Taking place against the backdrop of the Rocky Mountains during World War I and the beginning of the Great Depression, Pitt plays one of two sons of a Presbyterian minister.
The film won the Academy Award for ‘Best Cinematography’ and was nominated for a handful of other prizes, but even so, Pitt was not overly impressed by his performance.
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Speaking with EW, Pitt explained that starring in a Robert Redford movie was a brilliant opportunity, but it came with its own difficulties.
“It’s hugely complimentary,” the actor noted, “but you want to find your own thing. You want to stake your own claim. You don’t want to be called a copycat. Robert Redford made a quality movie. But I don’t think I was skilled enough. I think I could have done better.”
In another conversation with The LA Times, Pitt doubled down on his supposedly poor performance, noting, “My performance in A River Runs Through. It was weak.
I was just bad.” He went on to further explain that the pressure of being in front of one of his heroes in the shape of Redford perhaps got to him during the shoot.
“I had an ultimate respect for Redford, and so I just felt this pressure not to let him down, and ultimately that gets in the way,” Pitt added.
“So what do you learn? Just do your thing.” Early into Pitt’s career, he indeed had much to learn about the acting profession, but if what followed is anything to go by, then A River Runs Through It was quite the learning experience.
