Brad Pitt’s behavior on set of his 1994 film «Legends of the Fall» was described as ‘volatile’ by the films director, Edward Zwick, in his new book.
Thirty years ago, Brad Pitt starred in the dramatic Western, «Legends of the Fall,» playing the tortured and bereaved Tristan Ludlow, the middle brother in a military family living in rural Montana.
His performance was powerful on screen, but according to the movie’s director, his behavior behind the camera was riddled with angst and combativeness.
Edward Zwick is recounting it all in his upcoming book, «Hits, Flops, and Other Illusions: My Fortysomething Years in Hollywood.» In excerpts obtained by Vanity Fair, Zwick shares his intense experience with Pitt on the set of the film.
Describing an awkward table read before production began, Zwick said Pitt wanted out of the project. It was his producing partner, Marshall Herskovitz, who was able to assuage Pitt of his stress, but it seemed to be a sign of things to come.
«It was the first augury of the deeper springs of emotion roiling inside Brad,» Zwick wrote of the situation. «He seems easygoing at first, but he can be volatile when riled, as I was to be reminded more than once as shooting began and we took each other’s measure.»
Zwick went on to describe the combative dynamic between himself and his leading man, adding that Pitt’s anxiety «never quite went away.»
«Sometimes, no matter how experienced or sensitive you are as a director, things just aren’t working. You think the actor is being oppositional, while he finds you dictatorial.
