Columbia Pictures
Despite being one of the biggest movie stars of my lifetime, Brad Pitt has never necessarily been known for his hardcore acting chops.
Sure, he’s been nominated for a handful of Academy Awards — specifically, for his work in 12 Monkeys, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and Moneyball — but he’s never been in the same conversation as the Leos and the Denzels and the Hanks of the world.
That’s all about to change, though, as Pitt appears to be a lock to score the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his incredible (and wildly comedic) work in Quentin Tarantino’s Los Angeles epic Once Upon A Time… In Hollywood.
It will be a well-deserved win for the 56-year-old actor, as we wrote back when the film premiered that while Leonardo DiCaprio may be the movie’s headliner, Brad Pitt is certainly its star.
And according to those involved with the project, it’s not as if Pitt simply showed up and regurgitated Taratino’s lines to the camera.
Appearing on the WTF with Marc Maron podcast, co-star DiCaprio revealed that Cliff Booth’s encouraging “you’re Rick fuckin’ Dalton” send-off was totally improvised by Pitt:
“Brad just improvised this line, you know, realizing that I have a hangover, realizing his career’s essentially over, he just goes, ‘Hey, you’re Rick Fucking Dalton.’ And as soon as he said that I was like, ‘Oh, that’s us, man.’ No matter what the hell’s going down, you’re my number one man there. ‘You’re Rick Fucking Dalton.’ And I’m like, ‘Yep, you got it.’ I go and have a disastrous day on set regardless.”
Leo is obviously putting on for his boy Brad, as it’s these types of insider stories that could help the legendary A-lister earn the Academy Award over his heavyweight competitors when the Oscars roll around early next month.
If you’re a movie junkie like me, the entire WTF with March Maron episode is worth the listen, as hearing about the inner-workings of Leo and Brad’s personal and professional relationship is simply fascinating stuff.
***
Eric is a New York City-based writer who still isn’t quite sure how he’s allowed to have this much fun for a living and will tell anyone who listens that Gotham City is canonically in New Jersey. Follow him on Twitter @eric_ital for movie and soccer takes or contact him eric@brobible.com