Brad Pitt reveals an unlikely friendship was a "flame of joy" amid the "misery" of his divorce from Angelina Jolie. Photo / AP
Brad Pitt reveals an unlikely friendship was a "flame of joy" amid the "misery" of his divorce from Angelina Jolie. Photo / AP
Brad Pitt has revealed his surprise friendship with Australian musician Nick Cave, and how their bond has helped him in the wake of his messy divorce from Angelina Jolie.
The 58-year-old Oscar-winning actor sat down for a lengthy interview with the Financial Times, alongside Cave, 65, and British artist Thomas Houseago, 50, who have launched their combined passion project – an art exhibition in Finland.
Pitt detailed how their unlikely friendship and love of creating art helped each of them heal from their own traumas.
"Our mutual misery became comic," Pitt told the publication.
"And out of this misery came a flame of joy in my life."
Pitt and Cave met decades ago, having both starred in the 1991 indie film Johnny Suede.
But they became a trio six years ago, after Houseago met Pitt at a New Year's Eve party when Pitt was newly separated from Jolie, 47, his partner of over a decade. Houseago said he was battling mental health issues at the time.
Pitt then introduced Houseago to Cave, who was dealing with trauma after the death of his 15-year-old son Arthur, who died in 2015 after a cliff fall in Brighton, UK.
"To go out and talk to people freely about things, that was something new to me," Cave said of their bond.
"Normally, I just work away and do my thing, and I have my friends and all of that sort of stuff. But we were allowed to talk about anything. And, for me, that was a very freeing situation to be in."
British artist Thomas Houseago, centre, poses with Brad Pitt and Nick Cave prior to the opening of their joint exhibition. Photo / AP
Cave also shared insight into how they spend their downtime together, detailing their recent stay at a lakeside house to celebrate his wife, fashion designer Susie Cave's birthday.
"I woke up this morning, made a coffee in my underwear and noticed that Brad was sitting there," Cave shared. "He started playing the guitar and sang one of my songs to me – Palaces of Montezuma – and then Thomas walked in [in his pyjamas] and joined in."
"This strange cast of characters came into my life at an amazing moment," Houseago added. "And they loved on me. Brad said, 'I love you.' I said, 'I love you.' Without Nick and Brad, I literally wouldn't be here."
The article comes amid Pitt and Jolie's ongoing divorce proceedings, after the couple split in 2016 following a disastrous plane ride.
Jolie, who shares six children with Pitt, has alleged Pitt was physically abusive towards her and one of their children during the flight.
Pitt, who has been sober since 2019, has so far been cleared of any criminal charges by the FBI.
Earlier this year, Jolie filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit under the pseudonym Jane Doe to obtain the FBI report related to the alleged assault.
