'I've had a lifetime of preparation for this role': Adrien Brody has a family connection to The Brutalist
Adrien Brody admits that his portrayal of architect Laszlo Toth in 'The Brutalist' was particularly personal as his family had also emigrated to the United States after World War II.
Adrien Brody has a very personal connection to his part in 'The Brutalist'.
The 51-year-old actor plays Jewish Hungarian architect Laszlo Toth – who emigrates to the United States for a new life after World War II – in the new movie and admits that the project meant a lot to him as his family did the same thing during the 1950s.
Speaking to Empire magazine, Adrien said: "I've had a lifetime of preparation for this role.
"I've yearned to have a role of this complexity, that speaks to so many things that are personal to me. I come from very humble beginnings. I've never taken that for granted. I wish my grandparents were able to have seen some of my trajectory. Their struggles have informed so much of my own process."
The 'Asteroid City' star revealed that it was particularly poignant when his mother got to visit the set in Budapest.
Brody said: "I mean, my mom has seen it all. But I think visiting this set and seeing this film was particularly meaningful."
The actor detailed how he used his family connections to master Toth's accent.
He explained: "I very much remember my grandparents' dialect. We worked with a wonderful dialect coach and found a voice of that era that was very reminiscent of my grandfather's tonality and cadence.
"Shooting in Budapest, I also had a responsibility to not sound like a fool in front of my crew."
Adrien became the youngest performer to win the Oscar for Best Actor for his role in the 2002 film 'The Pianist' and sees similarities between that film and his latest picture.
He told IndieWire: "'The Brutalist' begins almost where ('The Pianist') ended in a way. It is a Jewish immigrant's journey, surviving.
"Those specific hardships and loss, and yearning to begin again, and the dream of coming to a place like America – where the myth of the American dream, especially in the '50s – (offers) the hope to be free of that persecution and to somehow maybe begin again."
The 'Midnight in Paris' actor says that he often seeks out parts that allow him to "represent things that are not right".
He said: "I make sacrifices to honour those, and I find, as painful as it is to live with that being close, I know what's important.
"I appreciate the love I've received, and it's taken me 22 years to receive this level of love again. That is so meaningful to me, because that's all I do with my life. It is devoted to this work, and it's not like I wasn't looking for material of this calibre or a role of this magnitude."
