has taken on a whole lot of opponents in various fight scenes and sequences.With this many on-screen fights, one wonders – can Brad Pitt really fight?
Yes. Brad Pitt can fight. This is a reasonable conclusion that can be drawn from the amount of training he has had to undergo to play his roles convincingly. There is no way a person would train so much on fighting and not retain some of the knowledge. Read on, and you will learn about Brad’s fighting skills.
What Fighting Styles Has Brad Pitt Learnt
As much as times have changed and we now live in a modern world, being able to kick butts is still a skill that can come in handy. Over the years, man has evolved so many fighting styles, and some have even translated to popular sports. Boxing, kickboxing, wrestling, taekwondo, and various martial arts are leading examples. Which of these then is Brad Pitt good at?
Brad Pitt Knows Martial Arts
In Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, Brad Pitt plays the role of an ex-military stuntman, and his character has to take on Bruce Lee in a fight. In playing this role, the award-winning actor had to be fit and well versed in martial arts as stunt doubles were not used. This much was confirmed by stunt supervisor, Zoe Bell, who set up training spaces for Brad to practice martial arts with veteran fighter coordinator Rob Alonzo.
In training Brad Pitt for the role, Alonzo was quite intent on ensuring the actor’s performance was authentic and not choreographed and stemmed from a knowledge of martial art principles. Alonzo is quoted as saying, “I didn’t want him just going through the motions… I knew that if Brad learned the principles of martial arts—like timing, spacial awareness, and range—he would be able to flow in the scenes much more naturally, like a real fighter would.” The training mainly focused on Filipino martial arts. Tom did fight like a real fighter in the movies and picked up martial art skills. See the clip below of a fight scene from the movie.
Brad Pitt Is a Boxer
In training for his role in Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, Brad Pitt also took lessons in mitt work. This bit of fighting was not new to the actor as his role in the cult classic Fight Club and Snatch featured elements of boxing. The veteran fight coordinator confirmed this when he stated that he was impressed with Brad’s boxing combos. To be a better boxer, Brad Pitt learned to incorporate hammer fists and some other reactive work into his routine. In the video below, you can see Brad Pitt showing off his punching ability.
Sword Fighting
Going by an interview had with Eric Bana, who played the role of Hector in Troy, Brad Pitt went through training on sword fighting with dedicated stuntmen to play the role of Achilles in the epic movie. Speaking about the training, the actor stated, “It was hard and physical but never felt like a chore. We had a small group of stunt guys who looked after Brad (Pitt) and I every day. It was just awesome.” The training certainly worked out if the fight scene below is anything to go by.
Finally…
From all of the above, It’s evident that Brad Pitt is proficient in kicking ass, whether in a boxing ring or in a dojo or even if he is taken back in time to the period of the ancient Greeks and has to fight with actual swords. If you doubt this, go take a look at his scenes in Fight Club, Troy, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, and, more recently, Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, among others or feel free to challenge him to a fight.