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The 32-year-old Oscar-winning actor was born in New York City and raised in Queens, NY. He is the son of Hungarian-born photojournalist Sylvia Plachy and Elliot Brody, a retired history professor of Polish descent.

Brody spent eight months on location in New Zealand filming King Kong with Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson. King Kong co-stars Naomi Watts and Jack Black. It opens internationally December 14, 2005.

Interview by ALVINA COLLARDEAU

As an actor starting out, how did you manage to keep your integrity and focus, to only get involved in projects that mattered to you?

ADRIEN BRODY: There were quite a few opportunities along the way to make the wrong choices for the wrong reasons. For the most part I've been fortunate enough to really live within my means and not put myself in a position where I needed to work to "pay off" anything. So I'm fortunate in that respect. At the same time, I also had opportunities to find interesting roles. Had I not had those, I might have ended up doing more work that I wasn't necessarily proud of, just to have an opportunity to work professionally.

And also I grew up with my mother who is incredibly creative. Neither of my parents emphasized material success. It should be more about a challenge and what I learn from these experiences. That's what attracted me to acting in the first place. It's a wonderful and exciting outlet for me.

There's a lot of competition with so many talented people in this profession. There are only so many great leading roles, or great roles that will get you noticed along the way.

Is there a type of character that you are looking for? And vice-versa, what roles are you turning down?

I'm pretty open-minded about the materials that come my way. I definitely want to continue to play dramatic roles and characters that interest me. For a long time I was saying I really wanted to find a romantic lead and have an opportunity to kind of have a love story. But it's very difficult to come across something that is perfect, unless you're really lucky. KING KONG is a dream come true.

King Kong is Universal Picture's most expensive production to date, at more than $207,000,000. It’s predicted be a global blockbuster.

It has the potential to be a widely successful film because I don't think there is an audience in the world that it doesn't appeal to at some level. What Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, and Philipa Boyens have managed to create is something that is broadly entertaining and also has dramatic authenticity. It's very character driven. Kong himself is going to be realistic and be full of emotion. It's not only focusing on the entertainment value. It's focusing on the truth in these circumstances. I get to be transported back into the thirties in New York and be chased through Manhattan by a 25 foot gorilla. And it's going to seem very real and very intense.

Did it feel odd working in this huge Hollywood studio production?

The interesting thing is that it is a big production and there's a lot at stake for everybody. But the actual process for me was very similar to working on an independent film. Peter and Fran are pretty much running the show. You don't feel the presence of a studio. You have the support and the backing but you don't feel what I would imagine comes with a film like that. You don't feel like it's being run by a committee that exists beyond the core creators. And that's really unique, I think.

Speaking of directors, you've worked with some of the best, including Steven Soderbergh, Spike Lee, Barry Levinson, Terrence Mallick, Elie Chouraqui, Roman Polanski, M. Night Shyamala. Is the director the most important element you consider when deciding on whether to do a particular film?

No... It's definitely reassuring if you admire a director's work, when you are going to work with him. But I don't think it's fair to expect that if someone has delivered something brilliant, they will always create something brilliant. And I don't think it's fair not to expect brilliance from someone who has not yet delivered something brilliant. Because then no one gets a break! I definitely am drawn to the role, the subject matter and the story, in that order. Then I would say the director, and the other actors. That's important. All those factors are important.

What is the most significant lesson that you have learned from the great directors with whom you've worked?

I've learned a lot. There are lessons learned in all these experiences. I try to be as honest and succinct as possible with my work. Sometimes you're encouraged to go in a broader direction. It might work stylistically for their approach. However, the trick is to convey what the director wants — but also to stay within what feels real for you. I've learned from Roman to really trust my instincts. When I worked with John Maybury [THE JACKET Director] recently, I learned to embrace a more surreal, abstract approach.

It seems that these directors all torture you! Do they?

I think most of the people I've worked with say it like it is! [LAUGHS] I'm not used to people catering to any egos! They pretty much let you know what they want, what works and what doesn't. But John and I really enjoyed — and it's something Roman shared as well — we all really enjoyed the torment of it. It's hard to describe, but the scenarios that we were dealing with were sometimes so painful that we had to find the humor in them. You have to laugh sometimes or else you do go mad. There's something about that. Succeeding in honestly portraying those moments, you have to kind of laugh at the absurdity of the pain.

How do you live with that? Can you snap out of it afterwards or do you take some of it back home with you?

Intentionally, I do not want to hold on too much. You know, certain experiences are so profound that they don't leave you. When I came home from THE PIANIST, it took a very long time to feel re-accli\mated. And there are elements of that that I don't think have left me.

Are they still with you today?

