THE PRIME OF MR ADAM BRODY

He may always be remembered as Seth Cohen from the hit Noughties show The O.C., but a decade on, the actor has settled into a life that’s just as satisfying off screen

Life for the actor now, 10 years on from The O.C.

When Adam Brody and Leighton Meester revealed, in 2017, that they have an annual ‘Seth and Blair day’ (where they dress up as their cult teen drama characters, Seth Cohen and Blair Waldorf from The O.C. and Gossip Girl), the internet went into meltdown.

It’s hardly surprising. The couple, who married in 2014, had never given a joint interview before, and fans went wild. It’s something devotees of the two shows had obsessed over for years: two millennial TV favourites ending up together, in real life. The pair were, in fact, joking about dressing up (damn), which I now know for certain, because I’m sitting opposite Brody in a rooftop bar in Hollywood and I’ve just asked him about it. And it’s suddenly gone very quiet.

When even a joke can be jumped on by overzealous fans and go viral, does it put him off saying anything at all, I wonder? ‘I just feel like I can’t really win, you know?’ he says, shuffling in his seat, wearing a pair of dark sunglasses that make deciphering his responses to questions all the more challenging. ‘I don’t dislike speculating on the cultural impact of these shows and even, to a certain degree, what it was like for me at the time, but I also don’t care that much. Put it this way, we should either cheerlead for a reboot, or shut up. And I’m not cheerleading for a reboot, so…’ Few can blame Brody for not wanting to talk about The O.C., in which he played the show’s lovable nerd between 2003 and 2007. It was 12 years ago, after all. And, while it’s undoubtedly the role that’s defined his career thus far, something that often goes with the territory of a zeitgeist TV show, Brody has worked consistently since. He has had roles in films including Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005), Scream 4 (2011) and the more-recent DC Comics blockbuster Shazam!.

This year marks an impressive 20 years in the industry for the San Diego-born actor who, for the record, looks at least a decade younger than his 39 years, dressed in low-rise blue jeans, a scruffy T-shirt and white Adidas tennis shoes. He’s sporting an unkempt beard and growing out his tousled curls, which he reveals are for an upcoming role in a new US TV series, Mrs America

(he plays an advocate in the 1970s-era fight for the Equal Rights Amendment). ‘Any excuse not to get a haircut,’ he quips, taking off his corduroy cap. ‘Besides, wigs are uncomfortable, itchy and hot.’ But before that, Brody is marking his milestone by starring in the film Ready Or Not, a claustrophobic but quirky comedic thriller

‘A FEW PEOPLE CAN AFFORD TO BE PICKY. I’M NOT ONE OF THEM’

co-starring Andie Macdowell and newcomer Samara Weaving. It’s gory but good fun, about an eccentric family who embark on a lethal game of hide-and-seek to initiate a new bride into the fold. Brody plays the black sheep of the family; a ‘miserable bastard’ who spends much of the movie drunk.

There’s no doubt that he’s broken out of the teen idol box, but I’m curious as to how playing ‘TV’S sexiest geek’ (as Seth Cohen was described by the Los Angeles Times in the Noughties) affected how he approached subsequent roles. Did he ever fear being typecast? ‘I wasn’t worried about being pigeonholed, but I was self-conscious about the quality of what I did,’ he reflects. He explains that he was reluctant to ‘take advantage of a lot of fun stuff’ for fear of what people might think of him; something he’s refreshingly honest about now. ‘I think I was overly concerned with whatever I was in, representing, you know, my artistic taste. I didn’t want to do things that I thought were less than really sharp. A few people can afford to be that picky. I’m not one of them; nor do I deserve to be.’

I’m surprised when he tells me that, 20 years in, he still finds the audition process ‘incredibly nerve-wracking’. He says, ‘If you really want a role, you’ve gotta dance for it and people are sitting there critically judging you. I go through a whole range of “I’m so nervous”, “I can’t believe I do this for a living” and “I’m not a performer”. Then I get indignant about it, and I use that indignation to not make me nervous, like, “This is my room, I own it; you’re on my time now and I’m going to take all the time I want.”’

