``Twelve Monkeys'' Bruce Willis and Brad Pitt threw themselves into Gilliam's world for a cheap price.

The genius Terry Gilliam's resolve to take on someone else's project

If you think about it, Terry Gilliam and Universal had a lot of battles going back ten years ago over `` Brazil '' (1985). Even though he was fascinated by the script, it was a big surprise to the production team that he accepted Universal's project again. This was right after projects he had been passionate about, such as ``A Tale of Two Cities'' and ``Watchmen,'' hit a dead end. Gilliam describes his feelings at that time:

"(Twelve Monkeys') wasn't a movie that I really wanted to make, but sometimes it's better. Just having an overwhelming passion for wanting to make something isn't necessarily the best thing. There isn't one.'' (*1)

The timing worked out perfectly, and Gilliam ended up working on someone else's project for this film, just as he had done for ` `The Time Bandits '' (1991).

“Twelve Monkeys” © Photofest / Getty Images

In addition, he said in the DVD commentary that he fell in love with the film because he said, ``I can't believe a script like this was written within the Hollywood system.'' Compared to normal entertainment works, this work does not give the audience much information, and even after watching it, you will have many questions in your head as you try to interpret it. We dared to do a project in Hollywood that looked like a European art film. Gilliam was attracted to the novelty.

But Gilliam wasn't the only one aiming for something new, something he'd never done before. Actors Bruce Willis and Brad Pitt, who have already established a reputation for themselves, felt exactly the same way. The two explore ways to collaborate with a rare genius director through their own routes. He was convinced that by dyeing himself Gilliam-like, he would be able to grasp a new direction as an actor.

To a place far away from Inspector McClane