Brad Pitt speaks about divorce with Angelina Jolie through 'viralthread'.
Last year, staunch believers in the concept of a lasting celebrity marriage were dealt a significant blow, when Brangelina became just Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. After Angelina Jolie filed for divorce, the two Hollywood A-listers went through a messy breakup, with allegations of child abuse from Brad Pitt being just one of the many stories to come out of this messy parting of ways.
That being said; with all the drama and sadness surrounding the split, it wasn’t quite clear what exactly had set off this conscious uncoupling. That is, until now. Nearly a year after ending his 13-year relationship, Brad Pitt finally made his return to the public consciousness with an interview with the GQ Style magazine. He used the interview to talk about quitting alcohol and becoming a better man, but Brad Pitt was finally in a good enough place to talk about the divorce that changed his life completely.
Speaking to GQ Style, Brad Pitt referred to the past six months as being a “weird” time. It was in September last year that Angelina Jolie filed for divorce; the filing followed an altercation on a private jet in Los Angeles, where Brad Pitt and his 15-year-old son Maddox clashed. The FBI started an investigation, but it closed with no charges.
Brad Pitt revealed that he’d been taking steps to address his mental health, and admitted he “went through two therapists to get to the right one”. In the wake of his divorce, Brad Pitt admitted that the dissolution of his marriage was “self-inflicted”: when asked if the divorce was like “a death”, he applied in the affirmative. He took stock of his life, and realised that the drinking and drug use alluded to by his now ex-wife played a larger role in his daily life than he perhaps envisioned.
“But me, personally, I can’t remember a day since I got out of college when I wasn’t boozing or had a spliff, or something. Something. And you realize that a lot of it is, um—cigarettes, you know, pacifiers. And I’m running from feelings. I’m really, really happy to be done with all of that.”
Speaking about his life without his family, Brad Pitt admitted it was “too sad” to be at his house alone, and stayed with his friend David Fincher for a period as well. Now, though, he keeps the sad feelings by engaging his creative mind.
“This house was always chaotic and crazy, voices and bangs coming from everywhere, and then, as you see, there are days like this: very…very solemn. I don’t know. I think everyone’s creative in some way. If I’m not creating something, doing something, putting it out there, then I’ll just be creating scenarios of fiery demise in my mind. You know, a horrible end.”
With Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt had six children, and although they live with Angelina now, Brad Pitt aims to make the most of the time he has with them from now on.
“Family first. People on their deathbeds don’t talk about what they obtained or were awarded. They talk about their loved ones or their regrets—that seems to be the menu. I say that as someone who’s let the work take me away. Kids are so delicate.”
War Machine, Brad Pitt’s next film after his painful and life-changing divorce, will be out on Netflix later this month. From then, it’s unclear which roles Brad Pitt will take in the future, but after taking on new challenges in his personal life, I’m sure he’ll be up to the task.
