Even though they’ve been friends for a number of years, Brad Pitt and Sandra Bullock didn’t cross paths on the silver screen until very recently, and even at that it was only the mutual returning of favours.
In what shouldn’t be a surprise considering the two-time Academy Award winner’s luxurious mane that he maintains even into his 60s, the only reason they ended up starring in each other’s movies in the first place is because they share the same hairdresser, who encouraged them to cross-pollinate.
As a result, Pitt swung by Bullock’s romantic action comedy The Lost City as Jack Trainer, with his fellow Oscar winner reciprocating by popping up at the end of David Leitch’s fast-paced blockbuster Bullet Train as Maria Beetle, the handler of his hero Ladybug. They’ve yet to collaborate in a major capacity, but it did almost happen under unusual circumstances.
When promoting his bespoke skincare brand in an interview with British Vogue, Pitt was asked for a product demonstration. When he politely declined, he was instead asked for an insight into his routine instead, albeit with the instruction not to “make it too QVC.” Although he claims he “wouldn’t know how to that unless it was a comedy,” he proceeded to drop a bombshell anyway.
“Actually, Sandy and I did once try to develop a whole idea of a husband and wife team, who were QVC’s most successful salespeople, but we’re getting a divorce, we hate each other, and we’re taking it out on air as we sell things,” he revealed. “That’s as far as we got.”
The prospect of Pitt and Bullock occupying the lead roles in a hybrid of family drama, divorce story, and romance set in the distinct world of free-to-air shopping television is a tantalising prospect, one that would have opened the door to both a powerhouse performance and a rich vein of jet-black comedy were it to come to fruition.
That’s about the breadth of the details made available, though, with Pitt potentially keeping his cards close to the chest in case the opportunity arises again. After all, he’s previously described Bullock as “an angel for me” that he can “call for anything” when he needs it, and a QVC-centric feature sounds like the ideal way for them to bring their professional relationship to the next level.
Having shared it with the world, the notion of QVC evolving from a bastion of easy payments to prestige drama is every bit as curious as it is intoxicating, especially with Pitt and Bullock leading the line. By his own admission, things didn’t get very far the first time around, but the pair are a couple of Hollywood’s longest-tenured A-listers, so it wouldn’t be too difficult for them to find a studio willing to back the movie if they ever dust off the idea.
