Brad Pitt is one of the most in-demand actors who can turn a movie project into a blockbuster film with his presence. But, did you know he helped a director pursue his true vision for a film that was constantly questioned by a major studio?
In Terry Gilliam’s 12 Monkeys (1995), Pitt teamed up with action star Bruce Willis to travel back in time and discover the cause of the deadly virus that devastated the future. As the project came to its final form, the studio executives started expressing their concerns.
Brad Pitt And Bruce Willis Supported Terry Gilliam’s 12 Monkeys To The End
The production for Terry Gilliam’s 12 Monkeys was smooth sailing until Universal Pictures started doubting the story’s comprehensiveness. The highlight of the movie is definitely its uncertainty and mystery, and editor Mick Audsley told The Ringer:
“It’s a bit like a mosaic, the question of how much of the image have we given away and how much does it imply the rest, so if we’re building a portrait of a face, we’ve got the eyebrows, then we’ve got the nose in. What’s it going to take for [viewers] to fill in the whole face and recognize the complete image?”
The studio even held a screening for college students to see if they would understand the movie. The viewers responded positively but found the narrative a bit confusing. Still, the team reiterated that they won’t change anything just to get a higher audience’s test results.
Moreover, the release of the film would not be possible without the A-list cast on Gilliam’s side. Brad Pitt, Bruce Willis, and the rest of the company all supported the director’s vision. He said:
“I always plan for the big battle at the end… as long as Brad, Madeleine, and Bruce were all together with me, they couldn’t touch us. That’s the way I approach almost every film: who’s going to be in the foxhole with me at the end? And they stuck together with me, and the studio couldn’t do anything about it.”
With only a few minor alterations, Gilliam got his version of the 12 Monkeys in theaters. The project also was a blessing for both Brad Pitt and Bruce Willis, as the former received a Best Supporting Actor nomination at the Oscars while the latter was given a chance to explore another role far from Die Hard’s John McClane.
Brad Pitt Reacts To His Performance In 12 Monkeys
Brad Pitt won an Oscar nomination for his role as the disturbed Jeffrey Goines in 12 Monkeys, but in his interview with New York Times magazine, he has some reflections to share:
“I nailed the first half of 12 Monkeys. I got the second half all wrong. That performance bothered me because there was a trap in the writing. It’s not the writing’s fault, but it was something that I couldn’t figure out. I knew in the second half of the film I was playing the gimmick of what was real in the first half—until the last scene.”
The actor sometimes gets too critical about his performance in interviews, but his acting on 12 Monkeys, as well as the recognition he received because of it, was enough to propel his career to new heights.
12 Monkeys is available on Amazon Prime.
Sources: The Ringer, New York Times
