Brad Pitt and Edward Norton in Fight Club (Image: Press Association)
Since its 1999 debut, Fight Club has seen its cast members rise to become some of the most recognisable faces in . Brad Pitt, Jared Leto, and Helena Bonham Carter became household names following their roles in David Fincher’s remarkable adaptation of Chuck Palahniuk’s novel.
Despite mixed reviews upon release, the film has since achieved cult classic status. The film didn’t make a splash at the box office during its opening weekend, earning $11 million and peaking at $37 million in the U.S.
This was a disappointment compared to Fox’s $65 million production budget. However, it later found success on DVD, selling over six million copies.
Two decades after we learned the first rule of ‘Fight Club’ – you don’t talk about ‘Fight Club’ – we take a look at what the stars have been up to.
From triumphs to health scares, here’s a rundown of the cast’s post-Fight Club careers, reports .
Scene from Flight Club starring actor Brad Pitt (Image: Reuters/PA/Merrick Morton/20th Century Fox)
Edward Norton
Edward Norton played The Narrator, one of the film’s main characters. Prior to this role, he had starred as Derek Vinyard in 1998’s ‘American History X’ and won a Golden Globe for his dual roles in 1996’s ‘Primal Fear’.
After Fight Club, Norton found further success behind the camera, producing and directing ‘Motherless Brooklyn’ (2000) and ‘Keeping The Faith’ (2019). He also appeared in the critically acclaimed ‘Birdman’ (2014) and Wes Anderson’s visually stunning ‘The Grand Budapest Hotel’ (2014).
The actor in question has been linked to the likes of Courtney Love and Salma Hayek in the past, but since 2012, he’s been happily married to Canadian film producer Shauna Robertson. His exuberance is well documented, and some crew members have noted that working with him can be a challenge.
Brad Pitt
heavyweight Brad Pitt dazzled audiences as Tyler Durden in ‘Fight Club,’ a role cemented among his most iconic. Having previously collaborated with Director David Fincher on ‘Se7en’, Pitt was handed the ‘Fight Club’ script while shooting ‘Meet Joe Black’.
Pitt’s illustrious career had already seen him as Louis in ‘Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles’ (1994), Mills in ‘Se7en’ (1995), before his portrayal of Joe Black in ‘Meet Joe Black’ (1998). He later achieved Oscar glory with a best picture win for ’12 Years a Slave’ in 2013.
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Brad Pitt made a name for himself on Fight Club (Image: Reuters/PA/Merrick Morton/20th Century Fox)
Known also for portraying Rusty Ryan in the ‘Ocean’s’ series, wherein his perpetual on-screen eating became comedic, Pitt then delivered an unforgettable performance as Cliff Booth in Tarantino’s 2019 ‘Once Upon a Time in ‘. Delving into production, he contributed to ‘s ‘The OA’ and starred in ‘Ad Astra’.
During these triumphs, Pitt’s personal life saw romances with Jennifer Aniston, an engagement announced that year followed by marriage in 2000 and a subsequent divorce in 2005, and then marriage to Angelina Jolie, which concluded in 2016. Pitt has famously labelled his love life as a “disaster”.
Helena Bonham Carter
Enigmatic Helena Bonham Carter stepped into Marla Singers shoes, the complicated love interest to Norton’s character in ‘Fight Club. ‘ As the eccentric damsel weaving through distress and romance, she encounters The Narrator in some rather unconventional support group settings.
Post ‘Fight Club,’ Helena Bonham Carter became a go-to star for Tim Burton flicks, gracing screens in fantasy hits like the 2010 adaptation of ‘Alice in Wonderland’ and the macabre musical ‘Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street’ from 2007. After ending her relationship with Kenneth Branagh in 1999, she embarked on a 13-year romance with Burton until their split in 2014.
Her chameleon-like talent brought to life the darkly enchanting Bellatrix LeStrange in Harry Potter, before she switched gears to portray Princess Margaret in ‘s hit ‘The Crown’, and more recently dazzled as Mrs Holmes in ‘Enola Holmes’.
Jared Leto
maverick Jared Leto, with his memorable stint as Angel Face in ‘Fight Club’ the charismatic lieutenant to Durden has consistently surprised audiences, from playing the complex Casey in ‘Black and White’ and Tobias Jacobs in ‘Girl Interrupted,’ to embodying Paul Allen in the twisted ‘American Psycho’ and Harry Goldfarb in ‘Requiem for a Dream’.
Leto’s talents spill over into music as the enigmatic frontman of rock band 30 Seconds To Mars. His transformative roles include piling on weight for his portrayal of John Lennons killer in ‘Chapter 27’ (2007), before scooping up accolades for his turn in ‘Dallas Buyers Club’. He then re-invented the cinematic Joker in 2016’s ‘Suicide Squad’.
Meat Loaf
Rock sensation Meat Loaf also took a dive into acting waters, playing Robert “Bob” Paulsen with unforgettable sensitivity in ‘Fight Club. The former bodybuilder had previously battled testicular cancer. He was also known for his role as Eddie in the 1975 cult classic “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.”
After his appearance in ‘Fight Club’, he took on the role of Doug Rennie in the SyFy series ‘Ghost Wars,’ which concluded in 2018. In recent years, he has been plagued by health issues, leading to the cancellation of numerous tours and performances.
During a 2003 performance in London, he suffered a heart attack on stage, and in 2016, he collapsed during a show. In 2020, he made a commitment to adopt a vegan lifestyle.