Hindustan Times (Patna) - Hindustan Times (Patna) - Live
‘Very jarring for kids to see family ripped apart’
Opening up for the first time about his divorce from long-time partner Angelina Jolie (right) and the effect of that on their six children, both biological and adopted, actor Brad Pitt (inset) has said that it was “jarring” for the children.
Jolie, 41, filed for divorce last year after a reported altercation involving the couple’s 15-year-old son, Maddox. The row led to an investigation by the FBI and the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services. Pitt was ultimately given a clean chit.
In a recent interview with GQ magazine, the 53-year-old actor said that he and Jolie were now focussing on co-parenting. “I was really on my back and chained to a system when Child Services was called... After that, we’ve been able to work together to sort this out,” he said. “I heard one lawyer say, ‘No one wins in court — it’s just a matter of who gets hurt worse.’ It seems to be true.”
Court proceedings were just an “investment in vitriolic hatred”, he added. “You spend a year just focussed on building a case to prove your point and why you’re right and why they’re wrong... I just refuse. And fortunately my partner (Jolie) in this agrees. It’s just very, very jarring for the kids, to suddenly have their family ripped apart,” Pitt said.
The actor revealed that after the separation, he had stopped substance use — alcohol, marijuana and cigarettes — and had been “sober” for six months. “...I’m really, really happy to be done with all of that. I mean, I stopped everything except boozing when I started my family. But even this last year, you know — things I wasn’t dealing with. I was boozing too much.”