Halle Berry and Adrien Brody, the kiss of revenge

Twenty years after Adrien Brody’s famous surprise kiss at the 2003 Oscars, Halle Berry got her revenge in a scene that caused quite a stir on the red carpet.

The expression “revenge is a dish best served cold” was never truer than at the 97ᵉ Oscars ceremony. WhileAdrien Brody was in the middle of an interview, Halle Berry approached him with a mischievous smile before taking him in her arms and kissing him. A symbolic way of closing a two-decade-old chapter.

A cult moment revisited

This gesture echoes the 2003 Oscars, when Halle Berry, then winner of the Best Actress Oscar for In the Shadow of Hate, presented the Best Actor award to Adrien Brody for The Pianist. Overcome with emotion, the actor surprised her by kissing her passionately on stage. At the time, Halle Berry played along with a nervous laugh, but over the years, the moment has raised questions about consent.

In 2017, the actress recalled this episode: “It wasn’t planned. I was thinking, ‘What the fuck is going on?'”. However, she never expressed resentment or accused Brody of an inappropriate gesture.

An amused gesture to turn the page

On Sunday night, asAdrien Brody was nominated for his role in The Brutalist, Halle Berry recreated the scene in reverse. After her vengeful kiss, she burst out laughing and even kissed Adrien Brody’s partner Georgina Chapman on the cheek.

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