Brad Pitt recently opened up about his battle with alcoholism.
In a New York Times interview, he talked about being part of an Alcoholics Anonymous recovery group after “taking things as far” as he could with drinking.
And the Once Upon A Time In Hollywood star is not done being candid about the struggles in his life. It’s part of a whole new philosophy the actor has adopted.
Video: Ellen DeGeneres Tells Brad She Dated One Of His Exes
In a recent interview for The Project, he explained:
“Probably 98 percent of us, that makes us us, is all the same, it’s universal. And I think we all carry deep pains to different degrees and regrets, and we’re very good, certainly in my culture, at burying those.”
Opening up about you feelings, Brad has found, is just a healthier approach:
“I think it leads to a more well-rounded, certainly more comfortable existence within yourself, and greater peace of mind. And I find that you can enjoy the good stuff more.”
What did he mean about “my culture”?
We think he was talking about American views on masculinity in general, but also more specifically where and how he grew up.
In his GQ profile he explained:
“Well, I think we’re drawn to what we are trying to change or improve in ourselves. I grew up in the Ozarks, and I’ve come to learn that we’re pioneer stock. We’re people who get things done. Don’t talk about much; get it done. And we don’t complain. Complaining is really looked down upon. And it’s not true. We’re always kind of ‘Woe is me.’ But this idea of if you get hurt, you break an arm, you cut yourself, you just deal with it. You don’t make a big fuss about it. And there’s a positive side to that that I appreciate.
But it works the same way internally — what I’ve described as not taking inventory of yourself. How are you feeling at this moment? What’s really going on? We just don’t deal with it, and get on with it. And that, I’ve found a real hindrance.”
So how should we be looking at masculinity instead?
https://www.instagram.com/p/B2eSF6ZlWzz/
The star of Fight Club, which will celebrate its 20th anniversary on October 15, now muses:
“It seems new to me, because coming from where I’m coming from and the movies I grew up on. But it seems to me that this idea of: There’s strength in vulnerability. It’s not a posing, strength of muscles, ‘I can do anything’ kind of blind confidence, but it’s a real confidence in really knowing yourself, your strengths, your weaknesses. And being really…vulnerable to and open with the people you encounter, the people you love. Being able to laugh at your foibles.”
That certainly is something which shows real strength of character.
If anything, going to great effort to prove you’re never wrong just makes you seem… well, off your damn rocker.
So how has “taking inventory” affected Brad’s acting?
He obviously doesn’t take nearly so many movie roles as he used to. He tells GQ that was a conscious choice at some point, one he recently discussed with costar Leonardo DiCaprio:
“Leo and I were having this conversation the other day. I hit this point in the late ’90s or early 2000s, where I realized I was chasing these interesting [roles], yet I was failing to live as interesting a life as I thought I could…
There was just too much emphasis on finding interesting characters. I went, ‘F**k me, man. Live an interesting life and the rest will take care of itself.’ Like, ‘You go out and you… live an interesting life. Get out and have real experiences.’ And that is what informs the work. Not going to find the interesting work and then trying to make it up. I just became more conscious of how I was living versus what I was living for.”
We know Brad has been traveling a lot in recent years and meeting interesting new people.
According to those close to him, Brad also spends a lot of time sculpting, listening to music, and watching a TON of movies.
On the change in how he spends his time, less chasing and more cruising, he says:
“Maybe it’s just getting older too, man. [Pause.] It’s just getting f**king older! How you become more aware of time, and you’ve had more experience, good and bad, with people. And your own wins and losses — the older you get, they don’t seem like so much of a win or so much of a loss. Who you spend your time with, how you spend time — it has just become much more important to me.”
Speaking of who he spends his time with…
Brad has become friends with Kanye West and was seen attending his Sunday Service recently.
On his evolving view of spirituality, Brad says:
“I cling to religion. I grew up with Christianity. Always questioned it, but it worked at times. And then when I got on my own, I completely left it and I called myself agnostic. Tried a few spiritual things but didn’t feel right. Then I called myself an atheist for a while, just kind of being rebellious. I wasn’t really. But I kinda labeled myself that for a while. It felt punk rock enough. And then I found myself coming back around to just belief in—I hate to use the word spirituality, but just a belief in that we’re all connected.”
All connected. 98 percent of what makes us us is the same. He’s definitely onto something there…
What do YOU think about the new philosophical Brad?
[Image via KIKA/WENN/20th Century Fox/YouTube.]
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