Brad Pitt speaks through his art: ‘If I’m not making, I’m dying in some way’

It’s consistently shocking to realize that even in the year of our lord Beyonce 2022, conventionally attractive white men are exhaustively praised for doing the bare minimum. That’s what I thought about as I read Brad Pitt’s August GQ cover profile. How easy it is for him to sit there and act like he’s some cool-guy lonely-wanderer bohemian artist. He just sits and talks about art and deflects questions and poses. Shallow and navel-gazing doesn’t even cover it. And GQ doesn’t call him out or say sh-t about how bizarre it all is. There are no family photos in his home, the divorce from Angelina is mentioned, and… nothing. No questions of “so do your children hate your guts” or “why do you continue to drag Angelina.” You can read the full GQ piece here. He’s promoting Bullet Train, where he plays some kind of assassin. Some highlights:

The final stages of his career: “I consider myself on my last leg, this last semester or trimester. What is this section gonna be? And how do I wanna design that?”

His Craftsman home in LA: “This was the first place I bought when I made some money in ’94… It was really run-down and dilapidated. I lived here for a few years, then I bounced around everywhere, just let friends crash here, and then somewhere in the aughts I fixed it up. Been pretty much hiding out here.”

He plays the guitar & drives to his beach house: “I drive out and I just feel like I’m taking off a cloak or something,” he says. When he’s heading back into town, he says he can feel the weight of the place. “As soon as you turn in past Santa Barbara, I feel it coming. The shoulders start getting a little higher, and I feel it. I’m not quite sure what that is and how to contend with it just yet. Other than getting out and traveling a lot.”

The Artist: “I’m one of those creatures that speaks through art. I just want to always make. If I’m not making, I’m dying in some way.”

He quit smoking: Pitt offers me a nicotine mint. He chews them mindlessly. He explains that he quit smoking during the pandemic after realizing that simply cutting back on cigarettes wasn’t going to suffice—he had to cut them out. “I don’t have that ability to do just one or two a day. It’s not in my makeup. I’m all in. And I’m going to drive into the ground. I’ve lost my privileges.”

He’s been sober for six years: After Jolie filed for divorce, in 2016, he got sober and spent a year and a half attending Alcoholics Anonymous. “I had a really cool men’s group here that was really private and selective, so it was safe. Because I’d seen things of other people who had been recorded while they were spilling their guts, and that’s just atrocious to me.”

On David Hockney & aging: “He’s still chaining, the hard-core English way. It looks great. I don’t think I have that. I’m just at that age when nothing good comes from it.”

Solitude: “I always felt very alone in my life, alone growing up as a kid, alone even out here, and it’s really not till recently that I have had a greater embrace of my friends and family. What’s that line, it was either Rilke or Einstein, believe it or not, but it was something about when you can walk with the paradox, when you carry real pain and real joy simultaneously, this is maturity, this is growth.”

Profound Pitt: “I am a murderer. I’m a lover. I have the capacity for great empathy and I can devolve into pettiness.”

[From GQ]

It’s possible Pitt was asked specific questions about his various tabloid dramas and he simply declined to answer and nothing was included in the GQ piece. But I find that bizarre – he’s been using the legal system to extend his abuse of his ex-wife and it’s an on-going issue. A judge was thrown off their divorce case, and he just sued Angelina over Miraval. And still no questions. Just hipster vibes and play-acting the sad, lonely, sober man. This is his brand now: Bohemian Brad, the sculptor and sad artist. Ugh.

Cover & IG courtesy of GQ.

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97 Responses to “Brad Pitt speaks through his art: ‘If I’m not making, I’m dying in some way’”

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  1. Christine says:

    That cover is rough

    • Keekey says:

      Yeah, I can’t see Brad being happy with those photos. Dude has an ego.

    • Gillysirl says:

      It may be me but he has an Elon Musk look about him in that photo. Probably one of the worst I’ve ever seen of him.

