"Some lives are better written than others obviously. Some are pretty tragic."

Adrien Brody first grabbed moviegoers' attention at the 2003 Oscars, when he won Best Actor for 'The Pianist' and -- as a little reward to himself -- proceeded to plant a famously swooning kiss on presenter Halle Berry.

Since then, it's critics he's had swooning, with acclaimed performances in such diverse fare as 'King Kong' and 'Hollywoodland.' He impresses once again as the morally conflicted half of a conman duo out to relieve an eccentric heiress (Rachel Weisz) of her fortune in 'The Brothers Bloom' (in theaters May 15), a quirky dramedy best described as 'Dirty Rotten Scoundrels' meets 'The Royal Tenenbaums.'

In an exclusive interview, Brody chats about bonding with on-screen bro Mark Ruffalo, praises Weisz for her no-holds-barred commitment to zaniness -- and addresses reports that he was almost the Joker in 'The Dark Knight.'


Adrien Brody first grabbed moviegoers' attention at the 2003 Oscars, when he won Best Actor for 'The Pianist' and -- as a little reward to himself -- proceeded to plant a famously swooning kiss on presenter Halle Berry.

Since then, it's critics he's had swooning, with acclaimed performances in such diverse fare as 'King Kong' and 'Hollywoodland.' He impresses once again as the morally conflicted half of a conman duo out to relieve an eccentric heiress (Rachel Weisz) of her fortune in 'The Brothers Bloom' (in theaters May 15), a quirky dramedy best described as 'Dirty Rotten Scoundrels' meets 'The Royal Tenenbaums.'

In an exclusive interview, Brody chats about bonding with on-screen bro Mark Ruffalo, praises Weisz for her no-holds-barred commitment to zaniness -- and addresses reports that he was almost the Joker in 'The Dark Knight.' -- By Tom DiChiara

The Brothers Bloom' Premiere Photos

    Actress Rachel Weisz attends a screening of "The Brothers Bloom" hosted by The Cinema Society with Thakoon and Nars at the Tribeca Grand Screening Room on May 7, 2009 in New York City. The Cinema Society With Thakoon And Nars Host A Screening Of "The Brothers Bloom" - Outside Arrivals Tribeca Grand Screening Room New York, NY United States May 7, 2009 Photo by Jim Spellman/WireImage.com To license this image (57383045), contact WireImage.com

    Jim Spellman/WireImage.com

    Adrien Brody and Rachel Weisz attend a screening of "The Brothers Bloom" hosted by The Cinema Society with Thakoon and Nars at the Tribeca Grand Screening Room on May 7, 2009 in New York City. The Cinema Society With Thakoon And Nars Host A Screening Of "The Brothers Bloom" - Inside Arrivals Tribeca Grand Screening Room New York, NY United States May 7, 2009 Photo by Jason Kempin/WireImage.com To license this image (57380833), contact WireImage.com

    Jason Kempin/WireImage.com

    Actress Rachel Weisz and Director Rian Johnson attend a screening of "The Brothers Bloom" hosted by The Cinema Society with Thakoon and Nars at the Tribeca Grand Screening Room on May 7, 2009 in New York City. The Cinema Society With Thakoon And Nars Host A Screening Of "The Brothers Bloom" - Outside Arrivals Tribeca Grand Screening Room New York, NY United States May 7, 2009 Photo by Jim Spellman/WireImage.com To license this image (57383054), contact WireImage.com

    Jim Spellman/WireImage.com

    Actress Rachel Weisz attends a screening of "The Brothers Bloom" hosted by The Cinema Society with Thakoon and Nars at the Tribeca Grand Screening Room on May 7, 2009 in New York City. The Cinema Society With Thakoon And Nars Host A Screening Of "The Brothers Bloom" - Outside Arrivals Tribeca Grand Screening Room New York, NY United States May 7, 2009 Photo by Jim Spellman/WireImage.com To license this image (57383040), contact WireImage.com

    Jim Spellman/WireImage.com

    Actor Adrien Brody attends a screening of "The Brothers Bloom" hosted by The Cinema Society with Thakoon and Nars at the Tribeca Grand Screening Room on May 7, 2009 in New York City. The Cinema Society With Thakoon And Nars Host A Screening Of "The Brothers Bloom" - Outside Arrivals Tribeca Grand Screening Room New York, NY United States May 7, 2009 Photo by Jim Spellman/WireImage.com To license this image (57383027), contact WireImage.com

