3 in a Row: Tracking Brad Pitt’s Epic First Blockbuster Run

Brad Pitt is one of the most recognized names and faces in the world, a mega-movie star with celebrated good looks and acting talent that has made him a household word for more than two decades. Getting his start – as so many in the business do – on television, his move to the big screen saw him cast in minor roles and a few duds as Hollywood tried to figure out what to do with his smoldering physical charms and old school movie star presence. Short shots like his memorable turn in Thelma & Louise (above) had many asking questions but it would be another three years from there before he got his big break and suddenly he was on a run of 3 in a Row that would catapult him into the stratosphere, and one of Hollywood’s most in-demand leading men. And it all began with a bite from another chisel chinned hunk …

Interview with the Vampire

It’s 1994 and Mr. Pitt has already had a few successful appearances in some pretty big films. He was that spacey dopehead in True Romance, that cute guy in A River Runs Through It, and even the lead in a failed live action/animated thriller called Cool World. Then came this film adaptation of the ridiculously popular vampire book by Anne Rice, which put him opposite box office sure thing Tom Cruise and Pitt’s fellow True Romance star Christian Slater. Pitt plays Louis de Pointe du Lac, a poor sap in modern times who tells a reporter (Slater) that he’s actually a vampire, bitten back in 1791 and still going at it, very unhappily. It ain’t easy being a bloodsucker. The movie pits (sorry) him and good morals against the ruthless LeStat (Cruise), a vampire who pretty much embraces the immortality and immorality of it all, trying to bend the forlorn Louis to his side, dragging in a little girl (Kirsten Dunst) to his vicious web. A macabre thriller that Pitt now famously says he wanted desperately out of during filming – dissatisfied with the development of his character – the movie was nonetheless a monster hit, suddenly propelling him into the mainstream with audiences wanting more. He obliged.

Legends of the Fall

Directed by Edward Zwick, this adaptation of the 1979 book of the same name by Jim Harrison was another blockbuster hit for Pitt, who stars as Tristan Ludlow, a son (of three) of Col. William Ludlow (Anthony Hopkins) in early 20th century Montana. Tristan’s brothers are all close but very much individual with Tristan the most daring and untamed. The older Alfred (Aidan Quinn ) is opposite, careful and responsible while the youngest Samuel (Henry Thomas) is innocent of much of the world. The story follows their adventures through war and strife, heartache and loss, tragedy and triumph, with Tristan always at the center, shaped by the paths he takes. A critical favorite and Academy Award winner for Best Cinematography, Legends of the Fall is a drop dead gorgeous movie with an grand story and attention to detail that had theatergoers collectively swooning. Pitt is the shining star here, his rugged good looks one thing but his performance rightfully earning the higher praise. The guy is good. And that ending. Whew. This was the stuff that makes a movie star and Pitt stepped up. A year later, there was no turning back.

Se7en

Brad Pitt was on the lips of most anyone talking about movies in 1995, he pretty much one film away from being the most bankable actor in the business and sure enough, when David Fincher‘s stylistic genre-defining Se7en hit big screens,  BAM, he was it. This gritty, gruesome chiller about a serial killer (Kevin Spacey), who terrorizes victims with the seven deadly sins, sees Pitt as young detective Mills, partnered with veteran cop Somerset (Morgan Freeman) tracking him down. It’s hard to describe how big a movie this was on release, how it had everyone talking and completely shifted the expectations of the killer-on-the-loose movie, even including the opening titles, but it was a game-changer. Pitt was in some hefty company in terms of acting chutzpah but not only holds his own, just about outright steals the movie. His “what’s in the box,” is one of those movies quotes that still has legs more than twenty years on. You know you say it. Either way, the doors were flung wide open for Pitt after Se7en, the film another gigantic box office hit and one of his best reviewed films. And he was only just beginning.

The Aftermath

With Se7en under his belt, Brad Pitt went on to be one of the most successful actors in film history, a string of movie hits piled up one after other the likes few in the biz have ever matched. From the Ocean’s Eleven films to Inglourious Basterds to Fight Club to World War Z  to well, the list is nearly too long for this space. Pitt has maintained a high level of professionalism and top tier performances while delivering some really entertaining movies, of which he continues to do even today.  With no less than eight projects on the docket for 2019, he’s sure to stay on top for some time to come, his timeless good looks and charms able to keep pulling in fans. But what a first run he had with 3 in a Row that made him a international superstar.