Brad Pitt Tells Young Actors To Slow Down On Franchises: “They Will Die”
Brad Pitt may still look like he’s in his 40s, but he’s stepping into full mentor mode and he’s got something to say to the next wave of Hollywood stars: chill on chasing superhero roles.
The 61-year-old actor joined Travis and Jason Kelce on their New Heights podcast on July 2, where he opened up about his new movie F1, his love for younger actors, and why he thinks franchise fever might be doing more harm than good.
“Whoa! Brothers Kelce!” Brad said with a grin as he logged into the podcast remotely. “Sorry I was late, couldn’t get my s— together this morning.” He joked about his experience on the racetrack too, saying he still hasn’t managed to hit 200 mph even though he plays a Formula 1 driver.
Jason, 37, compared Brad’s character in F1, Sonny Hayes, to a grizzled NFL veteran, saying the role hit home. Brad agreed, admitting he prepped with “a lot of old man jokes.” But the talk soon took a more reflective turn.
“I like watching what the new generations are coming in with. To see what they’re up against and also the way they negotiate their way through it. I feel like they enjoy it more. We were a little more uptight and had to be about acting,” the actor said.
Today’s young stars, he noted, aren’t afraid to spread their wings creatively, and that’s something he genuinely respects.
But then he dropped the line that got everyone talking: “They also get caught up in like, have to have a franchise or have to have a superhero or something like that, which I keep going, ‘Don’t. Don’t. They will die.’”
That’s classic Brad: blunt, stylishly worded, and probably right. After all, he’s managed to stay one of the most recognizable faces in Hollywood without ever locking into a superhero universe. The only real franchise he’s done is Ocean’s Eleven and its sequels. And even then, he shared the screen with a stacked cast including George Clooney, Julia Roberts, and Matt Damon.
The closest he’s come to superhero territory? A two-second cameo as “The Vanisher” in Deadpool 2. That’s it. No capes. No green screen muscles.
Brad also raved about his new movie F1, which is crushing it globally with a $144 million opening weekend. In the film, he plays a washed-up Formula 1 driver trying to make a comeback alongside rookie racer Joshua Pearce, played by Snowfall’s Damson Idris.
