Brad Pitt, starring in the upcoming racing film F1, has spoken candidly to GQ about the burden of public scrutiny over his personal life, calling it a “nagging time suck” that has long accompanied his career.
“My personal life is always in the news,” Pitt said. “It’s been in the news for 30 years, or some version of it.” He added that the constant attention is “an annoyance” that can interfere with his creative work: “It’s always been this kind of waste of time, if you let it be that.”
Filmed at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, F1 wrapped production as Pitt finalized his divorce from Angelina Jolie after nearly eight years of legal proceedings. When asked if there was a sense of relief, Pitt downplayed the milestone: “Just something coming to fruition. Legally.”
Jolie filed for divorce in 2016 following an alleged altercation aboard a private plane, which later became the subject of legal filings detailing accusations of physical abuse against Pitt. Jolie’s lawyers claimed the abuse began prior to that incident and escalated over time. In a related dispute, Pitt accused Jolie of breaching contractual rights when she sold her stake in their Château Miraval winery; Jolie alleged he tried to silence her with a nondisclosure agreement.
Despite the past turmoil, Pitt says he now feels grounded: “My life feels warm and secure with my friends, my family, my knowledge of who I am.”
Reflecting on his career, Pitt acknowledged he had once questioned whether he still had stories left to tell—but F1 rekindled his passion. “It just reinvigorated the whole thing again for me.”
In addition to F1, Pitt will appear in Heart of the Beast, a Navy SEAL drama directed by David Ayer, and a Once Upon a Time in Hollywood sequel under Quentin Tarantino and David Fincher.
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