Adrien Brody: “I walked around unwashed, with a beard and watched people shy away from me”


Biography

The non-standard appearance of individual actors allows them to stand out from their colleagues, which is undoubtedly a plus. But this coin also has a flip side - such actors often become hostages of the image. Ron Perlman, Tilda Swinton, Benedict Cumberbatch, Peter Dinklage and Priyanka Chopra - they more or less managed to get rid of their roles, but this company is still far from achieving the results of Adrien Brody.

Roles of villains

Then Brody got the role of a punk in the film “Bloody Summer of Sam.” This is a thriller in which the main character is suspected of committing a series of murders. In the next film, called “Oxygen,” the actor again had to try on the role of a villain. In this thriller, he transforms into a psychopath.

Actor Adrien Brody, whose filmography we are considering, starred in the following films from 2006 to 2010:

  • "The Death of Superman." Lewis Simo.
  • "Manolete." Manuel Rodriguez.
  • "The Brothers Bloom" Bloom.
  • "Chimera". Clive.
  • "The Fantastic Mr. Fox." Rikiti.
  • "Cool cupcakes." Ed.
  • "Predators". Royce.
  • “Train to Darjdiling. Desperate travelers." Wai. Chess.
  • "Giallo." Clive.
  • "Victim". Human.

Childhood and youth

The future actor was born in Woodhaven County, located in Queens, one of the boroughs of New York. It happened on April 14, 1973 in the family of historian Elliot Brody and his wife, photojournalist Sylvia Plachy. Both parents are Jewish.

Adrien Brody in his youth
Adrien Brody in his youth

Adrian showed extraordinary acting talent from childhood - at the age of 12 the boy was already performing at children's events, and a little later he began posing for his mother's photographs - it was then that Brody learned to behave competently in front of the camera.

After graduating from high school, he entered the Fiorello LaGuardia High School of Music, Art and Performance, and then the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

The arrival of popularity

2001 was a turning point in Brody's life. After the casting agent for The Pianist saw the director's cut of The Thin Red Thread, Adrian was invited to audition for a role with Roman Polanski. The director's first choice was Joseph Fiennes, but he turned it down due to being busy with other projects.

In total, more than 1,400 actors auditioned for the main role, but Polanski felt that Brody was the ideal candidate to portray Polish pianist Wladyslaw Szpilman on screen .

Adrian, being an adherent of the Stanislavsky system, took up the work responsibly. To enter the image of an exhausted man, the actor broke up with his girlfriend , gave up his car and apartment, began living in isolation in Poland, lost 13 kilograms and learned to perform Chopin's works on the piano. In the end, all the efforts were justified.

Brody, with his incredible performance in the story of the Warsaw Ghetto during the Nazi occupation of Poland, became the youngest actor to win an Oscar and the only male American to win a Cesar Award. Awards also included Screen Actors Guild and British Academy Film Awards.

This achievement greatly increased his status, allowing him to gain widespread recognition and popularity. Consistently earning rave reviews from critics, he subsequently appeared in completely different films. In "The Doll," released in 2003, he portrayed Steven Shoishe, a socially awkward ventriloquist. For this role, the actor learned ventriloquism and puppetry convincingly enough to perform all the voice tricks and manipulations of puppets on set in real time, without subsequent re-recording.

Adrian played Noah Percy, a mentally retarded young man, in M. Night Shyamalan's The Secret Forest, and Jack Starks, a shell-shocked war veteran in the psychological thriller The Jacket, in which the actor worked alongside Keira Knightley. In 2005, Peter Jackson's King Kong was released, in which Brody played one of the main roles.

The remake was both a critical and box office success, grossing $550 million at the box office and being Adrian's most successful film to date in monetary terms. The actor also voiced his character, Jack Driscoll, in the video game based on the film.

On January 5, 2006, Brody confirmed that he was interested in playing the Joker in The Dark Knight, but Christopher Nolan preferred to see Heath Ledger in the film. He was also in talks with Paramount to play Spock in J. J. Abrams' Star Trek, but the role ended up going to Zachary Quinto.

In 2008, Adrian starred with Penelope Cruz in the film “Manolete”, and in 2009 he took part in the thrillers “Giallo” by Dario Argento and “Chimera” by Vincenzo Natali, and also took part in the voice acting of “Fantastic Mr. Fox” - the first animated work of Wes Anderson . This was followed by “The Experiment,” a remake of the 2000 film of the same name, and the Woody Allen comedy “Midnight in Paris,” where the actor played the role of Salvador Dali. In 2014, Brody collaborated again with Wes Anderson in the critically acclaimed The Grand Budapest Hotel.