Yes. And I don't look at it as a bad thing. I may have suffered to some extent but it's really nothing compared with the level of suffering that people did go through. There is an understanding of suffering. It made me realize that — both of those films actually, there are parallels with THE JACKET as well — that material possessions and all of those things that are associated with what we desire and strive for, what we are conditioned to work for in our society — they really have very little relevance at the end of the day. And I think we all know this, but... it is nice to have nice clothes, a nice car, whatever it is that you like. There's nothing wrong with it. But ultimately there's so much pain in this world, past and present that currently exists, that all that stuff really doesn't mean much. And if you're not subjected to that kind of pain, you're lucky. Why are some people subjected to that kind of pain and why is it some people aren't?

For instance, hunger. [Dir. Roman Polanski asked Adrien to feel real hunger when they were shooting THE PIANIST. Already slim, he nevertheless lost 30 pounds for the role.] Just try not eating, see how your personality changes. See who you become. See if your dignity remains. See if your jovial nature remains. See if you resort to theft to eat. If you lose your mind, if you loose grasp with reality, you have nothing. It's all taken from you.

You know, the beauty of acting is having an opportunity to have a better, more truthful understanding of these characters because it's my job to convey them as truthfully as possible. Then I walk away from that. I benefit from that. And hopefully the audience members who respond to those scenarios, and characters within those scenarios, benefit from it too because they too will feel very fortunate to get a glimpse of a world that they might not have known existed on that level. They might not have felt that connection by reading about it historically.

It's a wonderful thing to be aware of and to understand. It changed my perception of many things. That's why it was very difficult for me when I received the Academy Award for that role.

How do I really celebrate? I'm portraying a man who suffered through the holocaust, and I represent the holocaust survivors. And here we are embarking on a war with Iraq. And we're having this Hollywood party, almost being encouraged to not acknowledge what's going on in the world. And it felt very wrong and confusing. I mean it was a wonderful night...

But there was a dilemma to it...

Yes, and there's also the dilemma preparing yourself up to that very moment, to not get the award.[LAUGHS] Because I don't want to have a speech prepared when I'm most likely not gonna get it, the way life is! So what do I do? What does one say?

Actually you showed such presence of mind when you made your acceptance speech for best Actor at the Oscars for your role in The Pianist. Do you ever get intimidated?

I'm surprised that I had the presence of mind to express what I was feeling because I was feeling so much. I really was feeling more than words can describe. So to be able to express everything that was going on in my mind... was pretty epic. I didn't know what to expect but I knew that I didn't want to go up there, in that moment, and kind of go on and on about thanking all these people who are important to me. It was an opportunity to say something relevant about the world. It didn't feel that I should take it all for me.

One might now argue that you own the role of the tortured soul fighting to survive, thanks to your "nail it" performances in both The Pianist, and The Jacket. Would it be more challenging for you now to play a happy-go-lucky kind of character?

You're offered material when people like what they see. The reason actors get cast in similar roles is because they've done them well at some point in their career. They're a "safe bet". But if you look at the films that I've done, there are a few characters that are tortured but really there is a pretty wide range of roles. In King Kong, I'm not playing a tortured character. He's very much the romantic lead I always wanted to play. He's intelligent and not overtly heroic. He's not a physically muscular man, but more of a sensitive type who has to rise to the occasion and save the woman of his dreams. The woman that he feels is the one. So that's a pretty fantastic opportunity for me as an actor. I enjoyed it immensely. It was very challenging in different ways; I got to learn a lot about a whole different way of filmmaking.

It's the romantic role, then, that you've been seeking for a long time. You describe it in such a romantic way. Are you very romantic in your own personal life?

Eh, very romantic?... I like the romance in things. Yeah [LAUGHS]

What's one of the most romantic things you've done, recently?

I just went for a hike last week and picked every wild flower that was in bloom and wrapped it all up for my girlfriend, and took it home on my motorcycle, which is a very difficult thing to do! [LAUGHS] that's kind of romantic...

Your mother is the celebrated New York-based photographer Sylvia Plachy; her new book is Self-Portrait With Cows Going Home. How has she, as an artist, influenced you in your own craft? In your life in general?

It's really a credit to both of my parents. Both my parents have an incredible amount of integrity. My father has given me the discipline and guidance. First of all to even have a father around, when many of my friends did not, who was patient and kind, makes me feel very fortunate. And he too is not impressed by material possessions. My parents are both survivors. They've overcome a lot. They've overcome poverty. My mother had to deal with fleeing her homeland after the Hungarian Revolution, coming to the United States at fifteen, and starting over. They're very strong parents yet they let me find my way. They let me grow into being me, without stifling me along the way. That's something I appreciate because I know how difficult it is to manage to have time for family and loved ones and have patience for everyone and yourself and handle the burdens of life as an adult and work. It's very easy to not be present, to be self-consumed and not understand what the curious mind of a child needs.

