Adrien Brody Was Made For 'The Brutalist'

Summary

Fresh Air Episode Summary: "Adrien Brody Was Made For 'The Brutalist'"

Podcast Information:

• Title: Fresh Air
• Host: Tonya Mosley
• Guest: Adrien Brody
• Episode Title: Adrien Brody Was Made For 'The Brutalist'
• Release Date: January 7, 2025

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Introduction to Adrien Brody and "The Brutalist"

In this episode of Fresh Air, host Tonya Mosley welcomes acclaimed actor Adrien Brody to discuss his latest film, "The Brutalist". Brody portrays Laszlo Toth, a Hungarian refugee navigating post-war America, embodying a character deeply rooted in personal and historical trauma.

Mosley provides an overview of the film, highlighting its 3-hour and 35-minute runtime and its award-winning status, including a Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture Drama and Best Actor for Brody. She draws parallels between "The Brutalist" and Brody's iconic role in The Pianist (2002), emphasizing his ability to convey profound emotional depth.

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Personal Connections and Character Preparation

Personal Resonance with the Role: Brody reveals a deep personal connection to Laszlo Toth, drawing from his mother's experiences as a Hungarian refugee.

"It's a remarkable thing to find something that speaks to a struggle, a resiliency and a sense of something so intimate, like my mother's journey of fleeing Hungary..."
— Adrien Brody (02:39)

He discusses how the script resonated with him on both a personal level and as a universal story of overcoming adversity. Brody emphasizes the authenticity he brings to the role by reflecting on his family's history and his grandfather's experiences as an outsider striving to assimilate.

Learning Hungarian and Dialect Work: To authentically portray Toth, Brody immersed himself in the Hungarian language and dialect typical of immigrants in the 1940s.

"I worked with a wonderful dialect coach and we found men of the '50s, of that era, when my grandfather had arrived. It was important to me that it rang true."
— Adrien Brody (06:35)

He also incorporated unscripted Hungarian curse words from his childhood, adding layers to the character’s authenticity.

Honoring Family Legacy: Brody reflects on his late grandfather, finding similarities between himself and the character, which further enriched his performance.

"They know how similar I was to him and how he was to me... It has kind of given purpose to their sacrifice."
— Adrien Brody (07:22)

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Filming "The Brutalist" in Hungary

Mosley notes that although the film is set in Philadelphia, it was shot in Budapest to capture the post-World War II aesthetic. Brody explains the practical and emotional reasons for this choice.

"We shot in Budapest because of the film labs and the authentic look and feel that the city provides. Being surrounded by Hungarian crew helped me stay connected to the era."
— Adrien Brody (09:04)

The decision to film in Hungary allowed for a more genuine representation of the time period, enhancing the film’s visual and emotional impact.

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Collaboration with Director Brady Courbet

Brody praises director Brady Courbet for his vision and the film's technical aspects, particularly the use of VistaVision, reminiscent of Hitchcock’s North by Northwest.

"The Brutalist explores the harsh realities of the American dream and it's visually stunning... the sweeping nature is reminiscent of my work in The Pianist."
— Adrien Brody (01:00:00)

He discusses the intricate process of filming, highlighting the importance of silence and pacing in conveying the immigrant experience.

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Adrien Brody’s Acting Philosophy and Method

Commitment to Authenticity: Brody emphasizes his dedication to embodying his characters fully, often undergoing significant physical and emotional transformations.

"I only do what I feel is necessary to find a closeness and a sense of truth so that I can, you know, 'act less' and feel honest in an interpretation."
— Adrien Brody (13:50)

He draws parallels between his roles in "The Pianist" and "The Brutalist," noting that both characters endure significant personal and societal struggles that shape their artistry.

Early Career and Influences: Brody reflects on his beginnings in acting at 12 years old and the influence of his parents, particularly his mother’s work as a photographer.

"My mother’s work has been so influential on me as an artist... I was seeing imagery everywhere and beautiful imagery."
— Adrien Brody (34:21)

He credits his upbringing in New York City and his early exposure to diverse environments as foundational to his understanding of character development.

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Working with Wes Anderson

Brody shares insights into his long-standing collaboration with filmmaker Wes Anderson, having starred in five of Anderson's films, including The French Dispatch and Fantastic Mr. Fox.

"Wes is such an amazing person and fantastic and unique filmmaker... living in India and working on Darjeeling Limited was a beautiful life experience."
— Adrien Brody (22:30)

He describes the precision required in Anderson’s distinctive filming style, emphasizing the collaborative effort needed to execute complex scenes seamlessly.

