Ahead of the 82nd Golden Globes, where “The Brutalist” is nominated in seven categories, Joe Alwyn is revealing the inspiration for his character in the film.
Alwyn told The Guardian that he looked to President-elect Donald Trump and his children to help shape his role as Harry, the son of a rich industrialist played by Guy Pearce. Alwyn said: “Look who’s the new president of America, and his family. Often family businesses are so insular and stunted and hollow. And you see it with Trump and his children: ‘I can do what I want.’ A convicted felon accused of sexual assault and grabbing them by the pussy and all of that. He’s unanswerable, unfortunately.”
Director Brady Corbet’s “The Brutalist” tells the story of Hungarian immigrant László Tóth (Adrien Brody) who immigrates to the United States and, after getting discovered by a wealthy client (Pearce), is commissioned to build an ambitious monument in his home.
After premiering at the Venice Film Festival, “The Brutalist” has gone on to critical acclaim and is expected to be a major player at the Academy Awards. But Alwyn admits that when he signed on to the project, he wasn’t sure how much audience appeal it would have.
“To be honest, I thought it might be a really good film that not many people would end up seeing … Who knows, maybe it still will? I hope not,” Alwyn said. “But given the things against it, given that it ticks most boxes of what you’re not meant to make as a film these days: length, content, all of that – anything on top of that is a really nice surprise.”