Harrison Ford explains on-set tension with Brad Pitt while shooting ‘The Devil’s Own’
During the filming of Alan J. Pakula’s final feature, The Devil’s Own, tension rose between the two stars, Brad Pitt and Harrison Ford. Now, the latter has discussed the film in greater detail, explaining that he and Pitt clashed over several creative differences.
The Devil’s Own received mixed reviews from critics, although it grossed a sizeable $140million. Pitt even referred to the movie as “the most irresponsible bit of filmmaking – if you can even call it that – that I’ve ever seen” during an interview with Newsweek.
However, in a recent discussion with Esquire, Ford explained how he and Pitt clashed. “Brad developed the script. Then they offered me the part. I saved my comments about the character and the construction of the thing — I admired Brad. First of all, I admire Brad.”
“I think he’s a wonderful actor. He’s a really decent guy. But we couldn’t agree on a director until we came to Alan Pakula, who I had worked with before but Brad had not.”
He added, “Brad had this complicated character, and I wanted a complication on my side so that it wasn’t just a good-and-evil battle. And that’s when I came up with the bad-shooting thing.”
Ford is referring to part of the plot where he witnesses a fellow police officer fatally shoot someone, leaving him to contemplate whether to report him or protect his friend.
“I worked with a writer — but then all the sudden we’re shooting and we didn’t have a script that Brad and I agreed on,” he said. “Each of us had different ideas about it. I understand why he wanted to stay with his point of view, and I wanted to stay with my point of view — or I was imposing my point of view, and it’s fair to say that that’s what Brad felt. It was complicated. I like the movie very much. Very much.”
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