Summary
- Brad Pitt was 35- years-old while filming Fight Club, showcasing his dedication to physical preparation for the role.
- Pitt’s co-star Edward Norton was 29 during filming, having gained muscle for a previous role, both actors demonstrated commitment.
- Fight Club was a crucial milestone in both actors’ careers and allowed them to create something special on screen together.
Brad Pitt has long been a leading man in Hollywood, but when he appeared in Fight Club, he was still at the early stages of his career. Brad Pitt got his start in acting in 1987 when he landed some minor roles in movies and TV. However, it wasn’t until 1991, when he played J.D. in Thelma & Louise, that he got his first big break in Hollywood. Up to that point, Pitt had managed to appear in 20 separate projects in just five years and establish himself as a hard-working and committed actor.
He managed to land larger roles, with some appearances as the leading man, and firmly established himself as a Hollywood heart throb. However, Pitt was also an excellent action star capable of delivering high-intensity roles that made him stand out to all demographics. In 1999, he had another huge role that further launched his career when he appeared in Fight Club opposite the up-and-coming star, Edward Norton.
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Fight Club: The Narrator’s Real Name Explained
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Brad Pitt Was 35-Years-Old When Filming Fight Club
And Still In The Best Shape Of His Life
Brad Pitt was born December 18, 1963. Meanwhile, Fight Club was filmed from July to December of 1998, approximately a year before it was released in theaters. This means that as of recording the movie, Brad Pitt was 35 years old. This makes him one of the oldest and most experienced actors on the set of the film, but thanks to his incredible dedication to training and preparing for the physical role, he is also the most in shape.
The actor managed to stick to a strict training regimen and diet to achieve his incredible physique (via GQ), and embody the role of Tyler Durden, a fearless and anarchistic part of the Narrator and one half of the lead character in the movie. While 35 would typically be around the age where people begin to struggle to maintain muscle mass and keep weight off, Pitt showed tremendous dedication, and it paid off to make the character of Tyler Durden even more of a stark contrast to the physically smaller Narrator played by Norton.
How Old Brad Pitt Was Compared To Edward Norton
Tyler Durden And The Narrator
Meanwhile, Pitt’s co-star, Edward Norton, had the advantage of being born several years later, in 1969. At the time of filming, Norton was 29 years old, and he had his 30th birthday while filming Fight Club. However, Norton was also coming off of filming American History X, where the actor got into shape and gained 30 pounds of muscle. As the Narrator, he wasn’t intended to be muscular or impressive, as the character was supposed to be more plain and unimpressive.
Both actors showed a great deal of dedication and commitment to the roles, ultimately shaping a narrative where one man is lost in his thoughts and fed up with his mundane life, until he meets someone exciting and dangerous to take him on an adventure from which there is no return. Together, they managed to create something incredibly special, at a point that was still early in both of their careers. Since then, both actors have gone on to appear in dozens of other movies, and bag Oscar nominations, and even a couple of wins for Brad Pitt, but Fight Club was a vital stepping stone on that journey.