    • Lucy says:

      It’s unsettling and lifeless. The color choices are super harsh
      ETA – William Dafoe! That’s who he looks like here!

      • Wiglet Watcher says:

        With a pathetic Johnny depp vibe.

      • J.Mo says:

        I think the cover has a Ray Liotta look to it. Willem Dafoe usually looks craggy and sexy, not smoothed over.

      • elle says:

        To me, it looks like Chris Pine and Rob Lowe had a baby who is older than their combined ages. Also a little Siegfried & Roy.

      • SugarHere says:

        I love Brad Pitt. But that’s too much plastic surgery for now. The man looks like Rob Lowe.

    • Oye says:

      Yeah He is doing his thing.

      • snappyfish says:

        I remember when “his thing” was pretending to be an architect. Maybe he should head down to NOLA and use his “art” to fix those broke a$$ homes that proved to be unlivable in the ninth. What a pompous POS

    • maggi says:

      yikes, he’s had all his cuteness carved off. His eyes in that header shot have the blank stare of Homelander (The Boys) about to submit to some dark internal urge to do something very bad.

    • Vera says:

      he looks like an ageing Jersey Shore low level mobster in that cover pic

    • DuchessL says:

      Cover looks like Brad made it out of a coffin. Either too much photoshop or botoxed to oblivion. Artsy bohemian Brad sounds like Edgy Justin Theroux to me.

    • rawiya says:

      It’s what his ugly self deserves!

    • Eloise says:

      The photographer did him dirty!

      • Spike says:

        Plastic fantastic.

        The comment comparing his look to Highlander on The Boys slayed me.

        He sounds like a college freshman taking philosophy courses – so vapid & shallow. Yuck.

    • eliza says:

      i thought it was rob lowe at first glance, and that’s an insult to rob!

    • N says:

      He admitted he was almost finished with his 20+ years’ feud with Ben Affleck, especially now after his WB’s major backer Toby Zemmerich was recently ousted by the new management. No doubt what happened to Ezra Miller and The Flash and it’s implications were the final straw for Affleck, and he went for the showdown with Emmerich and Pitt and their other minions, and at the end, he survived their career assassination of him and Pitt lost it.

      • Lens says:

        I have no idea what you are talking about N! I have a soft spot for pretty boys but glad I didn’t marry one because all the pretty boys like Rob Lowe, Brad Pitt, Billy Crudup get this same weird creepy embalmed look when they age. Not attractive anymore.

      • N says:

        Ben Affleck and Brad Pitt have been mortal enemies for more than 20 years. One could say it was almost as long as Affleck becoming famous.
        His recent years’ professional troubles in Warner Bros are most likely Pitt’s doing. Affleck finally has had enough about 3 months ago (Ezra Miller’s The Flash is his final straw, I suspect) and went on a showdown with Pitt and his WB main backer Toby Zemmerich. In the end, Affleck came on top, Emmerich was ousted by the new CEO, and Pitt lost his place in the studio. And not only that, it seems other studios do not want him either (the two pictures Bullet Train and Babylon he did in 2021 are exceptions, as they are most likely quid pro quo offers). Notice: there were rumours back in January 2022 that Tom Cruise had played cameo in a Disney movie, despite him being a Paramount signature star; or Sandra Bullock repeatedly stated her intention for hiatus despite Paramount’s contrary wishing). And Pitt knows. That’s why he said his career was almost finished in the GQ article, cause other stars do not want to work with him or co-exist with him in their home studios. In order to win against Ben Affleck, he fought dirty and has burnt too many bridges in the industry. But he is still plotting, as you can read in the GQ article where he hinted he’s got black materials of people now in powerful positions in Hollywood and he’d hate to use them. That’s also probably why GQ made a corpse-like cover for him. Studio executives in the back scenes want him dead and buried (see my post in 39 below).

    • Alse says:

      He looks embalmed.

    • McM says:

      Um, that is a pic of a dead body…

    • The Recluse says:

      Not a great shot or edit. That’s for sure. Those colors are garish.

