MANILA, Philippines — Actor Brad Pitt has collaborated with several filmmakers over the years, but for "Bullet Train" the partnership is particularly special — the director is his former stunt double.
David Leitch started out as a stuntman in projects like the television show "7th Heaven" and the Marvel vampire movie "Blade" before becoming Pitt's stunt double for the first time for 1999's "Fight Club."
Leitch would go on to be Pitt's stunt double for "Spy Game," "Ocean's Eleven," "Troy," and "Mr. and Mrs. Smith," as well as for action star Jean-Claude Van Damme for "Replicant" and "The Order."
The stuntman turned his head to full-on directing by teaming up with fellow former stuntman Chad Stahelski to direct the first "John Wick" movie. Only Stahelski, however, received full credit.
Stahelski has another thing in common with Leitch: he was the stunt double of "John Wick" star Keanu Reeves in "The Matrix" franchise.
Leitch has remained doing action films with his solo debut "Atomic Blonde" followed by "Deadpool 2," the "Fast and Furious" spin-off "Hobbs and Shaw," and now "Bullet Train."
“There’s action in comedy, there’s action in thrillers, there’s action in horror,” Leitch said. “My entire adult life has been action on film. Action is in my DNA. So I’m excited by the idea of taking big, provocative swings and making bold choices, as we keep it action-adjacent.”
But according to the former stuntman, this new movie stands out, "I was attracted to how bold and original it is, and that’s the kind of movie I like to make. It has a tone of relentless fun and snappy dialogue."
The director also said the most important thing about his film was its well-defined characters that "gave the actors a lot to chew on," even calling it a meditation of fate.
Leitch also remarked about Pitt's Oscar-winning role in "Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood" wherein he plays a stuntman, which Leitch found quite amusing, given their own relationship.
"I can tell you that the relationship between actor and stuntman that was part of that movie is real,” ended Leitch. “You develop a close and collaborative relationship. We went in different directions for a while, but fate wasn’t done with us, and I’m so glad it’s brought us back together.”
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