As a child, Joel Abadal would watch Brad Pitt on screen and want to be like him. He grew his hair long, trained with swords, and even copied his goatee.
““When I saw Troy, I grew my hair long and started training with swords; when I saw Fight Club, I shaved my head and grew the same goatee. He was an absolute role model to me as a male figure”,” said the 30-year-old Catalan, who was born in Castelldefels.
His life took a cinematic turn. Abadal, who trained in martial arts, horse riding, and diving, ended up as his idol’s stunt double in ‘In the Heart of the Beast’. The shoot was no walk in the park: he had to endure harsh conditions in remote parts of New Zealand, with the most challenging scenes taking place in rivers and rapids.
At the San Sebastián Film Festival press conference, Pitt himself singled him out in front of everyone: “He did the hardest work for me”.
Abadal admits that when the project was offered to him, he couldn’t believe it. Working side by side with Brad Pitt for months was something he would never have dared to imagine, even as a child. Who says childhood dreams don’t come true?
