The versatile Oscar-winning actor Adrien Brody is journeying to the 14th century for his latest role, that of Emperor Charles V. The Lee Tamahori film is being hyped as the kind of blood-soaked shagfest we’ve come to associate with recent stabs (if you’ll pardon the expression) at historical drama. Speaking at the Cannes Film Festival where the project was announced, Brody gave an insight into his working process in the kind of quasi-mystical way that only an actor can:
“Now is the time to amass all the information and sit with it and let it become a part of me, and so we will do that and see what we come up with.”
Possessor of various titles, such as the first King of Spain and Archduke of Austria, Charles was crowned Holy Roman Emperor in 1519, holding sway over much of Europe and beyond. A complex role that Brody should relish getting his thespian teeth into. Covering the 35 years of Charles’s reign, this looks like it will be a distinctly testosterone-fuelled affair. Tamahori, who has directed various films about men on the cusp of primal awakening such as THE EDGE (written by David Mamet), is likely to make this one for the guys, though the signing of a thoughtful and unconventional leading man like Brody is a promising sign. With his star on the rise after his little gold statuette for THE PIANIST and a likeable turn in KING KONG, he dropped off the Hollywood radar somewhat, selecting unexpected projects like Dario Argento’s GIALLO and PREDATORS. He’s a born risk taker and exactly the sort of performer to bring a character to life amongst this rich and decadent period of history. Though the treatment may appear a little wearisome for anyone who feels there’s more to history than violence and intercourse, the production has a sizeable asset in the form of Brody’s mercurial presence. If anything it’ll stop him making ads for razors and beer.
Source: Miami Herald