"As you're in that shot, everyone's hoping that nobody else drops the ball because you have to just do it again and again until you're all in sync."
— Adrien Brody (26:26)

A specific challenge Brody recounts is a scene in The French Dispatch involving intricate camera movements and complex monologues, highlighting the high level of teamwork and focus required.

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Influence of Family and Artistic Heritage

Brody discusses the profound impact his parents, especially his mother, had on his artistic sensibilities and career choices.

"My parents are a unit... they've always nurtured me and not suppressed my individuality."
— Adrien Brody (34:21)

He elaborates on how growing up surrounded by his mother's photography fostered his appreciation for visual storytelling and imagery, crucial elements in his acting career.

"I tend to retain a lot both in photographic memory and an emotional recall of things... I try to bring it to life within me in the roles that I play."
— Adrien Brody (37:16)

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Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Tonya Mosley wraps up the interview by highlighting Brody's dedication to his craft and his ability to draw from personal and familial experiences to deliver powerful performances.

"Adrien Brody stars in the award-winning film The Brutalist. It's now playing in select theaters including IMAX, and opens nationwide on January 17th."
— Tonya Mosley (39:36)

Brody expresses gratitude for the opportunity to share his work with his family and acknowledges the profound impact of his parents' sacrifices on his career.

"I'm really profoundly grateful to be able to present to her [my mother]."
— Adrien Brody (38:32)

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Key Quotes with Timestamps

• Adrien Brody on Personal Connection:
  "It's a remarkable thing to find something that speaks to a struggle, a resiliency and a sense of something so intimate..."
  (02:39)

• On Learning Hungarian:
  "We found men of the '50s, of that era... it was important to me that it rang true."
  (06:35)

• Reflecting on Family Influence:
  "They know how similar I was to him and how he was to me... it has given purpose to their sacrifice."
  (07:22)

• Acting Philosophy:
  "I only do what I feel is necessary to find a closeness and a sense of truth so that I can, you know, 'act less' and feel honest in an interpretation."
  (13:50)

• Collaboration with Wes Anderson:
  "As you're in that shot, everyone's hoping that nobody else drops the ball because you have to just do it again and again until you're all in sync."
  (26:26)

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Final Notes

Adrien Brody's discussion on Fresh Air provides an in-depth look into his multifaceted approach to acting, his personal connections to his roles, and his collaborative experiences with renowned directors like Wes Anderson. "The Brutalist" stands as a testament to Brody's dedication to portraying complex characters shaped by historical and personal adversities, continuing his legacy of impactful performances.

Transcript

[Tonya Mosley]

Okay. So does this sound like you you love NPR's podcasts, you wish you could get more of all your favorite shows, and you want to support NPR's mission.

[Adrien Brody]

To create a more informed public.

[Tonya Mosley]

If all that sounds appealing, then it is time to sign up for the NPR Bundle. Learn more at plus.NPR.org this is FRESH AIR. I'm Tonya Mosley. In a stunning new film, my guest Adrien Brody plays a Hungarian refugee who escapes post war Europe and arrives in the US with dreams of rebuilding his life. The Brutalist is a multi layered story that runs 3 hours and 35 minutes long with a 15 minute intermission. And for me, the time flew by. Directed by Brady Courbet, the film explores the harsh realities of the American dream and it's visually stunning. Shot on a format known as VistaVision, it's what Alfred Hitchcock used to film north by Northwest. In Vertigo, Brody portrays a fictional character named Laszlo Toth who settles in Pennsylvania in 1947, where he meets a wealthy industrialist, played by Guy Pierce, who recognizes his talent and hires him to create a community center in honor of his mother. However, the relationship between the two comes at a cost. The sweeping nature of the Brutalist is reminiscent of Brody's work in the Pianist, where he captivated audiences and the Academy in 2002 with his stirring performance as a Jewish pianist from Warsaw who survived the Holocaust by hiding from the Nazis. Adrien Brody has been in a slew of films and television shows. His breakout role was in Spike Lee's 1999 film Summer of Sam. In 2002, at 29, he became the youngest person to win an Academy Award for best actor. He's a regular staple in Wes Anderson films, having starred in five of them, including the French dispatch, fantastic Mr. Fox and the Grand Budapest Hotel. The Brutalist just won the Golden Globe for best motion picture drama, and Adrien Brody won for best actor in a motion picture drama. Adrien Brody, welcome back to FRESH air.

[Adrien Brody]

Thank you, Tonya. What a pleasure to be here.

