Brad Pitt Likes That His 'Moneyball' Character Gets Food Down His Shirt And Breaks Chairs

Yesterday, Brad Pitt spoke to NPR about his character in the Oscar nominated film Moneyball as well as his role as a producer in the film.

His character is Billy Beane, the manager of a cash-strapped baseball team with dreams of turning it into a powerhouse squad. The film is based on a true story.

We can't say we're surprised that the film has garnered such critical acclaim, it's adapted from a book by Michael Lewis, author of Liar's Poker and The Big Short, and the film was written by Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin.

Here are a few excellent quotes from the interview, and you can listen to it in full here.

• Pitt on his character: "I like him for his idiosyncrasies that he can't watch the games without getting too emotional, that he often has food down his shirt, that he tends to break a few chairs now and then," Pitt says. "These things make him human."
• Pitt on making the film authentic: "We had a work session where about 30 scouts came in and out," Pitt says. "We're all riffing, and after it, [director] Bennett Miller said, 'Look at these faces: This is what we have to do we gotta get these guys in the scene.'
• Pitt on the challenges of making the film: "We came up to the last minute," Pitt says. "We were supposed to be filming days before, [but] the studio didn't like the price. They had no problem with the story, but at that price, they could not justify it. And we could not bring it down to a price that both sides would be happy with, so we h! ad to st art over."