    Jim Spellman/WireImage.com

    Actor Adrien Brody attends a screening of "The Brothers Bloom" hosted by The Cinema Society with Thakoon and Nars at the Tribeca Grand Screening Room on May 7, 2009 in New York City. The Cinema Society With Thakoon And Nars Host A Screening Of "The Brothers Bloom" - Outside Arrivals Tribeca Grand Screening Room New York, NY United States May 7, 2009 Photo by Jim Spellman/WireImage.com To license this image (57383023), contact WireImage.com

    Jim Spellman/WireImage.com

    Actor Cheyenne Jackson attends a screening of "The Brothers Bloom" hosted by The Cinema Society with Thakoon and Nars at the Tribeca Grand Screening Room on May 7, 2009 in New York City. The Cinema Society With Thakoon And Nars Host A Screening Of "The Brothers Bloom" - Outside Arrivals Tribeca Grand Screening Room New York, NY United States May 7, 2009 Photo by Jim Spellman/WireImage.com To license this image (57382991), contact WireImage.com

    Jim Spellman/WireImage.com

    NEW YORK - MAY 7: Dierctor Rian Johnson attends a party following a screening of "The Brothers Bloom" hosted by The Cinema Society with Thakoon and Nars at the Soho Grand Hotel May 7, 2009 in New York City. (Photo by Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Rian Johnson

    Getty Images

    NEW YORK - MAY 7: Dierctor Rian Johnson attends a party following a screening of "The Brothers Bloom" hosted by The Cinema Society with Thakoon and Nars at the Soho Grand Hotel May 7, 2009 in New York City. (Photo by Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Rian Johnson

    Getty Images

    NEW YORK - MAY 7: Dierctor Rian Johnson attends a party following a screening of "The Brothers Bloom" hosted by The Cinema Society with Thakoon and Nars at the Soho Grand Hotel May 7, 2009 in New York City. (Photo by Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Rian Johnson

    Getty Images



1. 'Brothers Bloom' has some of the same whimsical elements as a Wes Anderson movie. Having worked with Wes on 'Darjeeling Limited,' was that something that appealed to you?
Yes. I read the script right at the end of shooting Wes' film while I was in India. And I guess I could relate partially because of going through that experience how I would exist in that world -- it's a specific world. They're similar ... but very different. [There are these] kind of absurd situations and surreal things happening, but you [are] playing the straight man through all of that. Even if there are broad comedic elements, you're not really playing those up. It's actually wonderful. I love finding that ... it's a balancing act because you want to keep the truth in the dramatic moment, but you want the joke to play.

2. Like you said, you're kind of the straight man while Rachel provides the comic relief. She was very committed to that whole zany persona.
She sure was [laughs]. She was amazing. All those [comic] moments, it's like there's room for that, whereas if you were doing a heavy drama or something along those lines, even if your instinct is to do something funny, it's just not appropriate. You have to just shut that thought process down. So I like encouraging that. It's more along the lines of the way I think.



Get 'The Brothers Bloom' showtimes & tickets | Watch a 'Brothers Bloom' clip


3. Did you and Mark Ruffalo do any bonding type activities to prep for playing brothers?
You know, we bonded -- that's part of the process. You're in these strange places. You have time during the rehearsal period to hang out. It's important I think to get to know one another. I think you get to know one another a little quicker when you're in exotic locations and people don't speak the language and you both feel very alien. You find much more in common in those situations, as opposed to, like, being in L.A. and grabbing a coffee and saying, you know, "See you on set!" So that helped immensely. He's a great guy, and he's a very talented actor. But there weren't any specific things we worked on it imitate one another -- at least on my part [laughs].

4. At one point, you were considered a leading contender to play the Joker in 'The Dark Knight.' What happened?
I mean, there was mutual interest, I think, there. It's just didn't work out. But Heath [Ledger] was remarkable.

5. One of the central themes of 'The Brothers Bloom' is that "there's no such thing as an unwritten life; there's just a badly written one." Do you believe that?

Let's see. Let me analyze that one for a second. It's an early morning, and I didn't sleep very much [laughs]. What does that mean exactly? That it's inevitable? Well, we all are playing somewhat of a part, so to speak. I wonder if it also refers to things being predetermined and beyond our control. I'm not sure I know the answer to that. I believe that some things definitely just happen, and you don't know how you ended up on that path. Perhaps that is destiny. But some lives are better written than others obviously. Some are pretty tragic.

Summer 2009 Indie Sleepers



FOLLOW US ON TWITTER
FRIEND US ON FACEBOOK