Actor Adrien Brody claims that Jack Nicholson, also a Best Actor nominee, suggested boycotting the 2003 ceremony because of the recent invasion of Iraq. (Photo: Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images)
Adrien Brody has learned that when popular actor Jack Nicholson calls you into his home, you show up.
In a new interview with the Sunday Times, Brody claims that ahead of the 2003 Oscars, ‘About Schmidt’ star Nicholson asked all the other best actor nominees to meet in advance to discuss a possible boycott of the ceremony since it falls just four days after the US invaded Iraq. Brody, nominated for The Pianist, met fellow nominees Nicolas Cage, Michael Caine and Daniel Day-Lewis at Nicholson’s house for Scotch and cigars.
As the only man in the group not to have won an Oscar, Brody was reluctant to skip the show.
“I said, ‘I don’t know about you guys, but I’m going,'” Brody, 48, told the British newspaper. “I said, ‘I’ve got to show up somehow. My parents are comming. That doesn’t happen too often. I know you are all winners. You can sit it out. But I can not.'”
Ultimately, the actors decided to attend the ceremony, where a 29-year-old Brody became the youngest Best Actor winner in history, a record he still holds to this day. However, some stars have opted not to appear out of respect for the Iraq war, including Elizabeth Taylor, Will Smith, Angelina Jolie, Russell Crowe and Tom Cruise, according to the Guardian.
As Brody took the podium to accept his unexpected honor, he kissed presenter Halle Berry. However, he changed the light-hearted tone of the moment when he shared a poignant message about the war.
“I am very sad tonight for accepting an award at such a strange time. My experience making this film made me very aware of the sadness and dehumanization people experience in wartime effects of war,” he shared, mentioning a Queens friend who was stationed in Kuwait at the time. “To whoever you believe whether it is God or Allah, may he watch over you, and let us pray for a peaceful and speedy resolution.”
The story goes on
Despite the tremendous acclaim Brody received as a result of The Pianist, he admitted he can’t bring himself to watch it these days.
“I can’t even watch the movie. I can not. I kind of cry when I talk about it,” said Brody, who shared that he sold his car, disconnected his phones and gave up his home to fully immerse himself in the role of Wladyslaw Szpilman, a Polish-Jewish musician, who was forced into the overcrowded Warsaw ghetto. Brody even broke up with his girlfriend, lost weight dramatically and learned to play Chopin on the piano.
These days, Brody has found love with Marchesa co-founder Georgina Chapman, Harvey Weinstein’s ex-wife. The couple made their red carpet debut together last summer.