Brad Pitt has opened up about the period that challenged his mental health. In a cover story, Pitt revealed a brief period when his emotional pain became overwhelming. The actor said he came to understand why some people experience suicidal thoughts during that period.
Brad Pitt credits his natural optimism and strong survival instincts for getting him through dark times
In a tell-all interview with Esquire, the Inglourious Basterds star touched on emotional survival, grief, and getting through a divorce. The actor spoke candidly about his “congenital” optimism, stressing that suicide was never a part of his personality.
Even then, he experienced a time of great emotional upheavals where his vulnerability was showing. “I’ve never been suicidal except for one little period. And in that one little period, I just thought—I just couldn’t—just didn’t see a way out. The pain was so oppressive that—I wasn’t going to act on this, but I could feel – I could feel the cold steel of the bullet in my head, and it felt like relief,” Pitt said.
The strain of thought, however, did not last too long, as his survival instincts kicked in. The actor said, “I thought, Oh, okay, now I understand—I understand suicide, in the sense that it’s just relief. It’s just looking for relief from the pain.” When asked whether the pain was connected to his children and the long-running fallout from his split with Angelina Jolie, Pitt offered only a brief answer: “Family stuff. We could leave it at that.”
Pitt, 62, is now navigating one of the busiest times in his career. Following the release of F1, he has filmed the survival thriller “Heart of the Beast,” due out Sept. 25. Additionally, he has wrapped “The Adventures of Cliff Booth.” “The Riders” is also on his slate.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org.
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