Getting Brad Pitt stranded in the Alaskan wilderness after a plane crash would already be enough trouble for one movie, but Heart of the Beast also brings J.K. Simmons along for the ride. The new survival thriller makes things even harder by putting Pitt’s character there with only his combat dog at his side and very little standing between them and everything the wilderness can throw their way.
That stripped-down premise naturally means there isn’t room for a huge ensemble cast. But having J.K. Simmons among the actors joining Pitt gives the movie something pretty special whenever the two share the screen.
After all, putting two Academy Award winners together is rarely a bad place to start.
J.K. Simmons joins Brad Pitt in Heart of the Beast
Heart of the Beast stars Pitt as Special Forces officer James Belmont, who survives a devastating plane crash along with his combat dog, Odin. Stranded deep in Alaska, the two have to depend on each other as they fight their way through an unforgiving environment and try to survive long enough to get home.
The movie comes from director David Ayer, who previously worked with Pitt on Fury, and the relatively isolated setting puts even more importance on the characters who do cross James’ path.
That includes Simmons.
Speaking about working with Pitt, Simmons says putting the two Oscar winners together proved to be a lot of fun during production and he was just as pleased with how their work ultimately came together on screen.
Click on the media below to hear J.K. Simmons talk about working with Brad Pitt on Heart of the Beast.
J.K. Simmons has built one seriously varied career
Of course, Simmons has spent decades proving that he can show up in almost anything.
Long before winning an Academy Award, television viewers knew him from shows including Oz, Law & Order and The Closer. Movie audiences may immediately picture him as the wonderfully explosive J. Jonah Jameson in the Spider-Man films, while others remember him as the understanding father Mac MacGuff in Juno.
Then came Whiplash.
Simmons’ performance as demanding music instructor Terence Fletcher earned him the 2015 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, along with a Golden Globe, BAFTA and SAG Award. It also gave him one of those performances that can become inseparable from an actor’s career.
Yet Simmons has never seemed particularly interested in playing the same type of character over and over again.
That makes seeing him turn up in a rugged survival thriller like Heart of the Beast part of the fun.
At the center of it all is a man and his dog
Despite having two Oscar winners in the cast, Heart of the Beast ultimately keeps its story focused on something much simpler: the bond between James and Odin.
The trailer makes it clear that survival depends on the two protecting each other as they face the elements, injuries and the isolation of the Alaskan wilderness.
And with Pitt carrying much of that journey alongside a German Shepherd, the appearances from performers like Simmons have a chance to make an even bigger impression.
Heart of the Beast opens in theaters this Friday, September 25.
