Brad Pitt’s Jesse James: Legend of a fall

‘He’s just so open’
Blanchett and Pitt reunite for next year’s “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” Pitt’s third film with David Fincher, based on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s story about a man who is born old and ages backward toward infancy.

“He’s just so open. He’s a great player. Brad loves a good idea and a good conversation, and I think that extends to acting, really,” Blanchett said. “I think he’s got a really good nose for what works, and I think people will be blown away by him in ‘Benjamin Button.”’

Pitt now is shooting the Coen brothers’ dark comedy “Burn After Reading” with George Clooney, his partner in crime in “Ocean’s Eleven” and its two sequels.

While Pitt looks for roles that offer fresh dramatic possibilities, finding good work companions such as Clooney has become crucial in his job choices.

“As I get older, it’s the company I keep,” Pitt said. “It means something to me to have these friends out here and people I respect ... Most of the movie is spent when the camera’s not rolling, and to work with these interesting people is really the most important thing to me.”

With his production company Plan B, Pitt also is active as a producer whose credits include Jolie’s recent drama “A Mighty Heart.” (He also was a producer on “Assassination of Jesse James.”)

Safety is key
Pitt jokes that the advantage of today’s celebrity culture is that people are not carrying six-shooters around the way they did in James’ day. Even so, as a new father, Pitt is mindful of the potential dangers that come with fame.

Along with their biological daughter, Pitt and Jolie have three children she adopted from Cambodia, Ethiopia and Vietnam.

“It’s something that I want to be aware of and be cautious about, especially with the family, that everybody’s protected,” Pitt said. “I mean it’s rare, but there are imbalanced people out there. I’ve had break-ins in the house ... I’ve had some of these abnormal incidents that can be a bit frightening.”

When Pitt or Jolie is working, the other takes time off to tend the children, who travel with them wherever they are filming.

“We just take turns and make sure we keep the family together,” Pitt said.

Pitt is quick to acknowledge reporters’ questions about his and Jolie’s plans for more children.

“We’re not done. They say, any plans for a fifth? And I say, ‘And a sixth, and a seventh, and an eighth, and a ninth.’ That’s my answer. ...

“We also made a 9-foot-wide bed” that can fit him, Jolie and all four children, Pitt said. “Just big enough. One more and we’ll have to go to 11 feet.”

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