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Brad Pitt on childhood: 'I would go into the bedroom to cry in silence'
🇦🇷 Argentina /Culture & Society

Brad Pitt on childhood: 'I would go into the bedroom to cry in silence'

From La Nación · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Brad Pitt spoke with Esquire magazine about vulnerable aspects of his life, including family tensions and his mother's death.
  • The actor revealed a dark period where mental anguish made him consider suicide, describing it as feeling the

Brad Pitt, a Hollywood icon with a career spanning nearly four decades, has opened up about the more vulnerable facets of his life in an interview with Esquire magazine. The actor, known for his roles in films like "Seven," "12 Monkeys," and "Fight Club," discussed recent family rifts, the grief over his mother's passing, and a distant relationship with his father.

During the conversation, Pitt detailed a particularly dark period where intense mental distress led him to contemplate suicide. He confessed, "There was a time in my life when the pain was so oppressive that I saw no way out. I wasn't going to do it, but I could feel... I could feel the cold steel of the bullet in my head, and it seemed like a relief."

While some focused on his remarks about sobriety, the interview also delved into Pitt's upbringing in the Ozarks during the 1960s. He described a masculine environment where expressing emotions was discouraged, and men were expected to maintain a constant facade of toughness. This cultural backdrop profoundly impacted his childhood.

There was a time in my life when the pain was so oppressive that I saw no way out. I wasn't going to do it, but I could feel... I could feel the cold steel of the bullet in my head, and it seemed like a relief.

— Brad PittThe actor described a dark period in his life where mental anguish led him to contemplate suicide.

Pitt recalled a specific childhood memory that illustrates this repression. He recounted being in his grandmother's small bedroom, crying silently after learning about the suicide of a lead actor from his favorite TV show, "Alias Smith and Jones." He felt ashamed to show his tears, as it was "not a time for that." This early experience of suppressing his emotions, he explained, carried into adulthood.

Now in his 60s, Pitt is choosing to speak openly about these past struggles, shedding light on the weight of the societal expectations he grew up with. The interview offers a rare glimpse into the actor's personal journey, highlighting his efforts to confront and articulate the emotional burdens he carried from his formative years.

I would go into the bedroom to cry in silence because I didn't want them to see me. I was ashamed. That was not a time for that.

— Brad PittPitt recalled crying silently as a child after learning about the suicide of a TV actor, due to the repressive environment he grew up in.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by La Nación in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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