Brady Corbet spills beans on AI use in 'The Brutalist'

Brady Corbet, director of the acclaimed film The Brutalist, has addressed criticism surrounding the use of artificial intelligence to refine Adrien Brody and Felicity Jones’ Hungarian accents in the movie.

In regards to this, Corbet stated to Variety, “Adrien and Felicity’s performances are completely their own. They worked for months with dialect coach Tanera Marshall to perfect their accents.”

Moreover, he continued by saying, “Innovative Respeecher technology was used in Hungarian language dialogue editing only, specifically to refine certain vowels and letters for accuracy. No English language was changed.”

According to US Weekly, Corbet emphasized that the process was conducted with care as he stated, “This was a manual process, done by our sound team and Respeecher in post-production. The aim was to preserve the authenticity of Adrien and Felicity’s performances in another language, not to replace or alter them, and done with the utmost respect for the craft.”

Additionally, the film stars Adrien Brody as László Tóth, a Hungarian-Jewish architect and Holocaust survivor, and Felicity Jones as his wife.

As per the publication, controversy arose after an interview with editor Dávid Jancsó, published by RedShark News on January 11, revealed that Respeecher, a Ukrainian AI software, was used to enhance the Hungarian dialogue.

In this regard, Jancsó explained, “We coached [them] and they did a fabulous job, but we also wanted to perfect it so that not even locals will spot any difference.” He acknowledged that parts of his own voice were blended into the dialogue, clarifying, “It’s mainly just replacing letters here and there.”

Furthermore, Corbet also refuted claims that AI was used to create the architectural drawings shown at the film’s conclusion, stating, “[Production designer] Judy Becker and her team did not use AI to create or render any of the buildings. All images were hand-drawn by artists.”

As per the outlet’s claims, The Brutalist has garnered significant acclaim, sweeping three major awards at the Golden Globes, including Best Motion Picture — Drama, Best Director for Corbet, and Best Actor for Brody.

While reflecting on his win, Brody told reporters, “I’ve had a very blessed career, but finding work as meaningful as this remains a challenge.”

It is worth mentioning that he added that the film’s themes resonate deeply, saying, “It speaks to my family’s struggles and the hardships they’ve faced.”