[Tonya Mosley]

There are so many layers to this film, many of which are personal to you. Your mother is a Hungarian refugee who fled the revolution in 56 and started again here in the United States. Can you take me to that day that you first got the script and was the connection immediate?

[Adrien Brody]

Yes. It's a remarkable thing to find something that speaks to a struggle, a resiliency and a sense of something so intimate, like my mother's journey of fleeing Hungary and my grandparents and having to leave everything behind and those hardships that not only speak to Me personally, but to so many from many different backgrounds. And I just was in awe when I read the script and feeling how right I was for this role.

[Tonya Mosley]

What did your mother share with you about her experience immigrating here?

[Adrien Brody]

Well, those stories are very intimate to me. You know, there's a very interesting parallel with the character that I play, Laszlo Toth, who is this Hungarian architect who really finds purpose and how his work and even how the works of architects of that era were really informed by the traumas of post war of that time and how that influenced the architecture to come. And I feel like my mother as an artist and her beautiful sensitivity and empathy for others, all of that is enhanced from her own struggles and her own consciousness of the struggles of others. But she shared so much along the years with me, both stories of my grandparents and her having to say goodbye to her friends without. She was only told she was having to flee the day before they left.

[Tonya Mosley]

How old was she?

[Adrien Brody]

She was 13. And she had to say goodbye to her best friend and went to her house, and her friend said, okay, well, I'll see you later. And my mother didn't quite have a response and said hopefully, or something along those lines, where she knew what was coming but wasn't able to tell her friend.

[Tonya Mosley]

Right.

[Adrien Brody]

So those kind of moments are. Those are big ones in our lives.

[Tonya Mosley]

Right. You know, the other thing I'm hearing from you is because you say that, like you were made for this role, that you were able to, through your life, just in your mom's way of being, understand that immigrant experience of coming here with nothing and trying to make a life out of it.

[Adrien Brody]

Yeah, it was also. She's done remarkably well, and she's a real incredible artist. Sylvia Plahy, I don't know if we've referenced her, but she is a. I'll meet people quite often in New York who say, oh, yeah, yeah, I know who you are. But your mom, she's the artist, and she's done such great, great things and has devoted her life to that. But the struggles for my grandfather, I think, were more pronounced primarily with. He had a very strong accent, not dissimilar to my characters. I think it's hard to be an outsider, you know, it's hard to be a foreigner, even though you attempt to assimilate and to fit in. And that's very much a part of Laszlo's journey. And I got to honor that struggle of his. And also the dialect and specific sounds and rhythm that he had and personality traits that I was able to Reflect upon were really quite wonderful. To give a layer of truth to.

[Tonya Mosley]

This character, you had to learn Hungarian, is that right?

[Adrien Brody]

Yes. I mean, I knew all the curse words from my childhood. I definitely knew them. And there are some in the film that were not scripted that I've added. So that was an added benefit. But even the. The English is such a specific sound and dialect that it was very important to me that it rang true. We worked with a wonderful dialect coach and we found men of the 50s, of that era, of when my grandfather had arrived. And it was a similar formality. Yeah, that was necessary. And I found some clues that were really very helpful to keying into that.

[Tonya Mosley]

Did you spend a lot of time with your grandpa?

[Adrien Brody]

I did, I did. He passed when I was quite young. But I loved him and he was a. My parents often see how similar I was I am to him and how he was to me. And they point that out very close. Yes, it's really close.

[Tonya Mosley]

What's the thing that they say to you that reminds.

[Adrien Brody]

Well, he had a lot of similar aspirations. I mean, he wanted to be an actor at one point too, and. But he. He was passionate and emotional person, which I. I am. And when did you find out he.

[Tonya Mosley]

Wanted to be an actor?

[Adrien Brody]

Only later, I guess. I. You know, I had started acting at quite a young age, but he had already passed. And we often would say how proud he would have been to see me along the way. I mean, it would be such a gift to be able to share this with my grandparents. I think it would just blow their mind. It has kind of given purpose to their sacrifice. And it's something that's not lost on me that my own good fortune and the firm footing that I've been given through their hardships along the way is definitely something I honor daily. So to do this film, I feel, really is quite wonderful.

[Tonya Mosley]

The film is set in Philadelphia, but am I right that it was shot in Hungary because of the environment in Budapest? It was like the closest thing to recreating that time period. That kind of minimalist, almost bleak, post World War II aesthetic. Had you spent a lot of time.

