Brad Pitt has opened up about enduring his "darker days" following his divorce from Angelina Jolie, describing the period as one of the most challenging times of his life. The 62-year-old actor said he experienced "suffering and losses" in the wake of their split.
A Survival Story Mirrors Personal Struggles
In his new film, Heart of the Beast, Pitt plays James Belmont, a retired Special Forces officer who is accompanied by his retired service dog Odin after their aircraft crashes in the Alaskan wilderness. Both characters survive the crash but must contend with brutal wilderness conditions while hoping for rescue.
For the project, Pitt worked with survival experts, which he said allowed him to reflect on what he had endured personally.
Relying on Close Relationships
"When I think of the darker days, it was certainly my close relationships that I relied heavily on," Pitt said. He added: "Friends, dear close friends, a handful of close family, and was very open about my struggle."
According to The Sun, Pitt continued: "And being able to be that free with people who love you and have your back, and that you love back, is everything. It's everything. The survivalists would tell us it's all about little wins. You're going to suffer losses, you're going to suffer pain, but it's just getting to the next little win. I thought that equated to life in that way, in the sense of when we are struggling and going through many challenges, just getting to that next little win, not thinking about the big picture, just that next little win."
Divorce and Family Name Changes
Pitt and Jolie began dating in 2004 and quickly became one of Hollywood's most prominent couples before marrying a decade later. They split in 2016 after two years of marriage, with their divorce finalised in 2024 following an eight-year legal battle.
Four of their six children — Maddox, 25, Zahara, 21, Shiloh, 20, and Vivienne — have taken legal steps to change their surnames from Pitt to Jolie. Knox and Pax, both 22, have not filed formal name-change petitions.
Vivienne was the latest to distance herself from Pitt's surname, placing a newspaper notice stating she no longer wished to carry it. She filed to change her name to Vivienne Marcheline Jolie. The notice ran in The Los Angeles Journal once a week for four weeks between July and August. Any opposition must be submitted to the court before November 2, when a final hearing is scheduled; absent objections, the judge is expected to approve the change. Vivienne cited her reasons as "personal."
In the past, she has used the name Vivienne Jolie, including for her 2024 Broadway production of The Outsiders. Her brother Knox also used the surname Jolie on his diploma from Fusion Academy. Zahara and Maddox likewise published notices in the Los Angeles Journal to change their names, and Zahara was referred to as Zahara Marley Jolie during her university commencement in May. Shiloh petitioned to change her name in 2024 after turning 18; at the time, her legal representative, Peter Levine, said she had "made an independent and significant decision following painful events." Pax has not changed his name, though his relationship with Pitt remains strained, having previously branded his father a "world-class a**hole."
