It can be brutal trying to make a living as an indie filmmaker, according to Brady Corbet.

The "Brutalist" writer/director said during the "WTF with Marc Maron" podcast that he made "zero dollars" from "The Brutalist." The indie notably had a budget of less than $10 million. The sprawling 215-minute drama spans 30 years in the life of Adrien Brody's lead character, fictional architect László Tóth.

To financially sustain himself, Corbet directed three advertisements in Portugal. "This is the first time I've made any money in years," Corbet said of the ads.

It was the same story with 2018's "Vox Lux." "Both my partner [Mona Fastvold] and I made zero dollars on the last two films we made. Yes, actually zero. So we had to just live off of a paycheck from three years ago," Corbet said, "And obviously, the timing during an awards campaign and travel every two or three days was less than ideal, but it was an opportunity that landed in my lap, and I jumped at it."

"The Brutalist" is nominated for 10 Academy Awards, including Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Picture for Corbet. That sort of critical success does not equate to a financial windfall for a film's director, Corbet said. And he's not alone.

"I've spoken to many filmmakers with films nominated this year who can't pay their rent," Corbet, who was on the podcast to promote "The Brutalist," said. "You're not paid to be promoting a film."

Corbet previously told IndieWire that he has learned to not be beholden to criticisms of his films.

"Whether people love or hate something, you really just cannot anticipate that. You have to do what you think is right for the project, full stop," Corbet said. "You're never going to be able to please everybody. We're talking about tens of thousands of strangers. As much as I would love to go into someone's house and calibrate their television for them, at a certain point, you just have to give it up. You've made it for other people, and it becomes a piece of public art. People can paint on it, they can piss on it, they can love it, they can hate it. All of that's OK. I think because of the way that I grew up, I've learned not to take things too personally. If someone gives a film a bad review, it's just their perspective, and they're not attacking you personally. They're doing their job. For me, with the projects, I'm delighted that some people love them, and for me, that's enough."