The past year has been quite busy for Brad Pitt. After starring in Bullet Train, popping up in Sandra Bullock’s The Lost City, and executive producing the critically acclaimed Women Talking and She Said, he capped off 2022 with the release of Babylon, Damien Chazelle’s frantic, more-than-three-hour ode to 1920s Hollywood. In it, Pitt stars as Jack Conrad, a suave, if somewhat messy, Hollywood luminary grappling with his fading star power. Even before its December release, the ambitious film, over a decade in the making, received nine Critics Choice Award and five Golden Globe nominations, including a Best Supporting Actor nod for Pitt. For W’s annual Best Performances issue, the 59-year-old Oscar winner reflects on his extraordinary career so far.
Both a love letter to film and a raucous, unflinching look at the hard-living culture of the Hollywood of the time, Damien Chazelle’s Babylon features a sprawling ensemble cast and an epic run time as it follows a number of characters through a crucial period of change: 1930s Los Angeles. And Chazelle certainly doesn’t hold back when it comes to portraying the wild abandon of the parties of the era.
Largely fictionalized – albeit with real-life references and inspirations – Babylon stars Margot Robbie as rising star Nellie LaRoy and Brad Pitt as silent era icon Jack Conrad (loosely inspired by John Gilbert and Douglas Fairbanks). Speaking to Total Film(opens in new tab) in the new issue of the magazine, featuring Oppenheimer on the cover Pitt discusses the scale of the movie: “There’s such an energy to this thing. I’m amazed by how much [Chazelle] was able to slot in – and not jam in, but slot in gracefully. This opening party scene is staggering, of epic proportions.”
Despite the ambition and scope of the party scene, Chazelle didn’t follow the rules with his approach. “The approach of it all was not doing the coverage – you know, like a single on this actor, a single on that actor,” explains Pitt. “The constant takes can actually wear down and confuse the energy of the scene. He’s doing everything in camera, old style, explosions, 700 extras, actors coming in the scene, actors coming out – in one camera shot, in one camera move, and the camera’s gliding around. It’s one of those things where you’re waiting for the magic to happen, where everything falls into place. That kind of thing is really exciting. You get close, and then something doesn’t quite work out. And you keep going until you get it. I think that energy shows in the scene.”
In Thomas Houseago’s WE collective, friendship and recovery are as important as the art
We’re just three dudes, and we’re just making stuff,” says Leeds-born, LA-based artist Thomas Houseago. He’s talking about himself, two of his closest friends – who happen to be the musician Nick Cave and the actor Brad Pitt – and their new collective art exhibition. The bizarreness of this trio is not lost on him. “We know we are totally ridiculous. But it’s real,” he adds, his voice full of energy. “If you see Brad Pitt – the Brad Pitt, right? You know, six pack, abs, whatever – that’s a movie creation. It’s fantastic, I love it. He’s one of the greatest actors of his generation. But there’s another human, that I know, who has enabled me to breathe in a new way. And I would like to think I’ve done the same for him.”
PS. Is there anyone able and willing to provide magazines scans from Financial Times and Billboard, please?
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