[Adrien Brody]

There before I had visited. And actually we shot Hungary is. And Budapest is a film location, destination. Part of the reasoning was that there are film labs there and Brady was using film and it's better than shipping it cross borders from other locations. That may have been, you know, less able to process all that. The dailies regularly. But also, you know. Yeah, there was a look and a feel. It was definitely helpful for me to be There also, our wonderful crew are all Hungarians. And I had a responsibility to sound good, not only to live up to their expectations, but to interact and hear them constantly, was very, very helpful in keeping me grounded and tonally feeling connected to that era.

[Tonya Mosley]

I want to play a clip so folks can hear a little bit from the movie. But first, I want to just set up. Your character, Laszlo arrives in the US in 47, and he goes to stay with his cousin in Philly, who's been in the US For a couple of years now. And he owns a furniture shop named Miller and Son. And I'm saying that because that is not your cousin's name. He does not have sons. But he notes that Americans love a simple name, and they also love a family business. So your character works for his cousin designing furniture for the store. And then one day, the son of a wealthy businessman asks you two to redesign his father's library as a surprise. And when the father, Harrison Lee Van Buren, who's played by Guy Pearce, returns home and sees this library, he's furious. He refuses to pay. This sends your character into a spiral. Until a little while later, Lee Van Buren searches and finds your character shoveling coal. He apologizes. He asks him to be a part of this new project to create a community center in honor of his deceased mother. And in this scene I'm about to play, Van Buren asks your character why he chose architecture as a profession when he lived in Hungary. Van Buren, played by Pierce, speaks first.

[Adrien Brody]

Answer me something.

[Tonya Mosley]

Why architecture?

[Adrien Brody]

Is it the test? No, it is. Nothing is of its own explanation. Is there a better description of a cube than that of its construction? There was a war on. And yet it is my understanding that many of the sites of my projects had survived. They remain there still in the city. When the terrible recollections of what happened in Europe cease to humiliate us, I expect for them to serve instead as a political stimulus, sparking the upheavals that. That so frequently occur in the cycles of peoplehood.

[Tonya Mosley]

That's my guest today, Adrien Brody in the new film the Brutalist. He's in that scene with Guy Pearce. And you're known. You're pretty well known for going the extra mile to embody your characters. In particular, with the Pianist, you did all sorts of stuff. You gave up your apartment, you put your stuff in storage. You moved to Europe. You learned to play the piano. I think all the headlines talked about how you starved yourself. He lost, like, 30 pounds. And you do this with all of a lot of your films. You for the movie Dummy, you literally slept with a dummy to play a ventriloquist.

[Adrien Brody]

Depends what you mean by that. But, yes, he slept in the same bed together, but I worked with it very. I had to learn how to be very close to it.

[Tonya Mosley]

Were there any things in particular for this role that you kind of refashioned your life for, to really embody Laszlo?

[Adrien Brody]

You know, I only do what I feel is necessary to find a closeness and a sense of truth so that I can, you know, quote, act less, you know, and feel honest in an interpretation. I can't portray a man who's starving if I don't understand hunger. I can't portray the physical shift of a man who's starved by not losing that weight. I can't understand classical music without knowing to play it. You name it. And fortunately, a lot of that work that I had done in an effort to honor Spielman and the Pianist and really to honor one man's journey that represented the loss of 6 million and spoke to such a horrific time in our history gave me a great deal of insight and understanding in what Laszlo's past experiences were, that he is just on the precipice of overcoming as he arrives to the United States. And so while this movie is a vastly different story and a story about an immigrant's journey, and it is also the journey of someone who's endured that. And it's quite remarkable how that has lived with me and given me greater insight years later in a role like. Like this.

[Tonya Mosley]

How did that role give you insight? Because I will tell you, I watched the Pianist again and then I watched the Brutalist. And so I kind of watched them back to back. And of course, as you said, yeah, there. I know some heavy times, but really, like a very. It was really important for me to watch it that way. And I'm glad I did. As you said, they are two very different films and your characters are different, but they do feel like, to me, that they are speaking to each other. I don't know if that's the right way to put it. Maybe it's that they both hit a similar emotional note. I'm wondering how you see that.

[Adrien Brody]

Well, they both reference this time that has changed the shape and face of this world indelibly. And they both reference how intolerance and oppression and anti Semitism and forces that are ugly exist and have deprived us of so much beauty in this world. This movie, the Brutalist, is a fictional story. And the reason it's a fictional story is because when Brady and Mona Were doing their research to try and write a film about a European architect who survived the Nazi occupation and carried on his work in America. There were none to be found because they'd all been killed. And then Brady and Mona had to find references of other wonderful creatives who were similar. And like Marcel Brower, who has left a wonderful legacy of work as an architect. As an architect, but had left in the mid-30s, fortunately. So I think the films obviously speak to this horrific time and speak to the power of art and the beauty and the capacity for the human spirit to endure and the power of the ability to create beauty and lightness amidst darkness and to find purpose in art to transcend that darkness.

