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In a conversation with Interview magazine in March 2007, actor Brad Pitt discussed his approach to acting, claiming that his process was technical and focused.
“I find all of my performances come down to mathematics in a sense—how do you approach the problem of this character?” Pitt told interviewer Elvis Mitchell.
The statement explains a lot about the choices he has made in his career. From mainstream films like Ocean’s Eleven to darker movies like Kalifornia, Pitt has chosen characters that allow him to break away from traditional lead roles.
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In the interview, Pitt discussed how he builds each performance using logic and thought. He explained how sometimes the work connects fully, and at other times, he does not feel he has solved the problem of the role. His comment about “mathematics” was not about numbers, but about structure.
For Brad Pitt, each role is a puzzle, and acting means figuring out the right combination of moves to express a character. The discussion covered several of his past roles, his early influences, and how he thinks about the long-term direction of his career.
Brad Pitt's roles are problems he works to solve
Brad Pitt said that playing a character is about figuring out how to express their story through choices that make sense, before comparing it to solving a problem. He spoke about his experience on the 1995 film 12 Monkeys, noting that there were times when he could "crack that problem," but sometimes he couldn't.
Pitt explained that he felt he succeeded in the first half of the film, but relied too much on what had worked earlier when performing the second half.
“In the second half I was playing on the gimmick of what worked in the first,” he said.
Brad Pitt also talked about how he approached the character of Rusty in Ocean’s Eleven. He noted that Rusty was the "No. 2 man," which means that he was "always on the move" and had to "get what he can." Pitt's performance in the film, according to him, reflected the idea of someone always in motion, trying to stay ahead.
In films like Babel, Brad Pitt played a more restrained character. In the interview, he explained that his performance was about holding things together rather than breaking down.
“Those are the feelings you’d be having underneath, but what you’d really be doing in that situation is trying to hold everything together, to stay calm, to keep this thing moving forward,” he said.
Early influences and career decisions
Brad Pitt told the publication that actors like Mickey Rourke and Sean Penn were his early influences. He discussed Rourke's style, stating that he admired the latter's juxtaposition of "toughness and intimacy." Pitt added that he loved that Rourke could be "stone tough and paper brittle at the same time.”
He also mentioned Jack Nicholson as someone he was drawn to later for his “irreverence.”
When he first arrived in Hollywood, Pitt said he was being pushed toward sitcoms, but he wanted to do movies. He mentioned Kalifornia as a film that changed his direction.
“That was the first time I stepped inside and did some more character stuff and really made some great discoveries,” he said.
The role gave him a chance to try something new and step away from expectations. He said that the role "set a direction for him," and because he "bounced back and forth between different kinds of things."
Discussing the industry, Brad Pitt added that he and his production company wanted to support films that otherwise might not be made. Speaking about his work on The Departed, he said that they "fought for that movie" before they got William Monahan on the script.
Pitt said he was not in the film because he felt younger actors would suit the roles better.
“I thought I was too old for it,” the actor said.
Family, self-awareness, and long-term thinking
Brad Pitt also spoke about how his personal life had changed his outlook. He said having children made him think about the kind of work he leaves behind.
“They may see this someday, so I have to answer to it,” he said.
Pitt mentioned that he tries to be open with his children and tries to tell them everything so "no one wonders."
Later in the conversation, Pitt compared his body of work to a sculpture.
“I’m starting to see what kind of shape it’s taking and where I’d like to add to that shape,” he said.
While he didn’t specify future goals, he explained that his choices are based on instinct.
“Like maybe it calls out to your desire to explain something in your life,” he said.
Pitt also noted a growing sense of self-understanding in recent years, stating that in the few years before the interview, he has been aware of who he is and how he can fit in the role instead of "trying to emulate someone else."
From his early influences to later career decisions, Pitt spoke about choosing projects that challenged him. He also shared how personal experiences, including fatherhood, have shaped how he thinks about his work. Overall, the interview provided rare insight into Pitt’s method and mindset as an actor.
