“It just reinvigorated what I wanted”: F1 actor Brad Pitt reveals how the film Se7en changed his life

F1 star Brad Pitt recently opened up about his working experience on David Fincher’s Se7en (1995) and how it changed his life. The two-time Oscar-winning star of Fight Club (1999), Inglourious Basterds (2009), and the Ocean’s trilogy is returning to the screen in Apple’s latest racing drama, F1.

While now known as one of the leading stars of Hollywood, the F1 star didn’t start his career on a high note. He was reportedly dissatisfied with the unfulfilling work he got on conventional blockbusters. So, Fincher’s 1995 film was exactly the kind of project that reignited his passion for filmmaking.

During a recent appearance on the Armchair Expert podcast, Pitt spoke about David Fincher’s contribution to his early career. He also shared how Se7en made him hopeful about filmmaking again. The F1 star detailed how he became a part of this project despite initial hesitation to join what seemed like a young cop–old cop cliché. He said:

“My dear friend and manager and, basically my sister now, Cynthia, sends [the ‘Se7en’ script] over. She says, ‘You’ve got to read this.’ I read the first seven pages, I call her up, I go, ‘Are you kidding me? The cliché old cop wants out, the young cop comes in and he’s looking at his high school football trophies?’ She goes, ‘Just finish it.’ Then I go meet with Finch, and he was just talking about films like I’d never heard anyone speak about film. I just got the jones back. Finding that thing kind of… it just reinvigorated what I wanted out of this thing.”

Pitt fondly recalled Fincher’s enthusiasm for filmmaking, which helped him get his mojo back. Eventually, the same film offered one of the most defining roles of his career. Its haunting conclusion, marked by his anguished cry of ‘What’s in the box?,’ remains one of the most memorable scenes in cinema.

Brad Pitt recalled his early years in Hollywood until he worked on Se7en

A still from Se7en (Image via YouTube/Warner Bros. Entertainment)

In 1995, Brad Pitt starred as a young cop on the hunt for a serial killer who used the seven deadly sins as a justification for his crimes. It allowed him to channel some of his finest work as he sunk his teeth deeper into the character’s sense of loss and agony. So, it became one of his most influential works — one people fondly talk about even three decades later.

Before that, the F1 star was a part of projects like Thelma & Louise (1991) and True Romance (1993) but struggled to get a big break until Fincher’s Se7en came his way. Pitt recalled a time in Hollywood when he felt stuck and uncertain about his future.

“I would wake up, I would get a bong load, I would have four Coca-Colas on ice, no food. This particular summer, I watched the O.J. trial, and I was just trying to figure out, ‘What do I do next? What do I do next?’”

That’s when he received a call regarding Fincher’s Se7en, which reinvigorated his interest in filmmaking.

Brad Pitt is back in action with Apple Studio's F1

Brad Pitt is officially back in action with F1, the movie from Apple TV+. It shows Pitt as a Formula 1 driver coming out of retirement to join his friend’s struggling team to win the trophy. Apart from Pitt, the cast includes Damson Idris, Javier Bardem, Kerry Condon, and more. The film is scheduled to be released on June 27 in theaters.