WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.520 Welcome back to the Deep Dive. Today we are really 00:00:03.520 --> 00:00:05.900 getting into it with a massive figure, William 00:00:05.900 --> 00:00:07.660 Bradley Pitt. I mean, this is someone who's more 00:00:07.660 --> 00:00:09.419 than just an actor, right? He sort of embodies 00:00:09.419 --> 00:00:12.240 the whole modern celebrity package. Absolutely. 00:00:12.439 --> 00:00:17.140 Actor, producer, activist, public figure. He's 00:00:17.140 --> 00:00:19.839 the definition of a multi -hyphenate. And when 00:00:19.839 --> 00:00:22.600 you look at the sheer volume of sources, biographical 00:00:22.600 --> 00:00:26.539 stuff, career data, it's huge. Our goal today 00:00:26.539 --> 00:00:28.629 is really to, you know... Sift through all that. 00:00:28.730 --> 00:00:30.969 Find the surprising bits that overlooked things. 00:00:31.269 --> 00:00:33.670 Exactly. Cut through the noise, the gossip, and 00:00:33.670 --> 00:00:36.270 figure out what really made his career tick over 00:00:36.270 --> 00:00:38.570 these, what, three decades plus? And the scale 00:00:38.570 --> 00:00:41.070 is just, it's hard to wrap your head around sometimes. 00:00:41.310 --> 00:00:43.250 It really is. I mean, the films he's been in 00:00:43.250 --> 00:00:45.829 have grossed, what is it now, over $9 .3 billion 00:00:45.829 --> 00:00:48.810 worldwide? That's staggering. But it's not just 00:00:48.810 --> 00:00:51.170 the money, is it? He was initially seen as, well, 00:00:51.229 --> 00:00:54.240 a sex symbol. Right, but... The awards tell a 00:00:54.240 --> 00:00:56.200 different story about his depth. Two Academy 00:00:56.200 --> 00:00:59.259 Awards, one for acting, one producing two Golden 00:00:59.259 --> 00:01:01.700 Globes, even two Primetime Emmys. That shows 00:01:01.700 --> 00:01:04.780 real creative staying power. Plus, you can't 00:01:04.780 --> 00:01:07.140 ignore the People's Sexiest Man Alive thing. 00:01:07.299 --> 00:01:11.359 Twice. 1995 and 2000. It's part of the package, 00:01:11.439 --> 00:01:15.280 sure. But think about the journey. This Midwestern 00:01:15.280 --> 00:01:17.659 kid who famously drops out of the University 00:01:17.659 --> 00:01:20.700 of Missouri just two weeks before he's supposed 00:01:20.700 --> 00:01:22.799 to graduate. That's the story everyone knows, 00:01:22.859 --> 00:01:25.500 isn't it? That leap. Yeah, and it's kind of key 00:01:25.500 --> 00:01:27.879 to understanding him, I think. That willingness 00:01:27.879 --> 00:01:30.980 to ditch the safe path because, as he put it, 00:01:31.040 --> 00:01:33.700 films weren't made in Missouri. So he had to 00:01:33.700 --> 00:01:35.420 go where they were made. And it's fascinating 00:01:35.420 --> 00:01:37.519 who he looked up to back then. Oh yeah, his early 00:01:37.519 --> 00:01:40.370 heroes. Gary Oldman, Sean Penn, Mickey Rourke. 00:01:40.530 --> 00:01:42.590 That's not the list you'd expect from someone 00:01:42.590 --> 00:01:44.950 who became a heartthrob, is it? Not at all. It 00:01:44.950 --> 00:01:47.329 signals something different. Intensity, grit, 00:01:47.549 --> 00:01:49.549 maybe a bit of danger. He wasn't just aiming 00:01:49.549 --> 00:01:52.390 for handsome leading man roles, clearly. That 00:01:52.390 --> 00:01:54.609 desire for challenging stuff was baked in early. 00:01:55.329 --> 00:01:58.750 Okay, so let's lay the groundwork. William Bradley 00:01:58.750 --> 00:02:02.829 Pitt, born in Shawnee, Oklahoma, 1963. But he 00:02:02.829 --> 00:02:05.000 grew up in Springfield, Missouri. Right. The 00:02:05.000 --> 00:02:07.420 sources call it Mark Twain country, Jesse James 00:02:07.420 --> 00:02:09.460 country. Gives it a certain flavor, doesn't it? 00:02:09.539 --> 00:02:12.560 It does. And the family setup sounds pretty solid, 00:02:12.659 --> 00:02:15.659 pretty middle American. His dad, William Alvin 00:02:15.659 --> 00:02:18.479 Pitt, owned a trucking company. His mom, Jane 00:02:18.479 --> 00:02:21.300 Etta, was a school counselor. And he had younger 00:02:21.300 --> 00:02:24.139 siblings, Doug and Julie Neal. And it was a structured 00:02:24.139 --> 00:02:26.840 upbringing in other ways, too. Raised Southern 00:02:26.840 --> 00:02:29.740 Baptist, conservative Christian household. That 00:02:29.740 --> 00:02:32.099 context is really important for understanding 00:02:32.099 --> 00:02:36.699 his later path. How so? Well, the sources are 00:02:36.699 --> 00:02:38.479 clear about his later journey away from that. 00:02:38.580 --> 00:02:41.979 He sort of bounced between agnosticism and atheism 00:02:41.979 --> 00:02:44.979 for a while before eventually kind of finding 00:02:44.979 --> 00:02:47.539 his own sense of spirituality later on. So moving 00:02:47.539 --> 00:02:49.300 from that inherited structure towards something 00:02:49.300 --> 00:02:52.379 more personal, more questioning. Exactly. Yeah. 00:02:52.439 --> 00:02:54.240 And you see that questioning, that restlessness 00:02:54.240 --> 00:02:56.599 pop up again and again in his choices, both in 00:02:56.599 --> 00:02:59.800 his career and personal life. A real deep curiosity 00:02:59.800 --> 00:03:01.879 seems to drive him. You could even see hints 00:03:01.879 --> 00:03:04.400 of it in high school, maybe. At Kickapoo High. 00:03:04.620 --> 00:03:06.280 Yeah, I mean, look at his activities. He wasn't 00:03:06.280 --> 00:03:09.139 just doing sports golf, swimming, tennis, which 00:03:09.139 --> 00:03:12.259 he did, but he was also in Key Club, forensics, 00:03:12.360 --> 00:03:14.219 you know, competitive speaking, and musicals. 00:03:14.259 --> 00:03:16.740 So the performance bug was there early, even 00:03:16.740 --> 00:03:19.539 if acting wasn't the obvious path yet. Definitely. 