What You Never Knew About Brad Pitt

Brad Pitt is among that rare breed of stars who are synonymous with Hollywood. With a face that has come to be known the world over, acting credits that have earned him tons of awards, and production success lauded for pushing great cinema, the value of Pitt's stardom is volcanic. Fifty-eight years old as of publication, Pitt has been around Tinseltown for over three decades. He began his bright career as a shirtless cowboy in the 1991 film "Thelma & Louise" — with only seven minutes of screen time (via Insider). A year later, "A River Runs Through It" established him as an actor worth looking out for — and sure enough, everyone was! 

Pitt occupies high status in cinema, courtesy of a long list of critically acclaimed performances in industry-altering films like "Fight Club," "Se7en," "Inglourious Basterds," and "Moneyball." Under his production company Plan B Entertainment, Pitt has also backed several Oscar-winning projects, including "The Departed" and "Moonlight." As his frequent collaborator and director Quentin Tarantino put it to GQ: "He's one of the last remaining big-screen movie stars." While Pitt's on-screen oeuvre is obviously impressive, a sizeable part of his celebrity comes from the man he is. Let's take a dive into some lesser-known stories about the ace artist.

Before he was a global movie star, Brad Pitt was doing a number of odd jobs (literally!) to make ends meet. One of these was driving strippers around in Los Angeles — but the gig didn't just involve chauffeur duties. Apparently, Pitt had to help out his clients in their enterprise. "My job was to go to the place and get the assignment, then go to the girl's apartment, pick her up, and drive her to the party," Pitt once revealed in an interview, per Page Six. He was also charged with playing the music and catching articles of clothing as the girls removed them.

As eccentric as the whole thing sounds, it actually led Pitt toward his film career. In fact, Pitt has gone so far as to declare that "strippers changed my life" (via People). It was reportedly through one of his clients that he was introduced to acting coach Roy London's classes. "He was tough, lovely, compassionate, tough. I give him full credit for pointing me in this direction ... I learned so much from that man," Pitt said, according to the Mirror.  

Among his other varied job profiles was a stint as a mascot for the restaurant El Pollo Loco, which required him to dress up in a feathered chicken suit to attract customers. Pitt, who is today one of the world's most esteemed film figures, feels "no shame" in embracing his past gigs, as he revealed on Ellen DeGeneres' show (via Insider): "Man's gotta eat!"

With a career spanning over three decades, more than 80 film credits, almost 70 productions to his name, and two Oscar wins, Brad Pitt has traced an illustrious career as one of Hollywood's most dependable celebrities. But all of that could be set to change, as the 58-year-old has ruminated about bringing the curtain down on his life's work. For some time now, Pitt has been "old" — something he declared at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival in 2020 (via the Associated Press). "I can't stand night shoots anymore, and I'll gladly hand a stunt over to a stunt man. I no longer remember the first rule of 'Fight Club.'" 

Pitt's tenor seems to have visibly transformed in recent times, as he told GQ in 2022 about being on the "last leg" of his career: "What is this section gonna be? And how do I wanna design that?" In his upcoming release, he stars as Ladybug, a gullible assassin, in David Leitch's action film "Bullet Train." He proclaimed during promotions that his own life mirrored that of his character, who is much like a "22-year-old going through self-discovery" (via The Print). His fashion choices have also been changing, as he told Esquire that in getting crankier with age, "comfort becomes more important."

Brad Pitt and Bradley Cooper apparently share a connection that goes beyond glitzy Hollywood parties and film sets. The award-winning A-listers gave their friendship a shoutout from the stage in 2020 at the National Board of Review Awards. Cooper, while presenting an award to his buddy, mused about the "power of Brad Pitt," and Pitt revealed that it was Cooper who helped him embrace sobriety. Both men have traced their own journeys from addiction to sobriety; while Cooper said he gave up the use of substances at the age of 29 (per The Hollywood Reporter), Pitt attended Alcoholics Anonymous following his 2016 divorce from Angelina Jolie, via The New York Times. 

E! News reported that Pitt and Cooper have known each other for years, but their friendship has taken on more profound meaning in recent times. The pair were spotted enjoying the men's singles final at the U.S. Open in 2021 together, per Harper's Bazaar. Though they have never shared the screen, their increasing closeness has inspired some what-if movie posters, with Pitt and Cooper reimagined as leads in "Wedding Crashers" and "Lethal Weapon 3" (via Access).

Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston were the golden couple of the early millennium. As two supremely good-looking, sought-after actors — Pitt made a splash with his 1991 appearance in "Thelma & Louise," while the world knew Aniston for her lead role in the hit sitcom "Friends" — their romance set the benchmark high. They met in 1994, courtesy of an appointment set up by their managers. "He was just this sweet guy from Missouri, you know?" Aniston told Rolling Stone. It wasn't until 1998 that Pitt and Aniston went on a date and ultimately began seeing each other (via Brides). 

Hollywood's finest fairytale wasn't fated to last long. In 2005, five years after they married in a stunning million-dollar ceremony, Pitt and Aniston parted ways amid swirling rumors that romance was brewing between Pitt and Angelina Jolie. Even so, Aniston was quoted as saying to Vanity Fair in 2006: "We exited this relationship as beautifully as we entered it." Pitt, too, has had nothing but praise for Aniston, calling her an "incredibly giving, loving, and hilarious woman who remains [his] friend" (via E! News). Every time Pitt and Aniston have reunited post-divorce — be it at the SAG Awards or at birthday parties — reactions have been effusive, proving that the pair still remains a fan-favorite couple.

The jury is out on who's the more famous cousin: Brad Pitt or Barack Obama. The Oscar-winning actor and the 44th president of the United States are distant relatives, a connection that's not the most common public knowledge. It turns out the two distinguished men are ninth cousins through an ancestor named Edwin Hickman, as charted out by The Guardian. The lineage traces back to two of Hickman's sons, whose respective descendants are Pitt and Obama. While little is known about Hickman, who died in the 18th century, his roots have been found in Virginia. A common Southern origin is what probably drew a line between Pitt and Obama. 

The curious kinship hasn't gone unnoticed by the concerned parties. The nature of their relationship surfaced around 2008 during Obama's campaign trail for the presidency. "I think he got the better-looking side of the gene pool," Obama said, referencing his Pitt connection (via Access). Cosmically enough, it was also revealed at the time that Hillary Clinton, Obama's Democratic nomination opponent, was related to Pitt's then-partner Angelina Jolie. While Pitt hasn't publicly alluded to Obama being a cousin, he was supposedly in "respectful awe" of the politician when they met at the White House in 2009 (via Politico).