Brad Pitt says the “Heart of the Beast” screenplay made him slip outside for a “silent weep,” convincing him to pursue it. The film opened Sept. 25; Pitt plays James Belmont, a Special Forces veteran stranded in Alaska after a plane crash with his retired combat dog.
Uber, the German Shepherd who plays Odin, previously worked as a search-and-rescue dog in New Zealand before coming out of retirement for the film. Three of Uber’s sons also contributed to the role. The production had three weeks for Pitt and the dogs to get comfortable together; Pitt sat in Uber’s kennel before they worked on commands and scene choreography.
The roughly nine-week shoot took place in New Zealand, whose landscapes stood in for Alaska, amid rain, mud, steep terrain and cold. Director David Ayer said Pitt performed underwater material himself, swimming to and positioning himself in a submerged aircraft—work that would ordinarily involve a stunt double.