00:03:20.159 --> 00:03:22.379 Which leads us to that famous decision at the 00:03:22.379 --> 00:03:24.639 University of Missouri. He started there in 82, 00:03:24.919 --> 00:03:27.599 majoring in journal of him, focused on advertising. 00:03:27.919 --> 00:03:30.840 Sensible choice, practical, probably made his 00:03:30.840 --> 00:03:33.509 parents happy. You'd think so. But it wasn't 00:03:33.509 --> 00:03:36.490 enough for him. He loved movies. He called them 00:03:36.490 --> 00:03:39.409 a portal into different worlds. It wasn't just 00:03:39.409 --> 00:03:41.530 entertainment. It was something deeper. And he 00:03:41.530 --> 00:03:43.969 realized, well, you don't make movies in Missouri. 00:03:44.349 --> 00:03:46.849 Pretty much. So two weeks before getting his 00:03:46.849 --> 00:03:49.590 degree, he just left. Packed up, headed for L 00:03:49.590 --> 00:03:52.310 .A. It's that classic Hollywood gamble. Abandoning 00:03:52.310 --> 00:03:54.289 the sure thing for the long shot must have seemed 00:03:54.289 --> 00:03:56.650 crazy to people back home. Oh, I bet. It's the 00:03:56.650 --> 00:03:59.360 kind of move that ends in tears or... Well, creates 00:03:59.360 --> 00:04:01.860 Brad Pitt. So he gets to L .A., starts taking 00:04:01.860 --> 00:04:04.960 acting lessons studied with Roy London, a really 00:04:04.960 --> 00:04:07.340 respected coach. And then the grind begins. Yep. 00:04:07.659 --> 00:04:11.080 Odd jobs trying to get noticed. He did the uncredited 00:04:11.080 --> 00:04:14.479 bit parts in 87. No way out. No man's land. Less 00:04:14.479 --> 00:04:17.500 than zero. Tiny stuff. TV was where he started 00:04:17.500 --> 00:04:19.540 getting actual screen time, though. Yeah, paid 00:04:19.540 --> 00:04:21.819 his dues there. Soap opera debuts on Another 00:04:21.819 --> 00:04:24.519 World, guest spots on shows like Trial and Error, 00:04:24.660 --> 00:04:27.839 Growing Pains. You know, standard stuff for a 00:04:27.839 --> 00:04:30.139 young actor finding his feet. Wasn't he on Dallas 00:04:30.139 --> 00:04:33.670 for a bit? He was. Recurring role. 87 to 88, 00:04:33.850 --> 00:04:36.069 played Randy, the boyfriend of Charlotte Wade, 00:04:36.250 --> 00:04:38.310 Jenna Wade's daughter. That was probably crucial 00:04:38.310 --> 00:04:41.230 for her income and just being on a big set regularly. 00:04:41.509 --> 00:04:43.709 Now, here's something most people probably don't 00:04:43.709 --> 00:04:46.870 know. His first actual leading role in a movie. 00:04:47.089 --> 00:04:50.990 Ah, yes. The Dark Side of the Sun. Made in 1988, 00:04:51.410 --> 00:04:53.949 he plays this young American guy in Yugoslavia 00:04:53.949 --> 00:04:56.290 looking for a cure for a skin condition. But 00:04:56.290 --> 00:04:59.629 nobody saw it for ages, right? Exactly. The Croatian 00:04:59.629 --> 00:05:01.430 War of Independence broke out, and the film just 00:05:01.430 --> 00:05:05.529 got shelved. It didn't come out until 1997. Imagine 00:05:05.529 --> 00:05:07.290 thinking you've got your big break, and then 00:05:07.290 --> 00:05:09.810 it just vanishes because of a war. Back to square 00:05:09.810 --> 00:05:13.649 one, basically. Tough break. So if Dark Side 00:05:13.649 --> 00:05:15.329 of the Sun got buried, the real launchpad, the 00:05:15.329 --> 00:05:18.069 moment everyone remembers, has to be 1991, Thelma 00:05:18.069 --> 00:05:20.449 and Louise. Oh, absolutely. Ridley Scott directing, 00:05:20.610 --> 00:05:24.129 Pitt plays J .D., the hitchhiker, and bam, instant 00:05:24.129 --> 00:05:26.250 global sex symbol. It was that scene, wasn't 00:05:26.250 --> 00:05:28.850 it, with Geena Davis? Totally. That's the scene 00:05:28.850 --> 00:05:31.009 everyone points to. It just cemented that image, 00:05:31.209 --> 00:05:34.129 charming, a little dangerous, impossibly good 00:05:34.129 --> 00:05:36.170 -looking. You went from that guy from Dallas' 00:05:36.370 --> 00:05:39.589 to Brad Pitt almost overnight. But navigating 00:05:39.589 --> 00:05:43.230 that sudden fame... It wasn't smooth sailing 00:05:43.230 --> 00:05:46.069 immediately after, was it? No, it's tricky. He 00:05:46.069 --> 00:05:48.589 did a couple of films right after, trying to 00:05:48.589 --> 00:05:50.769 capitalize but maybe also find something interesting. 00:05:51.449 --> 00:05:54.250 Johnny Suede, this low -budget indie about a 00:05:54.250 --> 00:05:56.850 rock star, and Cool World, that weird animation 00:05:56.850 --> 00:05:58.870 live -action mix. And they didn't really land. 00:05:59.149 --> 00:06:02.149 No, both pretty much bombed, critically and commercially. 00:06:02.470 --> 00:06:04.230 It's like, okay, the world knows he's a star, 00:06:04.329 --> 00:06:05.870 but the industry wasn't quite sure what to do 00:06:05.870 --> 00:06:08.000 with him yet, beyond the looks. A bit of a post 00:06:08.000 --> 00:06:11.240 -breakthrough wobble. Which makes 1992 even more 00:06:11.240 --> 00:06:13.740 important. A river runs through it. Huge turning 00:06:13.740 --> 00:06:16.540 point. Directed by Robert Redford, which instantly 00:06:16.540 --> 00:06:19.420 gives it prestige. And the critics really took 00:06:19.420 --> 00:06:21.779 notice. People magazine literally said it proved 00:06:21.779 --> 00:06:24.699 he was more than a cowboy had at hunk. So this 00:06:24.699 --> 00:06:27.379 was him proving his acting chops. Well, yes, 00:06:27.579 --> 00:06:30.459 in the eyes of the public and critics. But here's 00:06:30.459 --> 00:06:32.079 where it gets really interesting, digging into 00:06:32.079 --> 00:06:35.139 his mindset. Pitt himself looked back on that 00:06:35.139 --> 00:06:37.759 performance later. and was incredibly