Brad Pitt Says Close Friends and Family Carried Him Through His 'Darker Days'

Brad Pitt has spoken about how he got through the hardest stretches of his life, and he credits his close relationships. In remarks reported by the Daily Mail, the actor said: 'When I think of the darker days, it was certainly my close relationships that I relied heavily on. Friends, dear close friends, a handful of close family, and was very open about my struggle.' The Daily Mail says he added, according to The Sun, that being 'that free with people who love you and have your back' was 'everything.'

The comments came while Pitt was promoting Heart of the Beast, in which he plays retired Special Forces officer James Belmont, who survives a plane crash in the Alaskan wilderness with his retired combat dog, Odin. Pitt said he worked with survival experts on the film, and that their approach to 'little wins' helped him reflect on his own experience. He described the idea of getting through hardship one step at a time rather than focusing on the big picture.

Pitt and Jolie separated in September 2016, after two years of marriage. Their divorce was not finalised until 2024, following what the Daily Mail describes as an eight-year legal battle. Earlier this month, the outlet reported that friends said the marriage had sent his life 'spiralling.' An anonymous source close to Pitt, quoted in that earlier report, said: 'He never had a drink problem, he had an Angelina problem.' That remark is unattributed and has not been independently confirmed.

Pitt's public account centres on friends and family rather than romantic partners, which is worth noting given how often his personal life is discussed through the lens of his former marriage. He does not name specific people or events in these remarks, and the link between his film promotion and his personal history is the framing of the Daily Mail and The Sun, not something Pitt himself spelled out.