Brad Pitt has made some of the best movies ever made, and a couple of stinkers. There’s one thriller movie in particular that haunts him, The Devil’s Own from 1996. As he once put it, what started as a wonderful screenplay devolved into something he considered “irresponsible” – ooft.
“We had no script. Well, we had a great script but it got tossed for various reasons. To have to make something up as you go along – Jesus, what pressure! It was ridiculous,” Pitt told Newsweek. “It was the most irresponsible bit of filmmaking – if you can even call it that – that I’ve ever seen. I couldn’t believe it. I don’t know why anyone would want to continue making that movie. We had nothing.”
In The Devil’s Own, Pitt plays Frankie McGuire, a member of the IRA in 1980s Belfast who travels to the US for firearms. While there, he stays with Frank O’Meara, an Irish-America member of the NYPD player by Harrison Ford, who complicates matters.
The drama movie wasn’t well received, but did well enough at the box office, bringing in around $140 million. However, with a budget of over $85 million, that means the picture very likely ran at a substantial loss.
Pitt attempted to leave at one point, but contractual obligations meant he had to stay put and do what he could. “I tried to [exit] when there was a week before shooting and we had 20 pages of dogshit, and this script that I had loved was gone,” he said. “I guess people just had different visions and you can’t argue with that.”
Thankfully, he just made action movie Bullet Movie, and that seems like everyone had a much better time behind-the-scenes. At least, that’s according to director Chad Stahelski. You can watch Bullet Train in theatres on August 5.