Brad Pitt Hails Dog Co-Star Uber at Heart of the Beast Premiere

Brad Pitt says his most affecting scenes in Heart of the Beast belong to a German Shepherd named Uber.

He spoke at a press conference in San Sebastian on Wednesday, hours before the film premiered on Wednesday night, and described working with the dog as a really moving experience, according to Variety.

Pitt plays a former Special Forces soldier stranded in the Alaskan wilderness with a traumatised military combat dog. The survival drama is directed by David Ayer and also stars J.K. Simmons and Anna Lambe.

Uber did things no script asked for. Pitt said some of that unscripted behaviour is in the finished film. The dog won the room.

He said the mood on set shifted the moment Uber arrived. People became happier and excited, with crew members crowding round between takes.

The shoot was far from comfortable. Filmed in New Zealand, it involved 12-hour days in wet and cold conditions without trailers, Pitt said.

Pitt also produces the film through Plan B, his production company. Olivia Hamilton and Marty Bowen are credited as fellow producers, according to Deadline.

He used the festival stop to talk about the wider industry. Independent cinema feels as strong now as it did in the 1990s, he said, with YouTube and the internet opening new pipelines of discovery for filmmakers.

Ayer attended the festival alongside Pitt. Heart of the Beast screened out of competition in San Sebastian, meaning it plays as a high-profile presentation rather than competing for the festival's main prize, according to Variety.

Paramount will release the film in cinemas on 25 September.