[Tonya Mosley]

The use of silence in both of the films is also really powerful. In the Pianist, the silence is because Spielman is alone in his hiding from the Nazi. But in the brutalist, from my view, the silence plays another role. It plays a lens into the life of an immigrant. Like, on a very practical sense, when you are coming to a new country and you don't speak the language well, you are other. You are an outsider, as you're saying, like, that's a lonely experience. And so there are probably huge swaths of time where there is silence. Especially when you don't have your family.

[Adrien Brody]

With you and you don't have the words. You don't have the vocabulary or confidence to speak in another language. You know, I can understand a fair amount of French, but I'm very reticent to start speaking, especially when I'm in France, because I'm just not confident with that. And, you know, the pressure of coming to a new land and trying to communicate and express yourself in a way is very hard for many people. But, yeah, I see what you're saying. I just respond to the circumstances as I can with the understanding of that character. And a lot of the silence that exists or does not exist in a film is also up to the filmmaker and the editor. And, you know, the beauty of this film, and you can correct me if you feel differently. But in spite of its length, it does not feel long. And the beauty of its length is that you are afforded moments that feel very real and personal because you can sit with the characters and experience those moments, and they aren't truncated in an effort to keep a scene lively and edgy for the sake of pace. And that takes a very confident and brave filmmaker and one who understands the nuance of language and storytelling and trusts in his actors and gives them the space and honors those magical moments that can be created.

[Tonya Mosley]

Our guest today is award winning actor Adrien Brody. We'll be right back after a short break. I'm Tonya Moseley and this is FRESH air. This message comes from NPR sponsor Saatva Founder and CEO Ron Rutson shares why Saatva sales associates are focused on finding the perfect mattress for their customers.

[Adrien Brody]

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[Tonya Mosley]

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[Adrien Brody]

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[Tonya Mosley]

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[Adrien Brody]

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[Tonya Mosley]

Learn more at plus.NPR.org this message comes from Grammarly. At an enterprise level, nothing is more important than communication. Grammarly for Enterprise enables your team to work smarter and faster. Other AI tools can't quantify business impact, but Grammarly gives you actionable insights and measurable results with features like their effective Communication Score, which tracks key metrics so you can make data driven decisions to improve outcomes. Learn [e-mail] Enterprise okay, I want to ask you about a topic that is very in pr your collaborations with the much beloved filmmaker Wes Anderson. You've starred in about five of his movies, is that right?

[Adrien Brody]

Yes, I guess I have.

[Tonya Mosley]

Can you remind us of how the two of you began working together?

[Adrien Brody]

Well, I love Wes. He's such a, such an amazing person and fantastic and unique filmmaker. And, you know, we first met for the Darjeeling Limited, which I shot with Owen Wilson and Jason Schwartzman, and the three of us portrayed brothers. And our character's father had passed away and we take a trip throughout India together to reconnect and find our way, you know, through that trauma. And it was such a beautiful life experience. We all traveled India together and we lived in the same house and I bought a motorcycle when I was there and I lived there. I lived in Jodhpur for the most part and traveled around India. And it's very, very special. And I'm so grateful for Wes for including me in his family right away and all the wonderful creative experiences he's enabled me to have and life experiences and all the many creative people and actors who I admire that I've developed friendships and greater connection with through just dinners on his sets.

[Tonya Mosley]

Yeah, I heard that he does.

[Adrien Brody]

I just am so. Yeah, he's just. He knows how to do something very inclusive, and I think it's really wonderful.

[Tonya Mosley]

Yeah. I think Jeffrey Wright noted that there's a kind of traveling circus that Wes is the ringmaster of because he does have many of the same actors who appear in his films and on the set, actually treats you all very much like family with these dinners that happened after filming. You have talked a bit about this in the past, but there's also, like, this playfulness and specificity in the way that Wes Anderson shoots his films. And you have to be a lot of things, like you have to be ironic and cheeky while on camera, and you have to do all this while staying in, like, a single shot. And I was wondering, is there a scene or a time in one of his movies that you remember that really challenged you in this regard?

