BRAD PITT: ANGRY YOUNG MAN - by Angela Klein

He may be the star of the world’s biggest movie at the moment, but Brad Pitt still isn’t happy, as Angela Klein discovered...

Angela Klein: At the moment you’re regarded as one of the world’s heftest men - is that a label you like?

Brad Pitt: Nah - I have no intention of ever being flavour of the week. I’ve no interest in exploiting my looks to further my career. My first major acting assignment was a TV show called Glory Days. It was cancelled after a brief run and I was relieved because I knew they were grooming me to be this teen idol. I didn’t want to be like Johnny Depp in 21 Jump Street or the guys in Beverly Hills 90210. Heart-throbs are a dime a dozen. I just don’t see any value in that, it doesn’t make me feel like I’ve accomplished anything.

AK: But surely it must be nice to have girls fall at your feet?

BP: Well, I guess you could say that I was very comfortable with the fact that girls would fall for me! But I did question why things work out the way they do and why more doors open for some people than for others.

AK: Interview With The Vampire is probably the biggest break of your career - was filming it an enjoyable experience?

BP: I hated making Interview With The Vampire. Hated it. Loved watching it but hated making it. I never even made it through the book. There was one night towards the end of filming the movie that I wandered into the bathroom and I looked down and I was peeing into the trash can! I mean, that’s screwy!

AK: Are you choosy about what films you decide to make?

BP: Definitely, it’s been easy for me to turn things down that haven’t moved me, because I probably would’ve done a lousy job anyway and been miserable at the same time. In the beginning you’ve got to pay your dues and take anything at all, but now I want to keep the work interesting.

AK: So we take it you don’t like being called The next James Dean?

BP: Well, I think all this self-created mystique is what I call actor’s bullshit. I don’t like being compared to James Dean or any other icon. It’s really just not me.

AK: Do you have to deal with lots of horrible Hollywood bosses?

BP: Oh, there are so many white lies being told in Hollywood. Sometimes they make you paranoid because you don’t exactly know what they mean and how they feel about you. The best way I deal with it is by not dealing with it - simply having the time to take off. I’m a bit of a nature freak - I find nature soothing.

AK: What else makes you angry?

BP: Well, the situation in Yugoslavia for instance - I don’t see how people can hate each other just because of colour or race. What happens in Bosnia just blows my mind. It’s crazy! Will people ever be able to look at each other as just people? My parents really have taught me a lot about that, about unconditional love. It’s beautiful, this kind of unconditional love. It’s so rare, it gives you this kind of freedom.

AK: Did you always want to be an actor?

BP: Well, my father ran his own trucking company but that wasn’t for me. I went to the University of Missouri to do Journalism, but I was prone to day dreaming a lot. I sort of always had this screen in my forehead where things could appear and disappear. I got into acting in a fairly unconventional way. I went to L.A. to try my hand at acting, but I didn’t tell my parents. I only actually told them when I started working.

AK: So what do your parents think about your job now?

BP: Now my parents get a kick out of it. It’s funny. My poor mom’s such a sweet lady. They told me, We’re not going to like everything you do in the movies - but you’re still our kid

AK: Despite the hassles, du you still enjoy life as an actor?

BP: Definitely. I may not know exactly where the need to perform comes from and I don’t totally understand the thrill of it yet, but let me tell you something, it’s still the greatest thrill of my life, a real high!