Brad Pitt wanted to know what David Leitch was like as a director before signing on for their latest film, Bullet Train. Although the pair have worked together in the past, the relationship has strictly been between stunt double and actor instead of director/actor (aside from a brief Deadpool 2 cameo). Their previous pairings include Fight Club, Oceans Eleven, and Troy.
When it came time to team up once again, this time for Bullet Train, Pitt wanted to get an idea of what the director was like. During an interview with Collider, the director and film's producer, Kelly McCormick, shared the trouble Pitt was willing to go through to get some information on the filmmaking duo.
"Well, he also sent a spy in. Because during the Hobbs and Shaw reshoots, he has this old time, I mean, since the beginning of time, I should say, makeup artist named Jeanie Black, who's amazing. David and she were friends back in the day, too. And she came in and did Jason's makeup on our reshoots... She's usually not available. She does Julia Roberts. She has all these people. She's always busy. And she came and she says, 'I'm spying. I got to see if Leitch has got it. I think he might.' And so I really think she had something to do with it as well.'
Apparently, the reports Brad Pitt received were good, as he joined the Bullet Train cast, which reached $30.1 million at the box office during its opening weekend. Don't be surprised if the duo reunites again, as David Leitch is on a hot streak in Hollywood with his recent films.
Leitch Says He and Brad Pitt Have Been Planning to Work Together for a While
Although David Leitch has been busy directing Atomic Blonde, Deadpool 2, and Hobbs & Shaw, the filmmaker says he and Brad Pitt have planned to team up on a movie for some time. Brad Pitt briefly appeared in the Deadpool sequel for a cameo, however, Bullet Train was the first feature film the pair completed together. In their interview, he tells Collider, 'he was just starting to see me as a filmmaker.'
"I was really humbled to find out, he'd been watching my career since I started to move into second unit directing and directing. Obviously, John Wick, Atomic Blonde, he knew those things. We reunited on Deadpool 2 for that cameo. And he was like... He was a huge fan of the first film and he was also a fan of Ryan's, and so to get him to do that, we got to reunite again. And he was just starting to see me as a filmmaker. So yeah, then it was a touch point, hey, we should find something.'
Fans will be eager to see David Leitch and Brad Pitt team up for another film, that is, if the actor feels up to it. He recently commented he was in the 'last leg' of his career, however, he backtracked on those comments, saying he wants to do 'whatever feels right.' We'll see how much Pitt has left in the tank, as his career has now spanned across three decades.