The Oscars red carpet has come and gone − but not before plenty of gasp-worthy moments.
In a puckered-up reunion, best actor nominee Adrien Brody greeted Halle Berry on the red carpet with a deep kiss and a hug.
The move was a callback to 2003 when, after winning his first Oscar for “The Pianist,” Brody pulled Berry, who had presented him with the award, into an unexpected kiss. The moment generated controversy at the time, with critics characterizing it as a violation of physical boundaries and a muddying of consent.
Berry later admitted she had not known about the kiss beforehand but understood that the rush of winning an Oscar can create an out of body experience − she had won the best actress award the year prior.
Brody, looking back on the moment, told Variety in February that while he understood the critique, his intent was never harmful.
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“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.”
There seemed to be no bad blood Sunday as the two recreated the moment, swaying back and forth in a passionate embrace.
Berry followed a silver theme seen in several other getups on the carpet, sporting a disco-ball like Christian Siriano gown. Mindy Kaling, Felicity Huffman and Demi Moore also wore silver, contrasting the evening’s central gold statue.
Brody is a favorite to win tonight for “The Brutalist,” an hours-long odyssey that follows the story of a Jewish immigrant making his way in America.
He also took home awards at the Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Critics’ Choice Awards for his performance as a fictional Hungarian-Jewish architect named László Tóth in the post-World War II epic.
Should he win, the presenter would be wise to pucker up.