[Adrien Brody]

Yeah, it's quite demanding. It gives off this impression of everything being off the cuff and quirky and alive. But it requires such a precision, not only from the actors, but from the camera department. Lighting shifts, they're all. He does a lot of practical effects. So, you know, he'll have cameras coming on and off of a dolly, for instance. So that's very challenging to do smoothly. And that is essentially Sanji, who's our. His master Dali grip, who has been with us and with him since we worked on Darjeeling together and is now part of, you know, his. His crew on everything is. Is really a master at his craft. And so much is a dance between us and. And. And him enabling those shots to work. And he will literally have the complex task of coming off a dolly track and going onto a very smooth surface and then reconnecting to a new track and going along another set of rails.

[Tonya Mosley]

And what does that mean for you as an actor?

[Adrien Brody]

As you're in that shot, everyone's hoping that nobody else drops the ball because you have to just do it again and again until you're all in sync. And, you know, I know through experience what works for Wes and what doesn't. I know how not to veer from certain things that are quite important to him. And certain actors are very good at that, and certain actors are less good at that specificity. And you're all working together in this moving master. And it has to be. It's very exacting. And, you know, I do remember a scene where I was up at the end of the scene in the French Dispatch and Tilda Swinton and Lois Smith, who's a wonderful actress who, you know, was probably in her late 70s and her 80s, had this massive monologue to deliver with tremendous precision as well as Tilda. And then there were all these complex camera moves and then it lands on me and then I have this monologue to finish it. And it was such pressure to not ruin it when I knew that they had done something so perfect. So to be last up is a real, you better hit it home.

[Tonya Mosley]

Did you hit it home?

[Adrien Brody]

Oh, yeah. But I mean, it's a team effort and there is a, a need for everyone to lift everyone else up for it to work.

[Tonya Mosley]

If you're just joining us, my guest is Oscar and Golden Globe winning actor Adrien Brody. We're talking about his new film the Brutalist, which just won the Golden Globe for best Motion Picture Drama. We'll continue our conversation after a short break. This is FRESH air. I know you've been acting since you were very young. How old were you when you first started?

[Adrien Brody]

I think my first professional job was 12 years old. You know, before acting, I started doing magic and I was you could call it a professional job. I mean, I think I earned $50 to do a children's birthday party in its entirety. But I loved magic and I found that, that the storytelling that's involved in addition to creating the illusion was a gateway into an understanding of performance and precision in performance. But I found a love for acting at a very, very young age and then was fortunate to work pretty consistently over the years. I didn't have a big career for many years, but I, I was a working actor. And I'm, I have always been very grateful for that.

[Tonya Mosley]

12 years old is a remarkably young age to feel so directed and passionate in what you do. Were your parents leading you? Were you leading the charge? How did it come about that you, that you, you took this on at that age?

[Adrien Brody]

Yeah, I just, I just joked about it last night. I said, you know, acting, you know, beats working for a living. And, and, you know, it is very hard work in all seriousness, but it is such a joy. And it's always different. And I always had a very curious spirit. And that curiosity of my childhood lives on in me. And, you know, I grew up in New York City. I grew up in Queens. I took the train all the time. I had to take four trains each way to go to drama school. I got accepted to performing arts and it was a public school, but it Gave me wonderful foundation.

[Tonya Mosley]

It wasn't just a public school. You're talking about the school that the high school that the film Fame was based on. Right? That's where you went to high school.

[Adrien Brody]

Yeah. I mean, it's not. Yeah. It's not merely a public school, but it was a. It was. It's a remarkable school, but it was a public high school, meaning I was give by being selected and making it into the drama department. I was given four acting classes a day in a. Within the public school system, which is remarkable and was very helpful for me. But along the way to get to school, I'd have to take the train. And I learned so much about character along. Along those. That. That watching people that train ride and this diverse city and. And, you know, some of those discoveries in those years, informed choices I made, even in the Pianist years later of. Of, you know, witnessing characteristics and.

[Tonya Mosley]

And watching people.

[Adrien Brody]

You name it. Yeah, watching people.

[Tonya Mosley]

What was that first role? What were your roles when you were first starting out?

[Adrien Brody]

At 12, I was doing theater. I'd first done some work with Elizabeth Suedos at BAM at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. And I'd gotten an off Broadway play in the Lower east side that I, you know, take the train in from after junior high school and go to work and try not to get jumped in the East Village and then, you know, go to work each day. And, you know, I loved it. I really. I really loved it. And at just turning 14 or. Yeah, just turned 14, I booked the lead role in a public television film. So I went off to Nebraska and shot a movie which my.

[Tonya Mosley]

Do you still have that movie? Yeah.

