F1: The Movie director Joseph Kosinski breaks down his experience collaborating with Brad Pitt to shape the film’s main character, Sonny Hayes. In an interview with ComicBook to promote the movie, Kosinski addressed the similarities between F1 and his previous project, Top Gun: Maverick. Both movies revolve around an aging legend attempting to prove he still belongs in his respective field. Kosinski discussed how Pitt was one of the actors he always wanted to work with, and when that opportunity presented itself with F1, the filmmaker set out to craft a story and character that would be the perfect fit for Pitt’s talents.
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“I always want to work with Brad. He’s on the Mount Rushmore of actors that I want to work with,” Kosinski said. “And, so, I knew he was interested in racing. And when I kind of came up with the idea of wanting to tell a story in this world, he was at the top of the list. So then it’s about coming up with a story that feels kind of authentic to who he is … kind of crafting a character for him … When people see it, I think they’ll see why Brad Pitt makes the perfect Sonny.”
Kosinski also detailed the “track day” he organized with Pitt and Lewis Hamilton, the real-life F1 star who has a role in the film. “It was really a way for Lewis to see what Brad was like in a car,” he said. “I think Lewis wasn’t sure if it was possible to get an actor to drive one of these cars. But when he saw Brad’s natural ability behind the wheel, he thought it was possible.”
The F1 trailers have established that Pitt’s Sonny is a veteran of the track who gets talked into returning to racing. He’s tasked with mentoring the young, up-and-coming driver Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris), and the two frequently butt heads due to their contrasting styles and mentalities. In our interview, Kosinski described Sonny as an “old-school” character, as evidenced by his impromptu workouts in hotel rooms that don’t require state-of-the-art gym equipment.
Reading over the F1 synopsis, it’s easy to draw comparisons to Top Gun: Maverick, which starred Tom Cruise as an aging fighter pilot who returns to Top Gun to train a new generation of pilots for a dangerous mission. Cruise’s Pete “Maverick” Mitchell can find himself at odds with his students (particularly Miles Teller’s Rooster), but the group finds a way to come together and accomplish their task.
He doesn’t look it, but Pitt is 61 years old. So the role of an F1 legend who comes out of retirement for one last shot at glory seems like the perfect part for him to take on at this point in his career. Much like Top Gun: Maverick, there’s a meta component to F1; Pitt has been a Hollywood A-lister since the ’90s, with several notable credits and accolades to his name. Sonny is out to show he still has what it takes to be one of the best drivers on the F1 circuit, while Pitt is showing he’s still more than capable of leading an old-school summer blockbuster that thrills audiences.
It remains to be seen if F1 can replicate Top Gun: Maverick‘s success on the Oscar circuit, but Kosinski’s latest is shaping up to be another must-see on the big screen. Early F1 reviews have praised the film’s authentic, immersive racing sequences, as well as the performances from Pitt, Idris, and Kerry Condon. By all accounts, Kosinski was right on the money when he came up with this narrative and decided to make Pitt his star. Hopefully, F1 can emerge as a box office hit, paving the way for Kosinski to helm more high-octane projects like a Miami Vice remake or his untitled UFO conspiracy thriller.
