When it comes toWes Anderson’s troupe of dependable mainstays in his cast,few attract more attention for his continued presence thanBill Murray. Ever since Anderson revitalized his career withRushmore, Murray has popped up in almost every film Anderson has made,even if just for a brief cameo. That said, Murray is often tasked with minor roles that feel like they play into the bit people love, rather than him being given fully fleshed-out characters.For the honor of the most valuable Anderson company player, I would go withAdrien Brody, who has shown his versatility as an actor most effectively when seeing the whole scope of his appearances in Anderson’s filmography.
Adrien Brody Always Has the Soul of an Artist
To know why Brody fits so well in Anderson’s oeuvre, it’s important to establish what kind of actor Brody is and where he best excels. When looking at the obvious highlights of his career, fromhis Oscar-winning role inThe Pianistto his bravura blockbuster turn inKing Kongand his wacky turn as Salvador Dalí inMidnight in Paris,Brody is built with the soul of an artist emanating from him. He carries an air of intellectualism and unbridled creativity that must find ways of surviving in a harsh world that seeks to snuff out or handicap his ability to make art. It’s little surprise thathe may win a second Oscarfor playing yet another put-upon artist striving for greatness inThe Brutalist, which would serve as a nice bookend to the career he’s had so far.There’s a tenacity and grit behind his warm eyes and soft voicethat belies his determination to make an impact on life, granting even his most mundane and off-the-cuff remarks a sense of drive and purpose. This is a combination of qualities that makes him a perfect fit for the Wes Anderson approach to acting.
Brody’s Characters Are Proactive and Passionate
In Anderson’s world, he’s long preferred his actors to adopt a notoriously flat affectation, one whereall the raw emotion is buried under a veneer of repression and disconnect. He leaves it up to his actors to supply the underlying feelings that his characters are either too traumatized or too lost or too regimented to fully hold on to, which has worked wonders for the likes ofRalph FiennesandTilda Swinton. Brody’s characters stand out from the pack because they have a tendency to drive the plot forward with their actions, like Peter failing to save a child inThe Darjeeling Limitedor Cadazio relentlessly pursuing the artwork of Rosenthaler (Benicio Del Toro) inThe French Dispatch. Anderson seems to understand that Brody isn’t somebody we can believe would just let things lie without having a say in the matter, carving out his own destiny, even if it’ll take him time to reach that point. Even when existing in a world of perfectly manicured responses and pervasive ennui,he can’t help but be the most passionate person in the room, which allows Brody to have more free-range with his characterization across films compared to some of the other Anderson stock players.
Adrien Brody Shows New Sides of Himself For Wes Anderson
When looking at his aforementioned combination of nervy determination and gentle posture, that means thatAdrien Brody can modulate between those seemingly contradictory elements to create a series of diverse characters. If you can always expect Bill Murray to be some kind of avuncular yet likable curmudgeon, you never know what to expect when Brody pops up. He’s aggrieved and irritable inThe Darjeeling Limited, yet paternally supportive and inviting in his brief appearance as the theater director inAsteroid City. He’s frantic and high-strung as Cadazio inThe French Dispatch, yet kind of cute and unassuming as the voice of a field mouse inThe Fantastic Mr. Fox. But for my money,no Brody role in an Anderson film has matched Dmitri inThe Grand Budapest Hotel, the whiny wannabe-dictator son of Madame D. (Swinton), who thinks he can punch and dick-swing his way into power, while also having temper tantrums the minute things don’t go his way. Anderson’s films usually peddle a sense of humor that gets stuck in your throat and raises your eyebrow in sophisticated appreciation, but Dmitri borders on classic slapstick, an uproarious skewering of the fallacy of fascism with his Leon Trotsky haircut and perfectly combed mustache (fun fact:Brody’s Instagram profile pictureis a doodle of Dmitri).
For as much as he’s proven his range throughout his career, full-fledged comedy was something Brody rarely leaned into, usually preferring the high drama of the human condition. Butit should come as no surprise that Wes Anderson would be the one to pull a brand-new side out of Adrien Brody, which is why he remains the MVP of the troupe.
Asteroid City
Following a writer on his world famous fictional play about a grieving father who travels with his tech-obsessed family to small rural Asteroid City to compete in a junior stargazing event, only to have his world view disrupted forever.
