Brad Pitt goes deep into space, masculinity in 'Ad Astra'

"Ad Astra" looks and sounds like a space epic with a movie star lead in Brad Pitt, but there's a lot more going on beneath the surface.

Pitt said Thursday at the Venice International Film Festival that he and director James Gray are really digging into the idea of masculinity.

"Having grown up in an era where you're taught to be strong and not show weakness ... there is certain value in that but there's also a barrier that's created denying those pains or those things you feel ashamed to reveal," Pitt said. "I think we were asking the question: Is a better definition for us actually being more open divining a better relationship with your loved ones, with your parents, with your kids, and with yourself?"

Actor Brad Pitt arrives at the Lido Beach for the 76th edition of the Venice Film Festival, in Venice, Italy, Thursday, Aug. 29, 2019. The Venice Film Festival runs from Aug. 28 to Sept. 7. (Ettore FerrariANSA via AP)

"Ad Astra" follows Pitt's detached astronaut character Roy McBride on a journey to the outer reaches of space to find his estranged father, a famous astronaut himself who has long been thought dead.

In addition to starring, Pitt also produced the film which he said was one of the most challenging he's ever done. Not only did he and Gray use primarily practical sets (he laughed that he and friend George Clooney "exchanged some discomfort stories" about the strings and rigs used to simulate anti-gravity in space films) but it's an emotionally taxing role as well.

Pitt had to draw on personal pains and wounds to make his performance as honest as possible. Gray, who has been a friend of Pitt's for 25 years, would send him emails every day revealing ideas from his own life that would help set the tone for whatever was needed for that particular day on set.

Actor Brad Pitt poses for photographers upon arrival for the photo call of the film 'Ad Astra' at the 76th edition of the Venice Film Festival in Venice, Italy, Thursday, Aug. 29, 2019. (Photo by Joel C RyanInvisionAP)

"We don't have a normal male relationship, we've always been quite open about our foibles and had big laughs at our embarrassing moments and (been) open about our feelings about our perceived failures or missteps," Pitt said. "It was a really unique experience."

Gray said he thinks its important that actors don't "worry about being liked or hated or sympathetic or unsympathetic."

"You can only worry about being honest about who you are and be vulnerable and open," he added.

Actors Ruth Negga, from left, Brad Pitt, Liv Tyler and director James Gray pose for photographers upon arrival for the photo call of the film 'Ad Astra' at the 76th edition of the Venice Film Festival in Venice, Italy, Thursday, Aug. 29, 2019. (AP PhotoDejan Jankovic)

The film had its world premiere at the 76th edition of the Venice festival and is in competition for the Golden Lion, alongside films like "Joker" and "Marriage Story." Past winners like "The Shape of Water" and "Roma" have in recent years gone on to win or gain best picture nominations come Oscar time. But when asked about the Oscar prospects of "Ad Astra," Pitt, who has yet to win an Oscar for acting despite being nominated twice, deflected.

"Every year I see amazing talent getting acknowledged and amazing talent not getting acknowledged. And my feeling is when your number comes up it's great fun and when someone else's number comes up it's very fun to see," Pitt said. "How was that for a dodge?"

His focus right now is simply finally releasing the film to the public. "Ad Astra's" release date has been pushed back a few times, as Fox integrated its release schedule with Disney after the acquisition.

Actors Liv Tyler, from left, Brad Pitt, Ruth Negga and director James Gray pose for photographers at the photo call for the film 'Ad Astra' at the 76th edition of the Venice Film Festival in Venice, Italy, Thursday, Aug. 29, 2019. (Photo by Joel C RyanInvisionAP)

"I just want to get this film out," Pitt said. "It's a challenging film. It's subtle and it's operating on many cylinders and it has something to say about who we are, the soul, why we hang on, what's our purpose? I'm curious to see where it lands. "

"Ad Astra" opens nationwide on Sept. 20.

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Follow AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ldbahr

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Widening demonstrations sparked by Iran's ailing economy spread Thursday into the Islamic Republic's rural provinces, with at least seven people being killed in the first fatalities reported among security forces and protesters, authorities said.

The deaths may mark the start of a heavier-handed response by Iran’s theocracy over the demonstrations, which have slowed in the capital, Tehran, but expanded elsewhere. The fatalities, two on Wednesday and five on Thursday, occurred in four cities, largely home to Iran’s Lur ethnic group.

The protests have become the biggest in Iran since 2022, when the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody triggered nationwide demonstrations. However, the demonstrations have yet to be countrywide and have not been as intense as those surrounding the death of Amini, who was detained over not wearing her hijab, or headscarf, to the liking of authorities.

