FRANKLIN, Tenn. — Brad Pitt said his new survival drama “Heart of the Beast” pays tribute to members of the military who put not only their bodies but their “psyches” and “souls” on the line, while exploring how sacrificial love can give people a reason to persevere through trauma and hardship.
Speaking to The Christian Post at the film’s global premiere at FirstBank Amphitheater, the 62-year-old Academy Award winner reflected on the sacrifices made by service members and the difficulty many face when transitioning back into civilian life.
“They really put themselves on the line, not just their bodies, but their psyches, their souls, and they go through something, you know, experience very extreme circumstances for us,” Pitt said. “And then that integration back into the world, I wouldn’t think is an easy thing.”
Pitt stars as James Belmont, a former U.S. Army Special Forces officer who ventures into the wilderness with his retired combat dog, Odin. When their trip turns into a fight for survival, the two are forced to depend on each other while confronting the lingering effects of their military service. The film opens in theaters on Sept. 25.
Directed by David Ayer, a professing Christian, the film explores post-traumatic stress not only through James but also through Odin, a detail Pitt said particularly affected him. Dogs, he pointed out, are known for their unconditional love but can also be deeply affected by their experiences, much like humans.
“The idea that even a canine combat dog could come out of it with PTSD was really moving to me,” Pitt said. “And you go, of course.”
“We know our dogs are unconditional in their love,” he said, adding that they can also be changed “by the way they’re treated” and “what they experience.”
“There’s not much difference” between humans and dogs in that respect, Pitt said, though dogs “do it a little better than us on the unconditional front.”
The film also examines how selflessly loving another person, or animal, can become a catalyst for healing. Pitt said he and Ayer discussed the idea that people sometimes find it easier to fight for someone they love than to extend the same compassion to themselves.
“Sometimes we don’t treat ourselves so well, but the love of another, we step up and we fight and we persevere, like we lay down for another,” Pitt said. “And that act alone can teach us how to better treat ourselves and treat each other.”
“That’s kind of the message at the end that really, really moves me,” he added.
Ayer, whose previous films include the World War II drama “Fury,” also starring Pitt, told CP that “Heart of the Beast” was intended to offer audiences something hopeful at a time when people desperately need it.
“You try and share something positive, healthy for people, especially today,” Ayer said on the red carpet. “Until people see it and connect with it, you don’t know. But everyone who’s seen it, like, there’s been an immense emotional response, and so it’s a little scary, but also I feel blessed.”
The filmmaker previously told CP that his Christian faith informed his understanding of the film’s themes of suffering, perseverance and redemption. At the premiere, Ayer said hope is woven throughout James and Odin’s relationship because neither abandons the other.
“They never give up on each other. They never quit on each other,” Ayer said. “Part of having hope is as simple as not feeling sorry for yourself, which is something I think we all can fight and struggle with. Just knowing that there is a way through and that you’re going to be resilient, you’re going to be strong.”
“It’s belief in your own heart, but also belief in a heart outside of yours that really gives us strength,” he said.
For screenwriter and executive producer Cameron Alexander, the story began during one of the lowest periods of his own career. The writer shared he was “dead broke” and struggling to find professional success when he began writing what ultimately became “Heart of the Beast.” During that period, he said, his dog seemed like his only constant companion.
“I felt like my only friend in life was my dog, who was beside me as I wrote all my screenplays throughout the years,” Alexander told CP.
After accumulating an “enormous” list of failed projects and stories that failed to generate interest, Alexander decided to write a “love letter” to his dog, which became the basis for the film and changed the trajectory of his life.
“This whole story is kind of a metaphor for different things that we were going through, me and my dog,” he said. “Obviously, it’s all heightened, but it’s all metaphor for struggle.”
Alexander said he also wanted the film to draw attention to the challenges faced by military veterans after their service ends. The aspect of the veteran experience was not being depicted often enough, he stressed, particularly alongside the experiences of military working dogs.
“There’s many people who dedicate their lives doing incredibly dangerous things, and then they specialize in war and going through all this special training,” he said. “But then sometimes you come out of the service, and then you feel lonely, or you feel like you don’t know how to integrate back into society. You feel like you don’t fit in.”
“The dogs have PTSD struggles of their own,” he said. “So I really wanted to just show something about reintegrating or trying to make an attempt to live your life again after the career ends. … And showing that you just have to keep fighting.”
Animal coordinator Andrew Simpson said portraying Odin’s trauma required extensive preparation. Four dogs, Uber and his three sons, were used during production, with Uber serving as the primary dog portraying Odin. Simpson and his team spent five weeks preparing the dogs and three weeks working with Pitt.
One particularly intense sequence required Uber to appear to experience a PTSD episode. The performance proved so convincing that, according to Simpson, an American Humane representative initially believed the dog was genuinely distressed and asked the production to stop.
“I’m like, ‘No, that’s training,’” Simpson recalled. “We train them to make them look like that, and as soon as we say stop, Uber stops. … Part of my job is to pick a dog that I know can emote that emotion, and Uber nails those scenes.”
Several adoptable dogs were present at the Franklin premiere, along with active service dogs intended to give attendees a glimpse into their work.
Military dogs, Simpson noted, undergo rigorous training and can face many of the same stresses explored in the film. When their service ends, he said, some are able to retire with their former handlers.
“They have a tough life,” Simpson said. “And when they come home, it’s very nice that they get sometimes to go with their handlers and just retire with a relaxing environment.”
The global premiere also brought Pitt, Ayer, J.K. Simmons, Anna Lambe and members of the filmmaking team to FirstBank Amphitheater.
“Heart of the Beast” is rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association (MPA) for violence, peril, bloody/injury images, and some language.
