Actor, producer, philanthropist, and Oscar winner, Brad Pitt has worn many hats. How Brad Pitt became the sex symbol of a generation and continued to hold that title even in his 60s. How did the actor transition from a heartthrob with blue eyes to serious dramatic roles under iconic directors?
What films has he produced, and most importantly, why do his characters constantly eat on screen? Chances are that after reading this article, you will feel like watching the Brad Pitt movies that we are talking about. You can do so on Netflix and Max which comes as a free inclusion with Xfinity X1 and Flex.
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Let’s find out more about this versatile man.
Challenging Beginnings in Hollywood
Brad Pitt’s path to fame was challenging. At 23, he arrived at the Dream Factory of Los Angeles with only $325 in his pocket. To make ends meet and pay rent, the actor unloaded refrigerators, delivered strippers to parties, and occasionally worked as an extra on film sets. He stood in doorways or played a waiter in a film with Charlie Sheen.
To be noticed and obtain the coveted Actors Guild card, he tried to speak during his brief appearances. Brad Pitt spent about two years as an extra, followed by episodic roles in TV series. For example, in the soap opera Dallas, where he played the boyfriend of one of the heroines for four episodes.
Early Television and Film Role
In his first major film role, Brad Pitt played a guy whose illness prevented him from being in the sun without protective dark clothing. The film, Dark Side of the Sun, was shot in Yugoslavia, but due to the Civil War, the footage was lost for 10 years, and the movie was released only in 1997.
After the initial unsuccessful experience, the young actor made his way into movies as best he could. First, he appeared with Patrick Dempsey in the comedy Happy Together, and then in the horror film Cutting Class, where he played a high school basketball star.
In 1990, Pit returned to television in more significant roles. He appeared in the TV movie Too Young to Die with Juliette Lewis. Next, Pit appeared in six episodes of the series Glory Days, the HBO TV movie The Image, and the film Across the Tracks.
The role of a fearless reporter in Robert Redford’s film, A River Runs Through It, proved that Brad Pitt is not just a handsome guy in a cowboy hat but a talented actor.
Rise to Fame
In 1993, Pitt starred in two quite successful films, the thriller Kalifornia and Tony Scott’s True Romance, written by Quentin Tarantino. Since 1994, the actor’s career has been on the rise.
In Legends of the Fall, he partnered with none other than Anthony Hopkins. In the same year, Pitt played the role of the melancholic vampire Louis in the film Interview with the Vampire, directed by Irish filmmaker Neil Jordan.
He shared the screen with Tom Cruise and a young Kirsten Dunst. Following this film, Pitt’s popularity reached astronomical heights, and People magazine named him the sexiest man alive.
Versatility in Roles
Seemingly wanting to distance himself from the romantic image, the actor took on the role of a mentally disturbed seer in Terry Gilliam’s science fiction thriller, 12 Monkeys. Pitt meticulously rehearsed all the awkward, insane movements of his character and chose a special voice tone.
This film began a long collaboration between the director and the actor. Pitt formed an excellent on-screen pair with Morgan Freeman, and the film became a classic of the genre. Subsequently, he played roles in commercially successful films of various genres, from a lawyer who suffered sexual violence in childhood in Barry Levinson’s courtroom drama Sleepers to an Austrian mountaineer experiencing spiritual rebirth in Jean-Jacques Annaud’s historical film Seven Years in Tibet.
Next, he once again shared the screen with Anthony Hopkins in the film Meet Joe Black, where he plays Death incarnated in the body of a young man. His gallery of unusual characters also includes a cheerful but not very bright fitness instructor in the Coen Brothers’ black comedy Burn After Reading, and an ironic Nazi hunter in Quentin Tarantino’s postmodernist Western, Inglourious Basterds. The role of Lieutenant Aldo Raine was specially written by Tarantino for Pitt.
Brad Pitt Breakthrough Films
All of the above films had good box office numbers but were not widely recognized by critics. The actor collaborated again with David Fincher and starred in Fight Club, portraying the charismatic soap salesman Tyler Durden. Fincher’s film eventually became a cult classic.
In 2001, Brad Pitt’s career became even more significant, not only due to the number of released films but also thanks to his collaboration with Steven Soderbergh in Ocean’s Eleven. The film became one of the most successful in 2001 worldwide and remains a benchmark in the heist film genre. A friendship blossomed between Pitt and Clooney, and Brad Pitt played a small cameo role in Clooney’s directorial debut, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind.
To play the role of Achilles, the actor had to get himself in the necessary physical shape and learn to handle weapons. Troy became Pitt’s first producing project under his company Plan B Entertainment.
In 2005, the action-packed comedy Mr. and Mrs. Smith hit the screens. Subsequently, the actor took on diverse roles: an ordinary American tourist in Alejandro González drama, a legendary outlaw Jesse James in Andrew Dominik’s Western, and a man living life in reverse in Benjamin Button.
Awards and Accolades
The portrayal of a detached man with madness in his eyes and an absolutely emotionless face earned the actor his second significant award, the Volpi Cup for Best Actor at the Venice Film Festival. Brad Pitt has often stated that Jesse James is his favorite and best role.
In Terrence Malick’s metaphysical drama The Tree of Life, the actor replaced the late Heath Ledger in the role of a despotic family father. For his portrayal of a determined baseball team manager in the sports film Moneyball, Brad Pitt received nominations for all major film awards. Brad Pitt’s first Oscar was for the film 12 Years a Slave. However, he received it not for his acting but as a producer.
He collaborates with Quentin Tarantino for the second time in the nostalgic film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. For this role, he earned his second Oscar, this time for Best Supporting Actor. Pitt also received a Golden Globe and his first Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor in 1995. Brad Pitt starred alongside Morgan Freeman in David Fincher’s film Seven, a dark neo-noir thriller about the search for a serial killer.
Summing Up
Brad Pitt has long proven that he is not just a blue-eyed heartthrob but a versatile actor who is not afraid to take risks and does not rely solely on his appearance. However, the question of why he constantly eats in his films remains open. In each particular case, there are reasons of his own. In Ocean’s Eleven, his character is always on the move and eats wherever he can. While playing Death in the film Meet Joe Black, he explores simple human pleasures through eating. But perhaps the main reason is that Brad Pitt is endlessly captivating, no matter what he does.
