Art imitates life; Adrien Brody is proof of this. When Esquire caught up with the actor in 2023, he had reached the ten year mark of a renovation project on his house, playing the role of a decorator and designer within his own home. A year and a half later, when I speak with Brody by phone, it’s because he’s been nominated for Best Actor at the BAFTAs for his role as the driven, impassioned architect László Tóth in The Brutalist.
“Even though I’m not formally trained in architecture, I’ve always loved a variety of structures and the integrity and creativity that goes into them,” Brody tells me. “I feel similarly about fashion design and anything that requires a creative vision that is then carried out by a collective team from the designer’s vision.” This sentiment is clearly reflected in Brody’s look for the BAFTAs: a sharp, sleek, custom tuxedo developed in collaboration between himself, the J.Crew design team, and J.Crew men’s creative director Brendon Babenzien.
“Isn’t it great?” says Brody of the tux, and, yes, it really is.
Modeled after the brand’s iconic Ludlow suit, the black tuxedo features custom embellishments, like a slimmer, more tailored fit, a single-suit vent, a higher waistline, and an embroidered “J.Crew for A. Brody” stitching inside the jacket. The premium wool—sourced from the Vitale Barberis Canonico mill in Italy—elevates the ensemble further, adding a very slight sheen.
Two days before the BAFTAs, Brody and I chat about working with J.Crew, his love for fashion, and being a design aficionado both on and off the screen. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
On Navigating Awards Season and Preparing for the BAFTAs
It’s very busy, but it’s wonderful to be immersed in work, and it’s very exciting. I woke up early and had a Q and A already talking about the film, and what a joy it was to be a part of this movie. I take it one day at a time. And I think the greatest gift of all of this exciting period of recognition for the film and for my own involvement is that it creates so much awareness for the film and the work itself—and that is what we all need, especially in the independent film space. So that’s been very meaningful to me, how many people are coming out to theaters and seeing this movie, and it’s really special.
On His Custom J.Crew Tuxedo
I give them all the credit. It came as a quite beautiful finished design piece that they presented. They’ve made it in an incredibly fine material, and obviously it’s tailored to me, with a few elements of my own aesthetic that I know fit best, and it’s quite lovely. I’m very happy with it, and they’ve been so great.
On What the Costuming Would Look Like In an Adrien Brody Biopic
Oh, that’s a great question. My life does feel like a movie quite often, and these pieces [of the J.Crew tuxedo] do fit me quite well, I think, both on and off the red carpet, I would say. I like for clothes to feel playful, but I also think it has to feel authentic, and that has to speak to the moment. So it varies, whether I’m going to a cocktail reception or an event such as the BAFTAs, which is steeped in a culture of great tradition of film and television, and honoring all of those artistic contributions.
I always like to have something comfortable and relaxed to get into when I’m not working. I think it just feels best. And I do have this new favorite—I did a shoot with J.Crew and I just love this blue sweater. I keep telling everybody about it, but it’s true. I wear this mock neck blue sweater pretty much most days, unless I’m throwing on, you know, a hoodie. But it’s really great. It’s quite simple and elegant.
On Designing His House IRL and Playing An Architect In The Brutalist
I think it’s really interesting that I’ve struggled with an ongoing renovation for over a decade, prior to playing an architect struggling with the trials and tribulations of having the construction realized to the potential that he’s dreamt of. And I had a similar yearning. Filmmaking is not dissimilar to that either.
Making The Brutalist, I already found plenty of insight in my life to relate to for this film; my own grandparents and mother’s journey immigrating to the United States, and the hardships that immigrants face is not unfamiliar to me and my family. And then the artistic pursuit of creating lasting work and something of great meaning—whether that is the renovation of an old barn to bring it back to life and incorporate all of these qualities that I’ve encountered through my travels that make it unique and authentic and specific to me and what I find beautiful, or a body of work in film. It’s all very relatable to the lived experience of László.
On What Drives Him
I think it’s evident that my work is incredibly meaningful to me. That’s something I’ve learned through my mother’s dedication to her work as a photographer. I’ve been very privileged to work with so many talented people, and I love the work that I set out to do as a young boy, and feel very grateful for that. I’m coming up on 40 years as a professional actor, and I hope to not only carry on in that tradition, but to further contribute to the creative process as a producer and potentially a director and a writer, and all the wonderful components of creative storytelling that I’ve had the privilege of really being steeped in since being a boy.
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