Brad Pitt humbled by non-actors in 'Babel'

TORONTO - He's one of Hollywood's biggest stars, but Brad Pitt says he enjoyed taking a smaller role as part of an ensemble in the new film "Babel," and was humbled by the work of several nonprofessional actors in the film.

Directed by "21 Grams" director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, "Babel" made its North American debut at the Toronto International Film Festival this weekend.

An intense tale of four interlocking stories spread across three continents, the film was a favourite at the Cannes film festival earlier this year and is generating Oscar buzz.

"Being a part of an ensemble is always more fun, you don't have to carry the film," Pitt told reporters in Toronto on Sunday, one day after throwing fans into a frenzy at the red-carpet screening of the film.

"For me, I consider myself more a citizen of the world, and I have great pride as I sit up here with all the people from different cultures, and know that we all came together," he said.

Pitt stars alongside Cate Blanchett as a couple on vacation in Morocco when tragedy strikes. Their story is linked to that of two shepherd boys living in a remote village, and also to two narratives taking place at the US-Mexican border near San Diego, and in Japan.

Pitt's and Blanchett's scenes were filmed on location in Morocco, and Inarritu used several non-actor locals to fill out the cast, which he said was the most difficult challenge he had faced as a director.

He singled out one scene in which Blanchett's character needs medical attention, and the only help available is the village veterinarian.

"We were in this room with the veterinarian who stitched up Cate, and he was the real veterinarian of that town. His hands didn't smell so good, because he came from some goat surgery," he said.

For Pitt, who during the news conference brushed aside a suggestion he had become an icon, the experience was humbling.

"How easily they picked it up and understood what they were trying to get across. ... I was just pretty surprised. It took me down a notch as well," he said.

Pitt has kept a relatively low profile since the birth of his daughter, Shiloh, with Angelina Jolie in May, and he did not appear in Cannes.

His has been the most sought-after face at a Toronto festival already boasting considerable star power with the likes of Russell Crowe, Jude Law, Sean Penn, Penelope Cruz and Jennifer Lopez.

At the news conference on Sunday, the moderator twice chided photographers to "calm down" so Pitt's answers could be heard over the sound of clicking cameras. That prompted Pitt to wave his hands and mug for the photographers.

"That's the picture that's going to end up when I have breakdown or something ... if I get arrested for a DUI (drunken driving charge) later on, make racial slurs or something," he joked.

Inarritu said he considered the film at its core to be about parents and children, a theme that resonated with Pitt.

"It becomes the one thing that keeps you up at night, how can you protect your children? It's less about yourself, and it's more about the kids," he said.

Pitt added fatherhood would definitely influence roles he accepts in the future.

"I'll try to be a little bit more mature about my decisions, but this one I'll be proud for them to see, once they're old enough to really understand it."

"Babel" is scheduled for limited release in October.

- REUTERS