22 years after their infamous 2003 Oscars kiss, Halle Berry and Adrien Brody shared another unexpected moment on the 2025 Academy. The surprise red carpet moment quickly trended, reigniting discussions about their first meeting two decades earlier.
Halle Berry, 58, shared a video of the moment on Instagram with a cheeky caption: “Surpriseee @adrienbrody!! I had to get some payback 😉🫶🏽.”
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The official Academy Awards Instagram account also posted a clip showing Berry approaching Brody, 51, with open arms before planting a big kiss on him. The two then shared a warm embrace, laughing off the playful moment.
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Recreating the 2003 Oscars Kiss
The surprise smooch comes 22 years after Brody’s Best Actor win for The Pianist at the 2003 Academy Awards, where he famously kissed Berry while accepting the award. At the time, Berry appeared visibly shocked, wiping her lips as the moment became one of the most talked-about in Oscar history. While the kiss was initially laughed off, it has since been scrutinized in the context of evolving social and cultural discussions.
In a recent interview with Variety, Brody reflected on the controversy: “We live in a very conscious time, which is a wonderful thing. And nothing that I ever do or have done or would’ve done is ever done to make anyone feel bad.”
Mutual Support Despite Past Controversy
Despite past criticisms, Berry continues to support Brody’s career. After he won a Golden Globe in January for his role in The Brutalist, she congratulated him in the comments of his Instagram post, writing, “Congratulations my friend. You are truly one of one!”
Speaking to Variety’s Marc Malkin on the Oscars 2025 red carpet, Berry explained her decision to recreate the kiss: “That was one hell of a night for him, and for me as well. To be a part of his moment… tonight I had to pay him back. I’ve seen him out at parties, but this is the first time since that night that I’ve seen him on the red carpet somewhere. He’s nominated this year. He deserved that.”
Brody’s 2025 Oscar Nomination
Brody is nominated for Best Actor at the 2025 Academy Awards for his performance as Hungarian-Jewish architect and Holocaust survivor László Tóth in Brady Corbet’s The Brutalist. The historical drama has been nominated for 10 awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actress (Felicity Jones), Best Supporting Actor (Guy Pearce), and Best Original Screenplay.
Halle Berry remains a trailblazer in Hollywood since she is the sole Black actor to have won Best Leading Actor at the Academy Awards. She did this in 2002 for her performance in Monster’s Ball.
The comedic incident which occurred between the two celebrities on the red carpet during the Oscars reminded us of things past and put a twist to the evening proceedings.
