Harrison Ford is on the promotional trail for Indiana Jones And The Dial of Destiny, and with it typically comes an introspective look back at his illustrious career.
In a new interview with Esquirethe longtime Hollywood protagonist was asked about a comment he made in the past about The Devil’s Own (1997) being a difficult movie to make.
Without much hesitation, Ford, 80, doubles down, insinuating more than that he and co-star Brad Pitt had to contend with both on camera and during the making of the action thriller.
As it turns out, the two A-list actors started butting heads from the moment they started looking for a director for the film.
Brad developed the script. Then they offered me the role,” he recalls the early stages of production. “I kept my comments about the character and construction of the thing – I admired Brad.”
Stubby heads: Harrison Ford, 80, talked about his “complicated” relationship with Brad Pitt, 59, during the making of their action thriller film, The Devil’s Own (1997)
Ford further revealed that he and Pitt just couldn’t agree on who should helm the film, which centers on a member of the Provisional Irish Republican Army (Pitt) who comes to the US to launch anti-aircraft missiles at the black market to buy. shoot down British helicopters in Northern Ireland.
The plan is complicated by an Irish-American police officer (Ford), who has come to regard the IRA member as family.
“First of all, I admire Brad. I think he’s a great actor. He’s a really decent guy. But we couldn’t agree on a director until we got to Alan Pakula, who I’d worked with before, but not Brad,” the Star Wars actor explained.
By this point, Pakula had already become an acclaimed filmmaker with three Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture for To Kill A Mockingbird (1962), Best Director for All The President’s Men (1976), and Best Adapted Screenplay for Sophie’s Choice (1982). .
“Brad had a complicated character and I wanted a complication on my side so it wouldn’t just be a battle of good versus evil,” Ford continued. “And then I came up with the bad shooting.”
Ford’s character, Sergeant Tom O’Meara, witnesses an illegal shooting by his partner and is then faced with the difficult decision of whether or not to report it.
“I was working with a writer, but then all of a sudden we were filming and we didn’t have a script that Brad and I agreed on,” says the Chicago, Illinois, resident before announcing their opposing ideas.
“We all had different ideas about it. I can see why he wanted to stick to his point of view, and I wanted to stick to my point of view – or I was forcing my point of view, and it’s fair to say that’s what Brad felt. It was complicated,” he explains, before admitting that despite their differences, he was actually “really happy” with the outcome of the film.
Opposing Opinions: Ford says he and Pitt couldn’t agree on who should direct the film
More differences: The two A-list stars also disagreed on some of the script development; Ruben Blades is depicted in a scene with Ford and PittHarrison Ford, Brad Pitt The Devil’s Own
End result: Despite their differences, Ford confessed that he was “very nice” that The Devil’s Own turned out to be “very”; they can be seen at the New York City premiere
In retrospect, Pitt said, “I really like Devil’s Own. It was a good education for me. Still, I think the movie could have been better. Literally the script was thrown out.”
Along with Ford and Pitt, the cast also included Margaret Colin, Rubén Blades, Treat Williams, George Hearn, Natascha McElhone, Mitchell Ryan, Paul Ronan, Julia Stiles, Simon Jones, Paul Ronan, and David O’Hara.
Although it received mixed reviews from critics, The Devil’s Own ultimately performed well at the worldwide box office, grossing $140.8 million against an $86 million budget.
Unfortunately, it would be the last film ever directed by Pakula. He was killed in a car accident while driving on the Long Island Expressway in Melville. New York in November 1998. The Bronx, New York native was 70.
As for Ford’s fifth run as Indiana Jones, the final installment in the franchise, Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny, will hit theaters across the US on June 30.