Category: BP Press

David Leitch On Directing Action In A Confined Space: ‘It Forces You To Be Creative’

If there’s one thing we’ve come to expect from David Leitch, former Brad Pitt stunt double, director of Atomic Blonde and Deadpool 2 and major contributor to John Wick, it’s impeccable on-screen action.

“I’m not gonna say that it was without its challenges,” Leitch tells Empire. “I think there’s an expectation with summer movies that you have a certain level of action and spectacle. How do you create that in this confined space? It just forces you to be creative.” Where the John Wick franchise has given us ‘gun fu’, ‘book fu’ and even ‘horse fu’, Bullet Train embraces the use of everyday objects in its fight scenes – expect variations on ‘kettle fu’, ‘laptop fu’, and even ‘water bottle fu’.

There was also room to mix things up in the carriages themselves: there are 16 in total, including one dedicated to a fictional anime character, ‘Momomon’, and, of course, the quiet carriage. “That adds a whole other flexibility to the choreography,” says Leach. Brian Tyree Henry, who plays English hitman and Thomas The Tank Engine lover Lemon, enjoyed shooting that one in particular. “The fact that I have a whole fight with Brad Pitt on a quiet car — that we are trying to be silent while bashing each other’s faces — that was so fun to play,” he says. “You’re like a kid in a candy store.”

That blend of intricate hand-to-hand combat with a more comedic tone brings one of cinema’s most prolific martial arts masters to mind: “It straddles a line of badass action, but with a humorous element infused in it,” Pitt explains. “Almost like Jackie Chan. I feel like it is in that slipstream.” Director Leitch agrees: “Jackie is always an inspiration.” Just as Chan is renowned for doing the majority of his own stunts, so did Pitt on Bullet Train, which undoubtedly led to some bruises. “You always get banged up a little bit,” Pitt says. “We’re padded pretty well. Some of the tougher guys go without pads. I am not that guy.”

Read more. This interview also involves Brad. Empire issue august is out now.

Damien Quintard Takes Us Inside The Reopening Of Studio Miraval

A few weeks ago, it was announced that Brad Pitt was going to reopen recording studio Studio Miraval on his winery, Chateau Miraval, in the South of France. At first glance, this may appear to some like another celebrity vanity project. However, this is anything but that.

In case you’re unaware, Studio Miraval (now called Miraval Studios) is one of the legendary studios in music history. Albums like the Rolling Stones’ Exile on Main Street and Pink Floyd’s The Wall were recorded there. Studio Miraval has also hosted sessions by luminaries like The Cure, Sting, Sade and The Cranberries. Not too shabby.

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Chris Cuffaro mentions young Brad

Mention of young Brad in a Newsweek interview with known photographer Chris Cuffaro.

“Young talent who think they’re a star because they’ve filmed one TV show—those people aren’t famous now. I shot Brad Pitt before Thelma and Louise came out. We hung out at my apartment all day laughing and took some pictures. He was the nicest guy in the world. I can see, to this day, why he is where he is. He had a solid foundation and he was a good guy. It was the same with George Clooney and Jennifer Aniston. I could drop names for days of people I shot before they became big stars and names of people who didn’t make it. The difference between them is that the successful ones were genuinely good people to begin with. George Clooney and I used to play basketball, and he didn’t take himself too seriously. He just wanted to be an actor. I understand why he’s become a director, a producer and everything else, because he also has a great work ethic.”

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Architectural Digest

There is truly something for everyone in the new documentary Unity Temple. The film tells the story of the craftspeople and historians behind the extensive $25 million restoration (unveiled in 2017) of the Frank Lloyd Wright–designed Unity Temple in Oak Park, Illinois, with narration by none other than Hollywood heartthrob and architecture buff Brad Pitt.

It’s no secret that Pitt has long been enthralled by the built world. In 2006, he and his now ex-wife Angelina Jolie arranged for a private tour of Wright’s famous Fallingwater house in Mill Run, Pennsylvania. In 2008, Pitt’s Make It Right Foundation built dozens of eco-friendly homes in New Orleans’s Lower Ninth Ward in concert with starchitects like Sir David Adjaye—though years later the project faced a class action lawsuit.

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Pitt Previews His New Limited Release Rosé Champagne

There’s a reason to celebrate at Miraval this week!

The French chateau, whose owners Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have produced award-winning rosés since 2012, has finally unveiled its next release — and PEOPLE has all the exclusive details and photos.

First announced in January, the limited release rosé Champagne, called Fleur de Miraval, will debut in U.S. markets on Oct. 15.

“For me,” Pitt explains to PEOPLE, “Champagne conjures up feelings of celebration, quality, prestige, and luxury. But rosé Champagne is still relatively unknown. Backed by our success with Miraval in Provence, I wanted us to try to create the defining brand of rosé Champagne, focusing all our efforts on just this one color.”

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