Brad Pitt speaks on the high price he paid to star in 'Troy': 'I changed my life completely'

Brad Pitt reflected on the extreme physical demands of portraying Achilles in the 2004 film "Troy," describing the experience as a complete overhaul of his life. The actor committed to an intense year-long diet and training plan to embody the legendary Greek warrior.

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I was supposed to be the greatest warrior of all time. I had to get in shape. I changed my life completely. I quit smoking, and let me tell you, I was a professional smoker and I still miss it.

"I was supposed to be the greatest warrior of all time. I had to get in shape. I changed my life completely. I quit smoking, and let me tell you, I was a professional smoker and I still miss it," Pitt recalled in a 2004 interview with Vanity Fair. He added, "But I wanted to see how far I could push my body. When the movie was over, I had been following this diet and training plan for a year."

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But I wanted to see how far I could push my body. When the movie was over, I had been following this diet and training plan for a year.

Pitt acknowledged the brutal nature of the preparation, noting that while he looked good on screen, the process was grueling. He described it as a "24/7 job for months," which was incredibly taxing. Upon finishing the film, Pitt expressed his exhaustion with the role, stating his first actions were to buy a burger and resume smoking. He worked with physical therapist Duffy Gaver, who focused on developing Pitt's back and shoulders for an aesthetic physique resembling Greco-Roman wrestlers.

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It was a full-time physical job and that wears you down a lot. When we finished shooting the movie, I was physically sick of being Achilles.

Beyond the physical toll, Pitt also expressed dissatisfaction with the film's narrative direction. He admitted he only accepted the project because he had to fulfill an obligation to the studio after backing out of another film. "It wasn't painful, but I realized that the way the movie was being told wasn't how I wanted it to be told. I made my own mistakes in it," Pitt stated, indicating a desire to distance himself from the final product.

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The first thing I did when I finished was go buy a hamburger and start smoking again.