hard on 00:06:37.759 --> 00:06:40.399 himself. Really? The one that made people take 00:06:40.399 --> 00:06:43.019 him seriously? Yeah. He called it one of his 00:06:43.019 --> 00:06:45.360 weakest performances. Said he felt overwhelmed 00:06:45.360 --> 00:06:48.379 by it. Wow. That's quite self -critical. It is. 00:06:48.779 --> 00:06:51.500 But his reasoning is fascinating. He said he 00:06:51.500 --> 00:06:54.180 benefited hugely from the talent around him, 00:06:54.240 --> 00:06:57.560 the director, the cast. He used this analogy, 00:06:57.740 --> 00:07:00.339 like playing tennis with a better player, your 00:07:00.339 --> 00:07:03.579 own game automatically improves. So he learned 00:07:03.579 --> 00:07:06.310 the value of the team. Not just his own role. 00:07:06.550 --> 00:07:08.829 Exactly. Surround yourself with the best. Choose 00:07:08.829 --> 00:07:10.870 projects based on the whole package, not just 00:07:10.870 --> 00:07:13.410 the star part. You can see the seeds of Plan 00:07:13.410 --> 00:07:15.470 B right there, that philosophy. Makes sense. 00:07:15.610 --> 00:07:17.850 And after that realization, he seemed to actively 00:07:17.850 --> 00:07:19.990 seek out roles that messed with the pretty boy 00:07:19.990 --> 00:07:23.850 image. Totally. Look at California in 1993. He 00:07:23.850 --> 00:07:26.170 reunited with Juliette Lewis, but this time he's 00:07:26.170 --> 00:07:28.990 playing Early Grace, this terrifying, unpredictable 00:07:28.990 --> 00:07:31.329 serial killer. And people were impressed by the 00:07:31.329 --> 00:07:33.980 transformation. Oh, yeah. Rolling Stone said 00:07:33.980 --> 00:07:36.800 he had that boyish charm, but could switch to 00:07:36.800 --> 00:07:40.199 pure menace with just a snort. It showed real 00:07:40.199 --> 00:07:42.959 range. And don't forget his little role in True 00:07:42.959 --> 00:07:46.100 Romance that same year Floyd, the stoner roommate. 00:07:46.740 --> 00:07:48.759 Hilarious. That range got him noticed by the 00:07:48.759 --> 00:07:50.920 industry too, right? Yep. He won the Showist 00:07:50.920 --> 00:07:54.000 Award for Male Star of Tomorrow in 93. Things 00:07:54.000 --> 00:07:56.040 were definitely lining up for him to become a 00:07:56.040 --> 00:07:58.910 major leading man. But even then... There were 00:07:58.910 --> 00:08:00.910 bumps. Like Interview with the Vampire in 94. 00:08:01.230 --> 00:08:05.170 Huge film. Massive cast crews. Dunst. Banderas. 00:08:05.410 --> 00:08:07.769 Right. But his performances as Louis didn't get 00:08:07.769 --> 00:08:10.430 great reviews. Some critics were pretty brutal, 00:08:10.490 --> 00:08:13.350 actually. One said he conveyed zero inner torment. 00:08:13.850 --> 00:08:16.509 A reminder that even big stars in big movies 00:08:16.509 --> 00:08:19.029 can misfire sometimes. But he bounced back fast. 00:08:19.250 --> 00:08:21.449 Legends of the Fall later that same year. Yeah, 00:08:21.490 --> 00:08:23.889 that was much better for him. Got his first Golden 00:08:23.889 --> 00:08:26.420 Globe nomination for Best Actor. The film itself 00:08:26.420 --> 00:08:28.939 got mixed reviews, but his performance as Tristan 00:08:28.939 --> 00:08:31.360 Ludlow was widely praised. It really solidified 00:08:31.360 --> 00:08:34.340 him as a proper leading man. And then 1995 feels 00:08:34.340 --> 00:08:36.620 like the year it all clicked into place, critically 00:08:36.620 --> 00:08:39.379 and commercially. Definitely. He went after the 00:08:39.379 --> 00:08:41.940 role in David Fincher's Seven. playing the detective 00:08:41.940 --> 00:08:44.679 opposite Morgan Freeman. He specifically said 00:08:44.679 --> 00:08:46.700 he wanted it to get away from the pretty boy 00:08:46.700 --> 00:08:49.860 thing, to play someone flawed. He actively chose 00:08:49.860 --> 00:08:53.019 darkness. And it worked, big time. Critics liked 00:08:53.019 --> 00:08:54.899 him in it. Variety called his work determined, 00:08:55.120 --> 00:08:57.820 energetic, creditable. And the movie was huge, 00:08:57.919 --> 00:09:01.360 over $320 million worldwide. He was now bankable 00:09:01.360 --> 00:09:04.500 and respected. But the real peak of that mid-'90s 00:09:04.500 --> 00:09:07.820 run, for me, has to be 12 Monkeys. Terry Gilliam. 00:09:08.240 --> 00:09:10.419 Playing Jeffrey Goins, that totally unhinged 00:09:10.419 --> 00:09:12.720 anarchist character. Manic is the word. It was 00:09:12.720 --> 00:09:14.779 such a go -for -broke performance, and it paid 00:09:14.779 --> 00:09:16.559 off. Yeah. Won the Golden Globe, got his first 00:09:16.559 --> 00:09:18.519 Oscar nomination, Best Supporting Actor. You 00:09:18.519 --> 00:09:20.639 just couldn't ignore him in that role. No way. 00:09:21.279 --> 00:09:24.480 Critics talked about his startlingly frenzied 00:09:24.480 --> 00:09:27.860 performance, his weird magnetism. That was the 00:09:27.860 --> 00:09:29.899 moment, I think, where the box office appeal 00:09:29.899 --> 00:09:32.179 from Thelma and Louise finally merged completely, 00:09:32.419 --> 00:09:34.799 with the serious critical respect he'd been building 00:09:34.799 --> 00:09:37.210 towards. He wasn't just a movie star. He was 00:09:37.210 --> 00:09:40.309 a serious actor. So he's established as this 00:09:40.309 --> 00:09:42.870 serious star. The next big evolution is moving 00:09:42.870 --> 00:09:45.529 into that power broker role. And that really 00:09:45.529 --> 00:09:47.490 comes down to Plan B Entertainment. Which he 00:09:47.490 --> 00:09:50.169 co -founded in 2001, right? With Jennifer Aniston 00:09:50.169 --> 00:09:53.289 and Brad Gray. That's the one. And Plan B is, 00:09:53.450 --> 00:09:56.139 well... It's more than just a shingle. It became 00:09:56.139 --> 00:09:59.019 his way to really control his creative destiny 00:09:59.019 --> 00:10:01.240 and maybe more importantly to champion the kinds 00:10:01.240 --> 00:10:03.059 of films that maybe wouldn't get made otherwise. 