Brad Pitt has spoken about making it through the “darker days” of his life, describing the losses and pain he endured after his bitter, prolonged divorce from former wife Angelina Jolie.
The 62-year-old actor reflected on how he navigated some of his most difficult periods while promoting his new movie, Heart of the Beast.
In the survival thriller, Pitt plays James Belmont, a retired Special Forces officer who is stranded in the remote Alaskan wilderness alongside Odin, his former combat dog, after their plane crashes.
Although both survive the impact, they must battle freezing conditions and the dangers of the wilderness while waiting for help to arrive.
Pitt worked alongside survival specialists during production, an experience he said gave him a fresh perspective on the challenges he had faced in his own life.
“When I think of the darker days, it was certainly my close relationships that I relied heavily on,” he said. “Friends, dear close friends, a handful of close family, and being very open about my struggle.”
Brad Pitt has reflected on overcoming the “darker days” and enduring “losses and pain” after his lengthy, contentious divorce from Angelina Jolie
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, 51, separated in September 2016 after two years of marriage, but their divorce was not finalised until 2024
Pitt added, according to The Sun: “Being able to be that free with people who love you, have your back and whom you love in return is everything. It’s everything.”
“The survivalists would tell us it’s all about little wins. You’re going to suffer losses and pain, but the aim is simply to reach the next small victory.
“I thought that applied to life as well. When we are struggling and facing challenge after challenge, it is about reaching the next little win rather than focusing on the bigger picture.”
The comments came after friends claimed last month that Pitt’s marriage to Jolie sent his life into a “spiral.”
An exclusive report from Our News Outlet quoted people close to the actor as describing the marriage and its aftermath as the “worst thing that ever happened to him.”
A source close to Pitt told the publication: “He never had a drink problem, he had an Angelina problem. He’s worked hard on himself and he’s now, finally, in a really good place.”
The full report is available here.
Pitt and Jolie, 51, announced their split in September 2016 after two years of marriage. Their divorce was completed in 2024, bringing an end to an eight-year legal battle.
Meanwhile, in an interview with L’Officiel USA published on September 9, Jolie said she was ready to leave the United States and adopt a more “nomadic” lifestyle now that her youngest children, twins Vivienne and Knox, have turned 18.
The actress, who put her Los Feliz mansion on the market for $29.85 million earlier this year, said she felt she was approaching “the end of a certain time” in her life.
The 62-year-old actor discussed coping with some of life’s toughest moments while promoting his latest film, Heart of the Beast
Friends recently claimed that Pitt’s marriage to Jolie sent his life “spiraling”; the pair are pictured together in 2014
Asked if she’s going to be swapping Los Angeles for New York, she told the publication: ‘Out of the States more, I think.
‘I don’t really plan to have a base. I’d like to have a home base for my family, a place where some of the mom stuff and the family photos are. And then I’d like to be a bit nomadic for a while.’
She no longer needs to stay in Los Angeles to satisfy the rules of her custody agreement with Brad, which required her minor children to remain near their father until they turned 18.
All six of her children with the star are now adults and four of them, including Maddox, 25, Zahara, 21, Shiloh, 20 and Vivienne, have taken legal steps to change their last names from Pitt to Jolie.
Knox and Pax, 22, have not filed a formal legal name-change petition.
While Brad increasingly steps out in public with girlfriend of nearly four years, Ines de Ramon, 33, the Maleficent actress is keen to continue the global expansion of her Atelier Jolie creative house.
