Actor Adrien Brody jumped at the chance to portray Harry Houdini onscreen because he was fascinated by the legendary illusionist as a child and wannabe magician.

The King Kong star takes on the title role in upcoming miniseries Houdini and reveals the Hungarian immigrant and famed performer, who was known for his sensational escape acts in the early-1900s, provided "a profound level" of inspiration for him during his youth.

Brody tells U.S. breakfast show Today, "What he symbolises, still, resonated with me as a boy...

"He is the epitome of the American dream. He is someone who has not only escaped the confines of the physical shackles, but the shackles that keep down the impoverished people. He was an Eastern-European immigrant...

"He overcame all these things and he escaped that and he represented that to people, that it's possible, and that's a very heroic thing..."

At the end of the interview segment, Brody showed off his own magic skills by breaking a pencil in half with a folded dollar bill. The actor admitted he hadn't performed the trick in 30 years, but he succeeded on his third attempt, leaving Today co-host Tamron Hall stunned.