Two decades after one of the most controversial moments in Oscars history, Halle Berry and Adrien Brody reunited on the 2025 Academy Awards red carpet — and this time, Berry took control of the situation.
Berry, who was at the ceremony to present a segment honoring the James Bond franchise, spotted Brody mid-interview and made her move.
Interrupting his chat with Access Hollywood’s Georgina Chapman, she said, “Sorry Georgina [Brody’s girlfriend], I have to do this.” She then grabbed Brody’s face and planted a kiss on him, recreating the moment that had sparked so much conversation 22 years earlier.
After pulling away, Berry quipped: “I had to do that. I had to pay him back.”
@accesshollywood HALLE BERRY KISSED ADRIEN BRODY AT THE #OSCARS !!! THIS IS NOT A DRILL 🚨 #AWARDSEASON ♬ original sound – Access Hollywood
Brody, who is nominated this year for Best Actor for his role in The Brutalist, smiled and embraced Berry as the surrounding crowd erupted into cheers.
The kiss also took place in front of Brody’s partner, Georgina Chapman, who found a lot of humor in her boyfriend kissing another woman.
A Look Back at the 2003 Oscars Kiss
The moment was an intentional nod to the now-infamous incident at the 2003 Academy Awards, when Brody, then 29, shocked the world after winning Best Actor for The Pianist. In an impulsive act of celebration, he grabbed Berry—who was presenting the award—and gave her a long, unexpected kiss on stage.
Berry, who had won Best Actress for Monster’s Ball the previous year, was visibly caught off guard. The moment quickly went viral, with many later criticizing Brody for kissing her without consent.
During his 2015 interview with Vanity Fair, Brody reflected on the night, calling it “one of the most memorable moments ever.”
“You could say time slowed down. That was that moment where I really, really felt it slow down. In fact, it must have, because by the time I got finished kissing her… they were already flashing the sign that said, ‘Get off the stage, your time is up.’”
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Berry later admitted she was completely surprised by the kiss.
“That was not planned. I knew nothing about it,” she said in a 2017 appearance on Watch What Happens Live. “I was like, ‘What the f*** is happening right now?’ But because I had been in that same position the year before, I just f***ing went with it. But I was like, ‘What the f*** is going on?’”
A Playful Reunion, But a Complicated Legacy
While their 2025 Oscars kiss was clearly staged for fun, it came after years of discussion and debate about the original incident.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter) to comment on the moment, Berry quipped: “Surpriseee @adrienbrody!! I had to get some payback”.
Brody, in a recent interview with Variety, acknowledged how attitudes toward personal boundaries and consent have evolved since that night in 2003.
“We live in a very conscious time, which is a wonderful thing,” he said. “And nothing that I ever do or have done or would’ve done is ever done with the intention of making anyone feel bad.”
Although Berry has never claimed to be deeply upset by the original moment, her comments over the years have suggested she was not entirely comfortable with it either. That’s what made her 2025 red carpet moment feel like a playful reversal of roles, with Berry finally taking the moment into her own hands.
With Brody nominated for Best Actor once again — this time for The Brutalist — and Berry continuing to be a powerful presence in Hollywood, their red carpet moment proved that while some controversial Oscars moments age poorly, others can be playfully revisited in a way that brings closure.
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