It was the role that put Brad Pitt on the Hollywood map: that of J.D., the sexiest grifter in film history, who – in the words of Louise (Susan Sarandon) – lays Thelma (Geena Davis) properly.
“There were five candidates for the part,” Davis told EW during our Thelma & Louise reunion. As the actress recalled, she did screen tests with all the possible actors, and while director Ridley Scott didn’t immediately ask Davis for her opinion on the quintet, she had one at the ready.
“They didn’t ask me afterward what I thought,” she told EW of Scott and the film’s casting director. “I said, ‘Do you want to hear what I thought?’ They said, ‘Oh, yes, of course.’ I said, ‘The blond one! Hello?’”
Pitt, that aforementioned blond one, has since become an international superstar, and according to Sarandon that’s because of how he plays off his appearance. “He, Johnny Depp… there are a few of these guys who are so beautiful, and yet they played characters,” Sarandon said.
Monthly Archive: April 2016
Pitt to Co-Chair Brady Campaign Gun Control Awards in Los Angeles
On May 4, actor Brad Pitt will co-chair the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence gun control awards gala.
The gala will be held at the Four Seasons Hotel at Beverly Hills.
The Brady Campaign is advertising the gun control gala as the “Bear Awards,” and lists Pitt and Adam McKay as co-chairs. The cheapest tickets are $500, although non-attendees are free to make donations for gun control in any amount.
The “Bear Awards” are named after Jim “Bear” Brady, former press secretary for Ronald Reagan. The awards are dedicated to honoring those who fight for more gun control restrictions for law-abiding citizens throughout America.
Vietnam war protester Jane Fonda is serving on the Honorary Host Committee for the gun control gala. Los Angeles Eventful lists other Honorary Host Committee members as Aziz Ansari, Bryan Cranston, Robin Dearden, Jenna Fischer, Tom Hansen, Judy Hofflund, Dustin Hoffman, Lee Kirk, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and Jason Segel.
Cross Creek & Plan B’s ‘He Wanted The Moon’ Is First Project
Cross Creek Pictures has entered into a multi-picture development and financing deal with Romanian producer Dragos Savulescu. Under the non-exclusive agreement, Cross Creek and Savulescu will finance development for a slate of director- and star-driven commercial films in the $20M-$65M budget range. Their first project together will be with Brad Pitt’s Plan B on He Wanted The Moon. As Deadline’s Mike Fleming Jr recently reported, Tony Kushner is adapting from Mimi Baird and Eve Claxton’s memoior which Pitt acquired last year. The expectation is Pitt may play Perry Baird in the story of a mid-century doctor’s descent into madness, and his daughter’s attempt to piece his life back together and make sense of her own. Cross Creek’s Brian Oliver and Tyler Thompson are producing with Plan B.
Paramount Still Boasts Prestige Power at CinemaCon
New films from Robert Zemeckis, Stephen Frears and Denis Villeneuve could navigate the circuit later this year.
Beginning with a bit of a surprise, Robert Zemeckis’ “Allied” was previewed with a solid assemblage of polished footage featuring Brad Pitt and Marion Cotillard. The World War II drama was directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Robert Zemeckis (“Forrest Gump”) from a script by Oscar-nominated writer Steven Knight (“Dirty Pretty Things”). It’s also producer Graham King’s first real play along these lines since his last collaboration with Scorsese, 2011’s “Hugo.” He won the best picture Oscar for “The Departed” in 2007.
Brad Pitt’s World War II Movie ‘Allied’ Set for Nov. 23 Release
Paramount Pictures has given an awards season release date of Nov. 23 for “Allied,” Brad Pitt’s World War II romantic thriller.
“Allied,” produced by GK Films, also stars Marion Cotillard and is directed by Robert Zemeckis. The film is shooting in London, with production also taking place in the Canary Islands.
Read more. Previously mentioned worktitle ‘Five Seconds of Silence’.