Brad Pitt on How ‘F1’ Reinvigorated Him: ‘Almost Like Starting Over’ (Exclusive)

Brad Pitt spoke to “Extra’s” Terri Seymour as he got fans revved up at the “F1” Mexico City fan event! 

He reacted to his co-stars saying the vibe on set was, “We cannot kill Brad Pitt,” laughing as he responded, “Well, they got a funny way of showing it, like, being in that car on these tracks."

Terri asked if he was ever scared going that fast, and Pitt insisted, “No, the speed becomes relative,” pointing out, “It’s more of, like, trusting the brakes. That gets your attention a little more."

Pitt put a lot of time into honing his driving skills and got extra time to practice during the Hollywood strikes. He told Terri, “I wish we could reshoot the whole thing over again,” adding with a smile, “because I’m that good.”

He shared how the film reinvigorated him, saying, “Doing this this long and to find something that was almost like starting over, it was so full of passion and it gave me a feeling like I’ve never had before. It was just sublime. I’m pretty grateful for [director] Joe Kosinski for coming up with this."

Brad also talked about shooting at Silverstone and admitted there were nerves getting out in front of the real F1 fans. 

“We had been, like, rehearsing there for a few weeks, so it kind of felt like it was home," he recalled. "But then when the whole race movement comes in it's such a juggernaut of a machine,” the star explained. “It is really awe-inspiring, and then to get on the track with 100,000 fans, I was a little bit nervous."

He added, "Actually, no, it was a high. Like, sitting waiting it was, once you get going, it's a high. It's a high."

He said he was sad and "counting down" as they neared the end of filming, noting, "I miss it now."

Getting the approval of the F1 fans meant “everything,” as Brad explained, “If we didn’t pass their bar, than we were dead, you know? And to get that kind of, I don't know, response means a lot to us, because we have, again, so much respect for these drivers, for this sport, for everyone, the teams, everything they put into it. They made the movie too. They're a big part of the film."

As for anticipating the F1 community's reaction to the movie, Brad shared, "I felt pretty confident in what we have. You know, I feel like we successfully thread this needle that's for longtime fans that really understand the sport as well as newcomers, and they understood that was our goal, and, I don't know, I think they had fun too. I think it's just fun. It's really good fun."

Plus, he dished on what’s next for him — another chapter of “Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood.” 

Brad shared, “We’re doing another episode in the Cliff Booth character’s life. It was written by Quentin [Tarantino], and David Fincher is going to direct, and we are going to shoot it all in L.A., and it is going to be great fun.”