00:10:03.299 --> 00:10:06.620 Difficult films. Riskier material. Exactly. Think 00:10:06.620 --> 00:10:08.500 about it. The Big Short, a complex film about 00:10:08.500 --> 00:10:10.980 the financial crisis. War Machine, a tricky war 00:10:10.980 --> 00:10:15.100 satire. The Tree of Life, a poetic, almost experimental 00:10:15.100 --> 00:10:17.980 Terrence Malick film. These aren't easy sells 00:10:17.980 --> 00:10:20.159 for major studios unless someone like Pitt is 00:10:20.159 --> 00:10:22.399 pushing for them. And using his clout to get 00:10:22.399 --> 00:10:25.750 them made. Precisely. It's about backing visionaries, 00:10:25.769 --> 00:10:28.710 backing tough subjects. And the track record 00:10:28.710 --> 00:10:31.429 is just incredible. As a producer, he's got three 00:10:31.429 --> 00:10:34.429 Best Picture Oscar nominations and that big win. 00:10:34.610 --> 00:10:38.149 The win was for 12 Years a Slave in 2013. Right. 00:10:38.269 --> 00:10:40.990 Which was just a monumental film. Yeah. Tackling 00:10:40.990 --> 00:10:44.289 American slavery head on, unvarnished. Plan B 00:10:44.289 --> 00:10:46.809 didn't just produce it. They championed it. Got 00:10:46.809 --> 00:10:49.509 it seen. Pitt put his name and weight behind 00:10:49.509 --> 00:10:51.710 something incredibly difficult and important. 00:10:52.240 --> 00:10:54.600 That says a lot about his priorities as a producer. 00:10:54.799 --> 00:10:56.700 And the other nominations were Moneyball and 00:10:56.700 --> 00:10:59.539 The Big Short. But what about The Departed? That 00:10:59.539 --> 00:11:02.019 won Best Picture in 2006 and Plan B produced 00:11:02.019 --> 00:11:04.200 it. Ah, yeah, that's an interesting one. He was 00:11:04.200 --> 00:11:06.919 credited as a producer on screen. But the Academy 00:11:06.919 --> 00:11:09.179 has specific rules about who gets the actual 00:11:09.179 --> 00:11:12.019 statuette. In that case, only Graham King was 00:11:12.019 --> 00:11:14.820 deemed eligible for the Oscar itself. But still, 00:11:14.919 --> 00:11:16.700 being involved in a Best Picture winner that 00:11:16.700 --> 00:11:18.740 early showed their ambition. What strikes me 00:11:18.740 --> 00:11:21.379 about Plan B is the range. They did Troy in 2004, 00:11:21.600 --> 00:11:23.659 this huge historical epic. Yeah, their first 00:11:23.659 --> 00:11:26.080 big production. But then they also do these really 00:11:26.080 --> 00:11:29.250 sensitive, artful dramas like... The assassination 00:11:29.250 --> 00:11:32.409 of Jesse James by the coward Robert Ford or Malick's 00:11:32.409 --> 00:11:34.669 Tree of Life, which even won the Palme d 'Or 00:11:34.669 --> 00:11:37.149 at Cannes. It's an amazing balancing act, isn't 00:11:37.149 --> 00:11:39.830 it? They can make a massive zombie movie like 00:11:39.830 --> 00:11:42.889 World War Z. Which made a fortune. Right. And 00:11:42.889 --> 00:11:46.029 then use that success, presumably, to help finance 00:11:46.029 --> 00:11:49.190 these prestigious, maybe less commercially obvious 00:11:49.190 --> 00:11:52.350 films like Moonlight or Minari, both of which 00:11:52.350 --> 00:11:55.100 won Oscars in critical adoration. They even backed 00:11:55.100 --> 00:11:57.980 Beetlejuice recently. They've really mastered 00:11:57.980 --> 00:12:00.879 that model using blockbusters to fund the arthouse 00:12:00.879 --> 00:12:03.200 passion projects, and they moved into TV too. 00:12:03.500 --> 00:12:05.720 Briefly, yeah. They had a joint venture with 00:12:05.720 --> 00:12:08.539 ABC Studios for a sci -fi show called Resurrection 00:12:08.539 --> 00:12:10.980 for a couple of seasons. But maybe the most unexpected 00:12:10.980 --> 00:12:13.700 move, linking back to his other interests, is 00:12:13.700 --> 00:12:15.919 getting into the music business. Yeah, reopening 00:12:15.919 --> 00:12:18.639 Miraval Studios in France. He partnered with 00:12:18.639 --> 00:12:21.639 French producer Damien Quintard in 2021. And 00:12:21.639 --> 00:12:23.559 Miraval isn't just any studio, it's legendary. 00:12:23.980 --> 00:12:27.679 Pink Floyd, ACDC, The Curia recorded there back 00:12:27.679 --> 00:12:29.980 in the day. Exactly. It had been closed for like 00:12:29.980 --> 00:12:33.299 two decades. Reopening it in 2022, restoring 00:12:33.299 --> 00:12:36.340 it. It feels like more than just a business venture. 00:12:36.720 --> 00:12:38.899 It's like preserving a piece of cultural history, 00:12:39.080 --> 00:12:41.940 creating a space for artists. It lines up with 00:12:41.940 --> 00:12:44.159 his interest in architecture and art later on. 00:12:44.240 --> 00:12:46.320 It's about building platforms for creativity, 00:12:46.620 --> 00:12:49.379 whatever the medium. Okay, so while Plan B is 00:12:49.379 --> 00:12:52.659 making these strategic moves, Pit the Star is 00:12:52.659 --> 00:12:55.840 becoming this huge global phenomenon. We mentioned 00:12:55.840 --> 00:12:58.580 the Sexiest Man Alive titles. Right, 95 and 2000. 00:12:59.259 --> 00:13:01.200 But it went beyond that. He was consistently 00:13:01.200 --> 00:13:04.559 on the Forbes Celebrity 100 list in the mid 2000s. 00:13:04.559 --> 00:13:06.779 He wasn't just famous. He was powerful. Time 00:13:06.779 --> 00:13:09.139 magazine put him on their 100 most influential 00:13:09.139 --> 00:13:12.799 people list twice, 2007 and 2009. And the write 00:13:12.799 --> 00:13:14.379 up for that was interesting. It wasn't just about 00:13:14.379 --> 00:13:16.700 his acting. It specifically mentioned him using 00:13:16.700 --> 00:13:19.059 his fame to get people to look to where cameras 00:13:19.059 --> 00:13:21.340 don't usually catch. So connecting his stardom 00:13:21.340 --> 00:13:23.860 directly to his activism and humanitarian work. 00:13:23.960 --> 00:13:25.820 And commercially, he was gold. That Heineken 00:13:25.820 --> 00:13:28.500 ad during the Super Bowl in 05. Directed by David. 