Adrien Brody Reveals He's Has “Not Taken a Role” Since "The Brutalist" Oscar Win

Adrien Brody has revealed that he has yet to accept a new role in the wake of his Best Actor Academy Award last March for his acclaimed performance in "The Brutalist".

It was reported in March shortly after the Oscar win that Brody was in early talks with Damien Chazelle over a role in his film "Evel Knievel on Tour".

The two-time Oscar winner told an on-stage conversation at Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Film Festival, that he has yet to take on any new films.

“I’ve not taken a film since The Brutalist. It’s not because I have not had interesting opportunities, but it didn’t feel quite right,” he said. “I love to work and I love to collaborate with people, and I love to be immersed. I like to be creating. I like the problem solving. I thrive on that level of immersion.”

Sharing lessons learned across his 40-year career with a mainly young local crowd of aspiring actors and filmmakers, Brody advised them to experiment as much as possible early on in their careers.

“When you’re young, or when your career is young, you should explore anything that remotely feels like an opportunity for you to grow, regardless of any other financial remuneration or anything,” he added. “Any professional experience is the biggest lesson… failing or overcoming the obstacles or pressure on set, will only strengthen you for the future obstacles to come.”

Talking about his own career choices, Brody noted he had experimented early on but became more selective in the wake of his first Best Actor Academy Award for "The Pianist" in 2003.

“I assumed that I had less to prove, that I am a good actor and that I can take work that felt interesting and you have a responsibility to a career trajectory. I was quite young, and it takes time to understand that,” he said.

Brody has been hanging out in the Gulf on and off these past two weeks. Spotted at the Fashion Trust Arabia fundraiser in Doha in November, he has been back in the region these past days as a guest of the Red Sea Film Festival in Jeddah.

Talking in more depth about his Oscar-winning performance in The Brutalist, Brody recalled the gruelling shoot.

“The Brutalist we made with very little resources… It’s a three-and-a-half-hour epic movie shot on VistaVision which is a camera system that is remarkable, that hasn’t been used since the 60s… it’s cumbersome and loud, but wonderful and beautiful… and provides a unique experience for audiences today,” he said.

“We shot that movie in 23 days and that was very difficult, it meant no rest and not even sufficient turnaround time,” he continued. “When you do this six days a week for five weeks, you’re very depleted.”

Brody revealed he tended to be very self-contained, even solitary during a shoot.

“I have no personal life when I’m filming. As much as I love the people I work with, I don’t hang out with my fellow actors and crew when I have any heavy day… or any emotional work,” he said.

“I sometimes won’t eat lunch so as to not be tired as your body has to then digest… I’ve been doing this my entire adult life. I have my own techniques, self-preservation and emotional protection to have the space to give when needed.”

“You have to hope that you’re able to. It’s not a science and you’re not a machine. So some days you’re not going to be your best. You have to find ways to snap yourself out of whatever the personal distractions are, whatever the complexity is on set that day.”