The New Brad and Angelina

As a longtime fan and observer of Hollywood’s most captivating personalities, I must say that the recent events unfolding at the Venice Film Festival have been nothing short of intriguing. The contrast between Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, two stars whom we thought we knew so well, has left me quite spellbound.

2007 saw Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie gracefully strolling the red carpet at the Venice Film Festival, attending an event for Pitt’s movie “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford.” This melancholic western about self-absorption and waning reputation acted as a stepping stone for them in film festivals for several years to come. Prior to this period, they had experienced both mainstream and even notable success in the early 2000s; however, their late-aughts phase catapulted them into global and art-house stardom. In 2008, they attended Cannes for Jolie’s film “The Changeling,” followed by Cannes again in 2009 and 2011 with Pitt’s “Inglourious Basterds” and “The Tree of Life.” They took a break from the international film-festival scene until late August this year when Jolie and Pitt separately returned to Venice, each with their own project, marking almost eight years since Jolie filed for divorce.

The ex-pair’s arrival at the Lido island, where the event took place, was orchestrated by festival director Alberto Barbera to keep them apart, signifying a fresh start for both their public images amidst what seemed like an unending divorce drama. Despite their legal separation in 2019, Pitt and Jolie have maintained disagreements over Château Miraval, the jointly purchased winery from 2012. After the split, Jolie sold her shares to a Stoli Group subsidiary, which Pitt perceived as an attempt to cause harm. This sale prevented him from acquiring majority ownership. The legal dispute that ensued eventually revealed the most stunning truth behind their “irreconcilable differences”: According to Jolie’s court filings, during a 2016 flight from France to California, Pitt, under the influence, allegedly physically abused his wife by grabbing her head and shaking her, as well as two of their children. One child was choked while another was struck in the face.

In 2022, more details about the event surfaced, revealing a stark contrast to the image Brad Pitt had presented during his Oscar campaign in 2019. Back then, he was winning hearts with his witty acceptance speeches filled with jokes and seemed like a cool, semi-retired dad figure – albeit an extremely good-looking one. His reunion with Jennifer Aniston at the SAG Awards also added to this laidback image. The role that earned him the Best Supporting Actor Oscar in Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood” further solidified his persona as an Elder Golden Boy: a down-to-earth former stuntman, aging gracefully but without any airs, and possessing a dry, charming wit. Ironically, the character he portrayed was suspected of killing his wife, adding a comedic twist to the storyline.

Brad Pitt’s once strained public relationships with his children, particularly Maddox, have been portrayed in media as unfortunate situations for him. As Pitt’s Oscar pursuit intensified in winter 2020, tabloids reported the actor’s perceived sorrow over not reconciling with Maddox during a U.K. trip for BAFTAs. Months later, when Pitt won his Oscar, Pax shared an Instagram post calling his father a “world-class jerk.” Since then, all three of his daughters have adopted their mother’s surname, dropping the “Jolie-Pitt.” Shiloh made this change official in June 2022. Despite remaining in the public eye, Pitt’s career has seen a significant downturn. He found some financial success with movies like “Bullet Train,” but his failed Oscar bid for Damien Chazelle’s “Babylon” left him attending the Golden Globes without any award to celebrate. His demeanor began to reflect a sense of weariness. In 2022, he openly acknowledged in an interview with GQ that he felt his career was on its last legs; the following year, he relocated from Hollywood to Carmel, California.

Brad Pitt’s reunion with George Clooney during the premiere of their film “Wolfs” in Venice evoked a sense of nostalgia for the days when they headlined movies together, such as Steven Soderbergh’s “Ocean’s” trilogy and the Coen brothers’ “Burn After Reading.” The pair’s camaraderie was highlighted in a recent GQ article, portraying them as close friends: “George Clooney and Brad Pitt are Hollywood’s best buddies.” During interviews for “Wolfs,” including the Venice press conference and the glossy magazine feature at the Miraval estate, Pitt often used Clooney as a kind of protective figure. He mentioned that Clooney is great at understanding complex situations and giving advice: “I’ll call George when things get tough.” At the red carpet event, Pitt was accompanied by his girlfriend Ines de Ramon for the first time, but he seemed more like an extra companion in the presence of Clooney and his wife Amal.

Meanwhile, Jolie made her way to the festival on her own, showcasing her latest film, titled “Maria.” This film, directed by Pablo Larraín, is a biopic of opera singer Maria Callas. Interestingly, this marks Larraín’s third production where an American actress assumes a posh upper-class accent, following Natalie Portman in “Jackie” and Kristen Stewart in “Spencer.” For Jolie, “Maria” represents her return to significant acting roles since her self-directed appearance in “By the Sea” back in 2015, which starred her then-spouse, Pitt. In “Maria,” Jolie takes on the role of Callas during her later years, although it’s important to note that she underwent operatic singing training for this part.

At the festival, Jolie’s solitude didn’t resemble the self-reliant and independent persona one might expect from an older, divorced Jolie, as portrayed in her wild child days of the ’90s or her unreachable superstardom in the 2000s. A vintage photograph from Maria shows Jolie in a surprisingly delicate position, appearing anxious or cautious, with her hands by her head. Instead of humility in a commoner’s sense, as attempted by her former spouse, Jolie seemed humbled at Venice. On the red carpet, dressed in earthy neutrals and classic red lipstick, she smiled broadly with an eagerness that was quite different from her earlier, statuesque poses alongside Pitt. During the Maria press conference, she spoke about a vulnerability she shared with Callas: “I believe I related to her through the part of her that was extremely soft and didn’t have space in the world to be as tender as she was, as emotionally open as she truly was.” The removal of some of Jolie’s defenses, whether voluntary or not, was most evident during the film’s premiere standing ovation, where the actress noticeably trembled before beginning to cry. She appeared genuinely moved, stunned, and shielding her face with her hand.

Over time, Brad Pitt’s character consistency, as the charming, fortunate fellow from Missouri who just so happens to be a movie star, has given audiences the impression that they understand him and his nature. On the other hand, Angelina Jolie has always kept an enigmatic, elusive image that has contributed to her fame. In their early days together, she bore the brunt of negative attention – labeled as a nepotism child and the edgy “other woman.” Throughout her career, she’s been criticized for being too aloof, too detached. However, at Venice, their public images significantly changed. Jolie came across as authentic and approachable, like someone who has experienced hardships and is genuinely present. In contrast, Brad Pitt seemed more insincere than ever before. His poses starkly contrasted with the reality of his private life, and the genuine essence of who he truly is felt distant.

2024-09-09 18:54

The New Brad and Angelina

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