THE AWARDS EDITION 2011-2012

the tree of lifestuck with this: She is our patron saint at the end of theday. ’Cause she doubled down at a big risk.A|l: How did Bennett Miller come in as director after SteveSoderbergh dropped out?pitt: I had been talking to him about this other film andCatherine Keener, who is a good friend of ours, said‘You got to get him.’ Bennett seemed like the perfectbalance for the material; the shape it was in, certainly, atthat time. He’s got an elegant touch. He’s quite literaryminded, he has experience with documentaries and he’spainfully picky. And when we sat down we were speakingthe same language and that’s always the best sign.A|l: When I heard that this project went south and that Soderberghand Sony parted ways, I thought you would follow suit.pitt: I still can’t tell you what makes a great film or anyformula. They are all as individual as your children andare in constant movement and it takes a lot of peopleto come together and bring their ‘A’ game for a film toreally work. But, yes, I wanted to stick with it. Stevenis a friend of mine and that was certainly a tough weekbut, you know, we’ve all been through it and it’s all fine.CLIMBING THETREE OF LIFEA|l: Why did you want to hook up with Terrence Malick and thisparticular material, knowing how difficult this was going to be? Let’sface it, there are some audiences that love it, and some that hate it.pitt: I feel like we have done well if we receive thatkind of distinct, polarizing views. Terry and I weredeveloping something else and he invited me toproduce. And there was a great mysticism behind thisone. This was the one that Terry has been trying tomake for two-and-half-plus decades. This is the onethat he was dwelling on when he took his leave ofabsence. I was curious to see what this film would be.In reading the script, there was a familiarity for me,particularly in regards to my upbringing – and I wasn’tcast in it at that point. And then our lead actor [HeathLedger] fell out and the whole movie was going to goaway because it was independently financed. So, I said‘Fuck It [laughter] I’ll do it,’ just to work with Terry. Ihad a great experience with Terry, great conversationswith Terry. He’s a kind, competitive, deep thinkingman. And the whole style of the way he approachedfilmmaking was unlike anything I had done before.A|l: How did you develop the character of Mr. O’Brien?pitt: My friend said I was an absolute dick during themaking of this. [laughter] I don’t remember that at all,but apparently I was. I found it to be a heartbreakingstory of a man who doesn’t know how to get abovethose things he feels oppressed by. Instead he does theexact opposite of what he wants to do, he passes thatbitterness and oppression on to his kids and then feelsquite guilty about it, and tries to make up for it andthen the cycle starts all over again. A man caught inthis whirlpool, I found it quite heartbreaking.A|l: As a producer, is it hard to find good material now?pitt: I imagine that it’s cyclical. I actually found it waseasier to get material in the first few years when I startedthan now, when it’s very competitive, but also, that’s thestuff that’s on everybody’s radar. Our mandate was totake on stories that might have a difficult time beingmade, or back filmmakers that we believed neededsome extra muscle. And that’s where we started from. Iam a bit of a director whore. [laughter] It is a director’smedium and I have so much respect for what they do.A|l: Do you want to direct yourself?Pitt: No!A|l: That’s a fast answer. No interest in it, really?pitt: Nope!A|l: Well that’s interesting, ok, you’re a born producer!pitt: I like it and there’s something humble and pureabout getting to be on that side of things, the other sideof the camera.GLORY DAYSA|l: I just went to the 20th anniversary screening of Thelma &Louise at the Academy. You popped off the screen 20 years agoand you still pop off the screen.pitt: Well thank you. I haven’t seen it since. I justremember Michael Madsen was fantastic. The perfectvillain. There was a moment when I was getting beatover the head by Harvey Keitel on the first day on theset! With my own hat and I thought this is great man.A|l: And then you worked with [Robert] Redford for the first timewith A River Runs Through It. Was that a good experiencefor you working with somebody like Redford, an actor-turneddirector?pitt: It was an incredible experience. I remember afriend and I, we put ourselves on tape and sent it inand somehow we snuck through and got in there. Itwas a big deal for me. A big coming-of-age kind oftime. I remember [Redford] telling me, ‘Stop sighing,stop sighing, you’re letting energy out of the scene.’A|l: Interview with a Vampire that was a huge movie. You andTom Cruise got to work in New Orleans, which you have a real kinshipwith now as well. What was that for you?pitt: I was miscast in that actually. I think I didn’t havethat one figured out.A|l: Do you ever go back and look at these movies again andwonder?pitt: No, I figure I will when they don’t let me workanymore and I’ll be this sad guy watching his glorydays [laughter], only kidding. No, I’m not really onefor going back. Maybe I should, maybe it’s the smartthing to do. But it’s like I’ll see me and start picking upmy ticks, but I think about it because it’s all a momentin time for me. Seeing these films – I don’t just seethe film. I see the people and where we were and theexperiences and what was going on at the time.A|l: David Fincher, obviously you have a real relationship in termsof working with him several times now: Se7en, Fight Cluband Benjamin Button.pitt: He could teach a class. He is so knowledgeable aboutmaking films, story, the actual film itself and now, withdigital for him, the technology and where it’s going andwhat you can do with it. I have come to this conclusion thatI just wanted to work with friends and people I respect, andpeople I can have a laugh with and learn from.A|l: Do you have a favorite role that you’ve done?pitt: Well, I mean, my favorite ones are those I’ve justfinished [Cogan’s Trade and World War Z]. Cogan’s Tradeis pretty strong, it’s unconventional as well [Editor’snote: directed by Pitt’s Assassination of Jesse James helmerAndrew Dominik]. Jesse is one of my all time favorites Imust say. I think [Warner Bros.] is a little ashamed bythat one because financially it didn’t do too well for them[$15 million worldwide box office]. I don’t know whatit’s done in the long run though, but I think that is a filmthat just gets better and better.A|l: With World War Z, you’re back and that’s an unusualconcept – zombies.pitt: [laughter] I know, I know…what the hell?A|l: This whole awards season thing: The campaigning,everything that goes on – Woody Allen has said ‘I don’twant an award that you have to campaign for.’pitt: I understand that and I certainly was wrestling withthe whole notion of a campaign. But that’s how it’s beingframed. And it doesn’t have to be that. A lot of peoplebroke their backs to make these films. These films havehad a great response. It’s nice to talk about them, the Q &A’s, people who are interested in film and the process, likeI am. It doesn’t have to be shilling for a vote. I think it’show you approach it and how you look at it. •a river runs through itCogan's Trade