“I was too old for this”: Brad Pitt rejected the lead role in a Martin Scorsese film that later won 4 Oscars

Brad Pitt was offered the leading role in the famous film “The Departed” alongside Leonardo DiCaprio. But he declined because he felt too old.

In 2003, Brad Pitt, along with Warner Bros and producer Brad Grey, acquired the rights for the American remake of the Asian film “Infernal Affairs.” At that time, it was considered a highly acclaimed Chinese gangster film that American cinema wanted to adapt as a remake.

The film premiered as “The Departed” in theaters on December 6 (USA) and December 7, 2006 (Germany). The story of “The Departed” is set in South Boston, where the state police have been fighting organized crime for years. Billy Costigan, played by DiCaprio, is a young police officer who grew up around crime and is tasked with infiltrating the mafia and identifying the boss.

Brad Pitt felt too old for the leading role

Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio were supposed to play the lead roles in the film, but Pitt was uncomfortable with the fact that he would be ten years older than Leonardo DiCaprio. In an interview with “Interview” magazine, Brad Pitt later explained that he felt too old for the film. He stated (via sensacine.com):

I developed it for two and a half years. We fought for the film and then got William Monahan to write the screenplay. When Scorsese came into the picture, I thought it would be better if younger people were involved, people just starting their lives, people coming from academia, people who are hungry. I thought he was too old for it.

Eventually, the actor relinquished the leading role to Matt Damon while remaining as a producer of the film. And this decision paid off for the film.

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“The Departed” won 4 Oscars

Which Oscars did the film win? Because in 2007, the film then won 4 Oscars in the following categories:

• Best Picture.
• Best Director.
• Best Adapted Screenplay.
• Best Editing.

More about Brad Pitt: By the way, this is not the first time Brad Pitt has declined a leading role in a film that later went on to win multiple Oscars: Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt declined the leading role in a film that won 3 Oscars