We saw it with Harvey Weinstein — who enjoyed a prosperous career and untouchable hero status until the #MeToo movement exposed his reprehensible behavior. On a smaller scale — but still a symptom of the same toxic culture in the industry and society at large — we’re seeing it now with Brad Pitt.
How many times have you watched an award show and heard attendees gush about being in the same room as Pitt? Or thanked him in their acceptance speeches? That's because Pitt made himself indispensable to people’s careers and to the industry in general. You might think of him as a 90s - 2000s heartthrob, but he spends more time producing than acting these days. And, most likely, he’s responsible for many of your favorite films.
Plan B, the production company he co-founded with Jennifer Aniston and then assumed control when they split, is known for taking huge swings at movies that have been neglected by other studios. One of their biggest successes was 12 Years A Slave, which went on to win Academy Awards and cement Plan B as a major player in the industry.
So, no wonder nobody wants to say the quiet part out loud: Brad Pitt is an abuser, a bad father, and a prime example that Hollywood will protect its money-making interests at all costs.
What Did Brad Pitt Do
From the outside, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie looked like the perfect Hollywood power couple. Even if you were Team Jennifer Aniston, you had to admit: they were the dream. In 2005, they even did a notorious magazine spread for W Magazine: “Domestic Bliss: Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt at Home.”
However, when Jolie filed for divorce in 2016, she alleged that she had suffered physical and verbal abuse at the hands of Pitt in front of their children.
The abuse allegations are one factor that’s dragging out their divorce proceedings, as they struggle to gain control of their custody agreement. However, as most of their children are no longer minors, their continued relationship with Jolie and their fractured — in some case estranged — relationship with Pitt tells us all we need to know.
An old screenshot from Pax Jolie-Pitt’s Instagram account recently went viral due to his open vitriol for his father. The screenshot, posted on a Father’s Day to his Instagram story, read:
““Happy Father’s Day to this world-class a**hole!! You time and time again prove yourself to be a terrible and despicable person. You have no consideration or empathy toward your four youngest children who tremble in fear when in your presence. You will never understand the damage you have done to my family because you are incapable of doing so. You have made the lives of those closest to me a constant hell. You may tell yourself and the world whatever you want, but the truth will come to light someday. So, Happy Father’s Day, you f***ing awful human being!!!”
Despite all this, Brad Pitt’s career seems unconquerable. He won his first Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his role as a (abusive, racist) stuntman in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon A Time … In Hollywood. People whine about canceled culture but Brad Pitt is proof that it doesn't exist. What happened to believing women? It’s like the industry is saying that people will be held accountable for their actions … unless they’re hot. And although some sputter about separating the artist from their art, the amount of praise and adoration Brad Pitt far outpaces his art.
And now he’s trying to capitalize on the success of his most popular role — Rusty in the Oceans movies — by pairing with George Clooney once again for a new film, Wolfs.
What Is Brad Pitt and George Clooney’s New Movie Wolfs About?
Think, George Clooney in The Ides of March, but a thriller. Directed by Jon Watts, Wolfs stars Brad Pitt and George Clooney alongside Amy Ryan and Austin Abrams. The duo plays two lone wolf fixers who are assigned to the same job. It’s slated for a September 20th release with the first teaser dropping on May 28th.
It’s brooding. It’s gritty. It seems like it will draw entirely on the pair’s history and chemistry. The teaser trailer is just the two of them sitting in silence in a car, sharing in comical discomfort. But I’m not laughing.
While all the reports are celebrating their reunion after 16 years in 2008's — Burn After Reading — none are questioning Brad Pitt’s recent penchant for buddy-thrillers. He’s trying to keep us on his side. And with Hollywood firmly in his corner, they’re more than happy to make mountains of money while sweeping his behavior under the rug.
Anyone could’ve played this role. Instead, the industry would rather protect one of their own and try to distract from the news-cycle by feeding us this nostalgic pairing.
Watch the full trailer here (and throw tomatoes at your screen, like me):
In some ways, I understand. It’s hard to believe your heroes are capable of doing such awful things — especially when they continue to support underrepresented groups and produce admirable work. But this support is akin to blood money. This is all to say: Boycott Brad Pitt.
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