A reclaimed quarry in Franklin, Tennessee, may seem an unlikely venue for a major film premiere—especially for a movie led by Oscar winner Brad Pitt. There were no sweeping klieg lights over Hollywood Boulevard, nor a customary procession of A-list stars.
That was exactly the point. Pitt requested that the premiere of Heart of the Beast be held Wednesday night at FirstBank Amphitheater in Franklin, a city of about 91,000 people, where local residents were offered free tickets.
The survival drama follows a retired Army Special Forces soldier who must endure the Alaskan wilderness with only Odin, his former service dog, after a small-plane crash. The film was met with enthusiastic cheers from an audience largely dressed in jeans and baseball caps.
The event stood in sharp contrast to Pitt’s past Hollywood premieres, including last year’s F1, Ocean’s Eleven and his Oscar-winning performance in 2019’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
For Pitt, stepping away from Hollywood and the “constant drama” surrounding his contentious divorce from Angelina Jolie and estrangement from their six children was reportedly central to the decision. He wanted to mark the release alongside what he described as “normal people.”
Support from close friends and people outside the celebrity spotlight has helped the actor navigate what has been a difficult and turbulent period in his life.
Brad Pitt requested that the premiere of Heart of the Beast be held Wednesday night at FirstBank Amphitheater in Franklin, a city of about 91,000 people
The film follows a retired Army Special Forces soldier stranded in the Alaskan wilderness with his former service dog, Odin, after a small-plane crash
Pitt chose to step away from Hollywood and the “constant drama” surrounding his contentious divorce from Angelina Jolie
Pitt, 62, recently said he occasionally enjoys wine again after giving up alcohol following his bitter 2016 split from Jolie. He may well have marked the premiere of his latest film with a chilled drink.
Some observers questioned his decision to drink again after adopting a sober lifestyle. However, a source close to Pitt told Our News Outlet that the actor’s struggles were linked to the turmoil in his personal life rather than an alcohol dependency.
“He’s worked hard on himself and he’s now, finally, in a really good place,” the source said.
“The whole point about having the movie premiere in somewhere like Franklin was to be among real people. Brad lost his way for a period in his life and he struggled, but he did the work and came through. The divorce from Angelina was bad, but the alienation from his children was the worst thing that ever happened to him. Now he’s gone from pain and hurt to acceptance.”
Pitt has increasingly chosen to surround himself with people who have little interest in the nonstop pressures of celebrity culture.
His circle includes artists such as sculptor Thomas Houseago and Neri Oxman, a former Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor and designer. Pitt has also been dating jewelry designer Ines de Ramon, 33, since late 2022.
De Ramon made her first red carpet appearance with Pitt on Wednesday. The couple was also recently photographed together at the US Open, attending both the women’s and men’s singles finals. People close to them say de Ramon prefers to keep her life away from the spotlight.
“He’s surrounded himself with good people—family, friends, a girlfriend who doesn’t crave attention in the way his ex, Angelina, did, and a group of artists, artisans and others who share his interests but don’t want to be famous,” the source said.
“Franklin is never going to rival Los Angeles or New York as one of the world’s great film capitals, but Pitt wanted to get back to his roots.”
Pitt’s girlfriend, Ines de Ramon, made her first red carpet appearance with him on Wednesday
People close to the couple say de Ramon prefers to live away from the spotlight
‘Pitt never had a drink problem, he had an Angelina problem,’ a source told Our News Outlet
Pitt, who was born in Oklahoma and raised in Springfield, Missouri, played on his midwestern roots during his early Hollywood days after he catapulted to fame playing a handsome drifter who seduces Geena Davis’s character in Thelma & Louise.
A long-time associate said: ‘Brad’s fundamentally a midwestern boy at heart. He’s a good guy. He is very close to his family and is still friends with people he met right at the start of his career. But after he married Angie (in 2014) his life spiraled down a rabbit hole. They were happy for a while but when things went bad they went very, very bad.’
The marriage infamously fell apart in 2016 when the couple and their six children were flying back on a private jet from Paris after a holiday at their vineyard, Chateau Miraval.
