A24’s The Brutalist remains one of the front-runners for the Best Picture Oscar, though director Brady Corbet is opening up about his financial challenges.

The 36-year-old filmmaker started his career as an actor with roles in indie films like Thirteen, Funny Games and Melancholia. 

He ultimately transitioned into an indie filmmaker with 2015’s The Childhood of a Leader starring Berenice Bejo (The Artist).

He followed that up with 2018’s Vox Lux starring Natalie Portman and Jude Law and now 2024’s The Brutalist, which earned 10 Oscar nominations including Best Picture.

Despite having a critically-acclaimed film in theaters, Corbet acknowledged in a new interview on Marc Maron’s WTF podcast that he’s still broke. 

The filmmaker and his wife/co-writer Mona Fastvold have, ‘made zero dollars on the last two films that we made,’ he revealed on the podcast.

A24’s The Brutalist remains one of the front-runners for the Best Picture Oscar, though director Brady Corbet is opening up about his financial challenges

He followed that up with 2018’s Vox Lux starring Natalie Portman and Jude Law and now 2024’s The Brutalist (above), which earned 10 Oscar nominations including Best Picture 

The admission stunned Maron, as Corbet admitted, ‘Yes. Actually, zero. We had to just sort of live off of a paycheck from three years ago.’

‘I just directed three advertisements in Portugal. It’s the first time that I had made any money in years,’ Corbet admitted.

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The filmmaker added that filmmakers are not, ‘paid to be promoting a film,’ which adds to the financial woes.

‘If you look at certain films that premiered in Cannes [Film Festival], that was almost a year ago … I mean, our film premiered in September,’ he said. 

‘So I’ve been doing this for six months. And had zero income because I don’t have any time to go to work,’ he said, adding he, ‘can’t even take a writing job.’

He compared the brutal promotional circuit to, ‘a six-month interrogation,’ adding that press interviews can be, ‘boundless.’  

‘It’s constant travel, and you’re also working Saturdays and Sundays. I haven’t had a day off since the Christmas break,’ Corbet revealed.

The director also added these money troubles are common among indie filmmakers, and he knows other Oscar nominees who are also struggling.

The admission stunned Maron, as Corbet admitted, ‘Yes. Actually, zero. We had to just sort of live off of a paycheck from three years ago’

‘I just directed three advertisements in Portugal. It’s the first time that I had made any money in years,’ Corbet admitted

The Brutalist is also up for Best Actor (Adrien Brody), Best Supporting Actor (Guy Pearce), Best Supporting Actress (Felicity Jones) plus Corbet and Fastvold’s (right) original screenplay

‘I’ve spoken to many filmmakers that have the films that are nominated this year that can’t pay their rent. I mean, that’s a real thing,’ he said. 

Corbet will be vying for his first Oscar for Best Director at the Academy Awards next month.

He will be going up against Sean Baker (Anora), James Mangold (A Complete Unknown), Coralie Fargeat (The Substance) and Jacques Audiard (Emilia Pérez).

The Brutalist is also up for Best Actor (Adrien Brody), Best Supporting Actor (Guy Pearce), Best Supporting Actress (Felicity Jones) plus Corbet and Fastvold’s original screenplay.