Despite being two of Hollywood’s biggest stars, Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise have only worked together once, for their 1994 film Interview with the Vampire. Adapted from Anne Rice’s novel by the same name, the movie starred Cruise and Pitt in the role of lead bloodsuckers Lestat de Lioncourt and Louise de Pointe du Lac, respectively.
But while the movie had commercial success and acquired a sizable fanbase following its release, Brad Pitt claimed to hate Interview with the Vampire. Claiming to have a “miserable” experience and being demoralized by the physical challenges of the film, Pitt dismissed his iconic character as a “b*tch role”.
Brad Pitt was Miserable Filming Tom Cruise’s $223M Movie
Adapted from Anne Rice’s novels, Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise‘s 1994 fantasy drama Interview with the Vampire narrated the cautionary tale about the horrors of immortality as a vampire. With the story being told from the perspective of a vampire named Louis de Pointe du Lac, played by Pitt, the movie showed how he was turned into the deadly nocturnal creature by the dangerous and unpredictable Lestat de Lioncourt (Cruise).
While the film brought Anne Rice’s romantic, sordid tale to life, and gained a massive fanbase, Brad Pitt called the project a torture on his end. Speaking with EW in 2011, Pitt addressed how miserable he was while filming Tom Cruise’s movie and even dismissed his appreciation for his character in the film. While vampires are supposed to look haggard, the actor admitted that his flustered look was all natural.
“I am miserable. Six months in the f*cking dark… Contact lenses, makeup, I’m playing the b*tch role.”
Dismissing his character in the movie by calling it a “b*tch role” Brad Pitt noted that he will never be able to forgive Interview with the Vampire for making him go through such extreme conditions. Demoralized by the extreme challenges of the 1994 movie, the actor admitted how he wanted to quit filming after it broke him mentally. But guess what stopped Pitt?
Interview with the Vampire Broke Brad Pitt Mentally
During his discussion with EW, Brad Pitt noted how he had to shoot at night, and even visit London for some sequences. That’s when the actor mentioned being truly damaged by the filming process. According to the Fight Club actor, the cold, gloomy, and dark weather in London brought him down to his knees. Pitt even recalled begging producer David Geffen to allow him to quit his role.
“We were shooting nights. So I just rode my bike around all night. I made some great friends there [New Orleans]. But then we get to London, and London was f*cking dark. London was dead of winter. We’re shooting in Pinewood, which is an old institution —all the James Bond films. There’s no windows in there. It hasn’t been refabbed in decades.”
Almost crying his eyes out, after being stuck in London to film Interview with the Vampire, Brad Pitt opened up about how it “broke” him. Speaking with his good friend David Geffen, the actor even asked how much it might cost him to get out of his role. Believe it or not, Geffen’s response is what convinced Pitt to stay back and complete the movie.
“I’m telling you, one day it broke me. It was like life’s too short for this quality of life. I called David Geffen, who was a good friend. He was a producer, and he’d just come to visit. I said, ‘David, I can’t do this anymore. I can’t do it. What will it cost me to get out?’ And he goes, very calmly, ‘Forty million dollars.’ And I go, ‘Okay, thank you.’ It actually took the anxiety off of me.”
Adding humor to his misery, Brad Pitt noted staying back and filming Interview with the Vampire alongside Tom Cruise. Having a truly miserable experience, where he could neither stay back nor quit, Pitt implied that he will never forget or forgive the $223M movie (via The Numbers) for putting him through such extremities.
Interview with the Vampire is available to watch via streaming on Hulu.