Brody, who lives on LA’S Westside with Meester, 33, and their four-year-old daughter, Arlo, has lived in Tinseltown for as long as he’s been acting, having moved from the coastal city of San Diego ‘on a whim’ when he was 19, with no acting experience whatsoever. ‘I had this feeling from early on that I wanted to get out,’ he says. ‘I was a reluctant student who hated school.’ I suspect his parents, a graphic artist and an attorney, might not have been too impressed by his decision to up and leave. ‘I didn’t walk away from Harvard to do this,’ he laughs. ‘I walked away from community college and said I’d be back in a year. It seemed like a new idea [to them], so they were scratching their heads a bit, but they were supportive. I was lucky; I found work fast. They were pretty on board a year later!’ He’s referring to the lucrative lead role he landed in biographical

NBC TV movie, 2000’s Growing Up Brady, where he portrayed The Brady Bunch actor Barry Williams. ‘It didn’t make me rich, but it made me a rich 20-year-old,’ he recalls. ‘Of all the jobs I’ve ever landed, or will ever get, nothing will feel quite that big. I was driving through the Paramount gates every day for four weeks; a year to the day that I started acting. That was amazing. And I was so sad when it was over.’ His big break was swiftly followed by a minor role in American Pie 2 and a recurring role as Dave Rygalski in cult comedy drama Gilmore Girls, before the producers of The O.C. came knocking.

It’s interesting to hear him talk so fondly of his early career when the rest of the world places such significance on what came after. Does he understand why people still talk about The O.C.? ‘I don’t know about its enduring legacy, but I guess it was a zeitgeist thing; lightning in a bottle that people collectively experienced,’ he says. It must have been intense in those days, I suggest. ‘Not really.’ He didn’t have teenage girls following his every move? ‘You know, perhaps, but it was pre-social media; it was mostly pre-digital. Even the paparazzi had fewer outlets to sell their stuff to. Also, I dated my co-star (Rachel Bilson who played Summer Roberts) for the majority of the show. So I wasn’t even [going] out in the same way. It felt like being in a bubble. It’s not that it wasn’t crazy in some respects, but I wasn’t on a world tour, you know? You can avoid some of it if you want.’ Is he suggesting people court it? ‘Oh, of course. I do have sympathy for some people, who are too famous to be left alone,’ he points out. ‘I’m not an overly private person, I’m just not an exhibitionist, so if I’m in public, I don’t want to be the centre of attention. This job is a privilege in so many ways, though. It gives you, probably to your detriment, an inflated sense of self-importance, but the lifestyle it affords you both financially and schedule-wise is ridiculous. Everyone has their own level of fame and celebrity, but I think for most people, whether they admit it or not, it’s fucking worth it. I would do it all again in a heartbeat.’

Earlier this year, Brody took on a project somewhat closer to home, joining his wife in a guest role on the US comedy Single Parents. The pair clearly enjoy working side by side, having got together on the set of 2011 film The Oranges, before co-starring in 2014’s Life Partners. ‘She’s okay,’ Brody deadpans, before slowly breaking into a smile. ‘No, it’s lovely. She made me feel very welcome [on Single Parents]; she was such a cheerleader and a good host. I tried not to be an asshole.’ Can he remember his first impressions of his wife when they met? He’s mumbling under his breath now. ‘I thought she was very attractive.’

Quick to move the conversation on, he reveals that the pair are currently gearing up for a weekend of children’s birthday parties, including their own daughter’s sort-of celebration. ‘She’s been pretty adamant she doesn’t want one this year and we’re kind of lazy, so we’re like, “All right, invite a couple of friends over, I’m not gonna force you to make us throw you a party.”’

Brody is planning a similarly low-key affair when he turns 40 this December. ‘I would say I love hosting parties, but actually, I like hosting get-togethers where I can talk to everyone. We’ve had, like, one party at our house with 40-50 people and I wouldn’t do it again because I didn’t see anyone! Also, it’s borne out of laziness. We had a very small wedding. Part of it was like, “We’re actors, we always get to dress up and do stuff.”’

However, it’s when I ask Brody what kind of father he is that he reveals most about himself. ‘I’m definitely an in-love dad,’ he offers, gently. ‘I’m not going to give myself credit for anything else, but I’m certainly a very proud, infatuated dad who will show anyone a picture at the drop of a hat.’ He takes out his phone to scroll through images of Arlo. She’s blonde and very cute. ‘One of the best things about being a parent is that it makes getting older exciting. I’m having a great time right now, but I don’t need to see 50; I don’t care. I could pause my life right now and be very happy, except I’m dying to see her get older and get to know her.’

‘THIS JOB IS A PRIVILEGE. I WOULD DO IT ALL AGAIN IN A HEARTBEAT’

Ready Or Not is in cinemas on 27th September