A surprising moment occurred this weekend on the streets of Las Vegas. Brad Pitt "fainted" after a crash.
Ok, he didn't actually crash or faint, but it certainly appeared so for a moment as he and his stunt double filmed a scene for his upcoming Formula One film, "F1."
People in attendance for the Grand Prix weekend captured footage of Pitt's character stumbling away from a destroyed race car. A safety car raced up to the scene of the crash. The character then collapsed after holding his arm out toward the safety crew. He landed on a rubber mat covering the surface of the street.
Brad Pitt filming his F1 movie at Las Vegas Grand Prix 🎥 🎬 🏁#F1 #Vegas #LasVegasGP #LasVegasGrandPrix #BradPitt https://t.co/K0u4re3J8K pic.twitter.com/tM3P7pfZXT
— Lily (@Lily042723) November 24, 2024
As the videos showed, this process was fairly in-depth. One take featured a cameraman standing in front of Pitt to capture the scene up close and personal. Another featured a camera on Pitt's stunt double's helmet to provide a first-person perspective.
The F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix, which Max Verstappen used to capture his fourth world championship, was not the first time that Pitt has attended a Grand Prix to film scenes. He also did so at the Hermanos Rodríguez racetrack as Formula One teams competed in the Mexico City Grand Prix.
One of the scenes showed Pitt's character, Sonny Hayes, climbing from his APX GP race car and walking toward the fence. He held his helmet in his arm as he pumped his fist and waved to the fans.
Brad Pitt was feeling the need for speed as he got back behind the wheel filming his upcoming movie "F1" at the Mexico City Grand Prix! 🏁🏎️ Brad has been shooting a different races all over the world for the film, which is due in theaters June 2025.#F1 #MexicoCityGP pic.twitter.com/MhKKdS5Jw2
— ExtraTV (@extratv) October 28, 2024
Filming also took place at the Silverstone Circuit in 2023 when Pitt "took part" in the British Grand Prix. Filming also took place at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix as the crew continued to capture authentic footage for the upcoming racing film.
Capturing this footage is not simple. To achieve this, Oscar-winning Cinematographer Claudio Miranda worked with Sony Electronics to develop a custom camera that could be mounted to the race cars.
According to Variety, these cameras had to be compact enough for Pitt to drive and see while filming scenes. The cameras functioned at over 200 mph as actors and stunt drivers alike worked on the film's production.
"F1," which arrives in theaters in the summer of 2025, features Pitt as retired racer Sonny Hayes. He returns to Formula One and becomes teammates with rookie driver Joshua Pearce, played by Damson Idris. The two characters drive for the fictional APXGP.
"F1" also stars Javier Bardem, Tobias Menzies, Kerry Condon, Sarah Niles, Kim Bodnia, and Samson Kayo. Seven-time Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton serves as a co-producer while "Top Gun: Maverick" director Joseph Kosinski directs.