In a candid interview with Esquire, the 62-year-old actor revealed he went through a brief but incredibly difficult period where he saw no way out, and also touched on his return to alcohol after seven years of sobriety.
Brad Pitt has shared one of the darkest experiences of his life. In an extensive interview with Esquire magazine, published on August 10, the 62-year-old Hollywood actor admitted to facing suicidal thoughts, which he described as a search for relief from unbearable pain.
"I just didn't see a way out," Pitt told Esquire, as reported by Rolling Stone. "The pain was so oppressive that I could feel the cold steel of a 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 a search for relief from pain."
The actor emphasized that he had no intention of acting on these thoughts, describing them as a brief period that showed him how intense psychological suffering can become. "But I also think we have incredible survival instincts. And in my case, it kicked in immediately," he added.
Although Pitt did not provide specific details about what triggered that dark period, he confirmed it was related to family circumstances. His private life has been under public scrutiny for years, especially after the incident on a plane in September 2016.
During a flight from France to Los Angeles, Pitt was, according to Angelina Jolie's claims in court documents, verbally and physically aggressive toward his then-wife and their six children. Jolie filed for divorce shortly after that incident. In recent years, several of their children have also taken legal steps to remove Pitt from their surname.
The plane incident was the trigger for Pitt's decision to stop drinking entirely, but in the interview with Esquire, he revealed that after seven years of abstinence, he turned back to alcohol. "I was sober for seven years, and then I went back to drinking," he stated.
He stressed, however, that he now approaches alcohol much more cautiously. "I can have a few drinks, but I can't have a lot. I have to be professional about it," he explained. He also admitted that he had "let loose" a few times and quickly realized that larger amounts were not a good choice for him. "I got overconfident a few times, and I realized, 'Yeah, no, that's not good for me.' Not in large quantities," he said.
Pitt described himself as a natural optimist but admitted that this outlook on life has also brought him disappointment in some circumstances. He also recalled a humorous remark from his longtime friend, director David Fincher, who told him that he always sees the glass as half full, but in his dark humor added that the contents might not be what he hopes for.
The actor, who has been in a relationship with Ines de Ramon for nearly four years, did not specify in the interview when the described crisis occurred or how long it lasted. His admission serves as a powerful reminder that fame, professional success, and financial security do not protect against mental health issues.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, help is available. In case of immediate danger, call 112. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline in the U.S. is available at 988, and for LGBTQ youth, The Trevor Project offers support at 1-866-488-7386.