Adrian received an Emmy nomination for his lead role in the miniseries Houdini, and in 2020 he starred as Tiberius in the Chinese film Sword of the Dragon, which grossed $54.8 million in its first week in China. . Around the same time, the thriller “The Return” with Brody in the title role was released. He also took part in six episodes of the English series Peaky Blinders.

The actor has a huge track record. In total, his filmography includes more than 50 full-length films, 8 television shows, 1 video game and 2 music videos.

Films and TV series

Adrian made his screen debut at the age of fifteen, starring in David De's television drama Home At Last.

The very next year, Brody managed to get into the film anthology “New York Stories,” filmed in the genre of comedy melodrama. This film was notable for the fact that Martin Scorsese, Woody Allen, Francis Ford Coppola, Mia Farrow, Nick Nolte, Rosanna Arquette, Giancarlo Giannini and a number of other equally famous masters of their craft worked on it.

Adrien Brody in the movie "King of the Hill"

In 1993, the young actor starred in the historical drama King of the Hill, directed by Steven Soderbergh (Ocean's Eleven, Side Effect, Logan Lucky) with the participation of Jesse Bradford, Spalding Gray and Lisa Eichhorn. Two years later, Brody played the lead role in the drama Sweet Jersey, directed by Eric Bross (Deadly Fiction, Connected, The Boy Who Told About the Werewolf).

The same year, the crime action film “Bullet” was released - a cult film with Mickey Rourke and rapper Tupac (with whom, by the way, Adrian was friends), where Brody also appeared. The cult film was shot by popular music video director Julien Temple in those years.

Adrien Brody in the movie "Bullet"

In 1997, Adrian, along with Thomas Jane and Keanu Reeves, starred in the drama “Suicide,” directed by Stephen T. Kay, based on the biography of Neal Cassady, an outstanding representative of the beat culture and comrade of Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac and William Burroughs.

At the same time, together with Norman Reedus and Deborah Harry, Brody starred in the crime drama Blood and Milk, directed by Adam Bernstein, who later directed individual episodes of the series Scrubs, Californication and Breaking Bad.

The following year, the actor was lucky enough to star in the war drama The Thin Red Line. The film was directed by Terrence Malick (Desolation, The Tree of Life, Song to Song) based on the book by James Jones. The film stars Sean Penn, Nick Nolte, James Caviezel, John Cusack, Ben Chaplin and Woody Harrelson. After this tape, they started talking about Brody seriously. However, star roles were still far away.

The actor remembered 1999 for his participation in the crime thriller Spike Lee (“If Not Caught, Not a Thief,” “The 25th Hour”) “Bloody Summer of Sam.” The film was based on a series of crimes by a maniac nicknamed the Son of Sam, and the main roles, in addition to Brody, were played by John Leguizamo and Mira Sorvino.

Adrien Brody in the movie "Substitute Teacher"

In 2001, Adrian starred in the film adaptation of Alexandre Dumas's novel The Queen's Necklace, directed by Charles Shyer (Father of the Bride, I Love Trouble, Handsome Alfie). The film stars Hilary Swank, Jonathan Pryce, Brian Cox, Simon Baker, Christopher Walken and others.

A year later, Roman Polanski (“Rosemary’s Baby,” “Chinatown,” “The Ninth Gate”) directed the film “The Pianist,” in which Brody had the opportunity to play the main role. The film told about the life of the real-life Polish Jewish pianist Wladyslaw Szpilman. “The Pianist” received a number of awards, including the Cesar, the Palme d’Or and three Oscars (one of which was received directly by Adrian).

Adrien Brody in the movie "The Pianist"

The actor's next high-profile role was in the dramatic horror film by M. Night Shyamalan (The Sixth Sense, Split, After Earth) The Secret Forest. In addition to the unexpected ending, the film was remembered by viewers for its well-chosen cast, which included Joaquin Phoenix, Sigourney Weaver, Brendan Gleeson, William Hurt and others.

In the same 2004, the fantastic detective story “The Jacket” was released, directed by John Maybury, screenwriter of the TV series “Rome”, “The Borgias” and “Marco Polo”. The film is based on the book “Interstellar Wanderer” by Jack London (also published under the titles “Straitjacket” and “Strider in the Stars”). In addition to Adrian, the cast includes Keira Knightley, Daniel Craig and Kris Kristofferson.

