For over 40 years the HFPA has recorded famous and celebrated actresses, actors and filmmakers. The world’s largest collection of its kind – over 10,000  items – is now in the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences Margaret Herrick Library.
Adrien Brody was nominated for a Golden Globe in the Best Actor-Motion Picture Drama category for 2003, for his performance in The Pianist and was a presenter in 2006. In 2002, he met the HFPA and talked about director Roman Polanski‘s temper, talent, and grit.
“Roman Polanski loses his temper but we all lose our temper. I lose my temper too, sometimes.  Roman is extremely passionate and enthusiastic.  Fortunately, he didn’t lose his temper at me too often. The crew spoke in  Polish, so I could tune out which was wonderful.  You know,  that’s why I like shooting in  Europe. I know if it’s in English it’s directed at me.  I was responding to “axia”. Oh, that means “action”. Okay, I’m on! 
Roman’s a wonderful actor and he likes specific things,  not always but when he wants something specific you kind of got to give Mr. Polanski what he wants. I don’t have a  problem with that if it’s good. If it’s not good,  we have a problem and unfortunately, some directors are not as good as conveying precisely what they need and they’ll try and act it out and it’s a  very poor rendition of what they’re trying to get from you and you have to go okay, I see what you want and try and do that. 
Roman will give you something almost better than what you’re going to deliver and,  therefore,  you really have to deliver and a  lot of actors have a  problem with that because they like to be given the stage and they say,  ‘You hired me. Let me do my interpretation.’ 
This is a story about a  survivor and I am being told how to play a survivor by a survivor.  I’m tough but I  am not a  survivor like Roman. He’s really a survivor. He’s lived and overcame many obstacles and many tragedies and all I wanted was to be truthful. I checked my ego at the door. I said okay,  let’s do it. Let’s do it and it worked.”