    • Isabella says:

      He looks like Liberace. I hate thinking that. But that’s what I see.

    • teehee says:

      He’s channeling Homelander I think

  2. C.R. says:

    Not to sound gruesome but he kinda looks like a person…laying in a casket…in the cover photo. Weird skin, bad makeup, lifeless eyes.

    • Keekey says:

      I think you’re right. It looks like a play on the Ophelia painting.

      • A says:

        I saw a couple of other photos from the shoot elsewhere and it is a play on the Ophelia painting for sure. There’s one where it’s much clearer he’s lying in water. I wonder what Brad Pitt thought as he was lying in a puddle, copying a character who famously died after being driven mad by her pos boyfriend. I bet it was different than I what I think seeing the photos.

    • ArtHistorian says:

      He looks like a wax work.

    • why says:

      twitter says casket ready and I still lol every time I remember that thread

  3. bananie says:

    Same old same old vapid garbage. Was reading 2001 archive piece from VF. NOTHING changes.
    https://archive.vanityfair.com/article/2001/12/the-center-of-a-star
    BARF.

    • Thoughts says:

      I just read the article and he referred to his marriage to Jennifer Aniston as “the merger.” IIRC, he also called it an “experiment” in a separate interview…and people wonder why it didn’t last.

      They were also set up by they’re agents and their marriage only lasted as long as Friends was on the air.

  4. Queen Meghan’s Hand says:

    We need another post on this devoted to his latest cosmetic eye surgery. WHAT IS GOING ON with his bottom and top lids???

  5. AC says:

    Alcohol is making him look hard. His face is rough!

    • saltandpepper says:

      He is six years sober.

      • Coco says:

        So he says doesn’t make it true.

      • HeatherC says:

        If true then the alcohol has already done its job and his attempts to fix it made it worse

      • What says:

        He’s sober but in the same article it’s brought up he offered the reporter booze. He’s sober but keeps booze available in his home? Yeah right.

        Also says he quit smoking the the pandemic when pictures of him in the pandemic show him smoking constantly.

        The man is a liar.

      • AAW says:

        No he actually said in the interview that he was “boozing too much” in the past year alone and that he’s been sober for 6 months. NOT 6 years.

  6. OriginalLala says:

    Welp his looks have finally caught up with his terrible insides.

  7. Chick3n says:

    I thought he had 2 buns in his hair.

  8. Sunday says:

    I’d argue that his brand is actually Hurricane Katrina profiteer and conman, but of course that real life wreckage and human toll isn’t important, after all he’s quit smoking!!

  9. Carmen says:

    He is more FOS than an overflowing commode.

  10. Lady Esther says:

    He really thinks he’s Jim Morrison, doesn’t he? Shallow as a paper bag. I’m no fan of Angie but I’ve never understood the appeal of Brad. He’s a terrible actor.

  11. Esmerelda says:

    I doubt GQ would ever ask a probing or hard question… But in the end this profile isn’t flattering at all: this angst-y, arts-y navel gazing works for a teen or 20-something, but it’s frankly pathetic at his age.
    He’s alone, with a career that’s winding down. These are the facts, and no “Einstein or Rilke” quote can fudge them.

    • AMA1977 says:

      This! I pity him, all he ever had were his looks and…they’re gone. He is EXHAUSTING. I lost track of the number of times I rolled my eyes while reading the excerpt. I can’t imagine having to read the actual article. “Rilke or Einstein.” Please, William.

      The pictures are absolutely awful, and I am sure he’s PISSED because he still thinks he’s People’s Sexiest Man Alive.

      Last thought: if your adult children all can’t stand you, that tells me everything I need to know about you.

  12. Marietta2381 says:

    Just wanted to call out, usually big stars are never asked any questions that may harm their brand, they usually get a list ahead of time, what they can ask. That’s all this is. Brad’s people clearly did just that.

  13. flo says:

    I just read the article. What a bunch of garbage. He sounds like Depp and the author sounds like a fawning sycophant.

