🎬 Acting Failure or Technological Triumph? The Oscar Is at Stake.
Dávid Jancsó, editor of The Brutalist, one of the frontrunners for the upcoming Oscars, revealed in an interview that he used AI to enhance the Hungarian accents of the film's main characters—with the actors' full support.
This approach has many critics who argue that an actor shouldn't receive such a prestigious award for a game that has been adjusted by AI.
Adrien Brody plays László Tóth, a Hungarian-Jewish architect who emigrates to the U.S. after World War II, while Felicity Jones portrays his wife. Jancsó, a native Hungarian speaker, felt the actors didn't fully capture an authentic Hungarian accent.
Dávid turned to the AI tool Respeecher, uploading recordings of his own voice and the actors' voices to generate a more accurate Hungarian accent.
"I am a native Hungarian speaker, and I know that it is one of the most difficult languages to learn to pronounce. Even with Adrien's Hungarian background (Brody's mother is a Hungarian refugee who emigrated to the U.S. in 1956) it's not that simple. We coached [Brody and Felicity Jones], and they did a fabulous job, but we also wanted to perfect it so that not even locals will spot any difference," says Dávid Jancsó.
🔉 This isn't the first time creators have turned to this Ukrainian company's technology. Previously, it helped "clone" the voice of late actor James Earl Jones for Darth Vader in the Obi-Wan Kenobi series and the voice of U.S. President Richard Nixon for the documentary "In Event of Moon Disaster".
The Brutalist won the Golden Globe for Best Drama and the Silver Lion at the Venice Film Festival. However, Adrien Brody's prospects of winning the Academy Award for Best Actor are being called into question.
Does a film that uses AI deserve an Oscar?
❤️ — it's just another special effect
🤔 — no, it's too much!
