Brad Pitt has expressed his willingness to collaborate with Tom Cruise again, but he has one specific condition. The two actors previously shared the screen in the 1994 film “Interview with the Vampire” and developed a friendship that included go-kart racing after filming. In a conversation with E! News, Pitt praised Cruise, the star of “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning,” for his enthusiasm about an upcoming Formula 1 film directed by Joseph Kosinski.
When questioned about the possibility of working together in the future, Pitt stated, “Well, I’m not gonna hang my ass off airplanes and sh– like that, so when he does something again that’s on the ground.”
Pitt’s comments resonate with those familiar with Cruise’s reputation for performing perilous stunts. Kosinski, who last directed Cruise in “Top Gun: Maverick,” highlighted the contrasting styles of the two actors regarding stunt performances in a May feature with GQ. “Tom always pushes it to the limit, but at the same time is super capable and very skilled,” Kosinski noted. “They both have the natural talent for driving. But yeah, I could see Tom maybe scaring us a little bit more.”
Adding to this perspective, Graham Kelly, the movie’s action-vehicle supervisor, remarked, “We’d have had a crash. Tom pushes it to the limit. I mean really to the limit. That terrifies me. I mean, I’ve done loads of Mission: Impossibles with Tom and it’s the most stressful experience for someone like me building cars for him, doing stunts with him. Whereas Brad listens and he knows his abilities, and I think he’d be the first to say, ‘Yeah, I’m not going to do that.'”
Set to premiere in theaters on June 27, the Apple Originals Film, made in collaboration with Formula 1 and its ten teams, features Pitt as Sonny Hayes, a washed-up racer attempting a comeback after an accident derailed his promising career. His main competitor turns out to be his ambitious young teammate Joshua Pearce, played by Damson Idris. The cast also includes Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem, Sarah Niles, Kim Bodnia, and Samson Kayo, although reports indicate that Simone Ashley’s role has been reduced.
Pitt described the film’s extensive action as “big, it’s huge,” emphasizing that the driving sequences are extraordinary. He added, “And it’s really fun. And it’s funny, and it’s kind of moving, I dare say.” Reflecting on the thrill of operating a Formula 1 vehicle, he stated, “I’ve tried to describe this feeling of downforce — it is something otherworldly. I’ve never had this experience anywhere else, not in a rollercoaster, not an aerobatic plane, nothing.”
In addition to his role in the Formula 1 film, Pitt will return to Netflix’s upcoming project titled “The Adventures of Cliff Booth,” reprising the role of the stuntman that earned him the Best Supporting Actor Academy Award in 2020, as announced by Deadline last week.