The Brutalist Cast and Character Guide: Who Plays Whom in Adrian Brody’s Award-Winning Period Drama

Brady Corbet’s film “The Brutalist” for which he recently won a Golden Globes Award for the ‘best director’ category, is one of the most recent cinematic creations that merges passionate drama with a riveting navigation of surviving, aspiration, and the American Dream.

Containing some of the finest actors, “The Brutalist” narrates the tale of a Hungarian-Jewish architect named László Tóth played by Adrien Brody, as he steers his life into a world, post World War II in America.

Alongside its scrupulous direction, and notable cast/crew, mixed with a haunting narrative, “The Brutalist” has reaped critical acclaim.

With its release on the 20th of December, 2024, the film was originally first screened at the 81st Venice International Film Festival, where Cobert once again won the Silver Lion award for Best Direction. “The Brutalist” is an A24 film, with a long run time of 3 hours and 35 minutes which makes this film pop against various other films released in recent times.

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Here is the Cast and Character Guide: Who Plays Whom in Adrian Brody’s Award-Winning Period Drama – “The Brutalist”

1) Adrien Brody as László Tóth:

Adrien Brody who is an Academy Award-winning actor, plays the lead role in “The Brutalist” as the character of László Tóth who is a Hungarian-Jewish architect along with him being a survivor of one of the most brutal events in history – The Holocaust. Post the Second World War, Toth attempts to re-establish his living as an architect in the USA.

László Tóth’s story in “The Brutalist” commences as flees to gain a fresh start from Europe to Philadelphia with not a single penny in his pockets. Scarred by his past life but, compelled by his aspiration, Tóth’s flair is unquestionable, however, his story and life are burdened with obstacles like addiction, feeling displaced, along with being faced with bigotry.

Central to “The Brutalist”, Brody’s character László Tóth is assigned to craft a colossal community center for an industrialist named Harrison Lee Van Buren played by Guy Pearce.

This big of a task and an opening point into Tóth’s life tags itself along with the expense of losing one’s own morality and personal self while Tóth wrestles with the power discrepancy between the both of them.

Adrien Brody’s performance as László Tóth in “The Brutalist” has multiple tiers and degrees that hold a strong grip on the character’s resistance from within.

Brody’s role in “The Pianist” (2002) is what made him win an Academy Award. In “The Brutalist”, Adrien Brody conveys an appealing act, merging moments of intensity with being vulnerable in the most open form.

2) Guy Pearce as Harrison Lee Van Buren Sr.

Guy Pearce renders quite a gripping portrayal of his character, Harrison Lee Van Buren, the gigantic industrialist, in “The Brutalist” who steers a whole lot of the film’s structure and pressures all throughout the course of this film.

Lee Van Burren Sr. presents another chance at life to László Tóth by appointing him to build a humongous architectural community lot center.

Nonetheless, this relationship is highly strained as the film soon goes on to reveal the shady undertones it has been hiding all along, as there appears to be a massive power play between both of the characters and not long enough, the power play of the rich and the needy comes into play.

This power play in “The Brutalist” drives László Tóth to face his principles and whether he would like to compromise them or not.

Guy Pearce is known for his works in films like “Memento” (2000) and “The King’s Speech” (2010). As an actor, Pearce perfectly exemplifies the densities of a character like Van Buren Sr. in “The Brutalist.”

His personality alteration like a chameleon from being quite a charismatic fellow to being manipulative enough, strikes a multi-layered illustration of the American Dream’s grim façades.

3) Felicity Jones as Erzsébet Tóth

Felicity Jones transports poise and deepness to her character Erzsébet Tóth, who is the wife of László Tóth and also someone who has survived the dreadful Holocaust.

Being tormented by her affecting and disturbing past, Erzsébet still goes on to be the sole source of vigor and support for her husband László Tóth.

Regardless of her appearance in “The Brutalist” making its way after the film has its intermission period, her being on screen with László shifts the story into another dimension with the spouses being tough during hardships and difficulties.

Felicity Jones praised for her role in “The Theory of Everything” 2014 for which she earned an Oscar, puts out an enactment and brings life to the role by her character staying grounded but also strong-minded at the same time.

Erzsébet in “The Brutalist” confronts László’s choices, insisting her husband stay true to himself regardless of external pressures.

4) Joe Alwyn as Harry Lee Van Buren Jr.

“Conversations with Friends” star and Grammy award-winning songwriter William Bowery i.e., Joe Alwyn brings Harry Lee Van Buren Jr. to life in “The Brutalist”. Harry Buren Jr. is the elite son of Harrison Lee Van Buren.

While having less of a focus on the film, Alwyn’s character Harry intensifies a generational element to the workings of the story, exhibiting a blatant disparity between his father’s pre-assessed aspirations to Harry’s understanding and being indulged in a sense of heavy privilege.

Producing a kind of intricacy within the role, Alwyn skilfully delivers Harry Lee Van Buren Jr.’s disentanglement, which in turn offers a social criticism of wealth that has been inherited while coming to terms with its influence and power on oneself.

OTHER SUPPORTING CASTS INCLUDE:

Stacy Martin playing Maggie Van Buren:

Stay Martin’s character Maggie Van Buren, who is Harry’s twin sister, ends up adding yet another coating to the family of the elites.

Raffey Cassidy portraying Zsófia:

The character of Zsófia portrayed by Raffey Cassidy plays László’s mute niece. Her character in “The Brutalist” stands for incorruptibility and a glimmer of optimism which in every way differs from the darker themes of the film. Cassidy’s character has quiet the effect on the life of her uncle.

Isaach De Bankolé as Gordon

Isaach De Bankole who portrays the character of Gordon, is a close friend of László and also an architect. Gordon and László friendship tags along with a number of complications as László tries to figure of his journey in “The Brutalist.”

Gordon’s collaboration with László introduces additional challenges, reflecting the complexities of partnership and trust in a high-stakes environment.

With the help of an outstanding cast and captivating storytelling, “The Brutalist” catches the eye of cinephiles and general audiences alike. With a cast like Adrien Brody, Guy Pearce, Felicity Jones, and Joe Alwyn, among others, the film offers a search for desire, finding one’s own self, and what it takes to survive in a world with bigotry and prejudice.

As a whole, “The Brutalist” is a tribute to the power of having resistance within one’s own self.