The Oklahoman

Some highlights from interview with Brad Pitt

- BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

In a recent interview, Brad Pitt spoke to The Associated Press about his new film, “War Machine,” in which he plays a slightly fictionali­zed version of Gen. Stanley McChrystal; stepping back into the limelight for the first time since Angelina Jolie Pitt filed for divorce from him; and his future in movies. Here are excepted highlights:

I’ve got no secrets. I’ve got nothing to hide. We’re human, and I find the human condition very interestin­g. If we’re not talking about it, then we’re not getting better.

We had no interest in impugning Gen. McChrystal or any of his guys. For me, the problem is more systematic. And the impetus for me was a visit to Walter Reed. Although those young men and women who are absolutely heroic in a very harrowing situation, their lives are forever changed and so are their families. I just really made me question who is spending this currency of dedication. Who’s writing the check? Who’s making the order?

Nothing that we’ve ever done has said that more troops are going to do anything but cause any more damage, more loss of life and limb. So why are we not questionin­g this? It seems time for some kind of hearing. I don’t trust a government­al I hearing. It needs to come from the people. We talk a lot about supporting our troops, but I think supporting our troops is much more than giving them money and a pat on the back. I think it’s being responsibl­e to how we use that ultimate dedication. I guess it’s this idea of American exceptiona­lism that I question the definition of. We are exceptiona­l is so many ways. But it doesn’t mean we can just throw might at any problem. We’re sending them into a culture that we don’t understand.

It wouldn’t have gotten made without Netflix. The reality for the studios is it just doesn’t make sense for them on paper. They can take the gamble up to $35 million on a risky film. And then otherwise they focus on big tent-poles which seem to be safer and make the big payoffs. It’s not their fault in any way. The numbers just don’t run for them. Now with Netflix and other entities like Netflix, it becomes a whole new delivery system for these kinds of films I prefer to gamble on. For us, it’s opened up a whole new world of possibilit­ies. I’ll stick work with studios, I’ll always do that, at least I think so, as long as they’re around. Because they are still films that deserve to have the big-screen, cultural experience.

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