Adrien Brody Says Wes Anderson Sends Him Voice Notes

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Hours before John Legend banged on a grand piano and sang “Happy Birthday” to a pen, something strange happened. On Wednesday night, Legend and countless other celebrities gathered at an estate overlooking Los Angeles to attend a party honoring Montblanc’s flagship product, the Meisterstück pen, which debuted precisely 100 years ago. I figured Adrien Brody, a frequent collaborator of Montblanc partner Wes Anderson, would have plenty to say about the director’s handwritten notes, presumably delivered via carrier pigeon. But earlier that day, Brody received something radically different. “Wes actually sent me a voice memo, which is quite rare,” Brody told me. “That was shocking.”

A fancy pen, it turns out, can’t send out a voice memo—but it’s useful for plenty else. A pen can be an object of collector fascination, a status symbol, and even a diva: In a vitrine set up in a corner of the party, there was one version of the Meisterstück set with hundreds of diamonds.

The actor Callum Turner, for one, uses his pen to jot down all manner of messages. “I love writing notes to as many people as possible,” Turner told me. “‘See you soon’ notes, ‘Have a nice day’ notes, ‘Don’t talk to me for 20 minutes’ notes.”

A pen can be part of a natural comedy duo with Maya Erskine, who co-created the beloved sitcom Pen15 (Pen, get it?).

Or, as Anderson muses in the Montblanc advert he directed in his signature side-scrolling style, he plans to use the Schreiberling (German for scribbler) he designed to write weighty, important tomes. “A historical novel set during the times of feudalism,” he quips in the short film. (Anderon’s stubby Schreiberling will go on sale in May 2025 for $2,500.)

For actor and master mead brewer Dylan Sprouse, meanwhile, a fountain pen like the Meisterstück is important as a building block for his identity as a…wizard. “I'm a fan of, like, wizard aesthetics, that's my shit,” Sprouse said. “So anything that can get me more druidically or wizardly inclined, I’m there.” (Sprouse’s other wizardly assets? Dried herbs, a mushroom garden, and a turtle named Frank, he said.) Montblanc will be dropping plenty more goods to stock Sprouse’s magical cabinet: To mark the Meisterstück’s centenary, the brand is releasing a new collection of bags, belts, sunglasses, and, of course, pens.

Those pens can also occasion an extremely good party, as they did Wednesday night. In addition to “Happy Birthday,” John Legend’s performance for the event’s 200-plus guests spanned 35 minutes and featured ballad-y covers of the Beatles’ “Here Comes the Sun” and Bruce Springsteen’s “Dancing in the Dark.” Maude Apatow, Rupert Friend, Emma Roberts, Kiernan Shipka, Simi Liu, Lucky Blue Smith, Laura Harrier, and Jason Schwartzman (who was sporting a pair of sleek white boots) milled about the property. Roberts gave Legend a standing ovation toward the end of his performance.

Conspicuously absent from the festivities was Anderson himself, who was off filming his next movie and coincidentally celebrating his own birthday on Wednesday. Brody sent Anderson a “congratulatory but also honoring” message earlier that day and wasn’t anxious about the idea of potentially tracking down an appropriate gift. “I probably could get him something that he would really like,” Brody said. “It takes a bit of work because he obviously has impeccable taste that’s very specific, but I do know it so well.” Might I suggest a pen?

Originally Appeared on GQ