IT’S THE PITTS – by
Well it will be for us when Brad and Gwyneth finally tie the knot. But
with films like The Devil’s Own delaying the big day, there’s no
need for the black armbands just yet! Sara Lambert talks to Hollywood’s
most gorgeous husband-to-be.
Some people have all the luck, and Brad Pitt is one of them. Not only is he
blessed with beautiful features, he’s also the biggest movie star of his
generation and is engaged to Gwyneth Paltrow, Hollywood’s hottest young
actress. Read his lovey-dovey spoutings about her and we defy you not to turn
to mush!
After a string of hit films such as Interview with the vampire, Seven and Twelve
Monkeys, Brad’s back again this fortnight in his latest offering. The
Devil’s Own. He plays a member of the IRA who is given shelter by a New
York cop [played by Harrison Ford], who is totally unaware of his lodger’s
terrorist connections.
Although the movie has been plagued by controversy, Brad recently braved the
US premiere to quell rumours of behind-the-scenes rows between himself and his
co-star. Apparently, Brad and Harrison didn’t see eye-to-eye and clashed
over the size of their salaries. Despite the problems though, the film’s
been a huge success at the US box office. So lucky old Brad’s got the
looks, the gal, the money and yet another hit movie on his hands-in fact, for
now, he’s got it all.
How do you deal with the media frenzy that surrounds you and Gwyneth?
Sometimes it gets the way of our privacy and other times it doesn’t.
It’s just become a way of life for us now. I accept it. Sure, there are
bad days with the paparazzi, but then there are days when they’re considerate.
Now it’s become a bit of a game to see if we can make it through. That’s
our life.
How has your relationship with Gwyneth influenced your life?
Well, I certainly feel a lot calmer now. I’ve had a few months of sorting
things out and finding a pattern. Meeting Gwyneth has been a relief, because
I know I’m set for the rest of my life now.
Are you romantic?
I have so much respect—it’s just the greatest compliment in the
world to ask someone to spend the rest of their life with you and for them to
say yes. After all, I’m only going to do it once.
The media interest in your wedding will be huge—are you worried
they’ll turn your big day into a circus?
Yeah, sure, we’ve got a lot to think about if we want to keep it private
and special. But we’ll figure it out somehow. Oh, it’s going to
be great—walking down the aisle, putting on the ring, kissing the bride.
Marriage is an amazing thing.
Is it true you asked Gwyneth to marry you while you were in Argentina
shooting your next film, Seven years in Tibet?
I’m not going to divulge how it happened. Before I did it though, I’d
read four times that I’d already popped the question. I hadn’t,
but it was certainly on my mind because Gwyneth is definitely the one. Then
when I actually did go to propose to her, I had the ring in place. I knew exactly
what I was going to say—then we picked up a paper and there it was, saying
I’d already asked her! It completely cramped my style, so then I had to
put it off for a few days, let the hype die down and then do it all over again.
But the details of what happened are forever private.
Have you and Gwyneth set a wedding date yet?
I don’t know if there’s an official time limit, but getting engaged
means we’ve promised to get married and, as soon as we figure out the
date, we will. We’ve both got some jobs we have to get through first.
Hopefully, it will be soon, yeah. I’d do it now if we could. But we need
to find the time so we can do it right, take a proper honeymoon and just be
together with no outside commitments.
What type of ceremony do you plan to have?
Well I have a Christian background and Gwyneth has a Jewish background, so
we hope to combine the elements of both somehow. But I do want to do the chair
dance [bride and groom each sit in a chair and are carried above the heads of
the men]. I think that’s fantastic. As far as how many guests go, I think
it will be big, there’s no way around it. As soon as you get outside the
immediate family, you think, ‘If we invite them, then we have to invite
those other people too.’ So I imagine it will be a fairly decent size!
You and Gwyneth have been brought up very differently—her in
uptown New York and you in the country in Missouri—will you find common
values to teach your children?
Sure we will. I think my folks did a pretty good job. I believe in certainty,
honesty, walking a straight line, personal respect—all the stuff my dad
used to pound into me.
Did you always dream of being a moviestar?
Well, when I was a kid I didn’t know I would do this. I mean, it was
something I wanted to do, but nothing I ever thought about doing seriously.
It didn’t seem a very realistic option then. But if a movie was on, I
sat down and I watched it, and it spoke to me, just like a Bible or something.
What sort of movies do you go and see?
I try to see everything. I’ve been out of the States for about six months,
so I haven’t seen a whole lot recently, but my taste is wide open. I’ve
sure seen some good films this year, I think we’ve had a great crop. I
loved Fargo, I loved Jerry Maguire, I loved Slingblade and I loved Flirting
with Disaster.
What’s next for you?
I’ve just finished shooting Seven Years in Tibet [based on the memoirs
of Austrian mountain climber Heinrich Harrer, who in 1940 escaped into Tibet
from a British prison camp in India and became a tutor for the young Dalai Lama].
Then I start something this summer called Meet Joe Black so I don’t have
a lot of time to rest in between. I feel it’s very important to rest in
between. I usually plan it better than that. I feel it’s very important
for me to have time to fill back up again and not drain myself. It’s just
that my last movie has gone on a little longer than I expected, but I’m
getting ore time after this. I need it, I want to get married!
You’re working with Gwyneth again on your next film Duets, a
story about karaoke singers in the Midwest who hustle for money and prizes.
Yes, her father, Bruce Paltrow, is directing the film. Unfortunately we don’t
have many scenes together and the only time we really get to see each other
is at the very end. We’re still looking for a film where we can have more
scenes together.
Why have you played such crazed and tormented characters in your last
two films, Twelve Monkeys and The Devil’s Own?
It was never a planned choice, I just took the parts that seemed best at that
time. I’m certainly not avoiding romantic comedies—Meet Joe Black
is a remake of the comedy Death Takes a Holiday and I play Death. Previously
I’d never found a comedy that felt right for me; now I have and I’m
going to do it.
What kind of parts do you tend to go for?
All kinds, though it can be hard picking them. I’ve seen parts that I
thought were nothing on the page and then I saw people doing amazing things
with them. I think it’s best to make your choices from where you’re
sitting at the time. The only parts I don’t go for are the heroic-action
type ones, they’re just not realistic to me. Although I enjoy watching
that sort of thing, I couldn’t do it and I wouldn’t do it very well.
So you’ve got no big career plan as far as your choice of movie
roles go?
No, what usually happens is that after I’ve finished a job and the film’s
in the can, I find myself wanting to try something totally different—something
I haven’t done before. Then I’ll come across a script and it’ll
have that new direction I’m looking for—it’s as simple as
that, one thing at a time. I don’t purposely avoid doing certain things
but, at the same time, I don’t want to do the same thing twice.
If it came down to it, which would you put first, your film career
or your relationship?
My relationship, because I believe that love and women are the greatest creations
on this earth.