London’s Daily Mail newspaper has reported that actor Brad Pitt, 49, has acquired a Supermarine Spitfire for £2 million ($3.3 million), and will learn to fly it at the Boultbee Flight Academy in Oxford, U.K. The paper offered no information on who the seller is, nor what model Spitfire Pitt has bought.
The actor is currently in England filming Fury, a World War II action drama due for release in November 2014. According to the paper, Pitt prepared for his role as the commander of an American tank (named Fury) by sleeping in trenches and learning to operate a tank. The film is set during the final weeks of the war, and Pitt’s character leads a group on a dangerous mission behind German lines.
Pitt is described as an “accomplished pilot” who has owned and flown many aircraft types. Through his work on the film, he has developed a deep fascination with World War II, and that was what motivated him to buy the Spitfire. A spokesman for Boultbee would not confirm or deny that Pitt is a client, but said the school had many high-profile students, and assured the Daily Mail that they are well trained.
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