“I think all our hearts are broken”: Brad Pitt reflects on life after divorce, while the star of “all or nothing” says he gave up cigarettes and alcohol after breaking up with Angelina Jolie
- The Hollywood star has embraced a life of abstinence, which began shortly after the finalization of their divorce in 2016.
- But his newfound positivity is tempered by the belief that we all experience excruciating heartache at some point in our lives.
- Speaking to the latest issue of the British GQ, Pete insisted that emotional turmoil and deep sadness are an inevitable part of growth.
- The actor spent 18 months attending regular meetings of Alcoholics Anonymous, while adopting the basic principles of the abstinence group.
- Pete, a lifelong smoker, also decided to eliminate cigarettes from his life, choosing instead to replace tobacco with nicotine-flavored gum.
By Jason Chester for MailOnline
Posted: 14:23, 22 June 2022 | Updated: 15:31, 22 June 2022
Brad Pitt gave a grim assessment of his human condition as he moved on from the collapse of his five-year marriage to actress Angelina Jolie.
The Hollywood star has embraced a life of abstinence that began shortly after the finalization of their divorce in 2016, but his newfound positivity has been mitigated by the belief that we all experience excruciating heartache at some point in our lives.
Speaking to the latest issue of the British GQ, Pete, 58, insisted that emotional turmoil and deep sadness are an inevitable part of growth.
Opening: Brad Pitt gave a grim assessment of his human condition as he moved on from the collapse of his five-year marriage to actress Angelina Jolie
“I think all our hearts are broken,” he said. “I’ve always felt very alone in my life, alone when I was growing up as a child, alone here, and I really only recently had a bigger hug from my friends and family.
“What is this line, it was either Rilke or Einstein, believe it or not, but it was about when you can go with the paradox, when you bring real pain and real joy at the same time, it’s maturity, it’s growth.”
Despite the prevailing sense of isolation, Pete admits that he found community and friendship through his decision to give up alcohol in 2016.
Reflective: Speaking to the latest issue of GQ, 58-year-old Pete insisted that emotional turmoil and deep sadness are an inevitable part of growth
Recently divorced, the actor spent 18 months attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, while embracing the group’s basic principles of abstinence from all mind-altering substances and honesty about the nature of addiction.
“I had a really great male band here that was really personal and selective, so it was safe,” he explained. “Because I’ve seen other people’s things that were recorded while they were pouring their insides, and that’s just disgusting to me.”
Pete, a lifelong smoker, also decided to exclude cigarettes from his life, instead choosing to replace tobacco with nicotine-flavored gum.
“I don’t have this ability to do just one or two a day,” he said of his previous smoking habit. – It’s not in my makeup. I am everything. And I will drive into the ground. I lost my privileges.
Old times: Pete and ex-wife Angelina Jolie at the 84th annual Oscars in 2012. The couple ended their marriage in 2016.
Success: Since then, the actor has won applause – and awards – for his role as the unfortunate stuntman Cliff Booth in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
The actor continued after his divorce and has been romantically involved with Nicole Poturalski, 29, since winning applause – and awards – for his role as the hapless stuntman Cliff Booth in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
However, the sense of impending doom is always present, and Pete admits that he is often tormented by the same recurring sleep in which he was brutally stabbed.
“For a solid four or five years there, the most prevalent dream I would have was to be jumped and stabbed,” he told GQ in an email.
“And I would wake up in horror. I didn’t understand why / they wanted to hurt me. It only stopped a year or two ago when I started going straight back to sleep and just asking why?
The July / August issue of GQ is available by digital download and at newsstands on June 28.
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