Adrien Brody Reveals That the Physical Transformation He Underwent for His Role in ‘The Pianist’ Left Him With PTSD and an Eating Disorder

Adrien Brody, the actor who stunned the world with his role in ‘The Pianist,’ recently shared a tough truth with Vulture. The physical changes he pushed himself through for that part didn’t just win him an Oscar—they left deep scars. At 29, he became the youngest Best Actor winner ever for playing Władysław Szpilman, a Polish-Jewish pianist surviving the Holocaust. But the cost of getting into that character was heavier than anyone might have guessed.

To bring Szpilman to life, Brody didn’t hold back. He dropped 30 pounds, going down to a frail 129 pounds on a near-starvation diet. Barely drinking water by the time filming started, he wanted to feel the hunger and emptiness his character endured. The movie, directed by Roman Polanski in 2002, was shot in reverse—starting with Szpilman at his weakest. Brody said this extreme change was key to telling the story right. It opened his eyes to a level of suffering he’d never known before, and that understanding fueled his performance.

But the toll didn’t end when the cameras stopped rolling. Brody admitted he battled an eating disorder for at least a year after the film wrapped. On top of that, he dealt with insomnia and panic attacks—stuff that stuck with him long-term. When asked about it, he didn’t shy away. He believes he’s got PTSD from the whole experience. Jokingly, he added that he felt down for a year, maybe even a lifetime, though he quickly laughed it off. Still, it’s clear the role shook him up in ways he didn’t expect.

This wasn’t the only time Brody went all-in for a part. For ‘The Jacket’ in 2005, he asked to stay strapped in a straitjacket to get the vibe of a guy locked away in a mental institution. During ‘Summer of Sam,’ he took an accidental punch to the face, leaving a permanent mark on his nose. And in ‘Oxygen,’ he chose real metal braces over fake ones for his serial killer role, only to regret it when they yanked them off his teeth. The guy’s commitment is wild, but it’s left its mark—sometimes literally.

Back to ‘The Pianist,’ the role demanded more than just shedding weight. Brody gave up his apartment, sold his car, and moved to Europe with next to nothing—just two bags and a keyboard. He learned Chopin’s music to play the piano scenes for real. His girlfriend at the time walked away during all this, adding another layer of isolation. After the film hit theaters in 2003, he took a year off from acting. His dad, Elliot Brody, said it wasn’t about burnout—Adrien just couldn’t find anything that matched what he’d poured into that project.

Now, at 51, Brody’s back in the spotlight with ‘The Brutalist,’ a new film where he plays László Toth, a Hungarian-Jewish architect who survived the Holocaust. It’s earning him buzz again—he even snagged a Best Actor award from the New York Film Critics Circle in December 2024. The movie’s out in select theaters through A24, and we’re seeing Brody bring that same fire to a fresh story. But this time, he’s learned something. He said ‘The Brutalist’ showed him he doesn’t need to carry the pain home to make a character real.

Brody’s story hits hard because it’s raw. He’s not just talking about a tough gig—he’s laying out how far he went and what it took from him. That Oscar win made history, but the struggles behind it? They’re just as real. It’s a peek into what actors sometimes face when they dive deep into a role. For me, it’s wild to think one performance could shift someone’s life so much—body and mind. Brody’s still out there, acting his heart out, but he’s carrying lessons from ‘The Pianist’ that’ll probably stick forever.