Adrien Brody Battled Eating Disorder After The Pianist Weight Loss

Adrien Brody lost 30 pounds for his 2003 role in The Pianist, which had lingering effects on his body.

“That was a physical transformation that was necessary for storytelling,” Brody, 51, told New York Magazine in a profile published on Monday, December 23. “But then that kind of opened me up, spiritually, to a depth of understanding of emptiness and hunger in a way that I didn’t know, ever.”

Brody portrayed radio station musician Władysław Szpilman in the biopic, chronicling how the character survived during World War II in Poland. The film earned Brody his first Academy Award. Afterward, the actor experienced post-traumatic stress disorder and disordered eating.

“I definitely had an eating disorder for at least a year,” Brody told New York Magazine. “And then I was depressed for a year if not a lifetime. I’m kidding, I’m kidding.”

To get into character, the outlet reported that he “put himself on a near-starvation diet” and only ate small “bits of protein” while playing Chopin’s piano works for hour son end. Brody was also reportedly “barely drinking water” when filming began.

After The Pianist wrapped and Brody won his Oscar, he took a yearlong break from acting.

“I do admit the bar was high,” he recalled. “I’d rather not go down the list of what movies in particular I felt were disastrous.”

After a string of roles that were admittedly less successful, Brody took another hiatus around 2018. It was his girlfriend, fashion designer Georgina Chapman, who later inspired his return.

“I just stepped out. That helped me recalibrate,” Brody told the outlet. “She helped me realize that it would be a loss to let the frustrations interfere with pursuing what I am destined to do with an open heart.”

Brody will next star in The Brutalist about artist Lázsló Tóth, who escaped Nazi-occupied Europe during the Holocaust.

“The Brutalist broke some illusion of the need for suffering to extend beyond what I need to conjure up the character,” Brody said. “It was surprising to me that I didn’t need to take home so much of my own anguish.”

Like with The Pianist, Brody also felt a responsibility to authentically portray Tóth in The Brutalist.

“I knew when it felt truthful and when it didn’t,” he explained. “The Hungarian sensibility, sensitivity, and strength is a quality beyond language that is noticeable to me, that is present in that character.”

If you or someone you know struggles with an eating disorder, visit the National Alliance for Eating Disorders website or call their hotline at +1 (866) 662-1235. Text “ALLIANCE” to 741741 for free, 24/7 support.