Brad Pitt about his AA meetings: “I needed a restart”

Rarely was Brad Pitt as open as in this podcast episode. The 61-year-old Oscar winner gave unusually private insights into his life in the latest episode. For the first time, he spoke in detail about his time with the anonymous alcoholics – and about how he and Shepard met there.

“I thought it was just incredible – men who share their experiences, their weaknesses, their misconceptions, their wishes, their pain, and the whole thing with a lot of humor,” Pitt describes the AA meetings. “I found it a really special experience.”

Shepard, who himself speaks openly about his addiction problems, wanted to know whether Pitt was nervous to speak to him publicly after her AA meeting. But the “Fight Club” star calmed him down: “Quite relaxed.” Pitt’s explanation was much more interesting why he had opened up in the group so quickly. Although he was initially a bit shy, he did not hesitate to talk about his problems. “I was pretty much on the ground and really open,” he said honestly. “I tried everything and everyone. Everything someone offered me. It was a difficult time. I needed a restart. I had to wake up damn it in some areas. And it meant a lot to me.”

The exchange between the two men was surprisingly direct. “You don’t get to AA because everything is going fantastic,” said Shepard. “No, that is usually not the entry point,” Pitt agreed. “It is not the winning club,” added Shepard. “The house has to burn before you say: ‘Yes, I walk with a bunch of guys and talk about feelings.'”

Pitt described himself as a “stubborn guy”, but also as someone who takes responsibility: “If I have built crap, I am pretty good at taking responsibility for it and standing. And now it is a search for it: ‘What do I do with it? How can I reply?’ And make sure it doesn’t happen again. “

Pitt had already started the AA program in 2016, at the time of separating Angelina Jolie. In a 2019- he spoke for the first time about this time: “It was actually very liberating to simply show the ugly sides of itself. That has great value.”