Brad Pitt has fought in wars, pulled off robbery heists and
confronted rivals in the boxing ring during his career, but the Hollywood star
says his most challenging film yet is playing an astronaut on a life-saving
mission in the space epic “Ad Astra.”
The 55-year-old actor takes audiences to the far reaches of the
solar system in his role as Roy McBride after a new threat causing disastrous
power surges threatens Earth.
McBride sets off to find his
pioneering astronaut father, played by Tommy Lee Jones, who went missing more
than a decade earlier while on a mission to Neptune.
Set in the near future when
mankind has set up living stations and research centres on the moon and Mars,
the film follows McBride as he makes his way into the vast abyss through
spectacular landscapes and empty space.
The trip soon becomes a
journey of self-discovery.
“This has been the most
challenging film I have ever worked on,” Pitt, also a producer of the movie,
told a news conference at the Venice Film Festival, where “Ad Astra” premiered
on Thursday.
“The story ... is so delicate
and any clip of a frame too early or music cue or voiceover could easily tip
the thing over or be too much or be too obvious. It was a constant effort just
to try to maintain this balance and try to keep this story unfolding in a very
subtle and delicate way.”
In an interview with Reuters,
Pitt called the film “a very intimate ... journey of the soul,” which at the
same time mulls the possibility of extraterrestrial life.
“I like to believe there is (life) somewhere. To what degree,
more advanced than us, less? Who knows ... Would we find that in our lifetime,
don’t know. Not too concerned,” he said of his own beliefs.
McBride narrates his history
and relationship with his father throughout the odyssey, where he faces
challenges as well as enemies in an inhospitable and lonely environment.
“We decided to try and tell
the smallest possible story in the biggest possible tapestry ... The tiny
becomes the universal,” director James Gray said.
“Ad Astra” is one of 21
movies competing for the top Golden Lion prize at the festival, which runs
until Sept. 7.
Discomfort
Venice is no stranger to
screening space movies, having previously premiered the Oscar-winning
“Gravity,” starring Pitt’s frequent co-star and friend George Clooney, as well
as “First Man,” about the 1969 moon landing.
Asked if he had exchanged any
space movie tips with Clooney, Pitt referenced the process of hanging from
wires during such shoots, saying: “George and I exchanged some discomfort
stories.”
“Ad Astra,” which also stars
Liv Tyler, Ruth Negga and Donald Sutherland, is considered one of the must-sees
during the festival, an important launch pad for the awards season.
Asked whether the role could
perhaps win him his first best actor Oscar, Pitt said: “Man, I just want to get
this film out ... it’s a challenging film, it’s subtle.
“It’s operating on many
cylinders, it has something to say about who we are, a soul if you believe in
that, what’s our purpose, why do we hang on, keep doing. So I am really curious
to see how it lands.”
Critics praised the film’s stunning cinematography but some
lamented the long voiceovers and plotline.
“Despite a dip in pace
towards the end, it’s also a fantastically well-staged adventure,” Empire said,
calling the movie “beautiful.”
Screen Daily said Pitt’s
performance was “full of pained melancholy” while Variety said the story was
“held together by Pitt’s stalwart presence.”
“Ad Astra” hits movie
theatres worldwide next month.