Pitt rallies for ‘War Machine’ PR push
Actor weathers personal scandals while hawking film
The task was formidable. Following Brad Pitt’s shocking split from wife Angelina Jolie last fall, the star had to decide how to roll out his new Netflix movie War
Machine (streaming Friday). Would he smile and wave but stay silent, as he did when he promoted his World War II spy drama Allied in November? Or attempt something trickier: a carefully curated PR offensive, softening an A-list image dented by allegations of alcoholism surrounding his split?
Team Pitt chose to advance, cautiously, into the media fray. How he’s fared since. APRIL 5: OUT ON THE TOWN Amid concerns the actor had dropped a lot of weight, Pitt, 53, went solo for the premiere of The
Lost City of Z, produced by his production company, Plan B. He didn’t talk to journalists, but smiled on the red carpet. MAY 3: THE VULNERABLE COVER STAR Pitt had surprise on his side when his GQ Style cover landed. In the expansive interview, his first since splitting from Jolie, Pitt didn’t beat around the bush, taking responsibility for his alcohol dependency while steering clear of anything negative about his ex. “I was boozing too much,” Pitt confessed, revealing that he’s in therapy. “It’s just become a problem. And I’m really happy it’s been half a year now, which is bittersweet, but I’ve got my feelings in my fingertips again.” The image painted was of a star reformed, humbled and working on becoming a better father to his children. “I grew up with a father-knows-best/war mentality — the father is all-powerful, super strong — instead of really knowing the man and his own self-doubt and struggles,” Pitt said. “And it’s hit me smack in the face with our divorce: I gotta be more. I gotta be more for them. I have to show them. And I haven’t been great at it.” MAY 15: A CONFIDENT STEP FORWARD With wind at his back, Pitt heads to New York City to promote War
Machine, a fictionalized account of Gen. Stanley McChrystal’s short stewardship of the war in Afghanistan (and the Rolling
Stone interview that brought him down). Pitt tells the Associated Press that he’s spending his time “figuring out the new configuration of our family.”
MAY 16: HE MIGHT EVEN BE ENJOYING HIMSELF Pitt hit up the War Machine premiere, but first took a trip to Stephen Colbert’s Late Show, where the two engaged in a playful sketch called Big Questions With
Even Bigger Stars. Lying on a blanket together, Pitt called Colbert “Steve-a-Migo,” and was dubbed “Bradley Trooper” in return, as they pondered everything from time travel to life after death.
For Pitt, one thing has solidified: There’s life after scandal.