During a wide-ranging interview with Variety published on Wednesday, the star of “The Brutalist” briefly addressed the memorable but much-debated moment from the 2003 Oscars, when he spontaneously swept Berry into a passionate embrace after winning Best Actor for his role in “The Pianist.”

But, yeah, it was often told to my representatives, and my representatives would share that with me.” Even after nabbing the best actor Oscar in 2003 at the age of 29 for “The Pianist” — making him the youngest winner ever in the category — he never quite maintained A-list status.