Joining in on Montblanc’s celebration of the Maison’s newest brand campaign and leather collection, actor Adrien Brody helped toast to the label’s latest offerings at The Library Spirit of New York event. The collection serves as an invitation to explore and celebrate the diversity and energy of New York City, a global center for creativity, through its literary spaces. First in the iconic New York Public Library of Midtown Manhattan then in a West Village loft, Montblanc spotlights the brand’s writing culture, whether it be at a public library or your personal reading space. 

Brody, along with Penn Badgley, Chloë Sevigny, and Stella Maxwell, traveled to Stephen Weiss Studios in the West Village where the space was transformed into an exclusive gathering, alluding to the Maison’s classic elegance combined with New York City’s vibrant energy. The event saw a special performance by world-renowned DJ, producer, and performing artist Peggy Gou in typical fashion for the city that never sleeps. Montblanc celebrated the beauty that lies in the relationship between New York City and literature, a place that has seen so many works of art inspired by its creative nature.

VMAN caught up with the actor to chat about the connection to his hometown of New York City and literature as a whole.

VMAN: How does it feel being back in your hometown for NYFW?

Adrien Brody: I love New York, I was born and raised here so it’s in my blood. I have been fortunate enough to travel and experience other cultures, but I always crave being home in my city.

VMAN: How do you think some of your earliest memories with literature helped draw a connection with you and Montblanc’s “Library Spirit” campaign?

AB: As a child, I lived close to the library. I have nostalgic memories of getting lost in the books. There’s a romance to writing and storytelling. As an artist, the tools you have at your disposal are essential; a Montblanc pen in hand immediately inspires.

VMAN: Having gone to LaGuardia and gone on to take part in many acting projects, what do you think initially drew you to the art of acting?

AB: Growing up in New York, I experienced so much. I was always fascinated by and sensitive to the many unique qualities that make us individuals – The things we express without even knowing we are expressing them, subtle gestures that speak volumes. These characteristics stay with me, almost like a sensation or image, and come alive in my work. My mother, (NY photographer) Sylvia Plachy, shares similar sensibilities. She had an assignment to photograph an acting school when I was young and felt that the students performing were doing what I would do whenever recounting an experience or telling a story. I am grateful that she had the intuition to enroll me in an acting class which opened the window to a lifetime of creativity.