Jolie claimed her husband drunkenly physically and verbally abused her and alleged he punched the ceiling of the plane and allegedly struck one of their children.
Pitt vehemently denied her claims and, after the FBI investigated the case, no charges were ever filed.
The long-time associate said: ‘Did Pitt go through a period where he drank too much? Yes. But did he do what he was accused of? No.
‘He had some issues with alcohol and he addressed them. He worked through them. It would be interesting to know if Angelina has dealt with any of her issues.’
Pitt reportedly joined Alcoholics Anonymous and abstained completely from alcohol for seven years.
But in a candid interview with Esquire magazine this summer, the star admitted he is drinking again saying: ‘I can have a few but I can’t have a lot. I have to be professional about it. I got over-confident a couple times, went, yep, nope, not good for me. Not in big quantities.’
Maintaining moderation protects his favorite part of the day: ‘You can miss a lovely morning when you drink too much the night before.’
Pitt and Ines lead a mostly quiet life with homes in LA and Carmel, California, as well as the 1,200-acre Chateau Miraval in Correns, France. In LA they have been spotted enjoying early morning hikes in the canyons near their Hollywood Hills home.
The marriage infamously fell apart in the summer of 2016 when the couple and their six children were flying back on a private jet from Paris
Pitt reportedly joined Alcoholics Anonymous and stop drinking for seven years
Pitt and Ines lead a mostly quiet life with homes in LA and Carmel, California
The long-time associate said: ‘Ines is a good partner for him. She’s calm and has little interest in hanging out with famous people and going to parties. They have dinner parties with artists and designers. They both love art and architecture. Of course, they have friends in show business but they’re not going to red carpet events or Hollywood parties unless it’s to promote one of his films or support a friend.
‘They are really, really happy together. He’s making the movies he wants to make. The F1 film was the most successful of his career financially.’
Pitt has another movie, The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth, a sequel to Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, directed by David Fincher and written by Quentin Tarantino, which opens on November 25 and will have a Hollywood premiere, because the movie is set in Tinseltown.
His friends say the estrangement from his children, five of the six have moved to drop his last name, with Pax as the holdout, will never go away but he will never give up hope of a reconciliation with them.
‘Brad has fought and fought for them and everything is out there if, one day, they want to look at the court documents and documents of record. Angelina engaged in a prolonged campaign of parental alienation using their children against him but his door will always be open to them.’
For her part, Jolie denies Pitt’s claims and says the children’s distance is their choice.
She insists that Maddox, 25, Pax, 22, Zahara, 21, Shiloh, 20 and 18-year-old twins Knox and Vivienne have independently decided to cut their father out of their lives.
In a recent interview with L’Officiel USA magazine, she insisted her core parenting rule for her children is to ‘not get in their way’ and says she plans to lead a more nomadic lifestyle after putting her LA home up for sale.
Some of the children, including twins Vivienne and Pax, have independently decided to cut their father out of their lives
Jolie denies Pitt’s claims and says the children’s distance is their choice
In a recent interview with L’Officiel USA magazine, she insisted her core parenting rule for her children is to ‘not get in their way’
Speaking to Variety earlier this year, she too hinted at having moved on from the mess and drama of the divorce telling the publication: ‘I think my fighting spirit is finally back. I lost it for a bit. I got kind of taken down a little bit and it’s coming back in large part thanks to my children, who are now older, and encouraging it.’
Coincidentally, Jolie also has a movie released this week, Without Blood, a war drama she wrote and directed, which screened in New York on September 14.
The star looked ethereal in a black suit and ivory bralette while holding the hand of Zahara at the premiere.
Pitt’s spokesperson declined to comment.
Our News Outlet has reached out to Jolie’s representatives for comment.
The source close to Pitt said: ‘It’s ironic that they both had premieres this week but very different ones – hers in New York and his in the middle of nowhere in Tennessee.
‘She’s talked about moving on so you have to hope that is the case. Pitt has found peace and is in a good place. If the kids ever come looking for him he will be there.’
