Brad Pitt has spoken, but have we heard this story before?
In a lengthy interview with GQ Style—his first since his shocking split from longtime partner Angelina Jolie—the Oscar winner wore his heart on his sleeve as he recalled the recent happenings of his deeply private life. While his words were not entirely stripped from a shocking tell-all, the father of six did acknowledge many of the rising questions and concerns the public has had about him since Jolie filed for divorce in September and his subsequent investigation by the Department of Children and Family Services.
He remained quiet for the majority of the publicized ordeal, save for an initial statement in which he requested privacy for his children. Now, eight months later, the blockbuster star is finally speaking his peace on his own terms without any interruptions.
While his words were in print and not song, the approach was rather reminiscent of Beyoncé's groundbreaking sixth studio album, Lemonade—her own memoir, albeit musically, about the personal problems that plagued her marriage, her identity and ultimately achieving a full-circle resolution. Is Brad now raising his own public glass to his personal life?
Logistically, they both waited until after the fact to share their own accounts of what transpired behind closed doors. They did it with artistic mediums—Beyoncé with musical visuals, Brad with a magazine spread—both available to the masses and both sartorially out of the box.
In the final products, they opened the flood gates and issued revelations to fans. While the songstress crooned about infidelity and the challenges of marriage (any marital strife she was having beforehand was kept out of the spotlight), the actor spoke about his reliance on marijuana and alcohol to self-soothe, his tendency to "shield, mask, escape" from people and how he currently is seeking therapy.
Both reflective pieces were not without a level of frustration. While the Grammy winner quite literally took a baseball bat to everything in her path with her "Hold Up" music video, Pitt was much more subtle as he recalled his confrontation with the American legal structure.
"I was really on my back and chained to a system when Child Services was called," the star told the outlet of his investigation.
"After that, we've been able to work together to sort this out. We're both doing our best. I heard one lawyer say, 'No one wins in court—it's just a matter of who gets hurt worse.' And it seems to be true. You spend a year just focused on building a case to prove your point and why you're right and why they're wrong, and it's just an investment in vitriolic hatred. I just refuse."
After airing their grievances (in standout ensembles, no less), they arrived at a peaceful resolution. Beyoncé's finale track, "All Night" was a song about rebuilding and rekindling. Meanwhile, Pitt put whatever troubles he had with his ex aside and focused on the larger picture. He also took a page out of the singer's playbook: skim the surface, but never divulge the specifics.
"So little of it is accurate, and I avoid so much of it," he told GQ Style of all the rumors swirling around his split. "I just let it go. It's always been a long-run game for me. As far as out there, I hope my intentions and work will speak for themselves." *
*Insert mic drop