Brad Pitt Revealed The 1 Hollywood Star That Helped Him Get Sober
Brad Pitt had a little bit of help from a fellow Hollywood star on his journey to quit drinking. The Ad Astra star has been very open about his struggles with alcohol in the past few years. In a recent interview, he revealed that Bradley Cooper played a big role in helping him get sober and turn his life around.
Pitt opens up about his sobriety
Brad Pitt first opened up about his alcohol addiction in an interview in 2017. At the time, he was still dealing with his shocking divorce from Angelina Jolie, and getting sober was an important step to him being a better father.
Fast forward a few years and Pitt credits his good friend, Cooper, in helping him stay sober.
Cooper presented Pitt with an award for Best Supporting Actor at this year’s Golden Globes ceremony. During his acceptance speech, Pitt thanked his fellow Once Upon a Time in Hollywood co-stars for their hard work and threw in a few nice things about Cooper.
“Bradley just put his daughter to bed and rushed over here to do this,” Brad Pitt shared. “He’s a sweetheart. I got sober because of this guy and every day has been happier ever since.”
Pitt has yet to finalize his divorce from Jolie but has agreed to a custody deal over their six children: Maddox, Pax, Zahara, Shiloh, Vivienne, and Knox. Although his relationship with Maddox is reportedly strained, Pitt’s would not be where he is now without sobriety.
Inside Brad Pitt’s decision to quit drinking
Back in 2017, Pitt gave an in-depth interview about his decision to get sober. According to People, the actor admitted that he had taken things way too far with alcohol and knew that he needed to change.
“I just ran it to the ground,” he stated. “I had to step away for a minute. And truthfully I could drink a Russian under the table with his own vodka. I was a professional. I was good.”
The interview came a few months after Jolie filed for divorce. The actress ended things with Pitt following an alleged altercation between the actor and Maddox on board a private plane.
Although Pitt was found innocent of any wrongdoing, alcohol is believed to have played a part in his behavior. Fortunately, Pitt realized that he was heading down the wrong road and got professional help right away.
In the 2017 interview, Pitt did not mention Cooper’s role in helping him stay sober. Turns out Cooper has experienced his own issues with alcohol, which is probably why he proved to be a good mentor.
Bradley Cooper talks about his history with alcohol
Brad Pitt has been very transparent about his struggles with alcohol. In contrast, Cooper tends to keep his personal struggles out of the public eye.
But in a rare occurrence, Cooper openly discussed his addiction to alcohol during an interview with Barbara Walters in 2015.
In the interview, Cooper revealed that he quit alcohol when he was in his late twenties. The actor knew that his addiction was ruining his life and believes that his career would have never taken off if he hadn’t quit.
“I would never be sitting here with you, no way, no chance,” Cooper explained. “Because I wouldn’t have been able to have access to myself or other people or even take in other people if I hadn’t changed my life, no way.”
Cooper added that his relationships would have also suffered if he hadn’t gotten sober. This includes his relationship with his father, whom he took care of after an illness.
Cooper has not said anything about helping Pitt overcome his demons. Given how he usually plays things close to the chest, it might be a long time before we hear anything out of his camp.
This has helped Brad Pitt stay sober
Although Cooper clearly helped Pitt quit drinking, the actor also got a lot of support from Alcoholics Anonymous.
In his 2017 interview, Pitt revealed that attending AA meetings was an important part of his road to sobriety. Specifically, the actor appreciated how open people were at the gatherings and how nobody ever judged him.
“You had all these men sitting around being open and honest in a way I have never heard,” Pitt admitted. “It was this safe space where there was little judgment, and therefore little judgment of yourself.”
Pitt used some of his personal experiences for his role in Ad Astra. The actor plays the part of Roy McBride in the movie and accepted the role shortly after Jolie filed for divorce.
Director James Gray agreed that the things Pitt was dealing with at the time positively affected his role in the film. While Gray did not push Pitt to explore his personal issues, the actor felt like it was a necessary part of the process.
Angelina Jolie has not commented on Brad Pitt’s recent comments about being sober. The two are still working out the final details of their divorce.
