Brad Pitt's Role In Ryan Reynolds' IF Movie Explained
Ryan Reynolds' IF movie is full of major stars playing imaginary friends. But Brad Pitt's role as Keith needs some explaining.
John Krasinski's 2024 live-action/CGI hybrid movie about imaginary friends is jam-packed with A-list talent. From Ryan Reynolds leading the charge to the likes of Steve Carell and Phoebe Waller-Bridge lending their voices, the movie's credits are full of recognizable names. This is partially because Krasinski and Reynolds called in favors from people they've worked with over the years.
Before the ending of IF, viewers will be able to connect the voices of many imaginary friends to famous actors. Krasinski and Ryan Gosling's real-life wives, Emily Blunt and Blake Lively, both have voice cameos as Unicorn and Octopuss. Krasinski also brought in his former Leatherheads co-star George Clooney, former Promised Land co-star Matt Damon, and former Aloha co-star Bradley Cooper. Reynolds also has former co-stars in the cast, including Bill Hader after Adventureland. There's even a Deadpool 2 reunion thanks to Brad Pitt's role in the movie, even though his involvement is a little more complicated.
Brad Pitt Is Credited As Keith In IF
Brad Pitt's role in IF isn't revealed until the movie credits reach the bottom of the cast list. That's where it says "Introducing Brad Pitt as Keith." Keith is the name of an invisible imaginary friend who's repeatedly used for jokes in the movie. While all the other imaginary friends are visible to the audience and Bea, Keith was designed by his original child to be invisible. This makes people trip over him at different points in the movie and then acknowledge his presence.
Since Keith is never seen and doesn't speak during the movie, no one expected the credits to even mention him. Brad Pitt's cameo is credited, making him part of cast lists on IMDb, Google, and more. But the true nature of Brad Pitt's "cameo" as Keith is probably just a joke that plays on his and Reynolds' past working relationship on Deadpool 2.
Brad Pitt's IF Role Connects To His Deadpool 2 Cameo
Brad Pitt's credit as Keith in IF marks the second time he and Reynolds have worked together. Pitt previously had a cameo in Deadpool 2 as The Vanisher. The actor was originally in talks to play Cable in the Deadpool sequel, but he ultimately didn't take the part, with Josh Brolin playing the Marvel hero instead. Even though the role of Cable didn't happen, Pitt filmed a cameo for Deadpool 2 as Vanisher as part of the movie's death montage for the X-Force team members. The scene showed Vanisher catching on fire after landing on power lines.
Deadpool 2 featuring Pitt as The Vanisher came after the invisible mutant was said to be in the movie but not shown in his full physical form. Since The Vanisher was mostly invisible, Pitt was able to have the short cameo as a surprise. IF now continues the trend of having Brad Pitt play invisible characters in movies starring Ryan Reynolds. The biggest difference between the actor's IF and Deadpool 2 cameos is that he's never shown as Keith in IF, while Vanisher gets a few seconds of screen time in Deadpool 2.
Did Brad Pitt Film Any Scenes For IF?
Brad Pitt's credited IF role as Keith might lead viewers to believe that the actor participated in the making of the movie. However, it's not confirmed that Pitt ever stepped onto the set to film any scenes. That would be unnecessary since Keith is completely invisible, and it would require the movie to digitally remove Pitt from any scenes he was in. Since Keith didn't have any lines, recording dialogue in a booth wasn't necessary either.
The reality is that IF including Brad Pitt's name in the credits was simply a joke from Krasinski and Reynolds. Krasinski jokingly told ET Online that he wanted to give Brad Pitt his start with this role after the actor had worked hard for a breakout role. The fact that the credits even say "Introducing Brad Pitt as Keith" is a dead giveaway to the humorous nature of the "cameo," as IF is far from the first movie that Pitt has been in.
He's one of the biggest modern movie stars, an Oscar-winning actor and producer, and has been in several massive hits. But that's what makes the IF Brad Pitt cameo even funnier. Most viewers will already know who Pitt is and be wondering if he was in the film and what role he actually played as the invisible Keith.
Why IF Never Shows Brad Pitt's Keith
Brad Pitt's role in IF is never shown for several reasons. As mentioned, the actor didn't film any scenes for the movie and wasn't involved in the production. This made it impossible for Krasinski and Reynolds to include a brief Brad Pitt cameo. They never had the opportunity to film anything with him that would allow Keith to be seen at some point in the film.
It's also difficult to show Brad Pitt's Keith because he is invisible. It's implied that no one can see Keith, not even Bea or other imaginary friends. The only way they know he's around is when they trip over him. IF could have found a way to explain that Keith can be seen under special circumstances or deliver a twist that Keith can control his invisible nature. Instead of doing that, Keith remains invisible throughout the entire movie, reminding us that imaginary friends are invisible to everyone except the kid who imagines them.
IF Puts A Twist On Brad Pitt's Cameo Trend
The credited appearance in IF adds a new twist to Brad Pitt's movie cameo trend. He has a history of popping up in unexpected productions for minor roles that are quite memorable. His previous cameos include a small voice role in Happy Feet Two, being kidnapped in Jackass, an appearance in Confessions of a Dangerous Mind for only a few seconds, and a second-long cameo in Being John Malkovich.
- Being John Malkovich (1999) - Himself
- Friends (2001) - Will Colbert
- Jackass (2002) - Himself
- Confessions Of A Dangerous Mind (2002) - Brad, Bachelor #1
- King of the Hill (2003) - Patch Boomhauer
- Happy Feet Two (2011) - Will
- The Jim Jefferies Show (2018) - The Weatherman
- Deadpool 2 (2018) - Vanisher
- Some Good News (2020) - Weatherman
- The Lost City (2022) - Jack Trainer
- IF (2024) - Keith
In each of these Movie Cameos, Brad Pitt is seen on screen for some amount of time, or heard in the case of Happy Feet Two. This is even true in Deadpool 2. IF marks the first time that one of Brad Pitt's cameos doesn't show him or let audiences hear his voice. If it wasn't for the credited appearance in the credits, no one would even know that Brad Pitt has a "cameo" in IF. After making several brief cameos in other movies and TV shows, Pitt now has a new avenue for more cameos by playing invisible characters.
