ADRIEN BRODY AT MoMA PS1 WITH KLAUS BIESENBACH
The charismatic and talented actor Adrien Brody.
Adrien Brody, above, acting anything but detached, in a lively discussion with Director of MoMA PS1 Klaus Biesenbach after a screening of the film Brody produced and stars in called "Detachment."
Adrien Brody, the borough of Queens' charming and uber-talented native movie star son, returned home to talk about his new film "Detachment," in which he plays a New York City high school substitute teacher, most convincingly. The film is directed by Tony Kaye, and also stars young actress Sami Gayle, in a break-out performance.
When Klaus Biesenbach talked about all the beautiful people in the film, and how he never had such good looking teachers growing up and attending school in Germany, Adrien Brody replied, "I don't know what film you are talking about." His self-deprecating sense of humor was evident throughout the course of the dialogue.
Amazingly, the entire film was made in twenty days on location in Queens. When Brody first read the script for "Detachment," it moved him to tears. The themes of this story are clearly close to home for him. He talked about the fact that his father was a high school teacher, and that he, himself, attended public school in Queens, and then the High School of Performing Arts in Manhattan. He saw what it was like for his friends who grew up without a father figure, and the havoc this wrought upon them. "Detachment" is harrowing to watch, at times, but well worth the price of admission.
Two unrelated yet interesting facts learned from Brody: he loves hip hop, and he was depressed for about a year after making "The Pianist." He was unable to watch it until ten years had gone by.