10 Actors Who Learned To Play Instruments For Their Roles

Now we come to 2002's The Pianist. It tells the story of Władysław Szpilman (Adrien Brody) in German-occupied Poland, who by some miracle, managed to survive both the early days of the Holocaust and the destruction of Warsaw itself. It's a deeply lonely and harrowing film from beginning to end.

Director Roman Polanski was firm in making The Pianist the most realistic depiction of Szpilman as possible. As such, Brody was expecting to learn to the play the piano to a high standard, maintaining the illusion that he himself was playing on camera. To do so, the lead actor spent months practicing both before and during the shoot so audiences would be convinced.

Specifically, this involved creating consistent key strokes that sold the character's immense talents with the instrument. At both the beginning and end of the film, Brody played briefly. But it was the extended performance of Chopin's Ballade in G minor that stood out as the film's most iconic sequence. An emaciated Szpilman plays the piece for German officer Wilm Hosenfeld (Thomas Kretschmann) who is deeply moved by the performance.

Brody's powerful performance in conjunction with Polish pianist Janusz Olejniczak made the film incredibly successful at the time. It placed the titular musician's piano playing front and centre as a result.