David Cronenberg on using AI in The Brutalist: We mess with actors’ voices all the time

At 82, David Cronenberg openly acknowledged that he had altered a character's voice in one of his own films.

David Cronenberg has dismissed the backlash surrounding The Brutalist as nothing more than a targeted campaign against the film. The controversy arose over the use of AI to modify lead actor Adrien Brody’s voice, but Cronenberg sees this as a common practice in filmmaking.

Speaking at the London Soundtrack Festival, the Canadian director addressed the criticism head-on, emphasizing that filmmakers have long altered actors’ voices for creative and technical reasons. Drawing a comparison to his own film M. Butterfly, Cronenberg noted that such modifications are not new and should not be viewed as an issue specific to The Brutalist.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, he said, "I must confess, there was a scandal (with) ’The Brutalist’. There was a discussion about Adrien Brody… but apparently they used artificial intelligence to improve his accent. I think it was a campaign against The Brutalist by some other Oscar nominees. It’s very much a Harvey Weinstein kind of thing, though he wasn’t around."

At 82, David Cronenberg openly acknowledged that he had altered a character's voice in one of his own films. Reflecting on his 1993 release, M. Butterfly, he pointed out that voice editing is not a new phenomenon in cinema.

"We mess with actors’ voices all the time. In the case of John (Lone), when he was being this character, this singer, I raised the pitch of his voice (to sound more feminine) and when he’s revealed as a man, I lowered to his natural voice. This is just a part of moviemaking," stated David.

Brady Corbet’s The Brutalist tells the story of Laszlo Toth, a Hungarian Jewish architect played by Adrien Brody, who flees post-World War II Europe in pursuit of a new beginning in America. His journey takes an unexpected turn when a wealthy and enigmatic client alters the course of his life.

The film sparked controversy after editor David Jancso revealed that AI had been used to refine Brody’s accent during post-production. Despite the backlash, The Brutalist achieved critical acclaim, securing three Academy Awards, including Best Actor for Brody, Best Cinematography, and Best Original Score.