Sandra Bullock talks Brad Pitt in 'Lost City': 'I had to ask him for a fourth day for free'

AUSTIN, Texas – Brad Pitt can thank a hard negotiator of a hairstylist for getting him into a hairy situation.

The actor has a role in "The Lost City" (in theaters March 25) in which Sandra Bullock, as romance novelist Loretta Sage, and Channing Tatum (who plays Alan, her cover model) face off against the villainous Fairfax (played by Daniel Radcliffe), desperate to locate a treasure.

Pitt's character helps free Loretta as she takes note of his good looks.

"Why are you so handsome?" she asks. "My dad was a weatherman," replies Pitt, who sports long locks for the film.

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"She's a hard negotiator," Bullock says of Janine Thompson, her hair stylist for the film, at its premiere Saturday night at the South by Southwest festival. Thompson also worked on "Bullet Train" with Pitt and convinced Bullock to take a role in that feature.

Thompson "basically told each one of us that we had to do it," Bullock explains. "If she messes up your hair, your entire career's ruined. So you basically do what the hairdresser says."

When asked what Pitt brings to his role, Bullock, a producer on the film, jokes: "Not much. Not really much. I mean, what does he bring to any film he does?"

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Kidding aside, she appreciates her fellow Oscar winner's commitment to the project.

"The thing about Brad is he was supposed to be there for three days," she says. "He'd just finished shooting. He was dead tired. He bulked up to do a three-day role. I had to ask him for a fourth day for free. He did it.

"You just realize he's a movie star and a great actor for a reason: Because he works really, really hard. He brought a work ethic that was pretty astounding."

Bullock says conditions were less than ideal.

"We had monsoon rains," she says. " It was hot. We were in the jungle. He brought his professionalism, and he is Brad Pitt because he's just freaking awesome."

Adam Nee, who directs "The Lost City" with his brother Aaron, credits Bullock with nabbing her A-list co-stars.

"She was attached to the project at the beginning," he says. "So when you have Sandra on as an actor and a producer, and you say, 'We’d like Channing Tatum for this part,' she goes, 'I like Channing Tatum,' and then you call Channing Tatum, and he answers the phone. And you go, 'What about Brad Pitt?' She’s like, 'I'm doing a movie with Brad Pitt. Let me ask him.' It really changes things when you have someone like Sandy on your team."

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Sandra Bullock on working with Brad on 'Lost City' in 'monsoon rains'