Twenty years before taking on the role of an architect escaping post-World War II Europe in director Brady Corbet’s The Brutalist, Adrien Brody received critical acclaim for his performance in The Pianist. Directed by Roman Polanski, The Pianist follows Brody as the real-life pianist Wladyslaw Szpilman, a Polish Jewish survivor of the Holocaust. Based on Szpilman’s memoir from 1946, the film portrays his struggles during World War II as he loses contact with his family but finds solace in music.
Before landing the role in The Pianist, Brody had a lead role in Terrence Malick’s The Thin Red Line but was mostly edited out of the final film, and he also appeared in Spike Lee’s Summer of Sam in 1999. Initially, Joseph Fiennes was Polanski’s preferred choice for the role, but he was unavailable due to a play. Brody underwent an extensive casting process to win the part and dedicated himself to intense preparation, working with multiple piano instructors and undergoing a drastic weight loss of 30 pounds.
During the filming of The Pianist, Brody spent six weeks in Eastern Europe, often alone on set portraying Szpilman’s isolation. Despite the challenges, he found solace in playing the piano, which helped distract him from the loneliness and hunger he experienced during filming.
The Pianist premiered at Cannes in May 2002, winning the Palme d’Or before being released by Focus Features in December of the same year. The film grossed $120 million worldwide and received seven Oscar nominations, with wins for Brody, Polanski, and screenwriter Ronald Harwood.
Winning the Best Actor Oscar at just 29 years old, Brody later revealed that the emotional toll of filming left him grappling with depression for a year. However, he acknowledged that the experience gave him a new perspective and changed his life in profound ways.
This article was originally featured in a standalone issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine in December. Subscribe here to receive the magazine for more exclusive content.
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