Brad Pitt Once Explained How His War Film ‘Fury’ Changed Him as a Father
Brad Pitt has been very open about how his responsibilities as a father affected his onscreen film career. But on the flip side, the actor credited one movie in particular for affecting his fatherhood.
How ‘Fury’ made Brad Pitt a better father
Many films have helped Pitt grow as an actor. But perhaps only few managed to help him grow as a parent. The David Ayer feature Fury fits the latter category. Ayer’s 2014 flick was an ensemble feature that saw Pitt playing Don Collier, who was a world war 2 tank commander. As the army veteran, Pitt’s character was tasked to guide younger soldiers played by the likes of Shia LaBeouf and Logan Lerman.
The war movie meant a lot to Pitt, as the actor felt it gave the opportunity for soldiers to be seen.
“The film is about the soldiers’ exhaustion from the cold, hunger, and the accumulative effect on a daily basis,” Pitt once said at the BFI London Film Festival according to Irish Examiner. “We took that to heart. I hope the soldiers will walk away from this and feel they are recognized.”
Pitt asserted that the war movie was an educational experience. Not just for him, but also for his fellow co-stars.
“I learnt a lot from this film. We all walked away absolutely enriched,” Pitt added. “The role is a real study in leadership and learning to command respect and, because of this, I am now a better father.”
Shia LaBeouf called Brad Pitt very paternal on set
LaBeouf had as much praise working alongside Pitt as anyone else a part of the feature. Although he wouldn’t have gone so far as to call Pitt a father-figure, LaBeouf felt his co-star had a lot of mentor-like qualities.
“He’s like my husband. I’m his wife, he’s my husband. He’s daddy, I’m mommy. That’s how we were in the tank and that’s how it still is,” LaBeouf once said according to Ace Showbiz. “[Brad]’s very paternal but he’s also an equal. I don’t want to paint him as the old guy in the tank, that’s not who he is. I mean, he’s on the same level as all of us. He just has a lot of wisdom.”
The Oscar-winner had similar kind words for LaBeouf. So much so that, out of all the stars Pitt’s worked with, he ranked LaBeouf pretty high on his list.
“Oh, I love this boy,” Pitt once told GQ. “He’s one of the best actors I’ve ever seen. He’s full-on commitment, man. He’s living it like no one else, let me tell you. I’ve been fortunate to work with a lot of great actors. He’s one of the best I’ve seen.”
Because everyone on set admired Pitt so much, LaBeouf also once shared that the cast all vied for the Oscar-winner’s attention.
“It’s like having five dudes on a date with one girl. You know, everyone is really trying to get close,” LaBeouf once said on Jimmy Kimmel live (via Time).
How Brad Pitt’s actual sons got involved with ‘Fury’
Fury also generated a lot of interest from Pitt’s real-life sons. His oldest son, Maddox, had a natural fascination with tanks at the time. Seeing as Pitt was playing a tank commander in Fury, the movie perfectly lined up with Maddox’s interests.
“Maddox knows so much about tanks that when we first started on the movie, I was asking him for information,” Pitt once told Radio Times (via Hola). “He has an extensive knowledge developed on his own since he was young.”
Pitt’s other younger son, Knox, also shared Maddox’s curiosity for tanks.
“He loved the tank, and though he has no concept of war or what the tank’s history is, he was so drawn to it. There is that inexplicable fascination that man has with machine,” he said.