00:13:28.559 --> 00:13:31.919 at Fincher, no less. High -end stuff. Plus deals 00:13:31.919 --> 00:13:35.659 with Acura, SoftBank in Japan, Edwin Jeans. His 00:13:35.659 --> 00:13:38.519 image sold products globally. Which inevitably 00:13:38.519 --> 00:13:41.059 leads us into the territory of his personal life 00:13:41.059 --> 00:13:44.700 and the intense media focus. We have to tread 00:13:44.700 --> 00:13:47.059 carefully here, stick to what the sources report 00:13:47.059 --> 00:13:50.460 impartially. Absolutely. Looking back at his 00:13:50.460 --> 00:13:52.960 early relationships in the late 80s, early 90s, 00:13:52.960 --> 00:13:55.279 the sources mentioned involvements with co -stars 00:13:55.279 --> 00:13:58.100 like Shalane McCall, Robin Givens, Jill Scullin, 00:13:58.179 --> 00:14:01.320 Gina Davis, Juliette Lewis. And the sources do 00:14:01.320 --> 00:14:03.980 explicitly note the age differences in some cases, 00:14:04.220 --> 00:14:07.159 McCall being 15, Lewis 17 when they dated him. 00:14:07.220 --> 00:14:10.710 Right. Then, after other high -profile relationships, 00:14:10.950 --> 00:14:13.129 like his engagement to Gwyneth Paltrow, came 00:14:13.129 --> 00:14:15.389 his marriage to Jennifer Aniston. They met in 00:14:15.389 --> 00:14:17.769 98, married in 2000. They were the Hollywood 00:14:17.769 --> 00:14:20.090 couple for those five years. The golden couple. 00:14:20.250 --> 00:14:21.809 Until the separation announcement in January 00:14:21.809 --> 00:14:25.090 2005. That really kicked off a whole new level 00:14:25.090 --> 00:14:28.009 of tabloid frenzy. The divorce was final by October. 00:14:28.460 --> 00:14:30.039 Though it's worth adding, Pitt said later, I 00:14:30.039 --> 00:14:32.220 think in 2009, that they stayed in touch, said 00:14:32.220 --> 00:14:34.220 they check in with each other, remained big parts 00:14:34.220 --> 00:14:36.799 of each other's lives. Right. But the media narrative 00:14:36.799 --> 00:14:38.720 immediately shifted to the relationship with 00:14:38.720 --> 00:14:41.440 Angelina Jolie, which began during the filming 00:14:41.440 --> 00:14:43.759 of Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Critics even commented 00:14:43.759 --> 00:14:46.759 on their thermonuclear screen chemistry. Yeah, 00:14:46.799 --> 00:14:49.419 the term Brangelina just exploded. It became 00:14:49.419 --> 00:14:51.659 this global shorthand for ultimate celebrity 00:14:51.659 --> 00:14:54.539 coupling, and the media obsession was relentless. 00:14:55.279 --> 00:14:57.559 They went public when Jolie announced her pregnancy 00:14:57.559 --> 00:15:01.820 in January 2006, got engaged in 2012, married 00:15:01.820 --> 00:15:05.019 in 2014 at their place in France, Chateau Miraval. 00:15:05.259 --> 00:15:07.960 And together they built this large, very visible 00:15:07.960 --> 00:15:11.740 family, six children, Maddox, Zahara, and Pax, 00:15:11.799 --> 00:15:14.500 who were adopted, and Shiloh, Knox, and Vivienne, 00:15:14.679 --> 00:15:16.840 their biological children. The level of scrutiny 00:15:16.840 --> 00:15:19.799 on that family was just off the charts. Unprecedented. 00:15:20.019 --> 00:15:21.960 And they made a conscious decision to leverage 00:15:21.960 --> 00:15:23.960 that attention for charity, especially with the 00:15:23.960 --> 00:15:25.879 photos of their children. Right, the first photos 00:15:25.879 --> 00:15:28.580 of Shiloh went for millions. 4 .1 to People, 00:15:28.740 --> 00:15:31.679 3 .5 to Hello, all donated. And then the twins, 00:15:32.039 --> 00:15:35.960 Knox and Vivian. Their first photos broke all 00:15:35.960 --> 00:15:40.559 records. $14 million, jointly from People and 00:15:40.559 --> 00:15:43.980 Run. Hello, still the most expensive celebrity 00:15:43.980 --> 00:15:46.799 pictures ever sold. And again. All the money 00:15:46.799 --> 00:15:49.100 went to the Jolie -Pitt Foundation. They turned 00:15:49.100 --> 00:15:51.820 the media frenzy into massive philanthropic fuel. 00:15:52.019 --> 00:15:54.340 But that intense public interest followed them 00:15:54.340 --> 00:15:56.519 through the end of the marriage, too. Jolie filed 00:15:56.519 --> 00:15:59.460 for divorce in September 2016. They became legally 00:15:59.460 --> 00:16:02.200 single in April 2019. But the custody arrangements 00:16:02.200 --> 00:16:05.200 have been ongoing and, frankly, very messy in 00:16:05.200 --> 00:16:08.480 public. Pitt initially won joint custody in May 00:16:08.480 --> 00:16:11.080 2021, right? He did, which seemed like a resolution. 00:16:11.299 --> 00:16:13.159 But then it was overturned just two months later. 00:16:13.690 --> 00:16:16.049 The judge was disqualified over concerns he hadn't 00:16:16.049 --> 00:16:17.789 fully disclosed business dealings with Pitt's 00:16:17.789 --> 00:16:19.730 lawyers. Shows how complicated these things get 00:16:19.730 --> 00:16:21.350 under that kind of spotlight. And more recently, 00:16:21.429 --> 00:16:23.990 in 2025, reports surfaced about the children's 00:16:23.990 --> 00:16:26.769 names. Shiloh legally changed hers to Shiloh 00:16:26.769 --> 00:16:29.269 Nouvelle Jolie. Yeah, and reports also say Zahar 00:16:29.269 --> 00:16:31.409 and Vivian have stopped using Pitt in their day 00:16:31.409 --> 00:16:33.649 -to -day surnames. We also have to address the 00:16:33.649 --> 00:16:36.110 controversy surrounding the split. Again, sticking 00:16:36.110 --> 00:16:40.049 to the documented facts. The 2016 plane incident. 