Brad Pitt says he spent most of the '90s 'hiding out and smoking pot'

Brad Pitt has long been recognised as a leading man in Hollywood. But in an interview with The New York Times Magazine, where he’s being recognised as one of the 10 best actors of the year, the 55-year-old admitted that he’s never seen himself that way.

“I’ve had moments where I’ve seen pictures of myself from years ago and gone, ‘That kid looks all right.’ But I didn’t feel that way inside,” Pitt told the magazine.

“I spent most of the ’90s hiding out and smoking pot. I was too uncomfortable with all the attention.”

At the time, Pitt’s fame was rising as he was working on popular films like Fight Club, and nobody would have guessed that he was “imprisoning” himself as a result of the attention. Now, he admits that although he eventually adjusted to his public life and realised he needs to “go out and live,” he doesn’t do so for publicity.

Read more: Brad Pitt ‘threatened’ Harvey Weinstein

“I stopped reading all press about 2004. Not just reviews. I mean any magazine in the doctor’s office,” he said, demonstrating that he’s “not really aware” of his public persona, and doesn’t believe that he should be. “It would stay there, and it would inform some of my decisions and choices in work, in life, and I didn’t find any of it helpful.”

He even referenced an incident early on his career where he appeared in USA Today and felt “pretty pleased with” himself before seeing that the same magazine ended up in a friend’s litter box days later, which was a seemingly humbling moment. In addition to the fleeting importance of such publicity, Pitt also mentioned that there’s usually not much truth to it.

“I don’t know how many women they’ve said I’ve been dating the last two or three years,” he said, addressing these rumours for the first time since his split from Angelina Jolie, “and none of it’s true.”