Why Adrien Brody Is The G.O.A.T?
With his BAFTA-winning performance in The Brutalist, Adrien Brody has established, yet again, why he is an actor unlike any other
If Hollywood had a hall of fame for versatility, Adrien Brody's name would be etched in gold - twice. After Daniel Day Lewis, Brody is a chameleon who can change expressions based on every mood. Watch Predators (2010) and Splice (2009), if you want to fact-check it. Though The Pianist (2002) already cemented his status as one of the greatest, the 2025 BAFTA win for The Brutalist, solidifies it. Anyone still wanting to dispute it? I'm gonna blast your candy-*** once and for all right now!
The Brutalist follows a deeply layered story of a Hungarian-Jewish immigrant in America, having survived Buchenwald post-war in 1947 and revives his distinguished career with the help of patronage by a man called Van Buren (Guy Pearce). Brody as the gifted architect, Laszlo Toth, depicts the stark and inverted American Dream. He offers not one 'go gently' moment to his audience, is stubborn, and hedonistic despite the harsh realities of the American culture.
Having mastered the shades of human psychology, Brody elevates the historical drama through his haunting performance. From being full of anger, hopelessness, and repressed sorrow, Brody's range extends far beyond the banal depictions of the devastated and traumatized. The visuals are arresting to fit the grandness of the epic biopic shot in 70mm.
He doesn't show vulnerability simply because the script demands it, or the director has asked of him- it's his refusal to be boxed into expectations and his complete surrender to the lived experiences of the characters that makes him stand out time and again. He is more than willing to step into the character's shoes, however muddy and torn they might be.
In The Brutalist, Adrien Brody perfects Toth's raw emotion almost ready to explode. In The Pianist, he starved himself to understand what hunger and deprivation truly feels like to portray Wladyslaw Szpilman. In King Kong (2005), he is the compassionate yet heroic playwright, reflecting the human connection in a fantasy setting. Honestly, Brody feels deeply and emotes deeply.
Even in his early works as supporting cast in Summer of Sam (1999) and The Thin Red Line (1998), Brody showed signs of his knack for subtle, intense performances. While he could have easily turned to more heavy dramas post his Oscar-winning performance in The Pianist, Brody took up the awkward and sensitive brother in Wes Anderson's The Darjeeling Limited.
If Adrian Brody can make you cry uncontrollably, you can surely entrust him to make you laugh.
His comedic timing and ability to deliver both dry and slapstick humour without losing the dramatic edge adds to his versatility, for instance, The Brothers Bloom (2008), The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014), Midnight in Paris (2011), and The French Dispatch (2021).
Oscillating between drama, blockbuster action, and comedy, Brody is subtle but memorable, quirky yet tragic. And, as critics say he has such pathos in his face!