Brad Pitt gave a World War II veteran an evening to remember by inviting him to be his guest of honour at the London screening of Fury. The gesture was to repay Peter 'Cosy' Comfort, 91, one of the last surviving members of his regiment to be assigned to the Sherman tanks, for giving him invaluable information on the topic.
© Photo: Getty ImagesLeaning on two walking sticks, with service medals pinned to his tux, Cosy seemed to enjoy the atmosphere on the red carpet as the pair arrived to the sound of screaming fans.
In the movie Brad plays a tank commander with 13/18th Royal Hussars. He and his five crew men, including Shia LaBeouf, had three months of intensive psychological and physical training from US army SEALs.
Brad also spent several days questioning the hero, who was 21 during D-Day, about exactly what it was like. The former soldier was happy to help despite admitting last year that he previously hadn't a clue who Brad was.
© Photo: Getty ImagesCosy recalled: "I said to him 'I didn't have a clue who you were and then I googled you and you've been in quite a lot of films.
"They all rolled about laughing when I said that. "I don't do modern films. I am a fan of actors like Alec Guinness, but of course he is dead now." Brad said on Monday that the veteran had given him an understanding of what war was like.
Cosy "painted a picture for us of absolute weariness and exhaustion and mental fatigue and hunger and cold and witnessing an accumulation of horror".
© Photo: Getty ImagesTalking with him also gave him valuable insight to pass on to this son Maddox. The teenager is a fan of Sherman tanks, which the actor asked him about extensively.
However, Brad wanted him to understand what war is really like.
He said: "We talked intensely about it. "The younger generation play a lot of video games and I want them to understand that there are casualties. You don't press reboot."
