Brad Pitt says it felt good to be back in Alberta to shoot The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, and had kind words for the picture’s Canadian crew.

‘It was nice to be reunited with the crews and wranglers, many of whom I had worked with on Legends of the Fall [in 1994], which was shot not far from Jesse James,’ Pitt said at a Saturday afternoon press conference prior to the new film’s screening.

He was joined by second-time director Andrew Dominik (Chopper) and actor Casey Affleck (Ocean’s Thirteen), who portrays Ford.

The film, which follows the last days and murder of the legendary outlaw, shot over four months in 2005 in and around Edmonton, Calgary and Winnipeg. It also stars Zooey Deschanel (Bridge to Terabithia) and Mary-Louise Parker (Weeds).

An upbeat Pitt also commented on his recent best actor win at the Venice Film Festival for his role as James, noting the win was a real ‘surprise’ and ‘honor,’ though he added that awards are never the focus.

Dominik talked up the shooting conditions in Alberta and said that, apart from the cold, Jesse James wasn’t a particularly challenging shoot, adding that Warner Bros. gave the production US$30 million and ‘a lot of time to get it right.’ The picture was produced in partnership with Alberta Film Entertainment.

‘When it got cold in Calgary, you have start dressing like an astronaut… but when you start working, you forget about it,’ he said.

Dominik told reporters he was drawn to Ron Hansen’s novel, on which the film is based.

‘The characters were good, the book was beautiful — dense and thematically rich,’ he said.