Welcome to Bradfans.net, a fan site for the work of the talented actor and producer, Brad Pitt. Mr. Pitt's most recent on-screen project was Ocean's Thirteen, and his upcoming projects include The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

Trojan force...
(Virgin.net, 2004)

The six months Brad Pitt spent buffing his biceps in preparation for his new epic Troy seem to have paid off, judging from early reviews of this $185 million blockbuster, even if the role of Greek hero Achilles did result in injury to his own Achilles heel!

Brad is in Cannes this week to promote this star-studded adaptation of Homer's Iliad, but he still found time to tell Virgin.net what it felt like to portray such a legendary character...

VN: Was it daunting to be cast as Achilles?
Brad Pitt: "Well, that's where the research comes in. There was a lot of material out there to digest and it was good to have so much to cling to. I felt very anchored going into it and with the script being really strong, it was just really exciting."

VN: What was it like working on such an epic project?
Brad Pitt: "This was the biggest movie I've ever been on. I've never seen anything like it in terms of the scale and scope of the project. I can't imagine what it was like for some of the other actors who'd only done a handful of movies to come onto something like this. It was kind of extraordinary."

VN: Does the story have any contemporary resonance for you?
Brad Pitt: "It's a bit discouraging to see we haven't come as far as we think we have. We're not evolved like our technology. Personally speaking, we seem to still be dealing with the same issues, so I think the story really resonates today."

VN: How faithful is the film to Homer's original poem?
Brad Pitt: "The writer did a great job pulling out pretty much the essence of Homer's story. Most of the elements are there, but we do it in a much more linear fashion. You see the chain of events that sparked a war, but it happens over a much shorter period."

VN: Was it a fun shoot?
Brad Pitt: "It's a Greek tragedy so it's not the most uplifting of subject matters. But I guess you can be a kid in a playground a little bit. For me, I was living a little like a monk and keeping to myself for the first part of filming. I'd still talk to people, but I had to confine myself a little bit initially. I made up for it at the end though!"

VN: How did you find working with director Wolfgang Petersen?
Brad Pitt: "I think you needed someone like Wolfgang for this kind of film. I didn't know that it would be this big a movie, and yet he was the epitome of grace and he didn't get flustered by the inevitable things that go wrong."

VN: Is box office success important to you?
Brad Pitt: "It's a lot more fun when the movie works, but I look back at my favourite films and they didn't necessarily work at the time they were released. They took some time to be accepted. But yes, it's more fun when people get into the films right out of the gate."

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Character: Jesse James
Released: September 21, 2007
Images: Stills, trailer caps, production photos
Info: Official website

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Character: Benjamin Button
Released: November 26, 2008
Info: IMDB

Burn After Reading
Character:
Released: 2008
Info: IMDB

State of Play
Character: Cal McCaffrey
Released: 2008
Info: IMDB

Dirty Tricks
Character: John Dean
Released: 2008
Info: IMDB

The Fighter
Character:
Released: 2009
Info: IMDB

Chad Schmidt
Character: Chad Schmidt/Himself
Released: 2008
Info: IMDB

Dallas Buyer's Club
Character:
Released: 2008
Info: IMDB