Brad & Shiloh: their close bond
A pizza party and a Polaroid camera – doting dad Brad made sure he spoilt his precious Shiloh as she turned 14
WHEN she was born there was much speculation about who she’d look like. Her mom, with her pillow-lipped pout and long, lithe limbs – or her dad with his blue eyes and tousled locks?
It didn’t take long for fans to get their answer: Shiloh Nouvel Jolie-Pitt is Brad Pitt’s mini-me through and through – and now that she’s just turned 14, the resemblance is stronger than ever.
But it isn’t only looks that father and daughter share – the pair have had a strong bond from the get-go, with Brad doting on the first biological child he and Angelina Jolie brought into the world.
So it should come as no surprise to hear the actor pulled out all the stops for his precious little girl’s recent birthday – or as much as he could given the lockdown circumstances.
Brad (56) threw a pizza party at his Los Feliz home in Los Angeles and, while friends were obviously out, all her siblings were there – 11-year-old twins Vivienne and Knox, Zahara (15), Pax (16) and even Maddox (18), who for a long time didn’t want to have anything to do with his father.
This is definitely a good sign, insiders say. “Maddox wanted to make his sister’s birthday as happy as possible but a year or so ago he wouldn’t have entertained the thought of going to Brad’s house,” one source says. “So it really is a move in the right direction.”
The whole brood did their best to make Shiloh’s day special. Brad had been planning the party for a while, an insider told UK newspaper The Sun.
“He has an expensive pizza oven at his house and he made her favourite dish and they also celebrated with a cake.” The Ad Astra star also made sure his daughter was treated to lots of gifts as well and arranged for a special tribute video from loved ones.
“One of Brad’s film editor pals put together a video of messages from her family and friends all over the world, some of whom she hasn’t seen in a while due to the pandemic,” the source says.
Brad also gave the birthday girl something for her favourite pastime. “Shiloh is really into photography and Brad bought her a vintage Polaroid camera and created a book of all her best photographs from the past few years,” the source adds.
And as if that weren’t enough, the Oscar-winner also indulged her other hobby – guitar playing – by surprising her with a studio session during which she can jam with a professional guitarist.
“Shiloh’s birthday really brought them all together and she had plenty of presents to open on the day,” the friend continues.
It was in marked contrast to her birthday last year, which she celebrated with her mom, siblings and some friends at a popular escape-room venue in Los Angeles followed by a magic show (YOU, 20 June 2019).
While Angelina (45) was absent on this occasion, reports say things between the
exes continue to improve “day by day”.
“They’ve been getting along so much better since the custody rules have been worked out,” a source told US celebrity news show Entertainment Tonight. “They’ve come so far.
The pair have agreed on an arrangement that lets Brad have more time with the kids and now that the couple formerly known as Brangelina live just five minutes away from each other in Los Feliz, the children spend a lot of time with their dad.
“His kids are the most important thing to him,” a friend says. “He tells everyone who cares to listen how much he learns about life from his own children.”
IT’S hard to believe how time has flown since the world awaited the birth of Brad and Angelina’s baby in Namibia. And when Angie eventually gave birth in a private hospital in Swakopmund, there was unprecedented interest to see the offspring of Hollywood’s golden couple. US People magazine forked out $4 million (then R28m) for the first baby photos, which Brad and Angie donated to children’s charities in Africa.
The chubby-cheeked cutie was quickly dubbed Tinseltown’s most beautiful baby – even though her mom drew some flak for her description of her daughter in a 2007 interview.
The Oscar-winning actress admitted her adopted kids – Maddox and Zahara at that stage – tugged at her heartstrings a little bit more than her biological daughter did.
“I think I feel so much more for Mad and Zee because they’re survivors; they came through so much,” the Maleficent: Mistress of Evil star told Elle magazine.
“Shiloh seemed so privileged from the moment she was born. I met my other kids when they were six months old – they came with a personality. A newborn really is this . . . a blob.”
But Shiloh soon proved she was a lot more than that. By all accounts she has a sunny, laidback personality – or “goofy” as Angie once described her. “She’s hysterically funny, one of the goofiest, most playful people you’ll ever meet.”
She also has a caring side, as she showed when her parents got divorced. “Shiloh has always been the most amenable of the kids to seeing her father,” a family friend said soon after the split, when Brad was persona non grata as far as Angie was concerned.
While Brad is close to all his kids, there’s no doubt he and Shiloh share that extra little something.
“He’s so proud of Shiloh and who she’s become,” the source told Entertainment Tonight. “He loves that she always stays true to herself and is so good to her brothers and sisters.
“Brad and Shiloh have always loved spending time together – they get on like a house on fire. She may be a teenager now, but she’s still sweet and caring and doesn’t give her parents much trouble at all.”
Lucky Brad and Angie.