Brad Pitt hated being named Sexiest Man Alive when his career started to take off

February 23, 2024

Brad Pitt was apparently not thrilled to be hailed Sexiest Man Alive by People Magazine the first time he was slapped on the cover, according to a director. He has now apologized to the actor after a ‘shaming provocation’ on set as well.

The celebrity at the time was seeing his career skyrocket. He had just wrapped up movies Interview With The Vampire and Legends Of The Fall but wasn’t feeling the compliment from the mag in 1995. Director Edward Zwick from the latter film writes in his new memoir that it put Brad in a bad mood. We’re not sure how he felt the second time around, either. Five years later, Brad Pitt was named as Sexiest Man Alive again, and he was loved up with Friends star Jennifer Aniston.

Brad Pitt was ‘unhappy’ when he was named Sexiest Man of the Year

Zwick writes in his new autobiography, Hits, Flops and Other Illusions: Mr Fortysomething Years in Hollywood, he doesn’t take credit for the accolade.

The 71-year-old noted down: “[Brad Pitt] He was… unhappy when People named him Sexiest Man of the Year – something for which I take neither credit nor blame.”

But his time on the film was apparently a tough time for the Se7en star. Brad was cast as the part of Tristan Ludlow after Tom Cruise quit the flick. But the now 60-year-old allegedly had a terrible time at the first table read, his agent called Zwick to say Brad wanted out of the Hollywood movie altogether.

He also claimed he was ‘edgy’ when he was shooting a scene that had ‘deep emotion’.

But the director also admitted his own faults, as he writes he critiqued Brad’s performance in front of the crew, which he now says was “a stupid, shaming provocation”.

Zwick wrote: “The considered move would have been to tell the crew to take five and for the two of us to talk it out. But I was feeling bloody-minded, and not about to relent”.

He says it got out of hand as they argued, shouted and cursed at each other. But he adds, after each argument, they would “make up and mean it”.

Brad Pitt was ‘never anything less than fully committed”

Despite their ups and downs, the director couldn’t help but praise the Once Upon A Time In Hollywood actor.

He called Brad Pitt a “forthright, straightforward person, fun to be with and capable of great joy” – even if he was moody about being Sexiest Man Alive.

Zwick added he cut out a scene the star loved, and has now apologized. He admitted: “I had in fact cut only a single shot from the scene where Tristan is raging with fever, screaming as the waves wash over him on the schooner.

“But it was a shot he dearly loved, and it would have been little enough to leave it in, and I should have. Apologies, Brad.”

Alongside Brad Pitt, only two other celebrities have been named Sexiest Man Alive twice. George Clooney and Johnny Depp have graced the cover twice with the top spot. Then there is Richard Gere, who was named in 1999 after being hailed alongside ex-wife Cindy Crawford for Sexiest Couple Alive.