James Gray’s sci-fi drama, Ad Astra had its world premiere at Venice on Thursday (29th of August). The movie stars fan-favorite, Brad Pitt with Liv Tyler. At its world premiere, Brad Pitt said that the movie is personal to him and deals with the modern concept of ‘masculinity’.
At a news conference, Pitt along with Gray and Tyler said, “In retrospect, what James and I were digging at was that definition of masculinity. We’ve both grown up in an era where we were asked to be strong…and there is a value in that, but [also a] barrier because you’re hiding some of those things you feel ashamed of. We all hide and carry individual pain and wounds.”
In the movie, Pitt plays the character of an astronaut, Roy McBride who has followed his father’s footsteps. Tom Lee Jones is going to play the character of Pitt’s father in the movie. The movie will be focusing on the relationship between the two men.
“We were asking the questions – is there a better definition [of masculinity] for us…a better relationship with loved ones, with your kids and with ourselves?”, added Pitt regarding the movie. Commenting on his relationship with Gray, the actor revealed that he and Gray don’t share a “normal male relationship”. The two are “open about sharing feelings, perceived failures or missteps” with each other.
Talking about the story of the movie, Pitt stated, “The story is so delicate and we knew that any clips, voiceover could tip the film over, make it too obvious, so it was a constant effort to try to maintain a balance and keep this story unfolding in a very subtle and delicate way”.
Pitt was also asked if he expects Oscar, to which he only said that he was curious to see how the movie does because it has something to say “about who we are…our purpose.”