An amphitheater set in a reclaimed quarry in the wilds of Franklin, Tennessee is not the usual setting for a movie world premiere, particularly one starring a superstar of the stature of Oscar-winner Brad Pitt. There were no klieg lights fanning out over Hollywood Boulevard and no parade of A-list celebrity friends.
Yet it was Pitt himself that asked that the premiere of Heart of the Beast take place at the FirstBank Amphitheater in Franklin, pop. 91,000, on Wednesday night, with free tickets given out to local residents.
The movie, about a retired Army special forces soldier who has to survive in the Alaskan wilderness with just his ex-service dog Odin for support after a small plane crash was greeted with wild cheers from an audience mostly dressed in jeans and baseball caps.
It was all a far cry from Pitt’s glittering Hollywood premieres of the past, which include blockbusters like last year’s F1 movie, Ocean’s Eleven or his Oscar-winning turn in 2019’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
But being away from Hollywood – and the ‘constant drama’ of his contentious divorce from Angelina Jolie and heartbreaking alienation from their six children – is precisely why Pitt chose to celebrate his latest blockbuster with ‘normal people.’
For it has been the support of good friends and ‘normal people’ which has helped him weather the storm of the last few turbulent years.
Brad Pitt himself asked that the premiere of Heart of the Beast take place at the FirstBank Amphitheater in Franklin, pop. 91,000, on Wednesday night
Pitt chose to stay away from Hollywood – and the ‘constant drama’ of his contentious divorce from Angelina Jolie
Pitt, 62, who recently admitted he enjoys the occasional glass of wine again after going on the wagon following his bitter 2016 split from Jolie, no doubt celebrated the opening of his new movie with a glass of something chilled.
But while some questioned his decision to start drinking again after embracing a sober lifestyle, a source close to Pitt told the Daily Mail: ‘Pitt never had a drink problem, he had an Angelina problem.
‘He’s worked hard on himself and he’s now, finally, in a really good place.
‘The whole point about having the movie premiere in somewhere like Franklin was to be among real people. Brad lost his way for a period in his life and he struggled but he did the work and came through. The divorce from Angelina was bad but the alienation from his children was the worst thing that ever happened to him. Now he’s gone from pain and hurt to acceptance.’
Pitt has deliberately surrounded himself with people who have little interest in the relentless celebrity circus.
He is close friends with artists such as sculptor Thomas Houseago and former Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) professor and designer Neri Oxman and has been dating jewelry designer Ines de Ramon, 33, since late 2022.
Ines made her first red carpet appearance with Pitt on Wednesday night and the couple was recently photographed at the US Open at both the women’s and men’s singles finals but, according to those close to them, Ines prefers a life out of the spotlight.
‘He’s surrounded himself with good people – family, friends, a girlfriend who doesn’t crave attention in the way his ex (Angelina) did and a group of artists, artisans and others who share his interests but don’t want to be famous,’ the source said.
‘Franklin is never going to rival LA or New York as one of the world’s great film capitals but Pitt wanted to get back to his roots.’
His girlfriend Ines de Ramon made her first red carpet appearance with Pitt on WednesdayÂ
According to those close to the couple, Ines prefers a life out of the spotlight
‘Pitt never had a drink problem, he had an Angelina problem,’ a source told the Daily Mail
Pitt, who was born in Oklahoma and raised in Springfield, Missouri, played on his midwestern roots during his early Hollywood days after he catapulted to fame playing a handsome drifter who seduces Geena Davis’s character in Thelma & Louise.
A long-time associate said: ‘Brad’s fundamentally a midwestern boy at heart. He’s a good guy. He is very close to his family and is still friends with people he met right at the start of his career. But after he married Angie (in 2014) his life spiraled down a rabbit hole. They were happy for a while but when things went bad they went very, very bad.’
The marriage infamously fell apart in 2016 when the couple and their six children were flying back on a private jet from Paris after a holiday at their vineyard, Chateau Miraval.
