Adrien Brody, Moran Atias share story of self-forgiveness, survival in 'Third Person'

MANILA, Philippines- Two people who meet with different motivations  is how the characters of Adrien Brody and Moran Atias intertwine in the film “Third Person.”

Brody is playing the role of Scott Wallace, a shady American businessman who is in Italy to steal designs from different fashion houses. After his tasks were done, he craves for a burger and beer, and this is when he meets Monika, Atias' character.

Monika is a gypsy who is desperate to see her daughter again. But after the money she is supposed to pay to the smugglers was stolen, there's nothing she could do. Captured by her beauty and energy, Scott agrees to help her, and she accepts his offer despite being suspicious of him.

“My character Scott Wallace is a man who’s made some errors in life and some mistakes are permanent and too difficult to overcome,” Brody said describing his character. “I think he’s grappling with a lot as a result of that and he’s unable to forgive himself.”

He adds that his character meeting Atias' character “pulls him away from the weight he’s been experiencing and is kind of unable to escape on his own.

“It’s way more interesting to observe imperfections and people’s ability to get past those imperfections. That’s more inspirational than overly heroic characters.”

Atias, meanwhile, said  her character has one motivation - survival.

“It’s not a question whether or not she wants to do certain things; she sees no other choice,” she explains. “Hers is just a very basic need. One key characteristic about her is that she doesn’t trust anybody and she has a really good reason not to trust anybody, especially men.”

The actress added that she carefully studied her character Monika.

“I’ve done a lot of research to play Monika, even on things that I knew were not going to ever be in the script,”she said. “I just wanted to explore the life of the gypsy in Italy. I became so respectful of their courage and dignity and that force of life to continue.”

On the other hand, Brody thinks that “Third Person” is a material that challenges him, not only as an actor but as a person.

“I strive to find material that is unusual and speaks to me and that’s either something with incredible social relevance or something that is a learning process for me as a human being, not just as an actor and that I can share,” he relates.

“There’s a degree of that in this piece – the processing of emotions and the need to overcome certain things that prevent us from moving forward and being present. Tragedy befalls many people’s lives and you have to surmount that, or it destroys any possibility of the future.

“I also think that there are many flaws in all the characters in this film, they’re all really flawed human beings and I think film should celebrate flaws rather than create perfect people, because people are imperfect.”

Joining Brody and Atias in the film are Liam Neeson, Kim Basinger,  James Franco, Mila Kunis and Olivia Wilde.

“Third Person” is directed by Paul Haggis and will be in Philippine cinemas starting June 18.