HOLLYWOOD 2012: Brad Pitt and Bennett Miller (Part One)
Krista Smith talks with Moneyball star Brad Pitt and director Bennett Miller about the themes of the film, its long road to the big screen, and the thrill of seeing it connect with audiences.

He’s certainly in full steam ahead promotional mode, and Brad Pitt added another cover gig to his efforts by fronting the February 2012 issue of Backstage.

The 48-year-old big screen superstar spoke at length with the publication while beginning with his tale of falling in love with acting/storytelling and working through topics such as the auditioning experience and his take on whether he feels underrated as a thespian.

Highlights from Brad’s interview are as follows. For more, be sure to visit Backstage!

On when he first realized he wanted to be an actor:
“I grew up in Oklahoma and Missouri, and I just loved film. My folks would take us to the drive-in on summer nights, and we’d sit on the hood of the car. I just had this profound love for storytelling. I think it’s just an amazing thing we get to do. We are so complex, we are mysteries to ourselves, we are difficult to each other. And then here’s this storytelling that reminds us we are all the same. I consider it such a privilege.”

On whether he’s ever felt underrated as an actor:
“No. I thought I could always get there or make that turn as long as they let me stay in the game. Listen, I’ve been pretty fortunate. And if I’ve ever been underrated, it’s actually been something I’ve been able to work with; I can surprise people. It sets me up to exceed expectations, so I don’t mind.

Read more. Thanks Gabriella. Can anyone provide (HQ) scans please?

The film star has criticised some of his most well-known film roles

He may be one of Hollywood’s most respected male stars but Brad Pitt has delivered a damning verdict of some of his most famous film roles.

Pitt, who was in Glasgow last summer filming Zombie flick World War Z, has laid into some of his much loved performances, saying he “flatlined” and “flunked”.

Speaking of his Oscar nominated role in Twelve Monkeys, Pitt said: “I think I was forced on Terry (Gilliam). I got the first half dead-on but I flunked the second.”

In an interview with a newspaper, he was even more scathing of his starring role in the 1998 film Meet Joe Black, saying: “I flatlined in that one.”

Pitt said he felt “miscast” in the Hollywood epic Interview with the Vampire, in which he starred alongside Tom Cruise and Christian Slater.

And on one of his first lead roles as a cowboy in Ridley Scott’s Thelma and Louise, he said: “That was the first time I was let into the show. I remember thinking, ‘oh that’s how I come off.’ I felt I could have had more weight.

Even though he spoke negatively about some of his most famous film roles, Pitt refused to say a bad word about the critically-panned 2005 release Mr and Mrs Jones, where he met his future partner, Angelina Jolie.

He said: “That was a monumental change for more reasons than one, six plus one, to be exact. I think the film has merit too. It’s really good fun,” he said.

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