Playing Houdini–Photographed by Brian Bowen Smith, actor Adrien Brody covers the April issue of Manhattan magazine. Catching up with the actor about his upcoming role as Harry Houdini on The History Channel, Brody opened up about his character, sharing, “[He] is one of my heroes and has been since childhood, not only because he was the greatest magician and escape artist of all time, who escaped the confines of chains onstage, but because of his fearless, adventurous nature…He also escaped the chains of poverty and bigotry—and his audiences and the public understood this grand metaphor.”
Talking about growing up in Queens, Brody discusses the importance of family and how his mother still pops in on set for the occasional visit. Recalling his moment on the catwalk for Prada’s fall 2012 collection, along with actor Gary Oldman, Brody confesses “I mean, come on, it’s Gary, so of course I’m going to think power and strength, and darkness and Dracula, and of course I’m going to have some fun with it and create a narrative. With every step I thought: Off with your head.”