«I really drove a race car»: Brad Pitt on his upcoming film and personal life
Interview for GQ
Brad Pitt is back on the covers — the Hollywood actor is the star of the latest GQ issue, appearing on the cover and in a photoshoot styled in a rugged, working-class aesthetic.
Photographed by Nathaniel Goldberg, Pitt is captured in strikingly tough looks: a worn leather jacket, patched jeans, heavy-duty gloves, and a knit beanie.
He’s seen sitting in a dilapidated interior, posing with a serious gaze as if he just stepped out of an auto shop, or looking straight into the camera like a seasoned man who knows the value of his tools.
The reason for his GQ feature is his new film project about Formula 1 — the most ambitious in his career. He not only stars in the lead role but also serves as a producer.
During filming, Pitt actually drove a Formula 1 car himself, reaching speeds of up to 290 km/h. The scenes were shot on real Formula 1 tracks. The actor did not use stunt doubles for key scenes.
To ensure Pitt was truly capable of handling the car at a high level, professional racer and project collaborator Lewis Hamilton put him through a test at the Porsche Experience track in Los Angeles. Pitt handled the car confidently and later rode in a high-speed passenger lap with Hamilton — an experience that, according to Pitt, sealed his passion for racing.
Before each track session, the actor would get nervous, like before a real competition. The final day of filming was especially intense — he admitted he couldn’t sleep from excitement and the weight of the moment.
However, Pitt’s love for speed began long before the movie — he grew up on motocross tracks in Missouri. Later, he moved to amateur racing circuits and always dreamed of combining racing and acting in one project.
Pitt says the sensation of speed feels meditative. Driving in those conditions gives him a powerful emotional high — a mix of physical tension and inner freedom.
But in his conversation with journalists, Pitt also touched on personal matters.
In the interview, he commented for the first time on his highly publicized divorce from Angelina Jolie, which was legally finalized at the end of 2024. According to the 61-year-old actor, it didn’t feel emotionally dramatic but rather marked the close of a chapter:
«No, I don’t think it was that significant. Just something that came to a legal end,» Pitt said, adding that he didn’t feel any particular relief after the split.
To recap, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie began dating in 2005. The actors married in 2014, but two years later, Jolie filed for divorce. The main reason was Pitt’s behavior on a private jet, where, according to Jolie, he raised a hand to one of the children.
The divorce involved lengthy legal proceedings over child custody and division of assets. The couple has six children: adopted Maddox, Pax, and Zahara, and biological children Shiloh and twins Vivienne and Knox.
Since 2022, Brad Pitt has been dating 32-year-old Ines de Ramon. In the GQ interview, he also spoke about their relationship. The couple made their first public appearance in July 2024 during a Formula 1 Grand Prix. A journalist suggested their romance might be a PR move ahead of the film’s release, but Pitt quickly shut down the speculation:
«No, man, you don’t plan it like that. If that’s how you live, oh God, how exhausting would that be? If you live your life making such calculations? No, life just moves forward. Relationships move forward,» the actor shared.
Pitt shows he’s not only returning to cinema, but also embracing a new chapter in life — both on-screen and off.
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