Hollywood actor Brad Pitt said Thursday that his new war flick, “Fury,” depicts the horrors and psychological pressure that soldiers had to face in a war zone.
“This film for me speaks to the horrors of the war,” Pitt told a press conference in Seoul. “The film is about accumulative psyche and damaged psyche that these men and women (soldiers) had to go through.”
“It is a ridiculous fact that you will be chopping each other (up) one year, and the next year, sitting down for a beer and for dinner,” he added. “We live in a (more) violent time than ever before.”
The 50-year-old Pitt and costar Logan Lerman promoted the Korean premiere of the World War II film written and directed by David Ayer.
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| Brad Pitt (left) and Logan Lerman speak during a press conference in Seoul on Thursday. (Yonhap) |
Pitt plays U.S. Army Sgt. Don “Wardaddy” Collier, who commands a Sherman tank named Fury, and his five-man crew on the front lines in Hitler’s Germany. The exhausted and war-weary crew, including rookie soldier Norman Ellison (Lerman), a typist with no war experience, has no choice but to fight in the relentless battlefield.
Playing the battle-hardened Wardaddy, Pitt describes his role as a commander who is solely responsible for the morale of his men, their tank, oncoming threats and everything else. “He does so in a very strict and stern tone, because there is no time to second-guess or no time to allow any mistakes,” Pitt said.
In the film, the five men bicker and fight inside the small tank, but develop a sense of brotherhood through their shared experience.
“As a commander, I was the father of the tank. We were a big dysfunctional family,” Pitt said, adding that the experience made him a better father at home. He has six children with actress Angelina Jolie.
Reflecting on his 20-year acting career, Pitt said that his love for film has driven him so far. Quoting the late actress Katharine Hepburn, he said, “She said if I like the film, I know at least one person will like it, and I work in that kind of angle.”
When asked how he dealt with slumps and failures, the actor replied, “There is no success without failure and no failure without success, but they are bound together.
“They inform the next decision and they give you that clarity on the next move.”
He said he loves coming here and Korea is an important movie market these days. “You can feel the growth here, exploding in music, your own film, (which are) some of the best movies in the world,” he said. Pitt visited Korea in 2011 and 2013 for the premieres of “Moneyball” and “World War Z,” respectively.
The 22-year-old Lerman commented that “Fury” was a hard film that pushed his limits, but he had a great experience working with Pitt and other artists.
“Brad is an incredibly hardworking and a generous person, someone who gives so much and asks for so little and he works harder than any other,” said Lerman, adding that he also learned how to punch from him.
Lerman, in his second visit to Korea since 2011, said he is a huge fan of Korean cinema because of its innovations, especially Park Chan-wook’s “Old Boy.”
“I love Korean food, including bulgogi, kimchi fried rice and soju,” said Lerman.
The “Fury” stars were to meet South Korean fans at Yeongdeungpo Times Square in Seoul during a red carpet event at 7 p.m. on Thursday.
“Fury,” which topped the North American box office when it premiered on Oct. 17, will open in Korea on Nov. 20.
By Ahn Sung-mi (sahn@heraldcorp.com)
