HEALING MUSIC: An interview with The Pianist star Adrien Brody. By Warren Curry 1/20/03 Part 1 of 2

At the ripe old age of 29, Adrien Brody has already worked with some of the most influential and respected directors currently making films. A brief scan of the young actor's resume reveals collaborations with such filmmakers as Steven Soderbergh, Spike Lee, Terrence Malick, Ken Loach, Barry Levinson and now Roman Polanski. In The Pianist, based on the memoirs of Polish composer/pianist and Holocaust survivor Wladyslaw Szpilman, Polanski (a fellow Polish Holocaust survivor) has made his most personal film to date, which offered Brody the opportunity to take on his most challenging role yet. Spending much of the film as the only human on screen, and often having to convey thoughts and emotions exclusively via body language and facial expressions without the luxury of dialogue, Brody turns in an unforgettable performance as Szpilman.

Focus Features released the film, which won the Palme d'Or (Best Picture) award at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival, in the U.S. in late December and, as expected, Oscar talk is surrounding both the movie and the work of Brody. The Pianist is a spacious film, affecting on both a cerebral and emotional level, which manages to be troubling and also highly inspirational in its detailing of one man's quest to survive against seemingly insurmountable odds.

CinemaSpeak had the opportunity to speak with Brody at the Los Angeles press day for The Pianist. The Pianist is playing in select cities nationwide.

(Note: This interview was conducted as part of a press roundtable, therefore not all questions were asked by CinemaSpeak.)

How did you get involved with the film?

I got a phone call out of the blue that Roman wanted to take a meeting with me. I was shooting Affair of the Necklace in Paris, and I got this call and was like, "Yeah, wherever, whenever." We met, and I had coffee with him, we talked about it, he got a script to me and then I invited him to see a screening of Harrison's Flowers, and he came with the producer and stayed and went out for a beer with me afterwards. I took that as a good sign, and then we talked about the script, what my intentions would be, what level I was committed and if I had some knowledge of music. It was a long process but he never made me audition, and I really appreciate that, because this is a role that I'd die to get an audition for, and I know he saw a lot of people for it and I know there were incentives to hire a European actor, but for some reason he chose me. I love the guy for that; he gave me a lot of respect. I've had to audition for things that are effortless for me, and I have plenty of tape that they can check out and yet there's something about that process where some people need you to prove your worth. That's what actors have to do constantly and, essentially, I did have to do that in a way, but he had some faith in me which was really wonderful.

Do you play the piano?

I had to learn to play the piano for the film. I do have a basic knowledge of piano -- I've studied off and on for years -- but I'm definitely not a concert pianist. In six weeks I had to learn a lot of complex pieces.

Was that part of getting the part?

It was important that I knew how to play, because it was important to Roman that he could actually use my playing, so it's not just a cut to the hands. He wanted, first and foremost, to know that I would be very dedicated and very disciplined. Within six weeks, I had to lose a tremendous amount of weight, grow that beard, work on the dialect and learn how to play the piano. It was a lot; it was more than I ever have had to do, and I had to stay in this space for a really long time.

Was there a moment during the shooting when you were completely exhausted?

I was exhausted from day one. Day one, I had to climb over that wall and witness the destruction of Warsaw. I had no energy, I hadn't eaten much for six weeks and I told Roman that I had no energy.

That may have actually been ideal.

That was ideal, because first of all I connected immediately, psychologically, to this state of isolation and depravation that my character had. Before I left home in New York, I gave up my apartment and I sold my car and I got rid of my phones. I thought, "Hey, this character loses everything, why don't I be very dedicated and do this." When I got there, I thought, "That was really stupid. I didn't need to do that, because I'm already going to go through hell here and it would be nice to have a place to think about." But I felt that I shouldn't have a place that I can call home. At that point, I had changed already and that was day one, and I could barely climb over that wall. They were doing a complicated crane shot, they had to do it a few times, it was freezing and I could barely make it over this wall -- my muscles were gone. But that's what he (Roman) wanted and, in retrospect, I'm o.k. -- I made it through it. It probably could've been harmful, but I'm fine today and I felt that for a number of reasons I had a responsibility in my portrayal of this character. I think he (Roman) felt that I was willing to give him that in the casting process.

What kind of diet were you on before the shoot?

I had two boiled eggs, and then I had nothing for about five hours, then a small piece of chicken, grilled, and then four or five hours later a small piece of fish and a few steamed vegetables.

Talk about your collaboration with Roman.

Roman has a very clear vision in his work. I have faith in him and trust in him to guide me. He strives for subtlety and so do I, and if you have a director who strives to guide you in a similar direction -- you have to be malleable -- that's a real luxury. It was a fascinating process because he's experienced a lot of similarities and a lot of suffering in his life and he survived Cracow through that time. Not only do I have a director that I admire and that I'm confident in, he knows what my character went through and he also possesses strength that I felt my character had to have to survive all that.

Your character undergoes an enormous transformation in the film, which must've presented a huge challenge for you.

In retrospect, I think I could've only interpreted it as clearly, because we shot in reverse. It allowed me insight into this man and that place. It's far more difficult to read an individual whose life is in order, who's very normal -- there's only so much information given. He's not particularly religious, he has the opportunity for love, but he's not deeply in love, he's passionate about music -- it's hard to jump into that. I became immersed in this state of mind and knowing what he's capable of enduring and the trick is to slowly shed it, and it's difficult to shed it. But at the same time you know him and you know where he went, so you know what to work away from. It was a long process -- six months, six days a week, is a long shoot. There was a month and a half where there wasn't even another actor on the set. It was a fantastic opportunity for me, because you have Roman and the crew at your disposal and all this focus on your character's journey -- that's fantastic. The flipside is there's not a window to let go, and if you can't let go for long enough, you somehow change.

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