Giving the performance of his career as László Tóth, Adrien Brody is the magnificent center of Brady Corbet’s intimate yet sprawling epic The Brutalist. Emigrating from Hungary following the Holocaust to restart his architectural ambitions in America under the patronage of Harrison Lee Van Buren (Guy Pearce), Brody’s layered performance is one of passion, persistence, and pain.

With the film now in limited release, We spoke with Brody, who returned to The B-Side to discuss the personal history that helped him prepare for his performance, how the film is a metaphor for artist-driven filmmaking, some of his most overlooked performances, and getting to act with Beyoncé.