00:16:40.289 --> 00:16:42.850 Right. After that incident, both the FBI and 00:16:42.850 --> 00:16:44.629 the L .A. Department of Children and Family Services 00:16:44.629 --> 00:16:47.870 investigated Pitt over allegations he was verbally 00:16:47.870 --> 00:16:50.649 abusive and physical towards one of the children. 00:16:50.830 --> 00:16:52.730 And the key outcome of those investigations? 00:16:53.210 --> 00:16:55.309 No criminal charges were filed against him by 00:16:55.309 --> 00:16:57.950 either agency. That's a crucial point. However, 00:16:58.149 --> 00:17:00.110 the allegations didn't go away. They came up 00:17:00.110 --> 00:17:02.909 again in 2022. Yes. During the legal dispute 00:17:02.909 --> 00:17:05.789 over the Maryville Winery they co -owned, Jolie 00:17:05.789 --> 00:17:08.849 filed a countersuit. In it, her lawyers alleged 00:17:08.849 --> 00:17:11.869 Pitt had tried to silence her with an NDA about, 00:17:11.970 --> 00:17:15.269 quote, his abuse. And the filing included specific 00:17:15.269 --> 00:17:19.029 allegations about that 2016 flight. It did. Allegations 00:17:19.029 --> 00:17:21.369 of grabbing, shaking, striking one child, choking 00:17:21.369 --> 00:17:23.309 another. These are the claims laid out on the 00:17:23.309 --> 00:17:25.369 court documents. We have to be clear these are 00:17:25.369 --> 00:17:27.569 allegations within a legal filing. And the public 00:17:27.569 --> 00:17:29.970 reaction to all this has been complicated. Very. 00:17:30.089 --> 00:17:32.910 There was a Vulture article in July 2025 that 00:17:32.910 --> 00:17:35.349 kind of summed it up. It questioned his public 00:17:35.349 --> 00:17:37.890 rehabilitation, but concluded pretty bluntly 00:17:37.890 --> 00:17:39.910 that maybe the public, or at least the media, 00:17:40.089 --> 00:17:42.549 just don't care about the allegations anymore. 00:17:43.390 --> 00:17:45.529 Suggesting a sort of fatigue with the whole saga. 00:17:45.930 --> 00:17:48.069 Amidst all this turmoil, Pitt himself was going 00:17:48.069 --> 00:17:50.410 through significant personal changes. He's been 00:17:50.410 --> 00:17:52.690 very open about getting sober. Yeah, he stopped 00:17:52.690 --> 00:17:55.150 drinking in September 2016, right around the 00:17:55.150 --> 00:17:57.369 time of the split. Started going to Alcoholics 00:17:57.369 --> 00:17:59.750 Anonymous. He's even credited Bradley Cooper 00:17:59.750 --> 00:18:01.990 publicly for helping him on that journey. And 00:18:01.990 --> 00:18:04.769 he linked his past substance use to dealing with 00:18:04.769 --> 00:18:07.539 fame. He did. Said back in the late 90s, he was 00:18:07.539 --> 00:18:10.720 hiding out, smoking way too much dote, just feeling 00:18:10.720 --> 00:18:13.460 lost, turning into a donut was his phrase. He 00:18:13.460 --> 00:18:16.000 also mentioned a trip to Morocco, seeing real 00:18:16.000 --> 00:18:17.980 poverty kind of jolted him into cutting back 00:18:17.980 --> 00:18:20.559 on cannabis then. And then there's the really 00:18:20.559 --> 00:18:23.420 unusual health issue he's discussed, prosopagnosia. 00:18:23.500 --> 00:18:25.880 Face blindness. He hasn't had a formal diagnosis, 00:18:26.099 --> 00:18:27.960 he says, but he talked about it back in 2013 00:18:27.960 --> 00:18:31.759 and again more recently in 2022. Struggling for 00:18:31.759 --> 00:18:34.299 years to recognize people's faces. Think about 00:18:34.299 --> 00:18:37.279 that. for one of the most famous faces in the 00:18:37.279 --> 00:18:40.539 world. The irony is huge, isn't it? A job based 00:18:40.539 --> 00:18:43.200 on meeting people, collaborating, being public, 00:18:43.380 --> 00:18:45.599 and having this condition that makes recognizing 00:18:45.599 --> 00:18:49.359 faces incredibly difficult. He admitted it sometimes 00:18:49.359 --> 00:18:52.019 makes him just want to stay home. It adds another 00:18:52.019 --> 00:18:54.700 layer to understanding his public persona. You 00:18:54.700 --> 00:18:56.740 know, a constant thread seems to be this drive 00:18:56.740 --> 00:19:00.410 to engage with things beyond acting. His activism 00:19:00.410 --> 00:19:02.990 and philanthropy feel deeply connected to who 00:19:02.990 --> 00:19:06.029 he is. Definitely. Politically, he supported 00:19:06.029 --> 00:19:08.869 John Kerry, Joe Biden. But it's often the specific 00:19:08.869 --> 00:19:11.569 causes he campaigns that are revealing, like 00:19:11.569 --> 00:19:14.269 pushing for Proposition 71 in California for 00:19:14.269 --> 00:19:16.470 stem cell research funding. That was quite specific 00:19:16.470 --> 00:19:18.430 and maybe a bit controversial for a big star 00:19:18.430 --> 00:19:20.869 back then. It was, but he put himself out there 00:19:20.869 --> 00:19:22.890 saying we need to let our best and our brightest 00:19:22.890 --> 00:19:25.910 find cures. It showed a willingness to take a 00:19:25.910 --> 00:19:27.829 stand on something quite technical and potentially 00:19:27.829 --> 00:19:30.059 divisive. And his global focus has been strong, 00:19:30.119 --> 00:19:32.500 too. The one campaign against AIDS and poverty 00:19:32.500 --> 00:19:35.839 narrating that PBS series on global health. Right. 00:19:35.940 --> 00:19:39.799 Rx for survival. Plus significant donations like 00:19:39.799 --> 00:19:41.859 that million dollars to Darfur organizations 00:19:41.859 --> 00:19:45.079 back in 07. And the Jolie -Pitt Foundation, established 00:19:45.079 --> 00:19:48.519 in 2006, wasn't just symbolic. No, they put serious 00:19:48.519 --> 00:19:51.039 money in from the start. A million each to global 00:19:51.039 --> 00:19:53.519 action for children and Doctors Without Borders 00:19:53.519 --> 00:19:55.400 right off the bat. They were active funders. 