Brad Pitt’s favourite actor of all time: “The most beautiful woman on the screen”

Brad Pitt has retained his status as the most iconic Hollywood star for decades now. While trying to move away from the reductive “sex symbol” label that boomed upon his mainstream breakthrough, Pitt has delivered stellar performances in beloved films such as Fight Club and The Tree of Life, among many others.

While Pitt has recently been associated with some high-profile projects such as Bullet Train and Damien Chazelle’s Babylon, the actor has hinted at his impending retirement. When asked about his decision to distance himself from acting roles, Pitt revealed that he plans to focus on producing cinematic projects instead.

Throughout his career, Pitt has been compared to other mythical Hollywood icons, such as James Dean, but he doesn’t appreciate most of those comparisons. In a past interview recorded by the Brad Pitt Press Archive, the burgeoning film star was asked about his favourite actors in the industry.

“I know very few men to look up to,” Pitt responded, eventually citing one particular role model. “That’s why I appreciate the older films because they show a man standing up for his principles. Like [Robert] Redford. He portrayed the kind of man men wanted to be, and the kind of man women wanted men to be.” Redford’s position as one of Hollywood’s most adored men is something Pitt looked always likely to emulate.

In recent years, however, the allegations of poor behaviour around Pitt’s personal life have left a sour veil draped over his career. An actor who might well have been touted as one of his generation’s most memorable, a feat still bestowed on him by his director Quentin Tarantino, who once labelled him the last remaining movie star, is now seemingly set to endure some wilderness years.

However, still an icon to many, Pitt has often been asked the age-old questions that any star would be, primarily, who are the acting influences that shaped your career? Or, put more simply, who is his favourite actor of all time? Perhaps naturally, for a star who built his early reputation on his good looks, Pitt’s first thought is someone he considers to be “the most beautiful woman on the screen”. According to Pitt, Dianne Wiest proved that it was possible to be beautiful without being rashly dismissed as a “sex symbol” by fans and critics.

When asked about his opinions on the relationship between beauty and his profession, Pitt explained: “When you see a person, do you just concentrate on their looks? It’s just a first impression. Then there’s someone who doesn’t catch your eye immediately, but you talk to them, and they become the most beautiful thing in the world.”

That’s why he has always admired the versatile Wiest, known for her work in masterpieces such as Woody Allen’s Hannah and Her Sisters. Pitt added: “The greatest actors aren’t what you would call beautiful sex symbols. I’ll tell you who my favourite actress is: Dianne Wiest. And you wouldn’t call her a sex symbol. Dianne Wiest is, to me, the most beautiful woman on the screen.”

Trying to pick a favourite actor as an actor is a difficult task. However, for Pitt, the choice was easy, it was a performer who put all the needless surface-level Hollywood crap aside and focused on the sheer talent of being an actor.