Adrien Brody on Being the New Face of J.Crew and the Most Stylish Character He’s Ever Played

J. Crew

Brody has more than a few characters with enviable wardrobes under his belt. He’s done his fair share of Wes Anderson movies, after all, and more recently played Pat Riley, the NBA’s most suited-up coach, in HBO’s Winning Time. But if he had to pick the most stylish character he’s ever played?

“Well, clearly Pat Riley was known for being incredibly stylish, and I was longing for another season just so that we could fully embrace his era of being super sharp, buttoned down. But his style choices earlier on were quite interesting as well,” Brody said. “Dmitri in Grand Budapest also had a wonderful sense of style that I loved. These long overcoats and monochromatic, ominous, tonal foreboding attire.”

He also still has a soft spot for a character whose look matched his offscreen style the closest—or at least felt the most personal.

“There was a character I did in Love the Hard Way that I loved very much. We shot that just before The Pianist and it was a little movie we made in New York and a wonderful filmmaker,” Brody shared. “Aside from the snakeskin jacket that was inspired by Nicolas Cage in Wild at Heart that the director loved—which I ended up owning—much of the style of attire and even the music that ended up being integrated in the film score was inspired by me at that time of my life. So it was quite personal.”

J.Crew

The last time Brody, now 51, was on the Oscars circuit was in 2003. When he won best actor for his performance in The Pianist, he was 29, which made him the youngest-ever winner in the category.

While he doesn’t remember much about what he wore during that campaign—or if he even thought about it at the time—-this go around he’s locked in. (And, naturally, GQ has taken note.)

“I don’t overthink it. And I fortunately have access to some really beautiful clothes and wonderful, elegant designers and have built relationships over the years, which I’m very grateful for because I very much love the fashion space and the creativity and all the artistry that goes into it,” Brody said. “So I definitely have a much deeper connection and understanding of the creativity and the artistry for the pieces that I do wear. But I kind of have just been focused on doing my work and I have a nice little arsenal at my disposal and I’m grateful for that. And I just go one day at a time.”