00:19:55.519 --> 00:19:57.880 He was also very vocal about same -sex marriage 00:19:57.880 --> 00:20:00.720 equality. He famously said in 2006 he wouldn't 00:20:00.720 --> 00:20:02.839 marry Jolie until it was legal for everyone in 00:20:02.839 --> 00:20:05.539 the U .S. And he backed it up financially, too, 00:20:05.619 --> 00:20:09.259 donating $100 ,000 to fight Proposition 8 in 00:20:09.259 --> 00:20:12.450 California in 2008. What's maybe more surprising 00:20:12.450 --> 00:20:15.089 to people is his deep interest in architecture. 00:20:15.329 --> 00:20:17.990 It wasn't just a casual hobby. Not at all. The 00:20:17.990 --> 00:20:20.170 sources say he actually spent time studying computer 00:20:20.170 --> 00:20:23.150 aided design CAD at Frank Gehry's office in L 00:20:23.150 --> 00:20:25.380 .A. That's serious commitment. Trying to understand 00:20:25.380 --> 00:20:27.500 it technically, not just aesthetically. Exactly. 00:20:27.599 --> 00:20:30.859 He narrated that PBS series E2 Design about sustainable 00:20:30.859 --> 00:20:33.539 architecture. Even co -wrote a book about a specific 00:20:33.539 --> 00:20:36.339 historic house, the Blacker House, way back in 00:20:36.339 --> 00:20:38.920 2000. This passion directly led to one of his 00:20:38.920 --> 00:20:41.240 biggest non -film projects. The Make It Right 00:20:41.240 --> 00:20:43.940 Foundation in New Orleans. Yeah, founded in 2006 00:20:43.940 --> 00:20:47.890 after Hurricane Katrina. The goal was huge. build 00:20:47.890 --> 00:20:51.690 150 sustainable, affordable homes in the devastated 00:20:51.690 --> 00:20:53.730 Ninth Ward. And it was a serious architectural 00:20:53.730 --> 00:20:56.710 undertaking. Absolutely. It involved 13 different 00:20:56.710 --> 00:21:00.230 architectural firms. Pitt put in $5 million of 00:21:00.230 --> 00:21:02.529 his own money, which was matched by Steve Bing. 00:21:02.710 --> 00:21:05.089 It got recognized by the U .S. Green Building 00:21:05.089 --> 00:21:08.269 Council. It was a major effort focused on practical, 00:21:08.369 --> 00:21:11.319 sustainable rebuilding. And his creative outlets 00:21:11.319 --> 00:21:14.180 keep expanding, especially more recently. It 00:21:14.180 --> 00:21:16.400 seems tied into his sobriety journey, too, finding 00:21:16.400 --> 00:21:19.160 new forms of expression. Like visual art. He 00:21:19.160 --> 00:21:21.440 got really into pottery, started making sculptures. 00:21:21.779 --> 00:21:23.500 And this wasn't just a private hobby either. 00:21:23.700 --> 00:21:26.720 No. In 2022, nine of his sculptures were actually 00:21:26.720 --> 00:21:29.119 exhibited in a major art museum in Finland, the 00:21:29.119 --> 00:21:32.059 Sarah Hilden Art Museum. alongside works by Nick 00:21:32.059 --> 00:21:34.720 Cave, the musician, and Thomas Halsego, a well 00:21:34.720 --> 00:21:37.000 -known artist. From movie star to exhibiting 00:21:37.000 --> 00:21:39.240 a sculptor, that's quite an arc. It really is. 00:21:39.319 --> 00:21:41.299 Shows that continuous evolution, that search 00:21:41.299 --> 00:21:43.720 for mastery in different fields. Okay, let's 00:21:43.720 --> 00:21:45.359 bring it back to the acting career, particularly 00:21:45.359 --> 00:21:48.680 from the mid -2000s onwards. It feels like his 00:21:48.680 --> 00:21:52.480 choices became even more strategic. Big blockbusters 00:21:52.480 --> 00:21:55.299 funding the Plan B work mixed with really selective 00:21:55.299 --> 00:21:58.500 collaborative roles. Yeah. Even the blockbusters 00:21:58.500 --> 00:22:00.859 required immense commitment. Playing Achilles 00:22:00.859 --> 00:22:03.640 in Troy back in 2004 that involved six months 00:22:03.640 --> 00:22:06.160 of sword training. And the irony there. He actually 00:22:06.160 --> 00:22:08.759 injured his Achilles tendon during production. 00:22:09.140 --> 00:22:12.059 Delayed the whole shoot. Life imitating art. 00:22:12.519 --> 00:22:14.660 Or maybe the other way around. That period also 00:22:14.660 --> 00:22:17.380 had some great collaborations. Byrne, after reading 00:22:17.380 --> 00:22:19.980 with the Coen brothers in 2008, showed his comedic 00:22:19.980 --> 00:22:22.440 side again. People loved him in that. And then 00:22:22.440 --> 00:22:24.559 a total shift to working with Terrence Malick 00:22:24.559 --> 00:22:27.680 on The Tree of Life in 2011 that... Deep, spiritual, 00:22:27.880 --> 00:22:30.039 visually stunning film. And the award nominations 00:22:30.039 --> 00:22:32.339 kept coming for his acting. The Curious Case 00:22:32.339 --> 00:22:34.599 of Benjamin Button with Fincher again in 2008. 00:22:34.940 --> 00:22:37.140 Got him his second Best Actor Oscar nomination. 00:22:37.400 --> 00:22:39.799 Remember, his first was way back for Legends 00:22:39.799 --> 00:22:42.460 of the Fall. And then Moneyball in 2011, playing 00:22:42.460 --> 00:22:45.099 Billy Bean, another Best Actor nom for that one. 00:22:45.299 --> 00:22:48.359 Right. He was consistently delivering acclaimed 00:22:48.359 --> 00:22:51.799 performances. And at the same time, proving he 00:22:51.799 --> 00:22:54.730 could still carry a massive global hit. World 00:22:54.730 --> 00:22:57.710 War Z in 2013. Which he also produced through 00:22:57.710 --> 00:23:01.549 Plan B. Exactly. Grossed $540 million worldwide. 