Your mother, as a teenager, fled her native Hungary in the wake of the Hungarian Revolution. Over the past 40 years, she has traveled back, each time documenting her trips with very moving photographs and notes, which she condensed in her latest book. Do you ever feel the pull of those European roots? Or do you consider yourself completely American?

I do feel very much an American and I feel very proud to be American, but I am also very much aware of my European heritage. I was told many stories about the old world by my mother and grand parents, and those stories give me a greater appreciation of the rights, privileges, and opportunities that Americans have. My story is a perfect example: I don't know many places in this world where success stories like mine are possible. But I do feel a definite connection in my heritage and feel closeness to Hungary. It's still very much part of my mum.

Did you make use of your own roots, or your parents' roots, for your work in The Pianist? Did you talk with your mother about the role before you began work on that film?

I traveled through Europe with my parents before high school. We visited the concentration camp in Dachau, so I knew about the history to some extent, I knew of how painful it was. I think I would have connected to that role regardless, because it is impossible not to. Regardless of the ethnicity of the victims it was still an atrocity. So I think I would have connected to that.

You are perceived as being somewhat mysterious and guarded. You almost never give interviews. What would people be most surprised to learn about you?

Eh, I don't feel guarded! [LAUGHS]

You can be discreet, I guess. Is that how you would put it?

I've learned to be discreet. These days, there seem to be enough people claiming to know what they think I'm doing [LAUGHS], what I'm up to, who I'm with: They don't know! [LAUGHS] It forces me be a little more low key, but I try to have a sense of humor about it.

Since you won these awards, your life must be under more scrutiny. How has becoming famous affected you? Has your life changed very much?

Oh, it changed! It's a blessing and a curse. The blessing is that I have access to material that I have always wanted to do. I have access to the big Studio films and the good roles in those big films. I've received a tremendous amount of recognition for what I worked my whole life for. It's the greatest honor you can have as an actor. In one sense, I have achieved something; I have less to prove to myself. But it doesn't mean that I will always find things that are fulfilling and that will allow me to grow. The challenge is always there, if you have these accolades or not.

How is fame affecting you on a day-to-day basis?

It's made me stay in more. And I don't think it's necessarily a good thing. But when there are six paparazzi downstairs that follow me coming home from the grocery store, I can't just go and have a drink and socialize with whoever I want to socialize with. I've got to be there for other people, and sometimes I'm not in the mood. It's nothing personal, but sometimes you need a quiet night. It's an interesting phenomenon. I'm honored because most people who want to talk to me are genuine, so it's not that I'm trying to avoid them. I feel blessed. I love to work and I am given more opportunities to work. I spend time with my family and my close friends and loved ones, and Ceelo [his Chihuahua]. And that's my life. It really hasn't changed. The interesting thing is that I am freer to do more, but I'm less free because it's difficult to do more.

Here goes another dilemma.

Everything is a dilemma. Life is a dilemma!

What's your take on the Hollywood community? Are you part of the "Hollywood social scene"?

I'm part of it. I mean I have a lot of friends in Hollywood and within the business. There are a lot of people that I cherish. You've got to know good people and there are good people in every community. I try to associate with people that I admire and people that have been kind to me along the way.

Is there any particular actor, someone you now know personally, who has had an important impact on your career? And if so what was his advice to you?

There isn't an actor who necessarily had a tremendous impact on my career.

I guess there are actors for whom I have a great deal of admiration, whom I'm friends with, whom I connect with. And who have been through what I've been experiencing now. And who can answer questions and give me advice from their experience, which is very valuable. And to have their respect means a lot to me.

Your constant traveling companion, other than your Chihuahua Ceelo, is your electric synthesizer.

Yes, I take my music equipment with me. Depending on how long I'm going to be away for, I have a few pieces that I carry. But I usually bring my laptop, my Mac and some music programs and a MIDI keyboard — that's what I have here on the desk.

How is your music doing?

Still creating! [LAUGHS] Now it's a matter of what I will do with it, which is the big question. It's about finding the right outlet for it. I'm very passionate about it and I love it. It's improving always! It gets better with age!

How would you describe the music you make?

I'm kind of a cross between Trent Reznor and Dr. Dre. I'm a composer in a very modern world. I have the capability of "being the band". I can lay down a music composition with any instrument that you can come up with. You can manipulate it through a keyboard. For the most part I can create a sound that is intentionally digitized or sound very much like it was played by a live musician. If I really want it live later I can hire live musicians.

But you know I grew up in New York and my music is largely a part of my environment: it's just like I am, in a way. It's kind of a mish mash, a cacophony of all the strange things that exist in that beautiful city: the grinding noises of the train and the taxis and the people jostling and the frenetic energy of that. It also has a kind of lonesome quality of the individual in the midst of all of that.

It's poetic the way you describe it! Are you interested in writing?

Yes!

How about in directing? In acting on the stage?

All of the above is a yes!

KING KONG opens internationally December 14, 2005.