Brad Pitt says he needed ‘rebooting' after divorce with Angelina Jolie, recalls joining Alcoholics Anonymous to cope with alcohol addiction

Indian Express

24-06-2025

Actor Brad Pitt has hardly ever been the one to mince his words about his personal life, career and any other episodes that take place in his life. The actor has talked about his long, drawn-out divorce with Angelina Jolie on multiple occasions, and for the most part, he has downplayed the entire separation. While promoting his upcoming film F1, the actor talked about the challenges he faced with alcohol addiction and how AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) helped him immensely after his divorce.
While talking to fellow actor Dax Shepard on his podcast, Pitt revealed how AA was a game changer for him, and when asked about whether he was comfortable talking about it, Pitt was very open and honest about how he and Dax actually met and bonded with each other for the first time. 'Actually I am quite at ease, not nervous at all. It was a men's group, and it was my first time getting sober, and I just thought there was an incredible level of 'sharing' – listening to people's experiences, their foibles, missteps, wants and aches – and there was a lot of humour with it. Coming from the background or situations I have been raised in, where you just pretend like everything is okay, it was a great feeling. I just needed to reboot, and wake up.'
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Pitt appreciated Dax and how he made him feel during those AA meetings and said, 'He would usually be the last person to share, and he was like the elder statesman of the meeting. I just remember him identifying the theme of the evening and just telling his story in the funniest way possible, and that meant a lot to me.' Many fans reacted to Pitt's openness about his challenges with addiction and showed their appreciation and support for the actor in the comments. One user commented, 'Dax and Brad being AA bf's is my absolute favourite thing in the world,' while another user said how he shared this video with a relative of theirs who was also in recovery. Pitt and Jolie got married in 2014, and they filed for divorce in 2019. Divorce settlements finally came to an end in 2024.
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Coming to his career, Pitt is currently waiting for the global release of this upcoming sports drama, F1, where he will play the role of racing veteran Sonny Hayes, who returns to Formula One in order to save his old teammates racing team. Actor Tom Cruise, who had talked about Pitt's driving skills and expressed his excitement for the movie, showed up to the premiere of the film and reunited with Pitt after almost 24 years. The duo posed with director Joseph Kosinski, who is responsible for both Pitt's F1 and Cruise's Top Gun: Maverick. Seeing the positive early reviews from the critics and the press, Pitt and company will be hoping to achieve a successful theatrical run after the movie released on June 27.
Helmed by Kosinski, the film features Pitt, Javier Bardem, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Lewis Hamilton, and several other real-life F1 drivers.