Damson Idris recalls almost meeting Brad Pitt before Hollywood career

Damson Idris recently shared a funny story about the first time he thought he spotted Brad Pitt years before they ended up working together. 

On June 18, while on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Idris explained that before becoming an actor, he was an usher at the Lyceum Theatre in London. 

“I used to work at the Lyceum Theatre. I was an usher there in London,” Idris said, sharing that one day he thought Pitt came in to see The Lion King.

“The reason I worked there is because I wanted to spy on actors and try and learn, be a sponge. And one day Brad Pitt comes in to watch the play, and I’m at the back working. 

So I rush out, ‘Oh my gosh, Brad Pitt’s here.’ And I don’t catch him. I see blonde hair, blue jeans and some tan boots just walk out the door. I said, ‘Wow, one day I’m going to work with him,’” Idris recalled.

That dream eventually came true when they co-starred in F1, but Idris learned he probably never actually saw Pitt that day. 

“I told Brad the story. I said, ‘Hey, when I was younger, I saw you. You came to The Lion King.’ He was like, ‘I’ve never seen The Lion King,’” Idris said, laughing.

Elsewhere in the interview, Idris talked about their experience filming F1 and how the two even drove their own cars for the movie. 

“We drove up to 180 miles per hour,” Idris explained. 

“I tried to race against Pitt. Brad is really fast. He is just such an amazing adrenaline junkie. He rides bikes.” 

Idris also shared that training for the film took about four months. “And it took us around two years to make this movie,” he said. 

“I had two years of F1 experience under my belt. Technically, I’m probably faster than Lewis Hamilton.” 

F1 will hit theaters on June 27.