While preparing for his role as a titan of industry in Brady Corbet’s “The Brutalist,” Guy Pearce had a specific image in his imagination. It was of a trophy hunter standing next to his prized kill, a lion or tiger or rhino, so proud of himself for having tamed nature.
“I was struck by the idea of recognizing something beautiful in the world and then feeling the need to destroy it,” Pearce said. “Or the need to control it as a way to feel less powerless. The psychology behind that is so fascinating and horrible to me.”
Pearce’s character in the film, the stately-named Harrison Lee Van Buren, is one of the year’s most intriguing creations. He’s not a trophy hunter in the literal sense, but a rich, immoral rogue who’s also dashing and cultured within the film’s 1950s Pennsylvania setting.
The patriarch of a family dynasty, Van Buren is the benefactor of Hungarian architect László Tóth (Adrien Brody), and the abusive bond between the two men forms the backbone of the epic plot. The movie runs more than three-and-a-half hours, including a 15-minute intermission that Pearce pointed out was specified in the script, along with a photograph of what might appear on the screen during the break. “It was one of the many clever things that told me how special this project would be,” he said.
“The Brutalist” is not the first special project for the Australian actor, now 57, who gained a massive fanbase in the mid-1980s with his part on the Aussie soap “Neighbours” (he’s returned to the series as recently as this year) and then moved to leading roles in films as zig-zaggedly varied as “The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert,” “L.A. Confidential,” “Memento” and “The Proposition.” His TV credits include “Jack Irish,” “A Spy Among Friends” and an Emmy-winning role in Todd Haynes’ “Mildred Pierce.”
But not unlike the pre-“Oppenheimer” Cillian Murphy, Pearce is a well-regarded journeyman who’s never even been in the running for an Oscar nomination. “I’ve had people say to me over the years, ‘How come you’re not nominated?’” he said with a laugh. “And a part of me feels flattered at the question. It’s nice to know they’re asking.”
That statistic could soon change – “The Brutalist” has won three major Golden Globes including Best Picture (Drama) – though he was certainly not drawn to this lower-budget, hugely ambitious enterprise by the lure of golden statuettes. He was attracted to the work of emerging actor-turned-director Corbet (“Vox Lux,” “The Childhood of a Leader”) and intrigued about sharing scenes with Brody, with whom he had never worked.
“To be honest, I was intimidated by Adrien’s skill and ability as an actor,” Pearce said. “And that certainly helped my performance. Adrien plays László with a natural groundedness and confidence in his gifts. And Van Buren isn’t sure how to manage that because his own confidence is a show that he’s learned how to put on over the years.”
There is a theatricality in Pearce’s embodiment of Van Buren, especially in his early scenes. While developing the character, Corbet and co-writer Mona Fastvold thought of the voice and screen presence of midcentury actors such as Joseph Cotten and James Mason.
There’s also a hint of Clark Gable in Van Buren’s trimmed mustache and a pinch of John Huston (“Chinatown” era) in his baritone. According to Pearce, he did not base the character on anyone but he’s glad to hear that audiences are drawing those comparisons. “Van Buren comes with all sorts of complexities in the script, and that tells me that I landed in the right place with him,” he said.
“I’m always interested in what’s going on underneath a character and how they are presenting to the world,” he added. “Are they conscious of what’s underneath? Are they not conscious of it? The beauty of film is that we see public and private moments with a character. Obviously, someone like Van Buren is quite extreme in that he knows how to dominate a room. He’s the boss, always in control. But then there might be a tiny hiccup – a little eye flick where we see his insecurity and envy and unresolved bitterness. And the audience goes, ‘Wait, what was that?’ All of that outward presentation is precarious, and it can come undone quite easily.”
Pearce’s performance, for all its bravado, includes several moments of exceptional quietude – including a stunner of a closeup in the final moment before the intermission. He remembered the late Curtis Hanson, director of “L.A. Confidential,” who mentored him about the power of doing less.
“Curtis explained to me that the film itself is telling the story and that I should trust myself in being still and just observing and listening. There’s real value in that, even though it can be a very hard thing to commit to. But it’s all about trust. That’s why we watch the Gary Oldmans and Philip Seymour Hoffmans and Brandos and Hopkins and Adrien Brodys.”
As for the awards-season banter, Pearce is looking forward with a sense of well-earned serenity. “You know, it’s not a race where the first person who crosses the finish line wins,” he said. “When you combine sporting results with art, it feels confusing. But certainly it’s great to know that the film is connecting with people.”
At the mention of a potential Oscar nomination, he immediately mentions his mother, who died last year after a long battle with Alzheimer’s. “My mum would love all this. There she was, enabling me to go and be in theater when I was young. And for most of us, we just want to make our parents proud. She might not have liked Van Buren very much, but she would have really liked this film, I’m sure.”
This story first appeared in the Awards Preview issue of TheWrap magazine. Read more from the Awards Preview issue here.
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