Brad Pitt: Examines price of fame : Netglimse.com News

Brad Pitt: Examines price of fame

Though Brad Pitt is never open to many interviews, but when he does, Pitt usually manages to maintain at least the appearance of being affable and friendly. But this time he was even more upbeat than usual as he sauntered into the Toronto hotel suite, his cap at a jaunty angle.

"I've got to wear it because I've got this crazy, crazy skunk stripe in my hair from the Coen Bros. movie (Burn After Reading) I'm doing with George Clooney," he explained, pointing to the cap with a grin.

Minutes before he arrived, someone had whispered that he had just been named Best Actor at the Venice Film Festival for his portrayal of Jesse James in The Assassination Of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. The movie opens today.

"I'm still a bit shocked," said Brad Pitt. "I got the call and my response was `Huh?' I just didn't expect it."

Neither did most people who had seen the movie and expected the award to go instead to Pitt's co-star, Casey Affleck, for his riveting performance as Robert Ford.

It was Brad Pitt, however, who saw the potential in the screenplay by the Australian director Andrew Dominik. As soon as he agreed to star in and co-produce it, Jesse James was off and running.

Shot two years ago in Alberta and long delayed in editing, the film, which is based on the 1983 novel by Ron Hansen, meticulously tells the story of James in retirement, his life with his wife and children, his relationships with other members of his gang and his eventual gunning down by the worshipful Ford.

"He felt cornered, weary of the chase and having to live his life under an alias," said Brad Pitt. "Mostly, I think he was unable to deal with his own legend."

According to Pitt, 125 other actors have portrayed the notorious train and bank robber onscreen but only he has a special connection: the movie star and the outlaw both hail from the town of Springfield, Mo.

"I was surprised how much pride I found in the fact we're both from the same area," said Brad Pitt. "He's a folk hero and there are tourist traps and museums dedicated to him, but I had never thought of portraying him until I read this script, which dissects the Jesse James myth and also the myth of Robert Ford, who killed him. I wasn't interested in doing a straightforward, shoot-`em-up Western because that's been done really well before, but this is different."

Brad Pitt has been tirelessly walking red carpets to promote the film at both the Venice and Toronto festivals. He will also be at the London film festival next month, where security around him will be tight following an incident that somewhat marred his trip to Venice earlier this month.

A woman leaped from the crowd and tried to embrace a startled Pitt, abruptly bringing home to him the very real dangers that come with his super-celebrity status.

"You don't realize just how famous Brad is until you go out with him and he is mobbed wherever he goes," said Dominik. "It gets very scary."

Brad Pitt, who is accustomed to fans swarming around him but has rarely been physically attacked, was clearly scared and unsettled by the Venice incident, which was the latest in a series of security alarms – including break-ins at his home – which have plagued him. "I haven't been jumped like that in quite a while and it was a bit surprising," he said. "It happened very quickly and it tells me we're vulnerable in some ways ... It's something I have been thinking about but I don't want to change my life to avoid those kinds of things."

Pitt is one of the few of today's established stars who has no interest in the trappings of stardom. He is a down-to-earth, easy-going man who is trying desperately to live a normal life amid the madness that surrounds him.

He, Angelina Jolie and their four children travel the world together, and seem to be a happy and devoted couple in the face of constant reports that they are on the verge of breaking up. Brad Pitt insists he never reads the gossip, although he hears the rumours and is quick to deny them.

"She is my love, my partner and she is the mother of my children," he said firmly. "We're a normal family – a mother, a father and kids."