The most-intense violence appeared to strike Azna, a city in Iran's Lorestan province, some 300 kilometers (185 miles) southwest of Tehran. There, online videos purported to show objects in the street ablaze and gunfire echoing as people shouted: “Shameless! Shameless!”

The semiofficial Fars news agency reported three people had been killed. Other media, including pro-reform outlets, cited Fars for the report while state-run media did not fully acknowledge the violence there or elsewhere. It wasn't clear why there wasn't more reporting over the unrest, but journalists had faced arrest over their reporting in 2022.

In Lordegan, a city in Iran's Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province, online videos showed demonstrators gathered on a street, with the sound of gunfire in the background. The footage matched known features of Lordegan, some 470 kilometers (290 miles) south of Tehran.

Fars, citing an anonymous official, said two people had been killed during the protests Thursday.

The Washington-based Abdorrahman Boroumand Center for Human Rights in Iran said two people had been killed there, identifying the dead as demonstrators. It also shared a still image of what appeared to be an Iranian police officer, wearing body armor and wielding a shotgun.

In 2019, the area around Lordegan saw widespread protests and demonstrators reportedly damaged government buildings after a report said people there had been infected with HIV by contaminated needles used at a local health care clinic.

In Fuladshahr in Iran's Isfahan province, state media reported on the death of a man there Thursday that activist groups attributed to the police opening fire on demonstrators.

A separate demonstration Wednesday night reportedly led to the 21-year-old volunteer in the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard's Basij force.

The state-run IRNA news agency reported on the Guard member’s death but did not elaborate. An Iranian news agency called the Student News Network, which is believed to be close to the Basij, directly blamed demonstrators for the Guard member's death, citing comments from Saeed Pourali, a deputy governor in Lorestan province.

The Guard member “was martyred ... at the hands of rioters during protests in this city in defense of public order,” he reportedly said. Another 13 Basij members and police officers suffered injuries, he added.

“The protests that have occurred are due to economic pressures, inflation and currency fluctuations, and are an expression of livelihood concerns," Pourali said. "The voices of citizens must be heard carefully and tactfully, but people must not allow their demands to be strained by profit-seeking individuals.”

The protests took place in the city of Kouhdasht, over 400 kilometers (250 miles) southwest of Tehran. Local prosecutor Kazem Nazari said 20 people had been arrested after the protests and that calm had returned to the city, the judiciary's Mizan news agency reported.

Iran's civilian government under reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian has been trying to signal it wants to negotiate with protesters. However, Pezeshkian has acknowledged there is not much he can do as Iran's rial currency has rapidly depreciated, with $1 now costing some 1.4 million rials.

Meanwhile, state television separately reported on the arrests of seven people, including five it described as monarchists and two others it said had linked to European-based groups. State TV also said another operation saw security forces confiscate 100 smuggled pistols, without elaborating.

Iran's theocracy had declared Wednesday a public holiday across much of the country, citing cold weather, likely as a bid to get people out of the capital for a long weekend. The Iranian weekend is Thursday and Friday, while Saturday marks Imam Ali's birthday, another holiday for many.

The protests, taking root in economic issues, have heard demonstrators chant against Iran's theocracy as well. The country's leaders are still reeling after Israel launched a 12-day war against the country in June. The U.S. also bombed Iranian nuclear sites during the war.

Iran has said it is no longer enriching uranium at any site in the country, trying to signal to the West that it remains open to potential negotiations over its atomic program to ease sanctions. However, those talks have yet to happen as U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have warned Tehran against reconstituting its atomic program.

A woman chants slogans as she holds up a poster of the late commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guard expeditionary Quds Force, Gen. Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in a U.S. drone attack in 2020 in Iraq, during a ceremony commemorating his death anniversary at the Imam Khomeini grand mosque in Tehran, Iran, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

A woman shows a portrait of the late commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guard expeditionary Quds Force, Gen. Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in a U.S. drone attack in 2020 in Iraq, on her smartphone during a ceremony commemorating his death anniversary at the Imam Khomeini grand mosque in Tehran, Iran, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Women wave national flags as they hold up posters of the late commander of the Iran's Revolutionary Guard expeditionary Quds Force, Gen. Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in a U.S. drone attack in 2020 in Iraq, during a ceremony commemorating his death anniversary at the Imam Khomeini grand mosque in Tehran, Iran, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Protesters march in downtown Tehran, Iran, Monday, Dec. 29, 2025. (Fars News Agency via AP)

Protesters march in downtown Tehran, Iran, Monday, Dec. 29, 2025. (Fars News Agency via AP)