Los Angeles, California - Brad Pitt is speaking candidly about a difficult period in his past. In a new interview published Monday, the actor revealed that he once experienced suicidal ideation amid his dramatic split from Angelina Jolie.

According to Esquire, Pitt explained that he has long identified as an emotional person – at one point telling a friend he wishes he could be "more even" in the face of life's ups and downs.

That friend, he said, helped him stop viewing his emotional nature as something wrong.

The 62-year-old actor described himself as a "congenital optimist," admitting that trait has both helped and hurt him over the years.

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Still, he acknowledged one specific stretch of time when he felt he "didn't see a way out."

The F1 star described the sensation as feeling "the cold steel of the bullet" and said it felt like relief from overwhelming pain – though he stressed he never intended to act on the thought and credited his survival instincts for pulling him through.

When asked what caused his pain, Pitt only said it was "family stuff" and declined to elaborate further.

"We could leave it at that," he said simply.

Pitt and his ex-wife Angelina Jolie, who share six children together, split in 2016 and finalized their divorce in December 2024 after a lengthy legal battle.

Jolie has accused Pitt of physical and verbal abuse, and several of their kids have now made legal moves to drop their father's last name.

If you or someone you know needs help, please contact the 24-hour National Suicide Prevention Hotline by calling or texting 988 for free and confidential support. You can also text "HOME" to 741741 anytime for the Crisis Text Line and access to live, trained crisis counselors.