Brad Pitt has candidly admitted that he “couldn’t’ see a way out” when he was at his lowest point and endured a series of metal health woes amid “family” struggles
Brad Pitt has candidly admitted that he “couldn’t’ see a way out” when he was at his lowest point(Image: Esquire UK / Chantal Anderson)
Brad Pitt has said he had suicidal thoughts and “couldn’t’ see a way out” when he was at his lowest point.
The Hollywood star, 62, one of the most successful actors in the world for decades, said he had been suffering “oppressive” pain.
He told Esquire UK: “I was never suicidal in any way. It just was not my makeup. In fact, if I have any afflictions, it’s probably being a congenital optimist.
“Which has helped many times, and it’s also gotten me – I’ve walked foolishly head-on into a Mack truck because of my optimism. Or, as my forever-funny friend David Fincher will say, ‘Yeah, you see the glass as half full, but it’s half full of urine’.
“Anyway, I’ve never been suicidal except for one little period. And in that one little period, I just thought – I just couldn’t – just didn’t see a way out.
“The pain was so oppressive that — I wasn’t going to act on this, but I could feel—I could feel the cold steel of the bullet in my head, and it felt like relief.
“And I thought, ‘Oh, okay, now I understand’ – I understand suicide, in the sense that it’s just relief. It’s just looking for relief from the pain.
“But I also think we have incredible survival instincts. And for me, that immediately kicked in, but it was just…Yeah. Like, listen: This sh*t ain’t easy…And you’re talking to a guy who won the lottery.”
When asked by the interviewer, Pitt said he was talking about “family stuff”.
The Fight Club actor, who was famously married to Friends star Jennifer Aniston in the late 1990s and then tied the knot with Angelina Jolie, 51, when they met on the set of their 2005 film Mr and Mrs Smith.
They went through a bitter divorce in 2016, explained that he had never really considered taking his own life but there was one point where he could “understand” the logic.
Brad and Angelina are parents to Maddox 24, Pax, 22, Zahara, 21, Shiloh, 20, as well as 18-year-old twins Knox and Vivienne.
In 2019, a judge declared the former couple divorced and single, but the settling of their assets and custody of their children had to be decided separately and the pair were met with numerous obstacles.
A private judge hired by Pitt reached a decision soon after that, which included equal custody of their children, but Jolie filed to have him removed from the case over an unreported conflict of interest.
A separate lawsuit filed by Pitt over Jolie’s sale of her half of a French winery the two owned together. The couple married at their estate in Correns in 2014, yet following their split Jolie filed motions to dismiss claims that Pitt made against her.
It was over a verbal agreement over their 50-50 ownership of the vineyard. At the time, she argued that the agreement had been nullified after Pitt requested she signed an NDA regarding their marriage.
Jolie may have violated the agreement when she sold her shares of the chateau to Stoli Group, a Luxembourg-based spirits manufacturer in 2021. The company is owned by Russian oligarch Yuri Shefler.
Brad’s comments come just hours after it was reported that he and Jennifer enjoyed “lunch dates” together, some two decades after their divorce. At the 2020 SAG Awards, Brad reached for Jennifer’s hand, and, at the time it had been two years since she split from second husband Justin Theroux.
It was said that the pair exchanged reconnected after this meeting, and claimed that Brad sent the first text message before the pair enjoyed lunch together while Jennifer was filming The Morning Show.
Sources claim that Jennifer’s on-set trailer provided the perfect opportunity for the pair to spend time together and reconnect.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, a source claimed: “During season 2 of The Morning Show, Brad was coming to set and having lunch with Jen in her trailer.
“He would arrive and get dropped directly at her trailer for a private lunch just the two of them, and then he would leave once filming for Jen resumed.” The source claimed that Brad would visit Jennifer at least once a week, sticking to his planned times.
But other sources claim that the former couple also met up at Jennifer’s house, away from prying eyes. “Jen and Brad got together a number of times. Mainly at her house. They couldn’t be seen out in public together,” a source said.
The source stressed that Jennifer and Brad’s bond was nothing more than platonic, and no romantic feelings were involved. The source added: “He genuinely enjoyed reconnecting with her, spending time together away from the spotlight and just being friends, having private lunches was just really nice.”
Meanwhile, Jennifer is said to be one of the “few people” Brad feels he could trust. They added that his decision to reconnect with Jennifer was “one of the best decisions he has ever made.”
BRAD PITT STARS ON A SPECIAL ESQUIRE UK DIGITAL COVER
If you’re struggling and need to talk, the Samaritans operate a free helpline open 24/7 on 116 123. Alternatively, you can email jo@samaritans.org_* or visit their site to find your local branch
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