There must be a movie-industry equation that determines a Hollywood superstar—some series of variables (looks, talent, chances of dating an attractive costar, ability to generate gossip fodder, etc.) that, when placed in a studio executive’s formula, adds up to a bankable celebrity. In the current cosmos of stars, there is probably no brighter light than the kind radiating off of actor Brad Pitt. And certainly from his first appearance in the role that pushed him into popular appeal, as the bad-boy seducer in 1991’s Thelma & Louise, Pitt had all of the obvious traits of an actor that could equal icon status. The Missouri native clearly had the looks, so much so that today Pitt pretty much exemplifies ultimate male beauty in the early 21st century. He also had talent that far transcended a heartthrob persona; one need only clock his turns in 1995’s Twelve Monkeys and Se7en, 1999’s Fight Club, or last year’s Babel to see a performer that brilliantly converted his attraction (which so many other stars rest on when they can’t go any deeper) into the fuel that helps drive the part. Today, Pitt wears the hat of producer as well as actor, working to bring projects like A Mighty Heart to the screen, while still starring in projects like this fall’s The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. He plays the legendary outlaw who has come to typify the loner-American West mentality. Don’t expect Young Guns III, however. Under Andrew Dominik’s direction, the film, word has it, reads more as a moody, psychological portrait, like a dark-horse inheritor of Terrence Malick.

It is, of course, Pitt’s personal life that has overwhelmed his reputation in the last few years. The high profile marriage to Jennifer Aniston ended in 2005 with a high profile divorce, and by the time Angelina Jolie entered the picture, there was little hope that the actor would not become the lead in a soap opera written largely by the media. No one has to be reminded of every twist and turn in this love story. It has been drilled into the head of anyone passing magazine racks on a weekly basis. Naturally the physical beauty of Pitt and Jolie was an irresistible hook. What no one counted on was the fact that the two were radical human beings underneath.

And this is what Hollywood cannot calculate. They can pronounce an actor a movie star but they can’t deduce the quality of the man. Turns out, Pitt is the kind of guy whose ambition to help goes deeper than celluloid. Along with Jolie, he has committed himself to a number of humanitarian efforts, principally in Africa where he and his partner chose to have their daughter, Shiloh, in May 2006. It is rather ironic that Pitt ends up with another 1,000-volt celebrity and then begins to disassemble the predictable Hollywood couple scenario, trying to live on his own terms, following his ethics rather than his agents. Today, Pitt is still going rogue in Hollywood. He might be the only actor who has ever referenced former World Bank president Wolfowitz (when talking about casting his girlfriend as the lead in A Mighty Heart). He is certainly channeling fame for bigger principles than most anyone thought it was good for. And what’s just as surprising, he still sounds like a dude from Missouri just hanging out. Christopher Bollen

TO READ THE FULL STORY, CHECK OUT V49,
ON NEWSSTANDS EVERYWHERE SEPTEMBER 7, 2007

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford is out
in September 2007 from Warner Bros.

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