Brad Pitt is one of the biggest stars in all of Hollywood, without a doubt. However, as he discussed with GQ, his mindset heading into a film is quite simplistic;
“It’s about bringing my personal experience, my personal humor, my personal, um, embarrassments, and my personal pains,” Pitt tells the magazine. “When I watch [Christian] Bale or [Tom] Hardy, I can’t do what they do. I love watching them. And I couldn’t step into that role. How you become more aware of time, and you’ve had more experience, good and bad, with people,” he notes. “And your own wins and losses — the older you get, they don’t seem like so much of a win or so much of a loss. Who you spend your times with, how you spend time — it has just become much more important to me.”
He's had a lot of ups and downs, both in and out of the business, we can safely say he’s living the ups these days. However, he did have some questionable past experiences – like let’s say just say a certain role on a sitcom, one that was out of Brad’s wheelhouse, Friends. Was he forced into the gig? And heck, how comfortable was he with the role in front of a live audience? The answer might surprise fans, even the best actors fumble in different circumstances, Pitt included!
Pitt Hesitated To Accept Given His Lack Of Experience
The creator of the show David Crane opened up with MSN, discussing the celeb’s cameo – Crane was overjoyed with the decision, though he made a surprising revelation. According to Crane, Pitt hesitated to accept given his lack of experience in front of a live audience;
“I think [there was] a little bit [of hesitation],” the show’s creator, David Crane, told Hollywood Life EXCLUSIVELY at the AT&T 5G Friends Fan Experience. “Only because he’d never done TV in front of an audience, and it’s a very specific skill set. I think it’s probably a little intimidating if you haven’t done it before. Obviously, it was up to him, and it was up to [Jennifer], and it was just a great piece of casting,” he revealed. “When he said yes, we were thrilled.”
It all worked out in the end – however, the nerves would eventually kick in once he made his way on the show, taking on the role of Will, Ross’ high school buddy. So what went wrong?
He Messed Up His First Line
That’s right, an accomplished actor like Brad Pitt totally botched his first line on the show! Pitt had some nerves, though he loved the dynamic of the cast, who loved to laugh and have a good time with one another.
He took part in the iconic "Thanksgiving" episode, which was always a classic throughout the show’s history. It didn’t start too well, as Pitt admitted to messing up his first line and causing a reshoot;
"I remember it. It's a great cast, man. I mean, they laugh and really have a great time with each other. But I flubbed my first line," the 55-year-old actor told Access Hollywood, as cited by Us Weekly. "We had to stop and start again."
Not the ideal way to start off your cameo – however, Pitt was able to bounce back and he was more than iconic in the role – feuding with his real-life partner at the time, Jennifer Aniston.
So, how did the gig come about, and was Jen influential? Sure, she played a role but ultimately, she wasn’t the main selling point.
He Was More Than Willing To Take On The Role
Little do fans know, but Pitt appeared several times behind the scenes as a visitor, supporting Jen. He was a big fan of the show and he decided to keep his presence on the DL each time, at least until he finally appeared for the cameo.
Although Jen was important, it was a great time to also promote his new film Spy Game, which was releasing at the time. It was a double win for Brad, getting to appear on a show he loved alongside his former partner, not to mention getting to promote his film on such a prime-time network and show.
The episode remains among the more iconic of all-time, most fans would’ve wished for a longer cameo but we’re thankful that it took place altogether.
In summary, Brad was the one behind the decision ultimately, choosing to put his nerves aside for the role! Who knows if we’ll ever see him in such a spot again… Or alongside Jen.
Sources: MSN, Economic Times & The News
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