Since F1’s premiere amid the 2025 movie calendar, the Brad Pitt-led blockbuster has received considerable buzz. During its opening weekend, the film placed high at the box office and drew a large audience beyond racing fans. A lot praise has also been directed at the actual making of the film, which involved the lead actors actually operating Formula 1 vehicles. Now, Pitt is casually sharing how, on the fly, he filmed a driving scene after realizing the comms had gone out.
Pitt's cool (and scary-sounding) anecdote was shared during a conversation with EW, which was posted to the outlet's Instagram account. The chat involved the film's principal cast members: Pitt, Kerry Condon, Damson Idris and Javier Bardem. The Fight Club actor recalled the first time they were filming on the track, and the cameras had just started rolling when the communication system malfunctioned. So he realized in real time, while driving Lando Norris' real car, as he flew down the racetrack:
It’s the first time, it’s time to go. And we take off. My comms went out. I had no comms.
I've got full-body chills over here! I couldn’t imagine driving a high-speed car and not being able to communicate with any members of the crew. To quote Simon Cowell, "It's a no for me." Of course, Brad Pitt is a professional, and he has experience operating complex vehicles. However, it sounds like even he was thrown for a loop when the situation happened.
Nevertheless, the A-lister had to do the job -- and perform it in a real stadium with actual racing fans cheering in the stands. (No pressure, right?) So, even though he had no way of receiving external guidance through the racing sequence, Pitt still felt confident enough to keep going. As he explained during the cast interview, there was a specific reason for that optimism:
And suddenly, it’s the first time on the track with the fans, filming, and we have no comms. But, fortunately, we’d choreographed it so much that we just wung it. Yeah, I was like, ‘You got to go, right?’
The thought of winging such a scene sounds wild but, again, this is Brad Pitt we're talking about. As any major fan of excellent car racing movies probably knows, there is so much coordination, choreographing and constant communication that's required pull complex racing scenes. If all three of those elements are not working in perfect harmony, there can be complications. I'm just glad that Pitt was able to get through the sequence and apparently, unharmed as well. He's long proven himself to be a committed actor, and that's why he's paid the big bucks.
After Pitt's co-stars all gasped in awe (like me) due to his story, Javier Bardem asked if he still acted through the whole thing, too. Indeed Pitt did, as he was able to remember the choreography accordingly. Considering his masterful work in F1, I really wonder what could've been if Pitt had starred in Ford V Ferrari. I'd love to see him do a sequel to this latest racing film and, if that happens, I'd hope there are no more comm failures.
Race over to a local cinema and check out F1 now!
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