Brad Pitt’s First Big Movie Role Was Weird As Hell
During an appearance on this week's (very good) episode of WTF with Marc Maron, Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio reminisced about their early years in Hollywood and their first TV and film roles. Pitt and DiCaprio's careers share some similarities: They were both guest stars on Growing Pains, for instance, and have both worked with Alejandro González Iñárritu. Their first respective film roles were in lesser-known films – DiCaprio had a supporting role in Critters 3, but Pitt's first major role was in a film that has been almost entirely forgotten by time: The Dark Side of the Sun.
Filmed in the former Yugoslavia and released in 1988, the drama centers on a young man named Rick who is deathly allergic to sunlight. After trying (and failing) to cure the disease with traditional medicine, Rick's father takes him over to then-Yugoslavia to meet a healer who might be able to help. This is where we'd normally put a spoiler warning, but it's a pretty obscure movie that isn't readily available to see – except for a handful of YouTube clips. In the end, Rick – unable to find a cure – decides he's tired of living his life in a rubber suit and gimp mask (!), so he heads down to the beach to feel the sun on his skin for the first time. And then the sun kills him.
We'd like to thank reader @murderwizard from Adult Swim for bringing these YouTube clips to our attention because they are extremely special. Behold, Brad Pitt doing his best to act through a rubber suit and gimp mask, making Shakespearean hand gestures to convey some sense of, I dunno, seriousness to this absolutely silly movie:
Oh no, the sun is going to kill Brad Pitt!
And here's the ending, which isn't entirely sad: Gimp Pitt gets to hook up with the pretty lady, and then he drives off INTO THE SUNSET knowing full well it will destroy him. Sadly, we do not get to witness his ultimate demise.
If you're interested in learning more about this weird-ass time in Pitt's career, Amy Nicholson wrote about The Dark Side of the Sun for LA Weekly back in 2014, and it's definitely worth a quick read.
