MANILA, Philippines — Brad Pitt trained in wilderness survival and military techniques for his role as a retired Special Forces officer in the survival thriller “Heart of the Beast,” which opens in Philippine cinemas on Sept. 23.
Pitt plays James Belmont, a former soldier who becomes stranded in the Alaskan wilderness with Odin, his combat dog, after their plane crashes.
The actor, who already holds pilot and diving skills, added weightlifting, extensive cardio workouts and practical survival training to his preparation for the role.
Pitt trained with Lief Swenson, a real-life Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape (SERE) instructor who prepares military personnel and pilots to survive hostile environments.
“I learned that you can start a fire with Vaseline and cotton balls,” Pitt said. “He showed me how to find trees that are going to be dry enough to use as kindling.”
Swenson also taught Pitt techniques such as making fires and estimating distance with his thumb.
Pitt also worked with military adviser Shaun Dezern, a former United States Navy serviceman who spent more than two decades serving as a medic with the Marine Corps, Naval Special Warfare and Marine Special Operations Command.
“He was a very special man to have around,” Pitt said. “We can learn how to carry ourselves as someone who’s been through formal military training, and he certainly kept me within those guardrails.”
Dezern also shared his experiences to help Pitt understand the emotional challenges soldiers can face after returning from combat.
“It’s one thing to survive a battle, but then to survive the coming home and who you are in this world that you can’t quite make sense of… it’s even more do or die,” Pitt said.
Directed by David Ayer, “Heart of the Beast” follows James and Odin as they fight to survive in the Alaskan wilderness after the plane crash.
The film opens in Philippine cinemas on Sept. 23.
