By Express News Service
After back-to-back hits in the form of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and Ad Astra, Brad Pitt is back this week with Bullet Train. The veteran actor, who attended the press conference of the film along with the cast and crew, called the virtual meeting “really fun”. Calling Bullet Train a product of the pandemic, Pitt said, “It was five or six months into the pandemic and it was messing up with our minds. That’s when I read this really funny script and there was one scene involving rapper Bad Bunny which made me laugh out loud.”
Incidentally, Pitt had earlier worked with the film’s director David Leitch albeit in a different role. “When we first met, I was an actor and he was a stuntman. In fact, he was my stunt double from Fight Club days and we have worked in films like The Mexican, Mr & Mrs Smith and Troy. It was good to come back a full circle with my man becoming the boss,” said Pitt. Talking about the rest of the ensemble cast, he said, “When these guys jumped on, they lit the thing up. In this film, it’s not about characters supporting the protagonist. They all have their own agenda and they clash with each other. They are a talented bunch and we had a blast shooting for the film.”
Pitt plays Ladybug, a seasoned assassin with “strange” philosophies. “He’s a chump (laughs) and that’s the kind of role that’s the most fun to play. Zak Olkewicz wrote the character and I believe the character is someone who has had a mental breakdown because of his absence from work. Maybe he had a couple of months of therapy under his belt and therefore he thought he had all the answers about life. He even believes that conflicts can be solved peacefully (smiles). The sad thing is, that’s pretty much where I am in life.”
Interestingly, Pitt’s last on-screen appearance was a cameo in Sandra Bullock’s The Lost City, and now, the Gravity actor has done a cameo in Bullet Train. “Sandy is a dear friend who I can call for any favour. When this film came along, I wanted to call her for another favour (laughs). She agreed and this time she wanted me to return the favour, and that’s how The Lost City happened. I like how we get to cross-pollinate each other’s projects.”
Despite Bullet Train being an action film, Pitt says it was also a technological marvel. “The technology is amazing. I’ve seen Hitchcock films where a character drives a car and projection plays a video in the background. Now, in this film, they have designed massive video walls that are three cars in length and 20 feet tall.
They would display the entire sequence of the train travelling from Tokyo to Kyoto, so we didn’t feel stagnant at all. Actually, some of the actors had motion sickness,” says Pitt, adding, “When you work with the best, the rhythms that happen are so much fun and it gives you a sense of fulfilment when you go back home. We figured this film as we went along so there was also a sense of adventure. That was the most rewarding experience,” concludes Pitt.
After back-to-back hits in the form of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and Ad Astra, Brad Pitt is back this week with Bullet Train. The veteran actor, who attended the press conference of the film along with the cast and crew, called the virtual meeting “really fun”. Calling Bullet Train a product of the pandemic, Pitt said, “It was five or six months into the pandemic and it was messing up with our minds. That’s when I read this really funny script and there was one scene involving rapper Bad Bunny which made me laugh out loud.”
Incidentally, Pitt had earlier worked with the film’s director David Leitch albeit in a different role. “When we first met, I was an actor and he was a stuntman. In fact, he was my stunt double from Fight Club days and we have worked in films like The Mexican, Mr & Mrs Smith and Troy. It was good to come back a full circle with my man becoming the boss,” said Pitt. Talking about the rest of the ensemble cast, he said, “When these guys jumped on, they lit the thing up. In this film, it’s not about characters supporting the protagonist. They all have their own agenda and they clash with each other. They are a talented bunch and we had a blast shooting for the film.”
Pitt plays Ladybug, a seasoned assassin with “strange” philosophies. “He’s a chump (laughs) and that’s the kind of role that’s the most fun to play. Zak Olkewicz wrote the character and I believe the character is someone who has had a mental breakdown because of his absence from work. Maybe he had a couple of months of therapy under his belt and therefore he thought he had all the answers about life. He even believes that conflicts can be solved peacefully (smiles). The sad thing is, that’s pretty much where I am in life.”
Interestingly, Pitt’s last on-screen appearance was a cameo in Sandra Bullock’s The Lost City, and now, the Gravity actor has done a cameo in Bullet Train. “Sandy is a dear friend who I can call for any favour. When this film came along, I wanted to call her for another favour (laughs). She agreed and this time she wanted me to return the favour, and that’s how The Lost City happened. I like how we get to cross-pollinate each other’s projects.”
Despite Bullet Train being an action film, Pitt says it was also a technological marvel. “The technology is amazing. I’ve seen Hitchcock films where a character drives a car and projection plays a video in the background. Now, in this film, they have designed massive video walls that are three cars in length and 20 feet tall.
They would display the entire sequence of the train travelling from Tokyo to Kyoto, so we didn’t feel stagnant at all. Actually, some of the actors had motion sickness,” says Pitt, adding, “When you work with the best, the rhythms that happen are so much fun and it gives you a sense of fulfilment when you go back home. We figured this film as we went along so there was also a sense of adventure. That was the most rewarding experience,” concludes Pitt.
