February 11, 2009 4:07 PM
- Text
Brad Pitt Tells Mag Paparazzi Disgust Him
(CBS)
Next up to bat in the public figures' never-ending fight against the blood-sucking paparazzi? Brad Pitt.
While he was at it, he took some swings at a couple of other hot issues, too.
Originally believing that the "disgusting" hype surrounding him, his partner, Angelina Jolie, and their four children would have died out around a year ago, the 43-year-old award-winning actor is surprised to see that the desire to know each and every detail of their lives is strong than ever, with little relief in sight, he tells Parade magazine in an upcoming issue.
"I understand the tabloid machine," Pitt told the magazine. "There's money to be made off Angie and me, but it has gotten out-of-hand. There's no decency, even when it comes to our kids."
To illustrate his point, Pitt points out a recent incident involving his son and a photographer.
"Angie was taking Maddie off to school … There were 30 paparazzi outside," he said. "One guy sticks a video camera in Mad's face yelling, 'Maddox! Maddox!' He doesn't get a response. He doesn't know my boy. Mad is already savvy to this, unfortunately."
Pitt admits that his experiences with the paparazzi have made him debate how comfortable he really is in the public spotlight.
"You start to see the fickleness of celebrity - that it isn't rooted in something of real value," he said. "There is this strange wanting by people to get next to you. It has nothing to do with you but with something they feel they are missing in themselves."
What Pitt does find of real value, though, is his charity work.
"Philanthropy is good for us," he said. "It's personally rewarding when you see lives change because of an action you take that, though simple for you, means so much to others."
And regardless of what has been reported, his hard work in charity is not a result of being with Jolie, he said.
"I do it because I'm a member of the human race," he said. "We're all cells of one body, with the same emotions and desires for our families - for a little dignity and a chance for a better life."
However, whether Pitt would be willing to extend his work into politics remains to be seen.
"I never thought about it," he said. "I have no desire at this point. Maybe I serve better by not going through that door."
Perhaps his desire to stay out of the limelight and out of political office makes sense, given his melancholy personality, he said.
"I always felt a pervasive sadness," he said. "I'm not sure I earned it, because it was always there. It existed in the place where I grew up - in my family, in people who have true sweetness and true goodness. Maybe it's a congenital sadness that everyone has to some degree."
This article will be featured in the next issue of Parade, out Oct. 7.
While he was at it, he took some swings at a couple of other hot issues, too.
Originally believing that the "disgusting" hype surrounding him, his partner, Angelina Jolie, and their four children would have died out around a year ago, the 43-year-old award-winning actor is surprised to see that the desire to know each and every detail of their lives is strong than ever, with little relief in sight, he tells Parade magazine in an upcoming issue.
"I understand the tabloid machine," Pitt told the magazine. "There's money to be made off Angie and me, but it has gotten out-of-hand. There's no decency, even when it comes to our kids."
To illustrate his point, Pitt points out a recent incident involving his son and a photographer.
"Angie was taking Maddie off to school … There were 30 paparazzi outside," he said. "One guy sticks a video camera in Mad's face yelling, 'Maddox! Maddox!' He doesn't get a response. He doesn't know my boy. Mad is already savvy to this, unfortunately."
Pitt admits that his experiences with the paparazzi have made him debate how comfortable he really is in the public spotlight.
"You start to see the fickleness of celebrity - that it isn't rooted in something of real value," he said. "There is this strange wanting by people to get next to you. It has nothing to do with you but with something they feel they are missing in themselves."
What Pitt does find of real value, though, is his charity work.
"Philanthropy is good for us," he said. "It's personally rewarding when you see lives change because of an action you take that, though simple for you, means so much to others."
And regardless of what has been reported, his hard work in charity is not a result of being with Jolie, he said.
"I do it because I'm a member of the human race," he said. "We're all cells of one body, with the same emotions and desires for our families - for a little dignity and a chance for a better life."
However, whether Pitt would be willing to extend his work into politics remains to be seen.
"I never thought about it," he said. "I have no desire at this point. Maybe I serve better by not going through that door."
Perhaps his desire to stay out of the limelight and out of political office makes sense, given his melancholy personality, he said.
"I always felt a pervasive sadness," he said. "I'm not sure I earned it, because it was always there. It existed in the place where I grew up - in my family, in people who have true sweetness and true goodness. Maybe it's a congenital sadness that everyone has to some degree."
This article will be featured in the next issue of Parade, out Oct. 7.
Popular Now in Entertainment
- Beyonce, Jay-Z post photos of Blue Ivy Carter
- "Idol": Carrey's daughter out, and then disaster
- Zsa Zsa at 95: Husband releases birthday photos
- Leslie Carter dead at 25
- Gender-bending model a runway sensation
- Madonna stalker escapes from mental hospital
- Schwarzenegger, Stallone have hospital run-in
- Will Ferrell delivers hilarious NBA player intros
- Macaulay Culkin through the years
- Beyonce shows off her post-baby body
- Paul McCartney is a star in Hollywood
- "Jersey Shore" spinoff to shoot in Jersey City
- Target to release "Breaking Dawn" DVD at midnight
- Only Denzel can rescue "Safe House"
- Macaulay Culkin is in good health, says rep
- George Clooney on his longest practical joke
- "The Vow": What the critics are saying
Latest CBS News Headlines
on Facebook Most Discussed Stories
on CBS News
- Jennings' 24 lifts Bucks past Cavs 113-112 in OT
- Pistons win 4th straight, 109-92 over Nets
- Pistons win 4th straight, 109-92 over Nets
- 8 more arrests in U.K. tabloid bribery probe
on Facebook Most Discussed Stories
on CBS News
