Roy London: the man who shaped Brad Pitt’s career
Hopeful actors with dreams of succeeding in the film industry could only ever dream of achieving a minute portion of what Brad Pitt has throughout his career. A true monolith of Hollywood, Pitt boasts an acting prowess and the admiration of his peers quite unlike any other.
Pitt has contributed to some of the most memorable movie moments of the last 30 years or so, from his breakthrough efforts in David Fincher’s Seven and Terry Gilliam’s 12 Monkeys right through to his performances for Quentin Tarantino in Inglorious Basterds and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
Such turns have led to quite the career for Pitt, and he’s rightfully earned two Academy Awards for his versatile and intense on-screen efforts, while he has also contributed to the world of American cinema through his production company, making The Departed, 12 Years a Slave and Moonlight.
Like any actor, though, Pitt had to begin somewhere and arriving in Los Angeles after dropping out of the University of Missouri shortly before completing his degree, he set out for Los Angeles, where he took acting lessons while working a handful of odd jobs. It was at this point that he met the man who would change his life.
In LA, Pitt met the acting coach Roy London. At the time, Pitt knew “nothing about the arts or the profession”, telling Backstage, “I had no technique, I knew nothing, I’m fresh from Missouri. I sat in on a few classes, and they just felt a little guru-ish and just didn’t feel right to me. Until I met Roy.”
London had worked on Broadway and Off-Broadway as an actor, and after enjoying a relatively successful career, he spent the last 15 years of his life passing down his knowledge, notably to a young Brad Pitt, who had been “driving strippers around to bachelor parties, get them there, get them home, collect the money, play the music, and catch the clothes.”
The job paid well, according to Pitt, but the money wasn’t the most important thing in the future actor’s life because, one night on the job, he drove a woman who was dating an actor. The woman informed Pitt of Roy London and that he ought to go and visit him. “I learned so much from that man,” Pitt admitted. “I miss him.”
According to Pitt, London had based his teachings on the work of German-American theatre practitioner Uta Hagan, but he “really made it his own”. The acting coach was “tough, lovely and compassionate” and gave Pitt the tools that he needed to achieve his future success in the film industry.
“I give him full credit for pointing me in this direction,” the actor said. “I studied with him for three years, I think, then started getting some work. Then, I would work with him individually on projects. He loved film, and he loved storytelling. And he loved the individual and looking at what each person could bring to something.”
It’s easy to think of Pitt as bursting out of the blocks onto the scene and achieving all his widespread success from the off. However, the truth is that he had a mentor in the shape of Roy London, who showed him all the tricks of the acting trade, ensuring his future success and enduring Hollywood legacy.