  14. thaisajs says:

    That’s looking pretty rough for someone who’s 58. He should have talked to Tom Cruise’s plastic surgeon. Whoever s/he is, that person is a friggin genius.

  15. Jan says:

    There was a ruling in the case against Angie and he lost, the sale was legal.
    And the Judge ordered him to turn over the the papers the new owners were asking for.
    So Pitt scored own goal.
    What were his lawyers thinking, besides lining their pockets. The Court gave Angie the go-ahead for the sale and he was aware of it.

    • Jais says:

      This is a new ruling from him trying to sue her over the sale?

      • Ivy says:

        Its confusing but the new partners subpeaonead him to get records they weren’t handling over. He tried to stop it by saying the sale was illegal and they didn’t have a right to them. Two judges disagreed with that argument and said he needed to hand them over.

  16. HeatherC says:

    OMG that picture. Will it replace the usual OUTIH thumbnail?

  17. Myeh says:

    What a has been… I can’t watch anything with him or Depp in it. Good job alienating your core demographic with your disgusting display of white privilege, deeply detrimental sexism and utter mediocrity

  18. Lululu says:

    I honestly thought that was Rob Lowe before I read the headline.

  19. Eurydice says:

    Yikes. Next he’ll be talking about himself in the third person.

  20. Snuffles says:

    Oof! That’s the worst photo shoot of him I’ve ever seen. He looks like a melting Ken doll.

  21. MaggieM says:

    Brad Pitt and Johnny Depp are two peas in a pod. Narcissistic actors with substance abuse problems who can’t handle aging and losing their looks so took it out on their younger and more attractive wives. Gross.

  22. diANNa says:

    I used to crush hard on this guy and now I’m disgusted with GQ’s decision to put him on the cover — the guy abused his family members and has been trying to smear his wife since! I know GQ’s audience is men and maybe men don’t care as much or don’t know about his history — my husband has an subscription to GQ and he didn’t know any of this background stuff about Pitt and his abuse of his own family.

  23. Christina says:

    Brad looks like Michael Douglas as Liberace.

  24. Thoughts says:

    Whenever Brad insists he’s quit one substance, it usually means he’s lying or consuming something else. Plus he’s talked about the men’s group at AA several times before and it feels like he’s just recycling old talking points. Was he actually quoted as saying he was sober? I don’t think he’s ever been directly quoted saying he’s sober. And what’s with that line, “I am a murderer?”

    He looks so lifeless and soulless in that cover photo, and you know it’s bad when comments on the Daily Mail are critical of Brad. The IG photos look like some half hearted attempt at a Ziggy Stardust tribute, that Brad doesn’t have the energy to pull off. Overall, the photo shoot feels as awkward as him going on Goop, gushing over Gwyneth Paltrow and peddling long sleeve flannel in June. He needs a new PR team ASAP.

  25. Ivy says:

    He sounds like someone who is trying to come off as smart and deep but it falls flat. also he sounds….not well? quite different from his last gq interview

    • What says:

      Honestly he’s been doing this for yeaaars. Even before the drama, if you watch her interviews in person he’s not the brightest but you look at his interviews in print he tries to make himself sound more intelligent than he is.

  26. Lizzie Bathory says:

    I’m loving all the comparisons to who he resembles on the cover cause it’s not Brad Pitt.

    All I could see was the Dennis Reynolds blow up doll from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

    • CI says:

      I agree – I am cracking up.

      I just watched the first episode of the second season of The Boys last night and I flinched because all I see is Homelander’s deeply disturbing gaze, lol.

    • “I’m a Five Star Man!! I’M A FIVE STAR MAN!!!” 🤣

  27. Lucy2 says:

    Speaking of making, what is that face he is making on the cover? It looks…odd.
    He won’t answer in the middle of litigation, but I hope someone asked him about the New Orleans houses someday.

    Also he bought his house from Elvira, I heard her talking about it on an interview not too long ago, I doubt it was some falling down shack like he’s making it out to be.

