Bradd Pitt is one of the greatest actors of our time. Recently he has been in a personal war, after his divorce with Angelina Jolie. The learning process that came out of it is what Pitt has used to connect with his character of General Stanley McChrystal for his upcoming Netflix film “War Machine”. The war satire film is based on Michael Hastings book “The Operators,” which chronicled McChrystal’s tumultuous leadership during the war in Afghanistan.
Pitt feels a deep connection and with the project. Not only due to the empathic connection he feels for the four-star Afghanistan commander in which he inspired his character. But also because he feels very passionate about the troops, supporting them, their lives and the complexity of the powerline that plays such a key role in so many lives. The film takes serious topics on a complex theme with an irreverent and tongue on a cheek humor.
High-rank connection
It seems very hard for many to compare Brad Pitt with a high-rank military man, but truth be told they have a lot in common. According to Pitt, one of Hollywood’s elite longtime serving members, he founded a huge connecting point between General McChrystal and him in a swollen ego, and the damage was done. Translating that obviously, to the character. Whose obsession for winning an excess of pride destroy everything in its path.
“Hubris is a trap and it’s the trap of every great nation that has been No. 1 for too long. You start believing your own stink. Anytime I’ve gotten in trouble, it’s because of my own hubris”. Something he is trying to get over, along with the problems regarding his separation. Even though he is slowly getting back into the limelight with a candid and frank perspective. Especially about his struggles with alcohol and the pains of dividing their family. Pitt takes this view and characteristics towards the military and political leaders. Since their decision making, from a safe distance, has a great impact on thousands of lives. Especially when they’re reckless or in the look of personal glory.
Brad took the time to meet and talk with McChrystal in order to do the film. Feeling empathy towards him due to the current circumstances that he is living at the moment. “I feel for him. He’s a product of us. He’s us. We had no interest in impugning General McChrystal or any of his guys. For me, the problem is more systematic“. Pitt said. McChrystal, who retired from the Army shortly after resigning command, has launched since then a management consulting firm and penned a memoir.
Do more than support
Besides the personal connection with McChrystal, Pitt has the strong passions behind “War Machine”. Some of them date back to 2014 when he visited a military medical center. “The impetus for me was a visit to Walter Reed. Those young men and women — who are absolutely heroic in a very harrowing situation — their lives are forever changed and so are their families. It just really made me question who is spending this currency of dedication. Who’s writing the check? Who’s making the order?“.
Also, he talked about the request for several thousand more American troops in Afghanistan, by the Trump administration and advisors. A war that has already spanned more than 15 years. Pitt said “It’s time to rethink what “winning” means. Nothing that we’ve ever done has said that more troops are going to do anything but cause any more damage, more loss of life and limb. We talk a lot about supporting our troops, but I think supporting our troops is much more than giving them money and a pat on the back. I think it’s being responsible to how we use that ultimate dedication“.
The movie was written and directed by the Australian filmmaker David Michod, from “Animal Kingdom”. “War Machine,” takes a slight fictional turn. Glen McMahon (Brad Pitt), the events are the ones that are portrayed in Hastings’ book regarding McChrystal’s downfall. This obviously saves the film from some potential legal issues. Also, the movie makes a tribute to some war comedy movies like “Catch 22” and “M-A-S-H”. Capturing American military driven by politics, illusions and personal aspirations. As Michod explains: “We were tapping into a melding of war and comedy — two things that used to co-exist quite conformably, but in this day and age don’t. It’s very interesting to see how the two coexist in the public sphere given how strangely earnest all conversation about war has gotten in a possibly warped way…
…But there’s something almost truer in that kind of great comedy treatment of decades past than the nature of the discussion that goes on today. At the core, the thing to me that’s most powerful about ‘War Machine’ and what made it feel important to me was that it was about the way personalities can have an incredibly powerful and often a powerfully damaging ripple effect across the world. The movie is called ‘War Machine,’ but that machine is made up of individuals, individuals with their own strengths and ambitions”.
The film comes out on Netflix on May 26th. Netflix gave $60 million, making it one of Netflix’s most ambitious projects yet. As Pitt said, “The degree of difficulty on this one was 10, which is what makes it worth it for me to go get in front of the camera now”. Still, he loves the project since it’s like current times. “(‘War Machine’) I loved because it’s after something and we don’t know where we’re going to end up. It’s a delicate tightrope to walk”.
Source: RollingStones.com