Adrien Brody in the movie "The Jacket"

In 2005, Brody took part in the second remake of 1933's King Kong (the first was directed in 1976 by John Guillermin, and the third in 2020 by Jordan Vaught-Roberts). At the helm of the project was the already famous Peter Jackson (Alien Stew, Living Dead, The Lord of the Rings trilogy), and among the performing actors were the names of Naomi Watts, Jack Black, Andy Serkis, Thomas Kretschmann, Colin Hanks (son of Tom Hanks) and Jamie Bell.

Adrien Brody in the movie "Chimera"

In 2008, Adrian starred in Darnella Martin's drama Cadillac Records, which tells about the music business in Chicago in the fifties of the last century, as well as in the thriller Giallo, directed by the cult director Dario Argento. In 2009, the actor took part in the filming of the fantastic horror film Chimera, directed by Vincenzo Natali (Cube, Limbo, American Gods). The film also stars Sarah Polley, Brendon McGibbon and David Hewlett.

The following year also featured a fantastic horror film, this time “Predators” by Nimrod Antal (“Vacancy for the Prey”, “Collector”, “Metallica: Through the Impossible”). In order to play a worthy replacement for Schwarzenegger, the thin and tall Adrian (the actor's height is 185 cm) had to gain more than 10 kilograms of muscle mass. This allowed Brody to look impressive against the background of the equally colorful Topher Grace, Oleg Taktarov, Laurence Fishburne, Danny Trejo and Alice Braga.

Adrien Brody in the movie "Predators"

In addition, in 2010, Brody starred in the psychological thriller The Experiment alongside Cam Gigandet, Clifton Collins Jr. and Forest Whitaker. Paul Scheuring's film was a remake of the German film of the same name, which was based on the book “Black Box” by Mario Giordano. An interesting fact is that the book itself was written based on a prison experiment that actually happened in California.

In 2011, Adrian played the lead role in the drama The Substitute Teacher, directed by American History X director Tony Kaye. The actor was accompanied on the set by Lucy Liu and Sami Gayle. In 2013, Brody starred in Peaky Blinders, a crime drama starring Cillian Murphy, Paul Anderson and Sophie Rundle.

A year later, the comedy detective “The Grand Budapest Hotel” by Wes Anderson (“Rushmore Academy”, “Moonrise Kingdom”), based on the stories of Stefan Zweig, was released. The film featured a whole galaxy of famous actors: Ralph Fiennes, Jude Law, Tom Wilkinson, Willem Dafoe, Harvey Keitel, Jeff Goldblum and others.

Next came the mystical thriller “Retreat” by Michael Petroni, screenwriter of “Queen of the Damned” and “The Rite,” in which Adrian played the role of psychologist Peter Bowers, who accidentally discovered that his clients are not who they say they are. In the same year, Brody played the main role in the biopic series “Houdini” by Uli Edel (“The Ring of the Nibelungs”, “Life Changes You”).

Adrien Brody in the movie "Retreat"

In 2020, Adrian starred alongside Jackie Chan and John Cusack in the historical action film Dragon Sword by Daniel Lee. The latest film released in 2020 starring Adrien Brody is the crime thriller Chain Dog, directed by Paul Solet (Grace, The Restless, City of Monsters). The film also stars Antonio Banderas, John Malkovich and Rory Culkin, brother of Macaulay Culkin.

Adrien Brody was born in the United States of America, in New York on April 14, 1973. His father was a history teacher, and his mother was a photojournalist. She often used Brody's unique appearance in her works, thanks to which he learned to behave in front of the camera since childhood. When Adrian turned 12, he began performing at children's parties, performing various tricks. Brody combined his studies at a regular school with a visit to the LaGuardia High School of Performing Arts. He also graduated from the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Since the 1980s, Adrian began his career in television, and he also played small roles in films. When the boy turned 13, he began playing in local theater plays and starring in commercials.

At the age of 15, Brody played David De in the film Home at Last. After this, he landed a role in the television series Annie McGuire. In 1993, Adrian starred in the film “King of the Hill.” After this work, Brody played in TV series and low-budget films. In 1998, he received a role in the film “The Thin Red Line.” In 1999, the young man appeared on the cover of Vanity Fair magazine as a promising young actor. In 1999, Adrien Brody played in the films “Bloody Summer of Sam” and “Liberty Heights”, and in 2000 he starred in the film “Bread and Roses”. For his role in the film “The Restaurant,” Brody was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award. In 2001, Brody played Count Nicholas de La Mothe in the film “The Story of the Necklace.” In the same year, Adrien played the role of Jack Grace in the film “The Bitterness of Love.” Brody became famous for his role in the film “The Pianist” directed by Roman Polanski. In 2003, Adrian was nominated for many film awards and won an Oscar, becoming the youngest actor to receive this award. After his role in the film “The Pianist,” Adrien Brody starred in such films as “The Doll,” “The Singing Detective,” “The Secret Forest” and “The Jacket.”

