‘The Brutalist’, the period drama by Brady Corbet starring Adrien Brody, is one of the top contenders to win the Oscar for Best Picture at the upcoming awards ceremony, so it’s no secret that it is one of the most monumental films of this awards season.
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After his triumph at the 2025 Golden Globes, Adrien Brody is ready to compete once again at the Academy Awards ceremony, after his victory in 2003 for his performance in ‘The Pianist’ as ‘Władysław Szpilman’, becoming the youngest actor to receive the statuette at just 29 years old.
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This film written by Brady Corbet and Mona Fastvold tells the story of László Tóth, a fictional Hungarian architect who survives the Holocaust and immigrates to the United States in search of a better life and to leave behind all the suffering that World War II brought upon him.
We are waiting for the results of the 97th edition of the Oscars Awards, we had the opportunity to chat with Brody about the challenges, impressions, and lessons that his character László Tóth left on him, which gave him the opportunity to compete again in the Best Actor category.
Language and accents
One of the main features of this film is that Adrien Brody connected with his Hungarian roots. His mother fled from her native Hungary in the 1950s during a revolution and settled in the United States, an experience that helped the actor better connect with his character.
Brody commented that his family heritage helped him better understand the Hungarian protagonist, as he based the character’s accent on his maternal grandfather’s way of speaking.
“I really wanted to find a sound and quality that was representative of my grandfather. I remember the difficulties he had with his accent and the nuances in the way he sounded, and how he struggled to find a way to channel that."
However, the actor also considers that filming part of the movie in Hungary to recreate post-war Pennsylvania was a great success in perfecting his Hungarian language skills and accent.
“It was very meaningful and definitely, in terms of the dialect, it was very useful. It was a lot of pressure to do it well with my entire Hungarian team and everyone who was there with me. I think it was also invaluable for me to be surrounded by Hungarians and to listen to them. It was quite helpful for me to stay focused and constantly listen to the inflections and certain qualities.”
I think there are many aspects of the immigrant experience that are quite identifiable and still a dilemma and difficulty for many. It deals with racism, antisemitism, and all kinds of things that we should have addressed more thoroughly. I think it is a beautiful and complex film, and I am very grateful that it speaks to everyone.
— Adrien Brody, American actor
Artistic experience
Just like in ‘The Pianist’, Brody plays a Holocaust survivor in ‘The Brutalist’ who tries to move forward despite the conditions of destruction and decay in his environment, an experience that also helped him to better understand and interpret this type of stories.
“The fact that László in ‘The Brutalist’ endures similar hardships and the fact that he was leaving behind what he experienced in concentration camps, witnessing the destruction of Europe, loss, and then starting his journey again. I think it was invaluable that I had interpreted that character, and that I had gained a degree of knowledge to tell this story, which is truly the journey of a man who comes to the United States hoping to leave all the horrors of that time behind.”
Similarly, his work as a painter also influenced the understanding of his character, as Tóth, being an architect, has drawing skills and expresses emotions and ideas through the designs of his buildings.
“I believe that the beauty of being an actor is that the more you experience, live, and encounter, the more understanding and knowledge you have when incorporating those feelings into the characters you portray. And I have a strong connection with that in my own artistic aspirations. There are many, many qualities with which I felt I could identify while playing László, and even the journey of an actor is an artistic pursuit.”
Migrant experience
In addition to being a survivor and architect, László is also a migrant in search of the American dream and begins his stay in the United States as a laborer, like most of those who, to this day, decide to cross the border.
The experience of millions of people who have left their place of origin continues to be repeated today with the same complications such as discrimination, a key element that Brody considers as one of the main messages of ‘El Brutalista’.
“I think there are many aspects of the movie, many hopes, dreams, and longings that are still very identifiable today. I believe there are many aspects of the immigrant experience that are quite identifiable and still a dilemma and difficulty for many. It deals with racism, antisemitism, and all sorts of things that we should have addressed more thoroughly. I think it’s a beautiful and complex movie, and I am very grateful that it speaks to everyone.”
In conclusion, the lead actor pointed out that the film can provide a better understanding of how the past did not disappear and continues to be part of our present, so it is relevant to “find solutions and create a much more inclusive world.”