[Adrien Brody]

Oh, yeah, you could probably find it. It's called Home At Last. I'm quite my boy in it. And it was wonderful. And that too, it spoke to a time in history. I played an orphan in the 1800s, and at the time, many orphaned children were being adopted and shipped off to the Midwest by families on farms. And they were given a home and education and religion, but they were also, you know, cheap labor and they were put to work. And it spoke to that struggle in that time in history. And so even at a very young age, I was gravitating towards and being selected for roles that spoke to things that were some relevance. And I'm really happy about that.

[Tonya Mosley]

You talk quite a bit about your mother and your father's influence. Your mother, this noted photographer, she used to be a staff photographer for the Village Voice. You say, like people will say to you, oh, you are the son of Sylvia, because she's so well respected, and your father is an educator. But I'm curious, growing up, like, how did your mother's work and seeing her in her creativity maybe influence your thoughts on the perceptions on what you could be? And had you thought about being anything else, was acting just like a foregone conclusion?

[Adrien Brody]

It's a lovely, lovely question. And, you know, my parents are a unit. You know, they've always stood together, an embrace of me and in nurturing me and my individuality and not suppressing my individuality and my rambunctious nature as a child and my enthusiasm and curiosity of the world, and they've only enhanced that. And my mother's work has been so influential on me as an artist. And my first of all, in me encountering acting is the result of her having an assignment to photograph the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, which preceded my education in performing arts, where I started as a very young boy, because she had seen an acting. They had acting classes for children that were. She saw in me what all these kids were doing, and she had that intuition. So even just encountering it came as a result of her photographic work. But then I am also the son, only son of a photographer. So I am. I am very much a focal point in front of the lens that came from an artist's eye. And I also witnessed her imagery and her. Her immortalization of my city and the world through that very beautiful, specific lens since birth. And whereas I grew up with film everywhere in my home, negatives being hung from the showers and film canisters in the tub and the smell of fixative in the dark room smelling like home and my mother and film test prints on record racks all strewn around the floor in front of the landing in front of my. My bedroom. And so since I could crawl, I was seeing imagery everywhere and beautiful imagery. And I think that made art and its accessibility very tangible and available.

[Tonya Mosley]

Well, it also strikes me that both of you all are observers in that regard.

[Adrien Brody]

Yes, I often see a very similar. And I don't know if it's something I've learned through my mother or something through osmosis or genetically, but I am very similar to my mother in a lot of ways, creatively. And I love imagery, and I have an eye. I don't have quite her eye for it, but I do. I tend to retain a lot both in a photographic memory and an emotional recall of things that is very much like my mother's, how she sees an image and captures it and catches that magic or incongruity in something that makes it so special. And I just am I don't carry a camera as much and I really should. And I always say that I should, but I don't. But I do retain a lot and try to bring it to life within me in the roles that I play.

[Tonya Mosley]

Has your mom seen this film yet? And if so, what's been her reaction to it?

[Adrien Brody]

Oh, they've seen the film and both my parents have seen the film and my mother is very, very moved by it. And it makes me so happy and proud to get to share this with them. They know how hard I have been working towards finding something like this and how patient I have been. And they I think it speaks to so much of her own story and struggle that I am really profoundly grateful to be able to present to her.

[Tonya Mosley]

Adrienne Brody, it's been a real pleasure to talk with you about this latest work and your work overall. Thank you so much.

[Adrien Brody]

Tanya, thank you very much. I enjoyed this conversation. I have to say I've really enjoyed hearing your voice. You enhance the experience and I think to the listeners as well. So thank you.

[Tonya Mosley]

Adrien Brody stars in the award winning film the Brutalist. It's now playing in select theaters including IMAX, and opens nationwide on January 17th. Coming up, critic at large John Powers reviews Baby Girl, starring Nicole Kidman. This is FRESH air. The new movie Baby Girl by Helena Rain is a drama about a successful married businesswoman who begins an affair with an intern half her age. Currently in theaters, it stars Nicole Kidman in a turn that has made her one of this year's awards frontrunners. Our critic at large John Powers says that this erotic drama pulls you right in but isn't quite as daring as its lead performance.

