In collaboration with PASSIONS, VOICE OF ASIA is proud to present timeless articles from the archives, reproduced digitally for your reading pleasure. Originally published in PASSIONS Volume 57 in 2013, we present this story on Brad Pitt, discussing his own public stardom and the privacy he wants to afford his children.”
He is the irrefutable draw of Hollywood, a guaranteed box-office golden ticket (whether starring or producing), a family man and sex symbol all rolled into one. In a Malaysia-exclusive interview for PASSIONS by Jan Janssen, the star shares some of his thoughts on ageing, his recent releases, his brood and the future.
“There’s a sense of liberation to turning 50. You feel freed to focus only on meaningful things.“
While wedding plans between Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie seem to have been put on hold, Brad recently passed a milestone of a different sort when he turned 50 on the 18th of December 2013. He was interviewed at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2013, prior to jetting over to the UK to begin work on his next film, Fury, a WWII saga co-starring Shia LaBeouf and Scott Eastwood, son of Clint Eastwood.
“There’s a sense of liberation to turning 50,” Brad observes. “You feel freed to focus only on meaningful things because you become much more aware of time. You’ve gone through different stages and cleared away the stuff that slows you down. As a father, I also have a sense of responsibility to my six children and wanting to give them a beautiful life. Things are much clearer.
Angie and I do everything we can to carve out some semblance of normalcy for them. It’s not unusual for the kids to be covered in paint. We have mud fights. It’s chaos from morning until the lights go out, and sometimes after that… I love playing around at night with the older ones or sitting down and reading books with Maddox. It’s the most satisfying feeling in the world.”
Brad’s latest films include The Counselor directed by Ridley Scott, in which he plays a minor role advising Michael Fassbender’s ambitious lawyer character on how to navigate the world of drug trafficking. Another is 12 Years a Slave, British director Steven McQueen’s pre-US Civil War story about a free black man (Chiwetel Ejiofor) from upstate New York who is abducted and sold into slavery. It won the Toronto International Film Festival’s People’s Choice Award.
12 Years a Slave also co-stars Michael Fassbender as a cruel and vindictive slave-owner. The Irish-German actor has become a good friend of Brad’s over the last few years, and Pitt, who served as a producer on the film, was anxious to work with him again, a feeling that Fassbender says is mutual.
“Brad is a wonderful human being who has a generous soul,” Fassbender said of his co-star. “I have a lot of reasons to thank him. He has always been a real champion for me. After we first worked together, he was talking to a lot of people in Hollywood about me, and I really thank him for doing that… I first worked with him on Inglorious Basterds and I’ve been following him ever since. I’m trying to get involved in an film he’s doing!”
Q: What made you want to be a part of The Counselor?
“There are several reasons. I’m a huge fan of Cormac McCarthy [the screenwriter of the film]. He’s one of my favourite authors and I think I’ve read every word he’s published over the years. I also wanted to be able to work with Ridley Scott who helped me break into this business when I did Thelma & Louise. And another good reason was being able to work with Michael Fassbender. I’m one of his biggest fans.”
Q: How did you feel about playing a bit of a bad guy in the film?
“It was a nice twist to play someone who’s connected to some dangerous and illicit business operations. I only worked a few days on the film, but it was an interesting challenge getting in the head of this guy. I had a lot of fun working on the film.”
Q: Can you talk about 12 Years a Slave which you also helped produce?
“It’s an important film and I was very anxious to be a part of it. For me, it’s one of those rare moments in your career when you get to work on a film where story, performance, and history are all brought together at a very high level. This film is a transformative experience. It’s one of those rare films which displays brilliant storytelling and also shakes you. My experience with it matches my earliest recollections of great films I watched when I was younger and which inspired me in my career.
There is something bigger at work here. The majority of Americans need to listen to the history of the minority. Slavery is a huge part of American history which we can’t deny. We think we understand it and it’s settled but maybe that’s not the case. The great thing about this film is that it reminds us of our humanity and responsibility towards each other. We’re reminded that we have to take care of each other in this world and I can’t think of anything more worthwhile than to tell this kind of a story and make people more aware of our obligations towards our fellow human beings. It’s also a very beautiful film despite the brutality that is part of the story.”
Q: Do you feel this film will provoke a lot of questions about Americans and their history?
“I hope so. It’s always important to come to terms with the past and reflect on how your society has evolved and how the present is so heavily influenced by key events and times in history. It places discussion in the proper context. One other thing which people might not realise is that there are even more people in slavery today than there were a hundred years ago. Human trafficking is a terrible reality that the civilised world needs to fight against.”
Q: You seem to be more active now in producing as well as acting?
“Getting a film like 12 Years a Slave is one of the reasons why I got involved in film in the first place. I wanted to be a part of these kinds of movies and also to be able to tell stories like we did in World War Z. That was a project where I was able to rework the zombie film genre and try to put out a message that we have to help each other in society. It was a huge undertaking and many people doubted we could pull it off, but we did. So there’s a lot of satisfaction that comes with that. But more important was telling a story where you show how you have to do whatever it takes to protect your family and help other people survive difficult circumstances. We’re all in this together.”
Q: Will there be a sequel to World War Z?
“We’re working on a lot of ideas and it would be great if it all came together. I put a lot of time into the first one and I would be very happy if we can bring back some of those elements of the zombie world and create another good story.”
Q: Is acting still as meaningful today as when you began your career?
“It’s different. I’m very happy with the projects I’ve been involved with lately. I still have a great passion for storytelling. That has been part of my life ever since I was a kid when my parents would take us to drive-in movies. As an actor, I love being able to explore all the complex aspects of human nature and how we’re constantly in various stages of conflict with each other. But it’s not as consuming as it used to be, because my family is my priority and I’d rather spend more time with my kids.”
Q: Can you point to certain turning points in your life?
“Leaving university just a few weeks before graduating was a big decision. You never forget that kind of a moment in your life where you decide to change directions and follow your instincts. I was thinking that the life I thought I wanted for myself was all wrong. I didn’t want to look for a job at some newspaper or find something just to pass the time. I knew I had to get out and do something different with my life. I had this idea to go to try acting and see where that would take me. It was something I had to try… So I loaded up the car and headed for Los Angeles. I had USD300 to get me there and somehow get started. It was just something I needed to do for myself.”
Q: How does that adventure compare with how you feel now?
“Everything’s different. I’m a father, so things like taking my kids to a museum or showing them incredible works of art are just as important as anything else I do in life. Your entire world is different when you’re looking at things from the perspective of a parent. Getting the kids to bed is an adventure, just as waking up when they’re jumping on your bed is one of the most beautiful things that can happen to you, even if you don’t think so at the time!”
Q: Does turning 50 change your thinking about how you want to live your life from here on?
“I have many other interests now and it’s easier to be less single-minded than I used to be about my career. That’s the kind of freedom that comes from having a family – you’re part of this bigger project. Children are a dominant value in my life now, and they weren’t before. They were always something I thought I’d get around to having when the time was right. (Now) I’m in a place where I’ve become much more generous and loving and my focus is on making my family happy and secure. I wanted this kind of life for a long time.”