00:23:02.009 --> 00:23:04.309 That was his biggest hit at the time. And think 00:23:04.309 --> 00:23:06.589 about it. The same period he's delivering that, 00:23:06.730 --> 00:23:09.230 Plan B is winning Best Picture for 12 years, 00:23:09.329 --> 00:23:12.450 A Slave. He really perfected running on those 00:23:12.450 --> 00:23:14.970 two tracks simultaneously. Which leads us to 00:23:14.970 --> 00:23:17.569 the big one, the acting validation he maybe hadn't 00:23:17.569 --> 00:23:19.809 quite clinched yet. The Oscar win. Yeah. For 00:23:19.809 --> 00:23:22.009 Best Supporting Actor, playing Cliff Booth, the 00:23:22.009 --> 00:23:24.329 stuntman, in Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a 00:23:24.329 --> 00:23:26.950 Time in Hollywood in 2019. That felt like the 00:23:26.950 --> 00:23:29.170 missing piece of the puzzle, didn't it? His first 00:23:29.170 --> 00:23:31.670 Academy Awards specifically for his acting. And 00:23:31.670 --> 00:23:33.910 he didn't just win the Oscar. He swept everything 00:23:33.910 --> 00:23:37.269 that year. Golden Globes, BAFTA, SAG Award, Critics' 00:23:37.269 --> 00:23:40.470 Choice. It was undeniable. It cemented him not 00:23:40.470 --> 00:23:43.190 just as a producer who acts, but as a truly accomplished 00:23:43.190 --> 00:23:46.230 actor in his own right, capable of these incredibly 00:23:46.230 --> 00:23:48.730 nuanced supporting turns that just steal the 00:23:48.730 --> 00:23:50.710 show. And he didn't stop delivering those kinds 00:23:50.710 --> 00:23:54.049 of performances at Astra in 2019. Playing Roy 00:23:54.049 --> 00:23:56.569 McBride, the astronaut. Critics raved about that 00:23:56.569 --> 00:23:58.630 one, too. Called it one of his best ever performances. 00:23:58.950 --> 00:24:01.609 Talking about how he weaponizes passivity. Really 00:24:01.609 --> 00:24:04.549 internal, subtle work. He even picked up an Emmy 00:24:04.549 --> 00:24:07.569 nomination for just a cameo. Playing Dr. Fauci 00:24:07.569 --> 00:24:10.549 on Saturday Night Live in 2020. Hilarious and 00:24:10.549 --> 00:24:13.269 spot on, apparently. Got him a guest actor nomination. 00:24:13.650 --> 00:24:16.319 Shows his cultural reach. So looking at the most 00:24:16.319 --> 00:24:18.720 recent years, he's still a major force. Absolutely. 00:24:19.000 --> 00:24:21.980 Still doing big movies like Bullet Train and 00:24:21.980 --> 00:24:25.059 the ambitious, maybe divisive Babylon in 2022. 00:24:25.559 --> 00:24:28.160 But the real monster hit recently was F1, the 00:24:28.160 --> 00:24:31.240 Formula One movie from 2025. Huge. Reportedly 00:24:31.240 --> 00:24:34.720 got a $30 million payday for that role, which 00:24:34.720 --> 00:24:36.640 tells you his star power is still right up there. 00:24:36.720 --> 00:24:39.079 And the film itself was massive for Apple. Biggest 00:24:39.079 --> 00:24:41.660 box office hit they've ever had. Nearly $600 00:24:41.660 --> 00:24:45.289 million worldwide, beating World War Z. That 00:24:45.289 --> 00:24:47.250 kind of success gives him enormous leverage for 00:24:47.250 --> 00:24:49.450 whatever he wants to do next. And he's got wolves 00:24:49.450 --> 00:24:52.269 coming up, reteaming with George Clooney. Hashtag 00:24:52.269 --> 00:24:54.390 tag, tag, tag outro. So when you pull it all 00:24:54.390 --> 00:24:56.950 together, the $9 .3 billion at the box office, 00:24:57.170 --> 00:24:59.769 the Oscars for acting and producing, the huge 00:24:59.769 --> 00:25:02.430 commitments like make it, right? The personal 00:25:02.430 --> 00:25:05.750 stuff he's navigated like sobriety, prosopagnosia. 00:25:06.650 --> 00:25:09.109 What defines Brad Pitt now? It feels like it's 00:25:09.109 --> 00:25:11.849 that relentless curiosity, that constant pursuit 00:25:11.849 --> 00:25:14.369 of creative control. I think that's right. He 00:25:14.369 --> 00:25:17.769 consistently seems to value the project, the 00:25:17.769 --> 00:25:20.450 team, the vision more than just his own ego or 00:25:20.450 --> 00:25:22.710 stardom. He's used his influence, especially 00:25:22.710 --> 00:25:25.009 with Plan B, to make challenging, interesting 00:25:25.009 --> 00:25:27.430 work happen, all while living under this intense 00:25:27.430 --> 00:25:30.789 public microscope. His acting legacy feels pretty 00:25:30.789 --> 00:25:33.369 secure now, and F1 proves his commercial power 00:25:33.369 --> 00:25:35.450 is still absolutely top tier. So where does he 00:25:35.450 --> 00:25:37.809 go from here? He's, what, 61 now? He's got the 00:25:37.809 --> 00:25:40.150 acting Oscar. His company just delivered a massive 00:25:40.150 --> 00:25:42.390 hit for Apple. He has this incredible creative 00:25:42.390 --> 00:25:45.049 and financial freedom. Exactly. And given how 00:25:45.049 --> 00:25:47.710 serious he clearly is about architecture, his 00:25:47.710 --> 00:25:50.829 growing focus on sculpture, and the kind of high 00:25:50.829 --> 00:25:52.730 -level strategic control he has through Plan 00:25:52.730 --> 00:25:55.289 B, well, here's the final thought for you, the 00:25:55.289 --> 00:25:58.049 listener. What's next? Now that the acting part 00:25:58.049 --> 00:26:00.390 is arguably conquered and he has the resources 00:26:00.390 --> 00:26:03.089 to do pretty much anything, which creative arena 00:26:03.089 --> 00:26:05.950 does he try to master? Does he finally step behind 00:26:05.950 --> 00:26:08.609 the camera and direct? Or does he pour that intense 00:26:08.609 --> 00:26:11.190 focus into his art, trying to take his sculpture 00:26:11.190 --> 00:26:14.049 from being exhibited to being globally recognized? 00:26:14.410 --> 00:26:17.069 He seems driven by mastery. And that drive clearly 00:26:17.069 --> 00:26:19.750 isn't slowing down. A fascinating place to leave 00:26:19.750 --> 00:26:22.170 it for a true Hollywood heavyweight. Thanks for 00:26:22.170 --> 00:26:23.250 joining us on The Deep Dive.