[Adrien Brody]

Ever since silent film audiences swooned for Rudolph Valentino and the vamp Theda Berra, the movies have packed a sexual charge, but filmmakers have always had trouble dealing with sex head on. While there have been scads of hot love scenes, movies addressing sexual desire nearly always feel bogus, exploitative, moralistic or unintentionally funny. Even Stanley Kubrick foundered in making Eyes Wide Shut, a dreamlike movie in which Tom Cruise was a husband haunted and aroused by the possible infidelity of his wife, played by Nicole Kidman. We enter a similar dreamland in Baby Girl, a new film by Dutch filmmaker Helena Raine that boasts a thrillingly haywire performance by Kidman, who's our bravest, most risk taking actress. Set during a seemingly eternal Christmas season, Baby Girl begins with a classic cliche, the high powered Career woman who secretly yearns for sexual submission to a man and transforms it into a strange fantasy of empowerment. Kidman stars as Romy Mathis, the CEO of a high tech shipping company in New York. She's got a country house, two cool daughters, and a husband, Jacob, who's so attractive. He's played by Antonio Banderas, but. And it's a decisive but, their sex life has never worked for Romy. 19 years into her marriage, she fakes extravagant orgasms, then sneaks away to satisfy herself while watching dodgy domination porn. All that changes one morning when walking to work, she watches a striking young man tame a big, out of control dog. As in a dream, this same striking young man immediately turns up in the company offices as a new intern, Samuel. He's played by Harris Dickinson. At once mumbling and aggressive like a 50s method actor, Samuel somehow sees straight into Romney's roiling psyche. Their early meetings always have a sexual edge, starting when they talk in the company kitchen when she asks him to bring her a cup of coffee. Hey, how'd you get that dog to calm down?

I gave it a cookie. You always have cookies on you?

[Tonya Mosley]

Yeah. Why, do you want one?

[Adrien Brody]

No. Samuel senses that Romy fantasizes about being ordered what to do. And though she initially resists his inappropriate forwardness, getting involved with interns is, after all, strictly forbidden. We know it's only a matter of time. After a bit of verbal sparring, he has Romy doing his bidding in the bedroom. He calls her Baby Girl and helps her achieve the pleasure she's longed for. Given the unusual dynamic of this relationship. She's his boss at work, he's her boss in bed. Baby Girl promises a daringly grown up look at both sexuality and power. Yet for all the early talk about the movie being transgressive, to use a played out buzzword, I was struck by how tame it is. Even as Romy says she needs sexual danger, none of her desires take her or the movie any place truly dark, or even 50 shades of gray. Now, to her credit, Rain makes a point of not trying to turn us on. She dishes up none of the laughable nudie sleaze found in movies like Nine and a Half Weeks. Yet in her fixation on Romy's inner life, whose every throb and flicker Kibbon heroically registers, she makes the classic Hollywood mistake of shortchanging everything else. For starters, we have no sense of who Samuel actually is or what he wants. This matters in a film where both Romy and Samuel keep using the word power. Romy may run the company, but she's also an HR nightmare. Samuel could shipwreck her career with a few well chosen words. I kept waiting to find out what Samuel is after and what tough choices their dangerous liaison will force her to make. That's precisely what happens in Catherine Briagh's great new film last Summer, in which another successful middle aged woman commits a far greater transgression than Romie, then fights even cruelly to get herself out of the mess. There's no such reckoning here. Rainn is so eager not to punish Romy for her sexual tastes that the film raises questions of power only to duck them. Baby Girl's problem is not Romy's desire to be dominated. It's making her erotic liberation so triumphant that the story's sexual politics don't matter. All of which feels out of touch with our post MeToo era. After all, if a male CEO had kinky sex with a young female intern, I don't think current audiences would give him a pass just because she made him happier in bed than his wife.

[Tonya Mosley]

John Powers reviewed the new film Baby Girl starring Nicole Kidman, tomorrow on FRESH air, Oscar winning actor Tilda Swinton in the room next door. She stars as a woman who intends to end her life after her cancer treatment fails. She'll talk about death, grief, her love of costumes and androgynous style, and why she doesn't think of herself as an actor. I hope you'll join us. FRESH air's executive producer is Danny Miller. Our technical director and engineer is Audrey Bentham. Our interviews and reviews are produced and edited by Phyllis Meyers, Ann Marie Baldonado, Sam Brigger, Lauren Krenzel, Teresa Madden, Monique Nazareth, Thea Chaloner, Susan Yakundi and Anna Bauman. Our digital media producer is Molly CV Nesper. Roberta Shorrock directs the show with Terry Gross. I'm Tanya Mo. This message comes from NPR sponsor Saatva Founder and CEO Ron Rudson.

[Adrien Brody]

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[Tonya Mosley]

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[Adrien Brody]

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[Tonya Mosley]

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[Adrien Brody]

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[Tonya Mosley]

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[Adrien Brody]

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[Tonya Mosley]

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