenberg told The Hollywood Reporter, "I must confess, there was a scandal [with] The Brutalist There was a discussion about Adrien Brody but apparently they used artificial intelligence to improve his accent."

Sharing his thoughts, he added, "I think it was a campaign against The Brutalist by some other Oscar nominees. It’s very much a Harvey Weinstein kind of thing, though he wasn’t around."

He further argued that modifying actors’ voices is a common filmmaking technique, "We mess with actors’ voices all the time."

Given an example, he continued, "In the case of [John Lone in ‘M.Butterfly’], when he was being this character, this singer, I raised the pitch of his voice and when he’s revealed as a man, I lowered to his natural voice. This is just a part of moviemaking."

Despite the backlash, The Brutalist went on to pick up three wins at the 2025 Academy Awards, taking home the prizes for best actor, best original score and best cinematography.