The many layers of
Adrien Brody
The acting giant on refining his craft and the transformative power of clothing.
Since his first paid job as a magician at the age of 12, Adrien Brody has been carving out a name for himself as one of the great character actors of his generation. Now at 51, his extensive creative output, whether composing, painting or dressing for a part, is back under the spotlight again. ‘It all flows from the same well’, the actor tells COS. ‘At first I didn't see the parallel, but then once I started discussing all of it, I realised they feed each other and come from the same source of inspiration.’
From humble beginnings in Queens, New York, as a jobbing actor to the boards of the West End, Brody has been amassing a wealth of experiences, observations and memories – building on them to become one of the industry’s most recognisable stars. His performances recall the same magnetism and complexity of the acting greats he grew up watching and now inspire that same magic for the next generation.
We sat down with Adrien – and his dog Ziggy – to speak about the craft of acting, the transformative power of clothes and the many layers of the extraordinary calling he has ‘dedicated [his] life to doing’.
‘Acting is all about layers…pieces and things that I have found and have touched me emotionally.’
BEGINNINGS
'It all started on the J train, from my neighbourhood in Queens. It really gave me a much greater understanding of character and the distinct individual qualities of humanity. It gave me that curiosity which is essential in depicting humans.
I began doing magic before I was an actor. I’d do children's birthday parties. It was a real understanding of performance, a kind of a monologue. Keeping attention, illusion – all that flows into film work because there’s a bit of sleight of hand in film, in what must be revealed and what can't be revealed to the camera, and thus to the audience.'
INSPIRATION
'My dad used to take me to Chinatown in New York City on Canal Street and go to the movie theatre. We’d watch old martial arts films together and films from the ‘70s and ‘80s. I grew up on great movies: Francis Ford Coppola and Martin Scorsese, Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and Christopher Walken. They’re very real; full of charisma, frailty and strength. They very much represented a style of both the city I was evolving and growing up in and a style of work that I admired, a search for truth but very specific character work that was owned by them. When I see anyone do it, I feel really enthralled. That's what I've always admired about actors, especially of that generation that I grew up on.'
DEEPER MEANING
'Complexity and characters draw me to a role. I also look for a deeper meaning, they have to have some kind of gift to impart that is beyond just an interesting journey for me to go on – whether that's a gift to share or there's something socially relevant, immense or moving.'
‘On the stage, we all put down our problems and distractions. We get rooted and in each other's eyes and focus, and give, and deliver and share with an audience.’
THE STAGE
'Doing a play on the West End has been enriching in my life and my work. It was a pleasure to be with so many people that love acting and are so devoted to it and are proficient in a way that I am less familiar with. On the stage, we all put down our problems and distractions. We get rooted and in each other's eyes and focus, and give, and deliver and share with an audience. Then you go home and try to go back to your emails and pick up the pieces again!'
ADVICE
'It would be nice if [the next generation] looked at me like I looked to actors of a generation or two before me. It’s very moving for me when I meet a younger actor. I met someone on the street in London heading to the Donmar Warehouse, on my way to get a sandwich! I was so grateful that someone who loves and is aspiring to do what I love and aspire to do, and have dedicated my life to doing, found that level of appreciation and connection to a work that I've done. That was very moving to me.'
CREATIVITY
'I have painted and been drawing since I was a child and then I started making music. I didn't see the parallel, but it’s all about layers. Acting is also layering – pieces and things that I have found and have touched me either emotionally or in a memory that feels distinct, I'll incorporate and layer upon other things.
During Covid, I did a ton of these collage works. I would just stay home and cook and make works on the floor, working until the point of exhaustion. My hands were broken. My back was broken. I just kept immersing into it and it was really a blessing. It opened me up to a whole new understanding of what I needed to do with my work.'
Adrien wears polo shirt, jacket, trousers and loafers by COS.
COSTUME
'Sometimes you're less in control of those decisions, and sometimes it's very collaborative and you'll work with someone who's completely visionary, like Wes Anderson and Milena Canonero, who's an amazing costume designer. Her vision, and his vision, will determine the looks of those characters quite specifically, and they're wonderful and unique.'
PERSONAL STYLE
'I wear what I feel is right in the moment. I definitely do have a distinct sense of style and I’ve got a lot of clothes. When I was a working actor, I would always have a closet full of random things that I wouldn't ever really wear in public. They were very character-driven pieces so that when I had an audition and it was more fitting, I’d self-style and do my costume to a certain degree, like a Western shirt or something that I would never wear for me.'
THE TRANSFORMATIVE POWER OF CLOTHES
'For one audition, I'd gone in and I had some kind of plain white T-shirt and just some khaki thing. And I had these aviator glasses. When I took them off I remember seeing my silhouette in the reflection of the mirrored metal door of the elevator after finishing the final audition, and I saw this image of me as a character, not myself. I was confronted, just still reeling from the emotions of this soldier and the complexity of dealing with fear and the horror of war. I was so moved at that image, it was totally transformative.'
QUICKFIRE ROUND
COS
Stage or screen?
AB
Both.
COS
All-time favourite movie?
AB
The Godfather Part II checks just about every box.
COS
Favourite London discovery
AB
The stage; the Donmar Warehouse.
COS
Go-to room service order
AB
It'd be a club sandwich and fries.
