Not just a pretty boy

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In the past, critics have harshly referred to him as a pretty boy who occasionally fumbles into good scripts. But from Tyler Durden of Fight Club to Billy Beane, the general manager of a baseball team, Brad Pitt has come a long way indeed.

His performances in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Inglorious Basterds and Moneyball catapulted him into the big league in Hollywood. Of course, you still can't ignore his good looks.
This year, Pitt reunites with his The Assassination of Jesse James director Andrew Dominik for the October release Killing Them Softly. Based on George V. Higgins’ 1973 novel Cogan’s Trade, it’s a brashly written crime drama illustrating gangster life in the wake of the recession. One may wonder how a four-decade old story could be relevant to modern times. He explains, “George V. Higgins was a fantastic writer of his time. I was spellbound after watching The friends of Eddy Coyle. I kept ordering for all 10 of his novels and Cogan’s Trade was the third that I received by mail.”
The actor instantly realised that it was a story that warranted cinematic treatment, with great characters, great dialogue and very simple plot. “I had originally imagined the film as a drama but as I got into it, it struck me that this was the story of an economic crisis; a crisis in a criminal economy supported by gambling and a problem caused by failure to regulate. This is exactly what the situation was in 2008 post the recession, so I decided to take an old plot and link it to one of the most recent economic events that manifested the lack of governance and control.”
Pitt who has also produced the movie trusts his team and is extremely grateful that they let him focus on acting.
Was the release date postponed to create a maximum ‘Oscar impact’? He replies, “It’s something that Andrew Dominik will be able to answer as he is the director.”
He does hope, however, that the movie wins him the prestigious Academy Award for Best Actor. “I would definitely love to win one but we just have to wait and watch. I’m keeping my fingers crossed.”
Much to the delight of his fans, he brushes aside reports suggesting that he plans to quit acting when he turns 50. He says, “I’ve really enjoyed being a producer. Getting stories to the plate that may have had a harder time otherwise gives me an odd sense of satisfaction. I will continue with acting as of now. Of course, I wouldn’t want to go crazy doing 4-5 films a year. I wish to go slow and take it easy, devote more time to my beautiful family.”
On tying the knot with long-time partner Angelina Jolie, Pitt says, “Angelina and I are still deciding on the date and the venue, we should have an answer for the same soon.”
Although he has not seen many Bollywood films, there is one Hindi one movie that he really enjoyed.
“The last Indian movie I watched was 3 Idiots when it was invited for an Oscar screening. It was pretty good indeed,” he smiles.