Brad Pitt says who he spends his time with has ‘become much more important’ at 55

Suzy Byrne
·Editor, Yahoo Entertainment
Updated

Brad Pitt talks aging in the new GQ, but, according to social media, the 55-year-old is doing it like a fine wine.

While discussing his latest role film, Ad Astra, Pitt said that he still enjoys acting but it’s not the center of his life anymore — and it hasn’t been for a while.

“I hit this point in the late '90s or early 2000s, where I realized I was chasing these interesting [roles], yet I was failing to live as interesting a life as I thought I could,” said the star, who also appeared in this summer’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.

He acknowledged that his age has been a factor in his choice too.

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“Maybe it's just getting older too, man,” he said. “It's just getting f**king older! How you become more aware of time, and you've had more experience, good and bad, with people. And your own wins and losses — the older you get, they don't seem like so much of a win or so much of a loss. Who you spend your time with, how you spend time — it has just become much more important to me.”

So he’s made sure his life didn’t center around his work, but the other way around.

“There was just too much emphasis on finding interesting characters,” he said. “I went, ‘F**k me, man. Live an interesting life and the rest will take care of itself.’ Like, ‘You go out and you…live an interesting life. Get out and have real experiences.’ And that is what informs the work. Not going to find the interesting work and then trying to make it up. I just became more conscious of how I was living versus what I was living for.”

And when he picks roles, he has very specific criteria.

“It's been my question the last 15 years: ‘If I'm gonna do the role, what can I bring to it that someone else can't?’” On his list? “Well, it's about bringing my personal experience, my personal humor, my personal, um, embarrassments, and my personal pains,” he said. “When I watch [Christian] Bale or [Tom] Hardy, I can't do what they do. I love watching them. And I couldn't step into that role.” That said, he added, “I want to do the same thing on my end,” putting his own spin on it.

Brad Pitt's GQ photo shoot is the talk of the internet. (Screenshot: GQ via Instagram)
Brad Pitt's GQ photoshoot is the talk of the internet. (Screenshot: GQ via Instagram)

Pitt’s cover shoot — which sees him outfitted play ping pong, drive a jeep and rock a tied pink button-down, among other colorful outfit changes — is the delight of social media on Monday. It’s fitting that he talks about getting older in Hollywood in the article because social media is talking about how he “only gets better with age.”

There are a slew of photos, snapped by Lachlan Bailey, and they quickly became phone wallpaper and wall art.

They’ve also cured many cases of humdrum Mondays.

What Pitt didn’t talk about in the interview is his bitter divorce from Angelina Jolie or their children. His eldest son, Maddox Jolie-Pitt, was in the news last week after making a rare comment about Pitt. He was seemingly indifferent about his father, telling a reporter, "Whatever happens, happens” in their relationship.

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