In Terrence Malick's long-awaited film The Tree of Life (which just premiered at the 64th Cannes Film Festival), actor Brad Pitt plays an authoritarian father in 1950s Texas. He told reporters at Cannes that he had initially resisted playing the role because of the adverse effect it might have on the six children he has with Angelina Jolie. Pitt said, "I think of everything I do now that my kids are going to see when they grow up and how are they going to feel."
Jolie, also in Cannes to promote Kung Fu Panda 2 recently said that her kids (Maddox, 9, Pax, 7, Zahara, 6, Shiloh, 4, and 2-year-old twins Knox and Vivienne) are her "toughest critics", and that their comments about her performance as Master Tigress helped keep her on her toes.
Pitt also opened up a little bit about his own upbringing, drawing parallels to the rigidity of the world in Malick's film to his own life. "I got brought up being told things were God's way, and when things didn't work out it was called God's plan." How does he feel about his upbringing? "I've got my issues with it. Don't get me started. I found it very stifling."
Despite the jam-packed Cannes schedule of premieres, red carpet walks, and press interviews, Pitt and Jolie (who also brought their children with them to the festival), have managed to squeeze in a little down time, having dinner last night at Tetou, a Michelin-starred fish restaurant on the beach. While they were, naturally, mobbed by photographers when they left the restaurant, they still managed to have a private "date night", something both have expressed as being very important to the success of their relationship.
Pitt and Jolie are open with their children about everything, creating a home life of "organized chaos", and Pitt said in Cannes that even though his role in The Tree of Life may be upsetting for his kids to watch, "... they know me as a dad and I hope they'll just think of me as a pretty damn good actor."
The Hollywood power couple have both had career successes at Cannes thus far, but, more importantly, they seem to be having a good time as well.
The Tree of Life, starring Brad Pitt and Sean Penn, premieres in the U.S. on May 27.
Source: http://www.ivillage.com/brad-pitt-his-kids-and-tree-life-role/1-a-350198
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