Brad Pitt Dishes On His Hard Times: 'I Needed Rebooting'

Ahead of the July release of his newest flick, F1: The Movie, Brad Pitt opened up about a variety of topics, some intensely personal, during a conversation with actor and comedian Dax Shepard in the latest episode of the latter's Armchair Expert podcast—including on how he "needed rebooting" after his marriage to Angelina Jolie disintegrated in 2016 and he went into recovery via Alcoholics Anonymous. More on that, per CNN and Out:

• Going to AA: "I was pretty much on my back, on my knees. I was really open. I was trying anything anyone threw at me," Pitt, 61, said of his first AA encounters. "It was a particularly difficult time. I needed rebooting. I needed to wake the f--- up in some areas."

• Shepard's take: "You don't come into AA because everything's working out fantastic," said the podcast host, who also has struggled with substance abuse and got to know Pitt in AA. Pitt's reply: "No, that's usually not the entry point."
• On his hardheadedness: Pitt acknowledged he could be "a stubborn f---." But "when I've stepped in s---, I'm pretty good at taking responsibility for it and owning up to it."
• On sexuality: "You know, I've never had a gay experience. ... I kind of missed that window." Pitt then added, directing his response to Shepard: "But if I did, it wouldn't be you. ... [You'd be] maybe 14th, or 15th."