Brad Pitt is known for his work in an array of genres, that cemented him among the high-profile Hollywood actors. Among his projects, his 1995 crime thriller, Se7en remains a highly acclaimed work that catapulted the actor to more serious, dramatic roles. While the entire project continued to give off spooky vibes, one cannot help but agree that the unseen movie ending remains one of the most unsettling sequences.
The film director, David Fincher wanted to elevate the gore element in the last sequence but the actor meddled to keep things just like what we witnessed in the final cut. He even added a certain clause before signing the project to keep Fincher from making any changes later in the movie.
Brad Pitt Asked for a Certain Condition Before Signing for Se7en
Sometimes, actors put a certain requirement on studios before getting involved in a project. Although it can go beyond the monetary terms, actor Brad Pitt asked for a specific scene to be included in his 1995 project, Se7en.
The scene in question is the movie’s ending scene, which remains one of the best endings in a movie. Not only does it make a grave impact on viewers with its visuals, but it makes us visualize the situation that the movie kept hidden from us.
The psychological thriller revolves around two detectives, Somerset (Morgan Freeman) and Mills (Pitt). In the movie, the duo hunts down a serial killer, John Doe (Kevin Spacey), who murders people based on the seven deadly sins: gluttony, greed, sloth, lust, pride, envy, and wrath.
After catching the criminal, they learned that one of his last victims is Mills’ pregnant wife, Tracy (Gwyneth Paltrow) with Doe bringing her head to him in a box. That was an unexpected twist that not only showcases the extreme brutality but also attacks Mills personally, making the violence feel intensely personal.
Leaving Pitt’s character in grief and fury, he shoots the serial killer, thus completing his twisted plan by embodying the final sin, wrath. This is particularly disturbing as the audience couldn’t catch even a glimpse of Tracy’s severed head, leaving it to our imagination, which perfectly blends horror and thrill.
However, things could have been utterly different had the actor not meddled in. Pitt exclusively wanted the final cut to end in a certain way, which became his prime condition in signing the project.
He told Entertainment Weekly in 2011,
“With Se7en, I said, ‘I will do it on one condition — the head stays in the box. Put in the contract that the head stays in the box.‘”
Filmmaker David Fincher had different plans for the movie’s ending but the actor remained steadfast in going ahead with just one ending. One ending involved the head of Mills’ dog in the box. Nonetheless, it turned out to be a great decision as it gave viewers no space to settle their emotions, leaving them to think more about what just happened towards the end.
What Was David Fincher’s Plan for Brad Pitt’s Se7en Ending?
With the box becoming a mystery for viewers, it made the sequence more unsettling, which further elevated what we felt for the main character. On knowing that his wife was pregnant, Mills completely broke down and shot the killer in fury. That particular thing was also a part of his contract as he explained in the same interview,
“Actually, there was a second thing, too: ‘He’s got to shoot the killer in the end. He doesn’t do the ‘right’ thing, he does the thing of passion.’”
Initially, Fincher had different plans to make the sequence more impactful where the scene would get pitch black as soon as Mills shoots Doe, giving no time for viewers to process the sequence before rolling the closing credits.
However, the studio went ahead with Mills’ partner’s narration which put an ease to the heavy sequence that happened a little earlier in the movie.
Se7en is available to watch on Hulu.
