Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has admitted that the F1 movie actor Brad Pitt “was not impressed” when Lewis Hamilton told the Hollywood star that he was “much too old” to play a current Formula 1 driver.
This comment came from the seven-time world champion as Pitt was prepared for his role in the Apple-backed movie. Pitt, who plays Sonny Hayes – a retired driver pulled back into the championship to help revive a failing APXGP team, had his character modified to nudge his place in the script towards a more realistic role.
Speaking about the early conversations surrounding the project at the Autosport Business Exchange New York, Wolff described the dinner he had at his Oxford home with the movie’s director Joseph Kosinski, producer Jerry Bruckheimer, Pitt, and Susie Wolff.
Toto Wolf speaks during Autosport Business Exchange New York
Toto Wolf speaks during Autosport Business Exchange New York
“So at the beginning, you know… I am lucky,” he began. “I’m seeing lots of people who have a big media profile, but there was one dinner that we organised with Joe, who is the director, and Jerry Bruckheimer, Lewis, Brad Pitt, Susie and I.
“We had dinner at our place in Oxford, and suddenly the door opens and there’s Brad Pitt in the driveway and he says, ‘Thank you for having me for dinner.’ So that was a bit of a surreal experience.”
The Austrian continued, revealing that Pitt’s character had originally been placed centrally in the story with him fighting for a world championship, but Hamilton intervened.
“The initial concept was him being a driver and fighting for a world championship, and then Lewis said, ‘That’s not going to go; you’re much too old for a Formula 1 driver,’ and Brad was not impressed by it.
Brad Pitt at the World Premiere of F1 The Movie
Brad Pitt at the World Premiere of F1 The Movie
“He felt that he was in his prime to be a Formula 1 driver. How they adapted the script was fantastic because it was credible. His role was credible.”
The Mercedes chief added that the film had landed well within the paddock.
“We looked at, all of the F1 drivers and the team principals, we looked at it at the premiere in Monaco around the grand prix, and we liked it. There was nothing that was not to be liked.
“It’s good entertainment, and the revenue that the movie has been generating is phenomenal.”
The movie saw the now Ferrari driver serve as producer through his company Dawn Apollo Films to ensure the production remained as close to reality as possible, while still remaining entertaining for viewers. Filming took place alongside live grand prix race weekends with unprecedented levels of access, resulting in lifelike scenes featuring real drivers and other personnel.
On top of this, Apple developed class-leading camera technology, built into the cars for action never-before-seen on the silver screen.
After a record theatrical run with revenue reaching approximately $629million since its release, it became the highest-grossing sports movie to date. Because of this huge success, a sequel has already been mentioned.
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