Pitt Makes Achilles Real

Brad Pitt is back on the big screen in "Troy."

It's been almost three years since Pitt starred in a motion picture, but, thanks to his marriage to "Friends" star Jennifer Aniston, he has remained in the public eye. With her sitcom having come to an end, you'd think Pitt would be happy to have his wife at home, but you'd only be half right.

"I'm going to miss the show a little bit," Pitt tells The Early Show co-anchor Harry Smith, "I really liked the show. But, I'm happy for her, because it's a really interesting point to be, saying goodbye to an era and be opening doors to another era - because it's that unknown. So, there's melancholy for the past, and yet, excitement for the future and where that could go. I'm excited for her in that aspect."

Asked if he ever thought of making a movie with his wife, Pitt says with a big smile, "You know, funny enough, you look back at the track record of couples making movies together, the odd are against us. So, it would have to be something cherry picked."

But being picky is nothing new for Pitt, known for his daring film choices. His latest is the big budget epic, "Troy."

Pitt says, "It was a tough shoot because of arduous locations, and the scope, and the scale."

In the film, based on the Trojan War myth, Pitt plays Greek hero Achilles, considered to be the greatest warrior of all time

So does he think Achilles really existed?

"Well, usually most myths come from some kernel of truth," Pitt notes. "So, yeah, I'm going to venture out and say, 'Yes, he did.'"

To get into the mind and soul of a mythological character, Pitt says, he made the role personal. He says, "You've got to make it personal. But, it really starts with the script. The more I got into it, the more of that became clear to me."

A scene that stands out from the film is the fight Pitt has with Eric Bana. "It's one of the things I'm really, really proud of," Pitt says. "It called for something special and we know as movie audiences, we've seen a lot of fights, a lot of ways. And, so you see the fight and it actually moves. It goes in the opposite direction of the current movement and cinematic fights in the fact that it's slower; it sits; you see wider shots and it becomes more balletic."

Although the film is action packed, it does have many quieter moments, including Pitt's dramatic scene with screen legend Peter O'Toole, who plays King Priam.

"It just was a highlight for me," Pitt says. "Every thing I've gotten to do to date, at this time, that one for me was very, very special."

In the film, Pitt's body is also shown as bigger than he has ever been before. "Yeah, I'm a little disappointed," Pitt notes, "There's so much emphasis on it."

Curious, Smith asks how he could get those abs, and Pitt replies, "Well, I'll tell you. First of all, it's what we do. We go the extra mile. And that's actually really something quite fun to take on. It really does add to what you're playing."

Pitt also quit smoking. "I had to because of the physical demands of the film. But really forget all of the vanity: poster boy and golden boy, and all of that. It's remarkable, the body is an amazing machine. It will change; it will acclimate to be stronger in that area, if you're giving it proper food, proper rest."

Filming that movie was hard work, Pitt says.

"I had a pending mid-life crisis to fight and fire me up," Pitt notes, "I just turned 40 in December."

While it's been four years since his marriage to Jennifer Aniston, his next project may be fatherhood. She has said publicly that she really wants to start a family.

"We've been trying to for years," Pitt says, "It's inevitable, and it's time, and we'll see what the next thing is."

Pitt is currently filming the sequel to 2001's blockbuster "Ocean's Eleven". It is called, appropriately enough, "Ocean's Twelve," and will be in theaters in December. "Troy" opens Friday.