Jolie claimed her husband drunkenly physically and verbally abused her and alleged he punched the ceiling of the plane and allegedly struck one of their children.
Pitt vehemently denied her claims and, after the FBI investigated the case, no charges were ever filed.
The long-time associate said: ‘Did Pitt go through a period where he drank too much? Yes. But did he do what he was accused of? No.
‘He had some issues with alcohol and he addressed them. He worked through them. It would be interesting to know if Angelina has dealt with any of her issues.’
Pitt reportedly joined Alcoholics Anonymous and abstained completely from alcohol for seven years.
But in a candid interview with Esquire magazine this summer, the star admitted he is drinking again saying: ‘I can have a few but I can’t have a lot. I have to be professional about it. I got over-confident a couple times, went, yep, nope, not good for me. Not in big quantities.’
Maintaining moderation protects his favorite part of the day: ‘You can miss a lovely morning when you drink too much the night before.’
Pitt and Ines lead a mostly quiet life with homes in LA and Carmel, California, as well as the 1,200-acre Chateau Miraval in Correns, France. In LA they have been spotted enjoying early morning hikes in the canyons near their Hollywood Hills home.
The marriage infamously fell apart in the summer of 2016 when the couple and their six children were flying back on a private jet from Paris
Pitt reportedly joined Alcoholics Anonymous and stop drinking for seven years
Pitt and Ines lead a mostly quiet life with homes in LA and Carmel, California
The long-time associate said: ‘Ines is a good partner for him. She’s calm and has little interest in hanging out with famous people and going to parties. They have dinner parties with artists and designers. They both love art and architecture. Of course, they have friends in show business but they’re not going to red carpet events or Hollywood parties unless it’s to promote one of his films or support a friend.
‘They are really, really happy together. He’s making the movies he wants to make. The F1 film was the most successful of his career financially.’
Pitt has another movie, The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth, a sequel to Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, directed by David Fincher and written by Quentin Tarantino, which opens on November 25 and will have a Hollywood premiere, because the movie is set in Tinseltown.
His friends say the estrangement from his children, five of the six have moved to drop his last name, with Pax as the holdout, will never go away but he will never give up hope of a reconciliation with them.
‘Brad has fought and fought for them and everything is out there if, one day, they want to look at the court documents and documents of record. Angelina engaged in a prolonged campaign of parental alienation using their children against him but his door will always be open to them.’
For her part, Jolie denies Pitt’s claims and says the children’s distance is their choice.
She insists that Maddox, 25, Pax, 22, Zahara, 21, Shiloh, 20 and 18-year-old twins Knox and Vivienne have independently decided to cut their father out of their lives.
In a recent interview with L’Officiel USA magazine, she insisted her core parenting rule for her children is to ‘not get in their way’ and says she plans to lead a more nomadic lifestyle after putting her LA home up for sale.
Some of the children, including twins Vivienne and Pax, have independently decided to cut their father out of their lives
Jolie denies Pitt’s claims and says the children’s distance is their choice
In a recent interview with L’Officiel USA magazine, she insisted her core parenting rule for her children is to ‘not get in their way’
Speaking to Variety earlier this year, she too hinted at having moved on from the mess and drama of the divorce telling the publication: ‘I think my fighting spirit is finally back. I lost it for a bit. I got kind of taken down a little bit and it’s coming back in large part thanks to my children, who are now older, and encouraging it.’
Coincidentally, Jolie also has a movie released this week, Without Blood, a war drama she wrote and directed, which screened in New York on September 14.
The star looked ethereal in a black suit and ivory bralette while holding the hand of Zahara at the premiere.
Pitt’s spokesperson declined to comment.Â
The Daily Mail has reached out to Jolie’s representatives for comment.
The source close to Pitt said: ‘It’s ironic that they both had premieres this week but very different ones – hers in New York and his in the middle of nowhere in Tennessee.
‘She’s talked about moving on so you have to hope that is the case. Pitt has found peace and is in a good place. If the kids ever come looking for him he will be there.’
