In a candid new profile, the Oscar winner addressed the grueling emotional weight of his prolonged, public divorce from Angelina Jolie and his complex family dynamics, describing grief as “the most leveling of all emotions.”
In an interview with Esquire, Pitt opened up about the darkest moments of his personal life, reflecting on the overwhelming weight of loss and family struggles:
“Loss is certainly the most profound thing a human can endure. And the loneliness that can ensue is the greatest torture.”
When pressed on whether those unbearable moments stemmed from his highly publicized legal and family battles, Pitt kept his response brief yet definitive: “Family stuff. We could leave it at that.”
Navigating Mental Health and Finding “Relief”
Addressing his mental health during his lowest points, Pitt admitted that while he considers himself a “congenital optimist,” the intensity of recent emotional trials briefly pushed him toward unprecedented dark thoughts.
“I was never suicidal in any way… except for one little period,” Pitt shared. “I just didn’t see a way out. The pain was so oppressive… I could feel the cold steel of the bullet in my head, and it felt like relief. I thought, ‘Oh, okay, now I understand suicide, in the sense that 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.”
The Journey with Sobriety and Acceptance
The interview also touched upon his evolving relationship with alcohol. After achieving seven years of total sobriety—a journey he previously credited friend Bradley Cooper with helping him navigate—Pitt shared that he has since readopted a carefully controlled approach:
“I was sober for seven years. And then I got back off the wagon… in a more restrained manner. I got overconfident a couple times, went, ‘Yep, nope, not good for me. Not in big quantities.’ I can have a few, but I have to be professional about it.”
Following the death of his mother last year, Pitt revealed he spends time visiting his father in Missouri, sitting on the front porch in the evenings to process shared grief.
“Grief, if you survive it, leaves a gaping hole, but it also leaves profound beauty,” Pitt noted. “I think the challenge is to hold both.”