In a San Sebastián Film Festival filled with stars, Brad Pitt was undoubtedly the brightest. The American actor spent an hour and a half signing autographs and taking selfies during the out-of-competition presentation of his latest film: In the Heart of the Beast. At the press conference, he lavished praise on the performance of his co-star Uber, a German Shepherd dog, but also wanted to share a kind gesture with Joel Abadal, his Spanish stunt double.
The film, directed by David Ayer, tells the story of a Special Forces officer, James Belmont, and his battle dog, Odin. Both become trapped in the harshest terrains of Alaska after surviving a brutal plane crash. Facing an unforgiving nature, they must fight to the limit to survive.
In this demanding action film, Brad Pitt has relied on Joel Abadal to shoot the most dangerous scenes and he also wanted to acknowledge his work in front of the microphones at the Basque festival. “I want to send a greeting to my action double; he is Spanish like you and his name is Joel Abadal. He has an impressive talent and he did the hardest work for me,” he said at the press conference.
The intervention by the American actor has helped to put the spotlight on a profession fundamental to action cinema, which is often invisible to the general public. “When they proposed the project to me, I could hardly believe it. Brad Pitt’s films have accompanied my life; I have great admiration for him, and thinking that I would work with him, shoulder to shoulder, for months, seemed incredible,” affirmed Joel Abadal himself.
“I want to be the Spanish Tom Cruise”
Inspired by Cirque du Soleil, the young Joel began at just nine years old in circus techniques. It was during this phase that his first film experience arrived. While training acrobatics with his adult colleagues, he was selected as an action stunt double for the film REC 3. A few months later he earned one of the four European student placements at the prestigious École Nationale de Cirque de Montréal.
Joel Abadal beside Brad Pitt in a scene from the film.
Upon returning from Canada, he continued his training in acting, dance, and musical theatre. In 2022 he worked as Miguel Bernardeau’s action double in the series The Zorro and also contributed to the Netflix series Who Is Erin Carter?. Now in the international circuit, he participated in Spartacus: House of Ashur as an action double and as an actor. Soon after, he would fulfill a youth dream by working on Avatar: Fire and Ashes and, subsequently, the project that has taken him to work for several months in New Zealand with one of his great inspirations: Brad Pitt.
“My professional goal is to become an action actor, an actor who performs his own risky stunts; I would love to become the Spanish Tom Cruise,” states Joel Abadal, who has also debuted as a producer. And he adds: “I am here thanks to the support of two great women: my mother and my life partner, continuous training, daily practice, discipline and consistency.”
Brad Pitt’s Return to San Sebastián
“It’s nice to come back here,” Brad Pitt said at his press conference, accompanied by his girlfriend, Inés de Ramón. The actor hadn’t set foot in the Basque city since 2009, when he attended the festival to present Inglourious Basterds, one of the two films he shot with Quentin Tarantino. “I’m very happy, I’m really enjoying it. Since Monday I’ve had time to stroll along the coast, along the beach; visit Chillida, my all-time favorite artist, and eat very, very well,” he added.
The actor also drew a moving parallel between the story of James and Odin in the film and the “darkest days” of his life. “That kind of care, love, and loyalty keep both of them afloat in our movie. And I think that’s also true in life. When I think of the darkest days, it was certainly my close relationships—the friends, dear and close friends, a few, and close family—those I leaned on the most. I was very open about my struggle and being able to be that way, so freely with people who you know love you, who have your backs and whom you also love, that is everything.”