In 2005, Brody played Jack Driscoll in the film King Kong, and in 2006 he played the role of a detective in the film The Death of Superman. Brody's roles in the films Manolete and Train to Darjeeling followed in 2007. In 2008, Adrian played leading roles in the films The Brothers Bloom and Cadillac Records. In 2009, he starred in the film The Courier, for which he was again nominated for an Oscar. In 2011, the film “Midnight in Paris” was released, where Adrian played Salvador Dali. At the very beginning of his career, Brody dated model DJ Sky Nellore, then a relationship followed with actress Monet Mazur. In 2007, Adrian met actress Elsa Pataky. The couple even announced their engagement, but the wedding never took place - Elsa married someone else.

Personal life

In the early nineties, Brody dated model Sky Nellore, whom he later left for actress and singer Mona Happy Mazur. But the relationship with her did not last long.

Adrien Brody and Elsa Pataky

In 2007, Adrian met and began dating actress Elsa Pataky. Their relationship reached an engagement, but not a wedding. Pataky is currently married to actor Chris Hemsworth, and Brody is in a relationship with model Lara Lieto.

Adrian has never been married and has no children.

Actor Adrien Brody: Best Film

“The Pianist” is a 2002 film with which the star’s career actually began, despite previous active filming in various projects. Actor Adrien Brody perfectly managed to convey the tragedy of a musician of Polish-Jewish origin. Roman Polanski's film gave him not only fame, but also an Oscar.

“The Pianist” is the first biographical film in which Adrien Brody took part. The actor’s filmography was enriched by the story of a musician who was one of the five best Polish pianists in the 30s of the last century. The main character Vladek was among the Jews who managed to survive the occupation of the state by the Nazis. However, saving his life cost him too much.

This isn't one of the lighter family movies that Adrien Brody often stars in. This time, the celebrity’s filmography was replenished with a truly tragic story about ruined destinies.

Adrien Brody now

At least two films with Adrian will be released soon: Xiao Feng's war drama Bombing, in which Brody will star with Jackie Chan and Bruce Willis, as well as the historical drama Emperor, in which the actor will be accompanied by Sophie Cookson and Thomas Kretschmann , Oliver Platt and Bill Skarsgård.

Also in development are two more films with Brody's participation - the Christopher Thompson comedy "Cannes" and the Brian Tucker action film "Endgame". In both cases, Adrian is assigned the main role.

The actor likes to spend his free time from work at home, playing with his dogs. On his Instagram account, Brody often posts photos and short videos highlighting his life outside of film sets.

Adrien Brody on Cosmo.ru

Filmography

  • 1988 – “Finally Home”
  • 1993 – “King of the Hill”
  • 1995 – “Bullet”
  • 1997 – “Suicide”
  • 1998 – “The Thin Red Line”
  • 1999 – “Bloody Summer of Sam”
  • 2002 – “The Pianist”
  • 2004 – “The Mysterious Forest”
  • 2005 – “King Kong”
  • 2008 – Cadillac Records
  • 2009 – “Chimera”
  • 2010 – “Predators”
  • 2011 – “Replacement teacher”
  • 2014 – “The Grand Budapest Hotel”
  • 2015 – “Dragon Sword”
  • 2017 – “Chained Dog”

Carier start

Adrian began to fully concentrate on developing a professional acting career when he joined the cast of Steven Soderbergh's King of the Hill in 1993. Since his work in this film received positive reviews, opportunities subsequently opened up for Adrian to participate in larger projects:

  • "Angels at the Edge of the Field" (1994).
  • "Solo" (1996).
  • "Suicide" (1997).

In 1998, he played Chris Calloway in the film The Restaurant, which earned him an Independent Spirit Award nomination. Although the actor had already caught people's attention, he still had not received the recognition he desired, even after his powerful appearance in Terrence Malick's famous anti-war film The Thin Red Line, which was released the same year.

However, as Adrian later admitted, he himself was not too happy with this work. According to the actor, most of the scenes with his participation were edited in such a way that Brody’s character seemed almost silent and a good “takeoff” was not achieved.

Refusing to dive deeper into this unpleasant situation, he moved on to filming other projects:

  • "Bloody Summer of Sam"
  • "Oxygen".
  • "Heights of Freedom"

All of them were released in 1999, and in all of them Adrian demonstrated convincing performance. By this point, his career had become stable, and the actor began to land leading roles in films such as Saving Harrison, The Bitterness of Love and The Story of the Necklace, opposite Hilary Swank.

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