  28. Sour Pasoa says:

    Bradashian shouldn’t have messed with his face..

    Horrible filter? I don’t think so.

  29. Southern Fried says:

    Karma’s coming hard for this guy. Oh well.

  30. Gabyrana says:

    It looks like he had some work done around his eyes
    It must be hard for him to lose his looks

    • Oye says:

      There is nothing wrong with his eyes if he used fillers like ALL of them do its not in bad test actually. The blue match his eye blue but not his best taken look but there must a reason that way.

  31. jferber says:

    Lucy, Willem Dafoe has been my boyfriend for many years and I assure you it is not him on the cover. Willem has always been divine, thank you very much.

  32. Oye says:

    There is nothing wrong with his eyes if he used fillers like ALL of them do its not in bad test actually. The blue match his eye blue but not his best taken look but there must a reason that way in some arty way..:)

  33. Jessica says:

    Legit laughed out loud at that cover, this has to be a joke.

  34. Shannon says:

    These photos are AWFUL

  35. AD says:

    He has a movie coming out in July/August so he is promoting it. Also he is paid to advertise all the outfits that he wore in those photoshoots, stylist etc. Money rules him!

    • Zone says:

      The movie just doesn’t appeal to me. (Actually, although I was a massive film buff up until about 2 years+ ago when COVID hit, it’s very hard to get me to watch anything these days. Over movies. I feel like it’s all garbage going into your subconscious. Books only.)

  36. Mothra says:

    Yikes.

  37. What the what says:

    Murderer? Who says that? I agree this whole vibe and interview is weird in a bad way.

  38. kirk says:

    His reference to Rilke’s poem about the bust of Apollo reminded me of one of the best books I’ve ever read: ‘You Must Change Your Life: The Story of Rainer Maria Rilke and Auguste Rodin’ by Rachel Corbett. Truly great book discovered by accident in the library! Then I had to read up on Camille Claudel and told my sister we should go to Camille Claudel museum.

  39. N says:

    Kaiser ommitted a very key information from the GQ cover:
    “I had a really cool men’s group here that was really private and selective, so it was safe,” Pitt told GQ. “Because I’d seen things of other people who had been recorded while they were spilling their guts, and that’s just atrocious to me.”

    This is a very obvious blackmail hint to some people in the industry. And he talked about design in his last leg. He knew he was finished, but he still intended to throw grenades to another star he’s feuding with after he is gone, hence he intends to use these hidden moles in the industry to pull surprise attack on the star in the future.

    Note though, GQ is part of Condé Nast, who has first-look deals with Disney and now Warner Bros Discovery. It looks like at least these two studios are not happy and they pulled connections behind the scenes to do the cover, to send messages to potential moles in the industry, to not pull some monkey business, else Pitt’s ending is theirs.

    • kirk says:

      Don’t know anything about any blackmail hint. However, recalled that Eminem went to community based 12-step type program when trying to get straight, but was bothered by people in the group who only saw him as celebrity rather than an addict needing support like them. He switched to using rehab counselor. He may have eventually found a good group setting.

  40. Vera says:

    The Guardian article on this is SAVAGE
    https://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2022/jun/23/fright-club-brad-pitts-gq-photoshoot-is-an-embarrassment-of-pictures

    ‘f I were part of the Hollywood elite, I would spend an inordinate amount of time fretting about which photograph of me they would use during the “in memoriam” segment of the Oscars. Would it show me young and vital? Old and dignified? A character shot from my most cherished film, where I played a fat baker being bitten on the crotch by a little dog?

    I mention this because, if I had to guess, Brad Pitt doesn’t spend any time fretting about this. Not any more. Because, thanks to the selection of portraits that accompany his new GQ interview, we already know what he will look like dead.’

    • Anna says:

      Wow!

      “It is an example of the worst kind of celebrity magazine profile. It is self-serious and faux-profound, determined to whip up even the most mundane exchange until it sounds like a pronouncement from God.”