Oscars 2025: Halle Berry and Adrien Brody recreate their 2003 Oscars kiss

A wave of nostalgic shock ran through the 2025 Oscars red carpet as Halle Berry and Adrien Brody reenacted their notorious 2003 kiss, this time with a wink of fun. The gesture, a mix of spontaneity and staging, was a light-hearted reminder of an earlier Oscar scandal.

Halle Berry says, ‘I had to pay him back’ after kissing Adrien Brody on Oscars 2025 red carpet

Twenty-two years since Adrien Brody’s spontaneous kiss at his Best Actor win for The Pianist, Halle Berry started the hug. Welcoming Adrien warmly, she went in for a kiss, telling a media organisation, “I had to pay him back.”

The moment, recorded on film by the Academy, was received with applause and laughter from the crowd around them. Adrien Brody’s girlfriend, Georgina Chapman, was not immune to the fun, laughing and applauding. Halle Berry's own use of a cheeky “I’m sorry!” to Chapman served further to underscore the levity of the exchange.

The 2003 kiss between Halle Berry and Adrien Brody

The 2003 kiss, which came a year after Halle Berry’s own Best Actress victory, had caused confusion and controversy, especially in the context of the subsequent #MeToo movement. Halle herself had been puzzled at the time, saying, “What the f*** is going on right now?” The 2025 reenactment, however, turned the potentially uncomfortable memory into a moment of mutual laughter and friendship.

Adrien Brody wins Best Actor for ‘The Brutalist’

Adrien Brody, who won this year’s Best Actor for The Brutalist, was once again in the spotlight for his performance as well as the nostalgic kiss. Adrien Brody was in tough competition with the other nominees, Timothée Chalamet, Colman Domingo, Ralph Fiennes, and Sebastian Stan, in the category.