Brad Pitt reveals the two co-stars that left him starstruck
The actor, 61, revealed which of his co-stars left him in awe while shooting the 1991 adventure thriller, 'Thelma & Louise.'
'When I first met Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon, I was. Yeah,' Pitt admitted while on Jason and Travis Kelce's 'New Heights' podcast on Wednesday. 'I got over it quickly, though.'
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8 Susan Sarandon, Geena Davis in 'Thelma & Louise.'
©MGM/courtesy Everett / Everett Collection
8 Brad Pitt at the premiere for 'F1.'
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'Thelma & Louise' was the project that catapulted the 'Wolfs' alum to stardom. The classic movie followed two best friends on the run and starred Davis, 69, as Thelma, and Sarandon, 78, as Louise. Pitt played untrustworthy thief J.D., whom Davis' character fell for.
In 2020, the 'Quick Change' actress gushed over working with the 'Lost City' star, expressing to People at the time, 'He just has 'it.''
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'I could tell when he was auditioning that he was super talented,' Davis continued. 'He has done so many incredible things over the years. I don't think that it is unusual for him to be honored. He really is the 'star' of the moment, which is fabulous, and it is just great to see.'
8 Brad Pitt, Geena Davis, Susan Sarandon in the 1991 film.
©MGM/courtesy Everett / Everett Collection
Two years later, she opened up about how her opinion sealed the deal for Pitt in his audition – leaving him beating out three other actors.
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'The fourth one who comes in is Brad Pitt, and he's so charismatic and so incredibly talented that I was, like, screwing up his audition,' Davis said while on 'The Graham Norton Show' in 2022. 'I'd forget to say my lines.'
At the time, the actress didn't know who the other finalists were, but later found out they included Mark Ruffalo and Grant Show.
As for the third young star, Davis ran into him on a plane a few years later.
8 Susan Sarandon in the 1991 movie 'Thelma & Louise.'
©MGM/Courtesy Everett Collection
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'This gentleman was very friendly,' she recalled. 'And finally he said, 'You know, I hate Brad Pitt.' I said, 'No, you don't — he's, like, a really good friend of yours.' He said, 'No, I hate him, because he got the part.' '
'I said, 'Oh, did you want the part?' And he said, 'You couldn't tell when I auditioned with you?' And it was George Clooney.'
In 2023, Pitt gave the love right back to the 'Beetlejuice' alum, sharing with W magazine about their sex scene, 'Geena was so sweet and kind and delicate.'
8 'Thelma & Louise.'
©MGM/Courtesy Everett Collection
He added, 'That love scene, I think, went on for two days of shooting. She took care of me.'
In honor of the film's 30th anniversary in 2021, Davis and Sarandon reunited and spoke to Extra about working with Pitt decades ago.
The 'A League of Their Own' actress echoed her earlier sentiments, revealing she knew Pitt would be the star he is today.
8 'F1' stars, Brad Pitt and Damson Idris during the F1 Grand Prix.
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As Davis put it, 'I read with him at his audition and I was like, 'Damn.''
Sarandon, meanwhile, added, 'What was really interesting is when I saw the film, and I saw all the improvisational stuff that he did. That's when I thought, 'Oh, this guy is really interesting. He's playing a character, he's not just getting by on his amazing good looks and body.''
The 'Nonnas' star also touched on how the movie became a cult classic and the impact Thelma and Louise's friendship had on pop culture.
8 Brad Pitt at the 'F1' premiere.
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8 Brad Pitt.
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'You rarely get a chance to work with another woman and actually have a friendship on screen at that time. It was pretty unusual,' Sarandon confessed. 'I for one, just didn't understand we were backing into this area that was held so tightly by white heterosexual males, so I underestimated it.'
Since 'Thelma & Louise,' Pitt went on to star in a slew of action projects over the years, including 'Fight Club' (1999), 2004's 'Troy,' 'Inglourious Basterds' in 2009, and 2022's 'Bullet Train.'
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He most recently portrayed Formula 1 driver Sonny Hayes in the new film, 'F1.'
Despite being no stranger to adrenaline-pumping movies, Pitt told Extra about this particular feature: 'It's like nothing I've ever experienced before.'
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