Adrien Brody won the Best Actor Oscar in 2003 for playing a Holocaust survivor in “The Pianist” and now he’s expected to have his second Oscar nomination as a very different Holocaust survivor in “The Brutalist.”

It only seems like destiny. Brody, who at 29 was and remains the youngest Best Actor winner in Academy Awards history, knows it wasn’t that simple.

Ambitious and unique, Brady Corbet’s “The Brutalist” is a film in the “Oppenheimer” tradition.  It runs 215 minutes (with a 15-minute intermission) to tell the epic journey of Brody’s Hungarian-Jewish architect László Tóth who, having survived the Holocaust and been separated from his wife, in 1947 emigrates to Philadelphia to find work.

While he finds a rich patron (Guy Pearce, also expected to be Oscar nominated), there are setbacks and struggles.

“I read the script about five and a half years ago and thought it was just so beautifully written,” Brody, 51, recalled in a Zoom interview.

“It spoke to so much that I found very relevant today. The hardships that immigrants face coming to this great nation. The disconnect between the hopes, dreams and the harsh reality of what the American Dream can be. The journey of an artist and the relationship with the artist and the patron. And my own mother’s and grandparents’ struggles.

“All of those things were woven into this beautifully eloquent script. So, I found myself very moved by it and felt very right to be the actor to portray that character.”

But another actor initially was cast and only when COVID canceled that effort, did “Brutalist” get new backers – and Brody won this remarkable role.

Does playing László Tóth feel like destiny perhaps?

“I guess,” Brody answered. “I believe a lot of things happen for reasons that we are not conscious of. And that I have faith and believe that if you apply yourself and remain focused and try to do good, that ultimately you will be rewarded for that.

“At the very least you will be contributing more good on this earth. And that is worthy of your efforts.”

“The Brutalist” is like nothing else in this awards season: A period piece with epic size and sharply defined characters. Yet it’s a huge success.

“I think we all are hungry for great films. I think our industry and audiences are hungry for great theatrical works that are epic in scale and scope. And nuanced. And really feel like an event.

“Brady’s achievement really lives up to those expectations. The hopes and dreams of so many of us in this industry — it champions that.

“I’m really grateful that it is being received with such enthusiasm.”

“The Brutalist” is in theaters Jan. 10