Normally, on any given year, an actor can only dream of having one, single role being discussed as a potential Oscar-worthy performance. However, in 2019, Brad Pitt has two of them. That doesn’t mean he’s expecting any awards or actively going to seek them out, though.
Speaking to EW, Pitt was asked about his awards season prospects and if he expects to campaign at all. You see, the actor not only is the lead in the critically-acclaimed space epic, “Ad Astra,” but he’s also the breakout performer (in a film filled with great actors) in Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.” Either one could potentially see Pitt get nominations when the award shows start announcing such things later this year and in early 2020.
But for Pitt, he’s not interested in playing the award campaigning game. He just wants to make good movies.
“Oh, man. I’m gonna abstain [from campaigning],” he said. “I mean, you never know, and it’s really nice when your number comes up. But the goal is for the film to land, to speak to someone whether it’s now or a decade from now.”
Pitt added, “I find chasing [awards] actually a disservice to the purity of your telling a story, and a shackling thing to focus on.”
Some might argue the semantics of Pitt saying that he’s going to “abstain” from awards campaigning while also doing a ton of interviews for a film that has serious awards buzz. Sure, he’s not actively asking for recognition, but isn’t that splitting hairs?
Either way, Pitt is fantastic in “Ad Astra” and will likely be in the conversation at the end of the year, coupled with the fact that the actor actually steals the show in ‘Once Upon a Time.’ Whether he likes it or not, Pitt might just find himself on a few awards stages this season.
“Ad Astra” will arrive in theaters on September 20.
