Brad Pitt Admits It Was ‘Scary’ to Leave His Conservative Household Behind: ‘I Had All These Questions’

He is one of the biggest stars in the world, but Brad Pitt came from quite the conservative household, one that he found tough to leave behind once he ventured out to Hollywood.

The 55-year-old tells OK! magazine that he tried to “live outside the box” even while growing up in a conservative Southern Baptist home. “It started with me at an early age in a religious environment. Leaving that behind was scary,” the actor recalled.

“I would think, ‘What’s it all about?’ I had all these questions,” the Once Upon a Time in Hollywood star continued. “Religion was a pacifier for those fears but suddenly I had nothing to answer them with.” However, Brad took that leap and moved to Los Angeles to pursue his career.

“I think it’s easy to forget I came from Oklahoma and Missouri — places where the film industry is not on the vocational list,” he told the outlet. “So I started as an extra and slowly learned about the industry. I still root for an underdog.”

“I had never been on a plane until I was 25, so everywhere I got to travel was really exciting for me,” the A-lister — who started his incredible movie career with small parts in Another World and Growing Pains — said. “It didn’t matter whether it was the Netherlands or Belgium or Tokyo, I just remember soaking in everything.”

After more than 30 years in the business, Brad is one of the most notable actors out there — a title that he feels is both “liberating” and “confining.” “It can be both. It’s a trade-off,” the father-of-six explained. “It’s liberating in the opportunities it provides but, on the other hand, it can be very confining. I haven’t seen a hotel lobby in 15 years because I’ve got to go up the a– end of a hotel and out the same way. We get our moments, but it’s good and bad.”

Now that Brad has accomplished a ton in Hollywood, he may be taking on less acting jobs, and focusing on other opportunities on set. “I’m behind the camera on the producing side and I enjoy that a lot,” he told GQ Australia. “But I keep doing less and less. I really believe that overall it’s a younger man’s game — not that there aren’t substantial parts for older characters — I just feel, the game itself, it’ll move on naturally. There will be a natural selection to it all.”

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