Harrison Ford is out on the promotional trail for Indiana Jones And The Dial of Destiny, and with that typically comes an introspective look back at his illustrious career.
In a new interview with Esquire, the longtime Hollywood leading man was asked about a comment he made in the past about The Devil’s Own (1997) being a difficult film to make.
Without much hesitation, Ford, 80, doubles down and more than insinuates that he and co-star Brad Pitt faced off both on camera and off during the making of the action-thriller film.
It turns out the two A-list actors began butting heads from the time they were searching for a director for the movie.
‘Brad developed the script. Then they offered me the part,’ he recalled of the initial phases of the production. ‘I saved my comments about the character and the construction of the thing — I admired Brad.’
Butted heads: Harrison Ford, 80, addressed his ‘complicated’ relationship with Brad Pitt, 59, during the making of their action-thriller film, The Devil’s Own (1997)
Ford went on to reveal that he and Pitt just could’t agree on who should the helm the film, which revolves around a member of the Provisional Irish Republican Army (Pitt) who comes to the U.S. to obtain black market anti-aircraft missiles to shoot down British helicopters in Northern Ireland.
The plan ends up getting complicated by an Irish-American policeman (Ford), whom the IRA member has come to regard as family.
‘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,’ the Star Wars actor explained.
At that time, Pakula had already become an acclaimed filmmaker with three Academy Award nominations that included, Best Picture for To Kill A Mockingbird (1962), Best Director for All The President’s Men (1976) and Best Adapted Screenplay for Sophie’s Choice (1982).
‘Brad had this complicated character, and I wanted a complication on my side so that it wasn’t just a good-and-evil battle,’ Ford continued. ‘And that’s when I came up with the bad-shooting thing.’
Ford’s character, Sergeant Tom O’Meara, witnesses an illegal shooting by his partner and then is faced with the hard decision of whether to report it or not.
‘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, the Chicago, Illinois native says, before disclosing their opposing ideas.
‘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,’ he explains, before admitting that despite their disagreements he actually liked how the movie turned out ‘very much.’
Opposing views: Ford says he and Pitt couldn’t agree on who should the direct the film
More differences: The two A-list stars also disagreed on some of the script development; Ruben Blades is pictured in a scene with Ford and PittHarrison Ford, Brad Pitt The Devil’s Own
End result: Despite their differences, Ford confessed he liked how The Devil’s Own turned out ‘very much’; they stars are seen at the premiere in New York City
In retrospect, Pitt said: “I really like Devil’s Own. It was a good schooling for me. Still, I think the movie could have been better. Literally, the script got thrown out.’
Along with Ford and Pitt, the cast also included Margaret Colin, Rubén Blades, Treat Williams, George Hearn, Natascha McElhone, Mitchell Ryan, Paul Ronan, Julia Stiles, Simon Jones, Paul Ronan and David O’Hara.
While receiving mixed reviews from critics, The Devil’s Own ended up doing well at the worldwide box office, grossing $140.8 million against a $86 million budget.
Sadly, it would be the final film ever directed by Pakula. He was killed in a car accident while driving on the Long Island Expressway in Melville. New York in November 1998. The Bronx, New York native was 70.
As for Ford’s fifth ride as Indiana Jones, the last installment in the franchise, Indiana Jones And The Dial of Destiny, is set to hit theaters across the U.S. on June 30.
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