Brad Pitt may be an Oscar-winning actor, but he says he’ll never quite own his own stunts like Tom Cruise does.
Pitt, who plays a veteran race car driver in the new film “F1 The Movie,” really did rev up the engines while behind the wheel for the part.
“Our first scene was on the grid during race weekend at Silverstone (home of British Grand Prix events), where F1 started, and we were on the grid with the drivers,” he told TODAY’s Savannah Guthrie at a June 16 New York City screening of the film in an interview that aired June 17. “We got one take, and we’re moving on. And it just led to this great kind of energy you’ll see that I think shows on the screen.”
Savannah pointed out that Cruise is known for his own stunts in movies, prompting her to ask Pitt if he’s now been inspired to do the same.
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“Not a chance. Tom has cornered the market, and none of us are going to get close to him,” he said.
Pitt is in awe of what it’s like driving these cars.
“It is such a thrill,” he said. “It’s so hard to explain what these cars can do. We would be barreling down the straight at 180, and you think that’s something. But the fact that these cars can brake, can stop and make a complete right turn. It feels like the car is going to flip, and it sticks. It is unbelievable. It’s unbelievable what these drivers can do.”
Pitt may have been driving, but he said it wasn’t necessarily his idea.
“Joseph Kosinski, our director, had this audacious idea that he’s going to take real actors, put them in real cars, on real tracks, and embed us in the pinnacle of the sport, the F1 racing season,” he said.
Co-star Damson Idris, who plays a young driver mentored by Pitt’s character, heaped praise on the “Fight Club” star for his driving skills, too, especially compared to his own deficiencies.
“Brad was great at it because he rides bikes. I came out like a slow snail every time, and I’d always stall it and hold up the whole grand prix,” he said. “But, yeah, we trained for, like, four months over two years. And after you watch the movie, you’re going to see us for real trying not to die!”
Idris can’t help but marvel at how he got the opportunity to star alongside Pitt, especially because he once crossed paths with the Pitt before Idris himself hit the big time.
“I used to be an usher at the Lyceum Theatre in London, for ‘The Lion King’ musical. And that day I’m working in the back, and everyone’s like, ‘Brad Pitt’s here,’” he recalled. “I snuck out, and he was going through the door. He had his long, blond hair, blue jeans and these tan boots, and he’s just walking out. And I said to myself, ‘One day I’m going to work with him.’”
“So I’ve stalked him my entire career,” he added.
“F1 The Movie,” which also stars Javier Bardem and Kerry Condon, opens in theaters June 27.
This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:
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