Adrien Brody knows a thing or two about staying power: The acclaimed actor has, for nearly four decades, captivated audiences with his often quiet and impactful approach to characters in films like The Darjeeling Limited and The Pianist, for which he won an Oscar. But his latest project is by far his most ambitious yet. In The Brutalist, directed by Brady Corbet, Brody plays László Toth, a Hungarian architect who flees the horrors of World War II and moves to America to rebuild his life. The historical epic—which runs over three hours, with an intermission—landed seven Golden Globe nominations, including a best actor nod for Brody. “The film is 40 years of the man’s life, and I had been yearning to find a role that spoke to me like this,” he says. “I frankly haven’t seen anything like it. It’s an event.”
How did The Brutalist come into your life?
Brady Corbet sent me a script, which blew me away. It is an enormous piece of material. We met, and I shared with him how moved I was by it and how right I am for it for numerous reasons. But initially, it ended up not coming to me. They gave it to someone else. I was very sad to see it go, but it happens. The project went away for a year and then came back around. It was complicated. But, hey, that’s the nature of life.
There is a spirit of resilience and tenacity to your character in the film that could also be applied to your career.
There are many elements of The Brutalist that are relatable to anyone pursuing any artistic endeavor—anyone who wants to leave behind something of lasting importance, to leave behind a body of work, to leave behind more good in the world than not, and to approach things with depth and integrity. And I relate to that so much. If you want to pursue anything that is highly competitive and creative, that requires a degree of luck.
Do you believe in luck?
I don’t think you can make your own luck, but you can help guide your own path if you’re conscious enough. As an actor, I think luck is when you are right for something and the 10 people who are ahead of you are either not available or not interested or not lucky in that moment. And then it’s up to you to deliver and not fail and build upon that. The beauty of being an actor is that there’s a place for all the misfortune and things that don’t make sense that are painful that you witness. You can then share those experiences with the world.
Your mother is the photographer Sylvia Plachy. Did her artistry inform your decision to become an actor?
She is a divining rod for me. She’s 81 now and works constantly still. I grew up steeped in imagery. She would hang film negatives in the shower, and there were photographs strewn about. Her photos of New York City—my city—captured a loneliness and a sense of humor.
Brody wears a Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello shirt, pants, and shoes; Falke socks.
What was your first acting job?
At 12 or 13, I was a day player in a short film directed by Francis Ford Coppola. Francis poured a bottle of cheap cologne on me so that the girls could react when I wafted into the room. And then I did theater in New York. At 14, I booked the lead role of a public television movie called Home at Last. My dad took me and, right before that audition, said, “Just go in there like you already have the job. You’re just showing them how you are going to do it.” I thought that was such great advice. Just present what you’re capable of doing, and then their loss if they don’t want you.
Did you like auditioning?
I loved auditioning. One of my craziest ones was for Red Dragon. I glued my lip, and eventually, during the audition, it started to unfurl. I’ve done even crazier things. I’ve eaten worms!
Did you have a favorite Halloween costume?
I love Halloween—maybe because, as a boy, I could be a character. The first costume I loved was Gene Simmons from Kiss. I could still play Gene Simmons. That would be a good part—he’s had some life.
What movie makes you cry?
I can’t watch The Pianist . It was traumatic to embody that character [a victim of the Holocaust during World War II]. I lost 30-something pounds—I’m six feet one, and I weighed 129 pounds. The experience of understanding that deep sense of hunger has never left me. To understand what that opened up inside me is still terribly upsetting.
What sign are you?
Aries—the ram. I butt my head against obstacles. You can get a lot of things started with that, but you can also burn the whole place down. I spend a lot of my time trying to rein it in but keep it smoldering.
Skin by Mark Carrasquillo at R3 MGMT.
Style Director: Allia Alliata di Montereale. Hair for portfolio by Paul Hanlon at Dawes & Co.; makeup for portfolio by Sam Visser at Art Partner; manicures for portfolio by Michelle Saunders James. Set design by Gerard Santos at Lalaland.
Creative producer to Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott: Leonard Cuinet-Petit at January Productions; producer to Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott: Kevin Isabelle; produced by AP Studio, Inc.; executive producer: Alexis Piqueras; producer: Anneliese Kristedja; associate producer: Kimmy D’Ancona; production manager: Hayley Stephon; production coordinators: Miranda Dos Santos, Susan Lucas; photography assistants: John Neate, Jed Barnes, Chris Whitaker, Kendall Peck; digital technician: Niccolo Pacilli; digital assistant: Cassian Gray; postproduction by Dreamer Post Production; fashion assistants: Tyler VanVranken, Molly Cody, Celeste Roh, Raea Palmieri, Tatiana Isshac, Haleigh Nickerson, Lauren Marron, Savannah Steilner, Sage McKee, Frankie Benkovic, Kaley Azambuja, Tatum Sanchez; production assistants: Gigi Rosenfield, Lily Cordingley, Eli Cash, Lex Vaughn, Anderson Renno, Kat Saravia, Kyle Dekker, Wyatt Noble, Brandon Martin, Moose Krupski, Josh Muwwakkil, Bradley Gonsalves, Drew Carter, Thomas Lynch, Alex Kofman, Jackson Schrader, Anatalia Zavaleta, Joseph Wride, Matt Flynn; first AD: Steve Kemp; location manager: Kyle Hollinger; hair assistants: Kim Garduno, Ben Gregory, Marco Iafrate, Hyacinthia Faustino, Chris Foster; makeup assistants: Shimu Takanori, Laura Dudley, Brian Dean, Beatrice Sandoval; manicure assistant: Cheyenne Vander Schuur; set design assistants: Seth Powsner, Denver Stoddard, Ryan Johnson; tailors: Irina Tshartaryan, Ripsime Vartanyan, Jackie Martirosyan at Susie’s Custom Designs, Inc.
