Brad Pitt got the heat on one of the iconic films he appeared in less than a decade ago.
Bruce Dern recalled the time the actor received crossword puzzles from director Quentin Tarantino on the set of “Once Upon A Time In Hollywood.” Looking back, it seemingly all turned out for good as Pitt won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role in the film.
Brad Pitt previously praised the director for his kindness and talent in the industry. He applauded his creativity and writing abilities on public stages.
Dern, while reflecting on his long career in the industry, could not skip over a scene he did in the 2019 film, “Once Upon A Time In Hollywood.”
The 89-year-old actor shared this memory at the Cannes Film Festival, highlighting iconic films, directors, and actors he has worked with for over six decades.
The actor is currently premiering director Mike Mendez’s documentary “Dernsie,” named after a signature improvised line or moment Dern adds to his performances.
During his chat with PEOPLE, he reminisced on a “good dernsie” with Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio while shooting the 2019 film.
Dern shared that in one of the scenes, he improvised a new line, “I don’t know who you are, but you touched me today. You came to visit me, now I gotta go back to sleep.”
Explaining further, he noted that the “touched me” line was the “dernsie” and stemmed from how deeply he felt touched when Pitt and DiCaprio told him he would be in their movie no matter what.
Dern disclosed that when shooting projects, he brings little moments from the real world into some scenes.
Pitt’s Actions Would Have Left Him ‘Dead In This Business’
Dern played the blind elderly ranch owner, George Spahn, in the film, while DiCaprio acted as a struggling actor with Pitt as his stunt double.
In one of the scenes, the 89-year-old Hollywood icon recalled that Pitt woke him up, and he, feeling a little groggy, says, “I’m not really sure what’s going on.”
In that moment, Pitt stepped in and cut the camera, leaving the director, Tarantino, pissed. “I’m looking at him. [Pitt] cut the camera. He cut the camera. The look on Quentin’s face — I mean, he was insanely grave — and he said, ‘Brad, what did you just do?’” Dern recalled in the recent interview.
The “F1” actor owned up to his actions, to which Tarantion issued a stern warning, “Never again in your life will you ever cut a camera or you’ll be dead in this business. That’s my domain. Don’t stop behavior.” They went on to film the scene without letting the hiccup tell on their performance.
The Oscar-Winning Entertainer Previously Praised Tarantino
USA Today reported in a 2020 article that Pitt spoke about the “Once Upon A Time In Hollywood” director and writer’s work ethic while presenting him with the award for best screenplay that same year.
He also jokingly recalled how the filmmaker would act out screenplays, saying, “As you know, my man is very verbose. He’s the only guy I know who needs cocaine to stop talking,”
Later in the speech, Pitt praised Tarantino’s writing process, noting his attention to detail on his projects. He noted that the director provides so much detail about his characters, down to the smallest details like each character’s favorite drink, so that the actors can ease into the role.
“There’s something to the music, to the rhythm in his writing. I call it ‘iambic Quintameter,’” Pitt said, highlighting that the characters in Tarantino’s film never suffer a lack of words in their scenes.
Pitt ended his speech by admitting that, although the director is known for his witty banter, among other qualities, he has a kind heart and inherent sincerity.
During his acceptance speech for the 2020 Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Pitt did not hold back, joking about the iconic director’s personal foot fetish.
Tarantino is widely known for frequently featuring close-up shots of women’s bare feet in his films, and “Once Upon A Time In Hollywood” was no exception.
Pitt put a humorous spin on the fetish in his speech, in which he specially thanked his female costars and their feet. “Margot Robbie, Margot Robbie’s feet, Margaret Qualley’s feet, Dakota Fanning’s feet,” the actor quipped, adding, “Seriously, Quentin has separated more women from their shoes than the TSA.”
Variety reported that Pitt went on to express their commitment to their roles as an entertainer, noting that showing their wise, lonely, and ridiculously funny moments was indeed a worthy endeavor.
The actor sprinkled in some words of advice, telling the crowd that some projects succeed while others fail, but there is no reason to belabor either; instead, the focus should be on telling stories and moving on.
Brad Pitt Is Dealing With Family Snubs
While Pitt has excelled in the industry, earning multiple awards, he seems to have lost out on the best-dad prize, as his kids are openly cutting him out of their lives.
Almost all of his six kids, whom he shares with Angelina Jolie, have dropped his surname, sticking to their mom’s name alone.
Most recently, Pitt was absent from his adopted daughter Zahara’s graduation from Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia, and her name was read aloud as she walked the stage as Zahara Marley Jolie rather than the hyphenated version, Jolie-Pitt.
The Blast reported that Angelina and all five other kids were present at the graduation ceremony, showing support for Zahara, who graduated with a major in psychology and a minor in educational studies.
The 21-year-old previously made no mention of her father during a mother-daughter brunch speech in April, while praising Angelina for raising her with love and strong values.
