Having Brad Pitt on the debut season of your new TV show is a pretty big get. So big, in fact, it could even be mistaken for a prank, as told on the premiere episode of Jonathan and Drew Scott’s new show, “Celebrity IOU” (HGTV, Monday at 9 p.m. EDT/PDT).
“Jonathan just got a call one day, and the person was like, ‘Hey, this is Brad,'” Drew recalls to USA TODAY. “Jonathan’s like, ‘Brad from college or…?’ And he said, ‘No, Brad Pitt.”
It turns out the man who swept this past awards season and charmed us all with his acceptance speeches is a fan of the Scott brothers and their work, which includes renovation shows like “Property Brothers” and “Property Brothers: Forever Home.” In the newest television project, stars – including Melissa McCarthy, Viola Davis, Rebel Wilson, Michael Buble and Jeremy Renner – are able to pay back those who have greatly affected their lives.
‘Celebrity IOU’:Brad Pitt, Melissa McCarthy join Property Brothers on new HGTV renovation show
How Joanna Gaines finds her ‘most comforting’ moments amid pandemic around the dining table
Melissa McCarthy appears in an episode of the debut season of “Celebrity IOU” with Drew and Jonathan Scott.
And the stars didn’t put on a show when it came to getting down and dirty. Drew says the famous faces wanted to be “hands-on.”“They all wanted to use the power tools, they all wanted to smash through walls,” he says. “Nobody was just saying, ‘Oh, go renovate it for this person.'”
With his safety glasses and newsboy cap on, Pitt helps demo a ceiling and break through a wall to help give his longtime makeup artist Jean Ann Black a multi-use guest house/workspace. Pitt says the two are “like brother and sister,” and there are no ifs, ands or butts about it – they are close. He reveals on “Celebrity IOU” that while filming “Legends of the Fall” (1994), she had to touch up his tuchus over “bad tan lines.”
Repaying the favor in his own way, the movie star “knew what material would work best” for Black, Johnathan says, and provided helpful solutions to transform the space into what she needed. Pitt was also a delight on set.
The 7 best HGTV shows available to stream, ranked
This creamy chicken poblano soup recipe reminds Joanna Gaines of early dates with husband Chip
First the Scott brothers demo, and then they rebuild.
“Brad was such a gentleman, and he was so easy to work with and to talk to,” Jonathan says. “It was remarkable, too, because – I’ve never had this before with any celebrity I’ve ever met, but when he came in, the very first time, he took the time to meet everybody and he remembered every single crew member’s name, both the production crew and construction crew.“And then, even in subsequent days when he would come back and film, or for the reveal, he remembered everybody’s name and took that time to show his appreciation,” Jonathan continues. “He was through and through a true gentleman.”