Oscar-nominated director Brady Corbet is shedding light on the financial struggles of independent filmmakers, revealing that he has earned no money from his latest film, The Brutalist.
During an appearance on Marc Maron’s WTF podcast, Corbet, who has multiple Academy Award nominations, shared that he also made no profit from his previous two films.
“I just directed three advertisements in Portugal. It’s the first time that I had made any money in years,” he said. “I made zero dollars on the last two films that we made.”
Despite The Brutalist receiving widespread critical acclaim and winning major awards—including a Golden Globe, Critics Choice Award, and BAFTA—Corbet himself has not financially benefited from the project.
When asked to clarify, he confirmed, “Yes. Actually, zero. We had to just sort of live off of a paycheck from three years ago.”
Corbet also described promoting a film as an unpaid job that demands extensive travel, interviews, and public appearances. Since The Brutalist premiered in September, he has spent six months on the awards campaign trail without earning an income.
“I’ve been doing this for six months and had zero income because I don’t have any time to go to work,” he explained, comparing the intense press circuit to an interrogation process.
His experience highlights the financial uncertainty that many independent filmmakers face, even when their films achieve critical and award-season success.
The Brutalist, a historical drama about a Hungarian-born immigrant architect in post-World War II America, took eight years to complete. It is currently playing in theaters.