Snapshot: An unseasonably hot May night in New York, 1991. The feminist road movie “Thelma & Louise” has just had a splashy premiere, with an after-party at a Mexican restaurant. A 27-year-old actor named Brad Pitt, who started the night as an unknown, has emerged from the screening as the breakout story. At the party, he and his girlfriend, Juliette Lewis, greet well-wishers at their table — not a crush of fans, mind you, but the kind of high-energy scrum that announces to everyone present: From now on, this young man will be a star.
A friend and I happened to witness the transformation firsthand that night. But as we watched the blond, baby-faced actor throw back beers with his posse, we weren’t entirely sure whether Pitt knew that his life had irrevocably changed.
“I remember that night,” he said in a call from Los Angeles last week. “But I was absolutely naive and was not prepared for what it would mean. I just wanted to be in movies, I wanted opportunities, and that’s what I saw from that.”
Read more. Really nice interview. Btw, I also updated BP Press, go have a look.