Adrien Brody was drawn to playing Winning Time's Pat Riley, "navigating a man’s life in transition"

Variety

"He had already had a very successful career as a ball-player and he already had a ring in hand," says Brody, who made his debut on Sunday's episode of the HBO series. "It was about navigating a man’s life in transition and being patient to find the key into the next phase of that journey. That’s really all I wanted to focus on in this initial depiction of life." Brody adds: "When I spoke with (co-creator Max Borenstein) about this, I learned so much more about this struggling phase of (Riley’s) life — this moment of transition between putting a successful ball-playing career to bed and then coming to terms with being retired. This is what athletes face. That was new to me to consider that because I’ve always held Pat Riley in such high regard. He carries himself in such a way that the confidence he exudes is powerful and uplifting. It’s a really wonderful thing to acknowledge that journey."

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• Was there a specific moment where it felt like Adrien Brody inhabited Pat Riley?: "I don’t know if it was a specific article of clothing," says Brody. "There’s a zone. I know when I’m emotionally connected and I know when I’m not. Certain things definitely help. I am just used to kicking into gear. I know how to rile myself up. But I don’t know what it is in particular. Definitely the costume had an effect, and certain pieces definitely either bolster your confidence or diminish it, so I used that. (Laughs.) I’m not really a huge fan of brown two-tone ties, very wide ties, and lapels."
• Brody prepared his role by poring over Riley's books: “His books really gave me a much clearer sense of him and his tenacity,” Brody says, “and his ability to find the silver lining in the challenges that need to be overcome on a daily basis.” 
• Winning Time co-creator Jim Hecht predicts many viewers Googled to see if that wild event in Sunday's episode actually happened: "It’s all absolutely true," says Hecht.