Adrien Brody’s Gum Toss Ahead of Best Actor Speech Gave Oscars a Memorable Moment

Adrien Brody was en route to the stage at the Dolby Theatre on Sunday night to collect his Oscar for best actor when it appeared to dawn on him that he had forgotten to do something — something important.

So, halfway up the staircase, Mr. Brody paused and removed a piece of chewing gum from his mouth. But what to do with it? He turned to locate his girlfriend, Georgina Chapman, who stepped forward from her position in the front row as Mr. Brody readied himself to make a softball-style underhanded pitch to her.

It was not a perfect toss. Ms. Chapman had to wheel to her right to catch what briefly became the most famous wad of chewed-up gum in the world. But she delighted in her feat, raising her arms in triumph as she returned to her seat just in time to see Mr. Brody accept his award from Cillian Murphy, last year’s winner in the category.

Mr. Brody was not asked about the gum toss during his backstage interview after his win, so no further details were available about the type of gum it was, or how he decided against simply swallowing it.

It was an unscripted moment for Mr. Brody and Ms. Chapman, whose relationship has drawn its share of tabloid attention. It also served as a bit of levity before Mr. Brody delivered a lengthy speech that focused, almost exclusively, on his hard path back to Hollywood pre-eminence thanks to his role in “The Brutalist,” for which he won the award.

Mr. Brody’s win — for playing László Tóth, an architect and Holocaust survivor who emigrates to the United States — came 22 years after he received the best actor award for his role as the Holocaust survivor Wladyslaw Szpilman in “The Pianist.” That win, at 29, made him the youngest winner for best actor in Oscars history, but it preceded a difficult period in his career in which he failed to capitalize on the success.

“Acting is a very fragile profession,” he said, adding: “It looks very glamorous, and in certain moments, it is. But the one thing I’ve gained, having the privilege to come back here, is to have some perspective. And no matter where you are in your career, what you’ve accomplished, it can all go away. And I think what makes this night most special is the awareness of that and the gratitude that I have to still do the work that I love.”

Mr. Brody’s speech went on — and on. And he refused to be cowed when the show’s producers cued some music in an attempt to play him off the stage.

“I’m wrapping up — please, please, please,” he said. “I’m wrapping up. I will wrap up. Please turn the music off. I’ve done this before. Thank you. It’s not my first rodeo.”

Mr. Brody spoke for another 90 seconds before he heard the music again. This time, he got off the stage.

Among viewers, Mr. Brody’s speech was polarizing, as was his gum toss, which was mostly skewered on social media as being tacky or gross — though it had its defenders as well.

In any case, Mr. Brody made sure to seize the spotlight after his protracted absence from awards season. Before the show started, Halle Berry approached him on the red carpet and, after apologizing preemptively to Ms. Chapman, gave him a big smooch — a re-creation of their famous onstage kiss at the 2003 Oscars.