Jeff parses Lim's Brad comments

Not A Match

Dennis Lim's Brad Pitt interview in the 1.1.12 edition of the New York Times reads like a slightly sheepish confession of a guy (i.e., Lim) who went out on a blind date and...well, had an okay time but not a great one either. Lim is an intensely scholastic monk-dweeb and Pitt is obviously Pitt, and the twains just didn't have a chance, man.

Lim sat down with Pitt at the Waldorf Astoria in early December. "Many of his answers had the vague, scripted ring of someone determined not to say more than necessary," Lim writes. On top of which Pitt was "slightly awkward and distractible when facing questions," and "seemed self-conscious about his pro forma responses."
Blunter Lim: "I couldn't get going with this guy...Jesus! Why couldn't he relax into the groove of my Manhattan film-dweeb consciousness and just open up and let loose and kick the ball around? Scott Foundas and I can talk for hours about anything. This was a chore!"

Best passage: "Like any seasoned pro on the Oscar circuit, Pitt was careful to sound appreciative without stooping to the vulgarity of campaigning. 'I've been around long enough to know it's very fickle and it's a cyclical wheel,' he said. 'But I will say this: It is surprisingly fun when your number comes up.'"
Second best passage: "Having just flown in from France for the premiere of Angelina Jolie's directorial debut, In the Land of Blood and Honey, dressed down in a long-sleeve V-neck and casual pants, Mr. Pitt was fighting fatigue and jet lag. (He downed two Starbucks cappuccinos, delivered by a Waldorf employee.) He gamely endured a photo shoot and a 90-minute conversation but lost his train of thought several times ('I'm sorry, man, I am so upside down right now'), and after a mid-interview bathroom break, he made a sheepish confession: 'I did the whole photo shoot with my fly undone.'"