When Adrien Brody walked away with the best actor Oscar for 2002’s The Pianist, he represented a new kind of leading man. Unconventionally handsome, his angular frame, Pinocchio nose (broken three times), and impromptu tongue-in with Halle Berry set him apart from a Tinseltown adrift with carefully scripted pretty boys.

Since then the 35-year-old Queens, New York native has kept movie­goers guessing, both with his distinctive roles and his idiosyncratic style. Whether noiring it in Hollywoodland (2006) or upstaging a computer-animated gorilla in King Kong (2005), the guy can wear clothes like nobody’s business. He suits up like a runway stud in his two new releases, as an ascot-wearing con artist in The Brothers Bloom and a 1950s-era record honcho in the Chicago-set Cadillac Records, opposite Beyoncé Knowles (as Etta James).

Off the set Brody likes to leave the Norelco behind and hit the Vegas Strip, often with his close friends, like rap singer Simon Rex and real estate developer Nicholas Boeck, who both joined him for this ring-a-ding-ding fashion shoot.

THAT’S ONE SERIOUS BEARD, MAN.
A lot of us actors are bearded when we aren’t working, because we usually have to be clean-cut or look a certain way for a part. I kind of stopped doing anything for a while, including shaving, and just enjoyed life.

WHAT WAS YOUR STYLE AS A KID?
I grew up in New York, so that influenced my sense of style. At 13 I wore windbreakers and had a tail hairstyle. Kids wanted to jump me on the corner and cut it off.

WHAT WAS EVERYONE ELSE WEARING?
It shifted between Saturday Night Fever and Hells Angels. Those were pretty much the only two looks.


YOU’RE PICTURED SOMETIMES WITH A HIP-HOP LOOK.
It’s probably more accurate to say I revert to my adolescence now and again.

BUT NOW YOU’RE A STYLE ARBITER, AND YOU WERE THE FACE OF ZEGNA MENSWEAR.
I have access to clothes that were unattain­able to me back then. I bought my first real suit—a nice suit, actually—for about 20 bucks at a thrift store. I wore it to my first movie premieres. I didn’t have the resources to buy designer clothing. None of my friends see me as a style icon. They see me in baggy jeans, a T-shirt, and a hoodie.

WHAT’S YOUR WORST LOOK EVER?
I have a picture on my refrigerator that my mom took. It’s me in a pool hall. I was wearing a pair of baggy, horizontal-striped Girbaud jeans, and a big sweatshirt with parallel stripes all over it. It’s seared into my memory every time I look at it. It’s a constant reminder of what not to do.


YOU REALLY PLANTED ONE ON HALLE BERRY AT THE OSCARS.
I was in such an overwhelmed, emotional state that I’m surprised I had the presence of mind to convey what I had been feeling. I just ran with this outpouring of emotion. Even though I’m not the most uninhibited person, I’ve been able to let that guard down under pressure.

WHAT’S YOUR BIGGEST CELEBRITY INDULGENCE?
I bought myself a Corvette Z06, and I built my own engine. It was nice to buy a new car and be able to assemble it. I grew up racing muscle cars and building real jalopies. But I don’t have any extreme luxuries.

DOES FAME HAVE ITS DOWNSIDE?
Nothing is perfect. But when you’re a struggling actor, you’d like a little attention. You know? Sometimes I’m happy to deal with too much.