Preview: Brad Pitt on "Moneyball," "Tree of Life"
Brad Pitt is now up for an Academy Award for his performance in "Moneyball," but the actor says it was a struggle to even make the film at all.
"It took a lot to get made," he tells correspondent Lee Cowan in an interview for "Sunday Morning," airing Jan. 29.
"This movie died on the vine - or almost died on the vine - several times. Actually, it did actually die and we had to resuscitate it," he explained. "I had asked a lot of people to stick with this and even put their jobs on the line. So I'm very grateful that we made the movie, in the end, that we set out to make."
Pictures: Brad Pitt
Pictures: Oscar nominees 2012
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"Moneyball" is nominated for six Oscars, including Pitt for best actor, Jonah Hill for supporting actor, adapted screenplay and best picture.
Pitt also stars in one of the other best picture nominees, Terrence Malick's "The Tree of Life." He told Cowan that making the film was a "really interesting experience."
This was not a normal film production," he said. "There were no generators. There was no noise. It was a very small and sparse crew. The kids had never read the script. They would pick out their clothes that day."
"We weren't going off a script. We were as a springboard for the scene, but it could go in any direction," he added. And Terry Malick was looking for those moments when you trip up, when you, you know, the human moments that that happen in the day...the perfection of mistakes."
Pitt also revealed that being a parent has made him more focused in his work.
"You have less time to spend on a project," he said. "You come home and you're Dad. You're much more conscious of how much time you give to a production. So when you do, there's-- I think it's more intense. At the same time, I worry less about it - what it's gonna be - in a way that's been very freeing.
You can see previews of the interview below and at the top of the story. The full interview airs this Sunday, Jan. 29, on "Sunday Morning."