Oscars: What Damson Idris Really Learned From Working With Brad Pitt
Oscars 2026: What 'F1's' Damson Idris Really Learned From Working With Brad Pitt
Damson Idris is ready to put his career in the fast lane.
As the F1 star arrived at the 2026 Oscars—hosted by Conan O’Brien at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood March 15—he detailed how his costar Brad Pitt taught him how to build “longevity” as he moves forward in his career.
“This is a long game,” Damson told Zuri Hall on Live from E!: Oscars 2026. “Ups and downs. [He has taught me:] Don't chase moments, chase legacy. And I'm doing that with the roles that I play. F1 is just the start.”
The 34-year-old—who sported a satin blue Prada suit on the red carpet—added, “There's so many amazing movies to come, from Children of Blood and Bone to [portraying] Miles Davis, I'm really excited for where I go in my career.”
Of course, Damson didn’t just take life lessons from Brad—he also took the title of Fastest Driver.
As he put it, “I am. I'm actually faster than Brad.”
But while Damson and the Oceans 11 star had fun building a bond, Brad also enjoyed pursuing one of his passions with F1, which is nominated for Best Picture.
“I’ve always loved racing,” Brad told Formula 1 in June. "I grew up with Jackie Stewart [racing in F1 as] some of my earliest memories. In the ’90s I really got heavily into MotoGP. Then I started veering into F1, and here we are. I’ve been trying to get a racing movie done for 20 years. I’ve tried bikes, I’ve tried cars, I’ve tried different disciplines, and for whatever reason they never came to fruition.”
But thanks to a "great push," Brad, alongside Damson, was more than ready to finally embrace the track.
Frazer Harrison/WireImage
“I think by the time we get to the movie, it’s undeniable that we are driving the cars," Brad told the outlet. "We’re not sitting on a sound stage with wind machines…I don’t know where I go from here. You can’t compete with this experience. It’s almost like when we get to the acting scenes, you kind of go, ‘Oh, okay, no driving today!’ It’s really been amazing.”
And thanks to real-life racing icons such as Lewis Hamilton visiting the set, Brad was able to operate at full speed during filming.
“Everyone has had a hand honing this thing," the Babylon star noted, "then Lewis coming in for the ultimate ‘smell test.' It’s really fun, it’s exciting, it’s adventurous, and you feel it. I do. I hope others do too.”
Keep reading for a look at every celeb at the 2026 Oscars...
David Fisher/Shutterstock
Chase Infiniti
in custom Louis Vuitton and De Beers jewelry.
Mike Coppola/Getty Images
Teyana Taylor
in Chanel and Tiffany and Co. jewelry.
Arturo Holmes/Getty Images
Elle Fanning
in custom Givenchy by Sarah Burton and Cartier jewelry.
David Fisher/Shutterstock
Emma Stone
in custom Louis Vuitton and Repossi jewelry.
ANGELA WEISS / AFP via Getty Images
Kate Hudson
in custom Armani Privé and Garatti jewelry.
Arturo Holmes/Getty Images
Gwyneth Paltrow
in Giorgio Armani, Christian Louboutin shoes and Tiffany & Co. jewelry.
Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic
Rose Byrne
in custom Christian Dior.
Photo by JC Olivera/WWD via Getty Images
Regina Hall
in Yara Shoemaker and Pomellato jewelry.
George Pimentel/Shutterstock
Benicio del Toro
in Giorgio Armani, Christian Louboutin shoes and Oliver Peoples glasses.
Mike Coppola/Getty Images
Demi Moore
in custom Gucci.
David Fisher/Shutterstock
Michael B. Jordan
in custom Louis Vuitton.
John Shearer/WireImage
Jessie Buckley
in custom Chanel.
Photo by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic
Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas
in Loewe and Swarovski jewelry.
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images
Zoe Saldana
in Saint Laurent and Cartier jewelry.
George Pimentel/Shutterstock
Ethan Hawke
in Prada and Andy Wolf glasses.
David Fisher/Shutterstock
Pedro Pascal
in Chanel.
Photo by Arturo Holmes/Getty Images
Amanda Anka & Jason Bateman
in Dunhill (Bateman).
Photo by Maya Dehlin/Disney via Getty Images
Channing Tatum
in Versace, Christian Louboutin shoes and Tiffany & Co. jewelry.
David Fisher/Shutterstock
Odessa A'zion
in Valentino and Pandora jewelry.
Shutterstock
Zinzi Coogler & Ryan Coogler
in custom Louis Vuitton and Catier jewelry (Zinzi) and custom Louis Vuitton, Christian Louboutin shoes and Cartier jewelry (Ryan).
Photo by Frederic J. Brown / AFP via Getty Images
Sigourney Weaver
in Valentino and Buccellati jewelry.
Mike Coppola/Getty Images
Rei Ami
in custom Rahul Mishra, Flor de Maria shoes and David Webb jewelry.
Mike Coppola/Getty Images
EJAE
in custom Dior and Swarovski jewelry.
John Shearer/WireImage
Kelly Ripa & Mark Consuelos
in Christian Siriano (Ripa).
Mike Coppola/Getty Images
Audrey Nuna
in custom Thom Browne and Chopard jewelry.
David Fisher/Shutterstock
Ellie Kemper
George Pimentel/Shutterstock
Kieran Culkin
in Paul Smith, Hublot watch and Sauvereign brooch.
Photo by Arturo Holmes/Getty Image
May Hong
in archive Roberto Cavalli and Spinelli Kilcollin jewelry.
Lexie Moreland/WWD via Getty Images
Miles Caton
in Amiri and Hublot watch.
David Fisher/Shutterstock
Heidi Klum
in Chrome Hearts .
Watch the Oscars 2026 Sunday, March 15, at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT on ABC and streaming on Hulu.
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