While preparing for his role as a titan of industry in Brady Corbet’s “The Brutalist,” Guy Pearce had a specific image in his imagination. It was of a trophy hunter standing next to his prized kill, a lion or tiger or rhino, so proud of himself for having tamed nature.
“I was struck by the idea of recognizing something beautiful in the world and then feeling the need to destroy it,” Pearce said. “Or the need to control it as a way to feel less powerless. The psychology behind that is so fascinating and horrible to me.”
Pearce’s character in the film, the stately-named Harrison Lee Van Buren, is one of the year’s most intriguing creations.