Crisis Management Expert Decodes Brad Pitt's Career Pivot Amid Disturbing Legal Battle - Exclusive

It's been a busy (and certainly rough) past few months for Brad Pitt. The actor has been making plenty of headlines and generating online buzz, mostly for his seemingly never-ending legal battle against his former wife Angelina Jolie, but also because of his interesting ventures as of late. 

After decades of impressing fans with his acting skills, Pitt made his grand debut as a sculptor last September, joining musician Nick Cave and artist Thomas Houseago in a group art exhibition at the Sara Hildén Art Museum in Tampere, Finland. He opened up about his foray into the visual arts world in an interview with Finnish publication Yle. "For me it's about self-reflection," said Pitt (via The Art Newspaper). "It was born out of ownership over what I call a 'radical inventory of the self.' And getting really brutally honest with me and taking account of those I may have hurt and the moments I've just gotten wrong."

Perhaps what's more intriguing, however, was when the "Bullet Train" actor launched his own genderless, anti-aging skincare line Le Domaine, in partnership with organic wine growers Perrin family (who worked with Pitt on restoring his Chateau Miraval winery in Provence, France). "I don't want to be running from aging," he told British Vogue. "It's a concept we can't escape, and I would like to see our culture embracing it a bit more, talking about it in those terms."

Now, we spoke to a crisis management expert to make sense of Pitt's sudden career change whilst in the middle of his disturbing legal battle against Jolie (which now includes allegations of child and domestic abuse against the actor).

It's easy to assume that Brad Pitt's sudden interest in visual arts and skincare could be a distraction from the legal fiasco surrounding his divorce from his wife Angelina Jolie. But according to crisis management expert Eden Gillott, that may not exactly be the case. "Celebrities are just like us — they have wide-ranging hobbies and interests," Gillott said. "Many celebrities have business interests outside of the acting roles they're most known for. Ryan Reynolds, for one, is involved with Wrexham a Welsh football club, Aviation American Gin, Mint Mobile, and a production & digital marketing company."

What about the timing of his career pivot? As explained by Gillott, it's not unusual for celebrities to take advantage of the media mileage from their personal controversies to promote their own endeavors. "Laying low is reserved for either intense, short periods of unwanted attention or individuals who don't think they're capable of handling the pressure," she said. "In situations that drag out for prolonged periods of time, like Depp v. Heard, Johnny Depp used the media momentum only a few days after his trial ended to promote his creative pursuits from NFTs to releasing a new album." As for Pitt, she believes that the "Babylon" actor "is forging his own narrative now." Gillott added, "Life goes on."

In the end, Gillott said there is a slim chance that Pitt's current PR presence would have an effect on his legal war against Jolie. "At this point, Pitt's PR presence is in the eye of the beholder," she said. "People have already chosen sides and it's unlikely that anything will change their minds."