Who was Brad Pitt dating in 1994? Actor opens up about "the most unhealthy time" of his life before doing Se7en

Brad Pitt appeared on the June 23, 2025, episode of the Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard podcast. During his conversation with the podcast host, the actor opened up about “the most unhealthy time” of his life, before filming David Fincher’s Se7en.

The Fight Club actor shared that despite his rising success, he felt creatively drained. He explained that he reached “the most unhealthy time” of his life during the summer of 1994 after a series of unsatisfying roles in major blockbusters. This left him feeling directionless, and he needed some time to "check out" from Hollywood.

"I would wake up, I would get a bong load, I would have four Coca-Colas on ice, no food. This particular summer, I watched the O.J. trial, and I was just trying to figure out, 'What do I do next? What do I do next?'" Brad Pitt explained.

And that's when Se7en happened. It was a David Fincher dark, gritty thriller. During the filming of Se7en, Pitt also met Gwyneth Paltrow on the set, and the two got romantically involved in 1994 and dated for three years before splitting in 1997.

In the aforementioned interview, Pitt further admitted that although Se7en was a career-defining moment for him, he initially didn't like the script. It was only after encouragement from his manager, Cynthia Pett-Dante, and a conversation with Fincher that he changed his mind.

Recalling the series of events, Pitt explained:

"My dear friend and manager...Cynthia sends (the ‘Se7en’ script) over…She says, ‘You’ve got to read this.’ I read the first seven pages, I call her up, I go, ‘Are you kidding me? The cliché old cop wants out, the young cop comes in...She goes, ‘Just finish it.’ Then I go meet with Finch, and he was just talking about films like I’d never heard anyone speak about film".

The meeting with Fincher also proved to be transformative for Brad Pitt as he described feeling creatively "reinvigorated" after engaging with Fincher’s vision. He said that the project helped him rediscover his passion and sense of purpose as an actor, and he "got the jones back".

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Brad Pitt opens up about an embarrassing career moment during the Armchair Expert Podcast

Brad Pitt at the F1 Grand Prix of Great Britain - Qualifying (Image via Getty)

During the podcast appearance on Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard, Oscar-winning actor Brad Pitt revisited a cringeworthy early career moment. He detailed his brief, non-speaking role in the 1987 cop film No Man’s Land and how one of his scenes in the film "still haunts" him because of how embarrassing it was.

Brad Pitt then reflected on his humble beginnings. He noted that before his breakout role in Thelma & Louise in 1992, he was a struggling actor trying to earn his Screen Actors Guild (SAG) card.

"The whole game was, how do you get your SAG card? Because you can’t get a job if you don’t have your SAG card, but you can’t get your SAG card unless you’ve had a job. It’s this catch-22," Pitt explained.

Pitt then shared that he landed a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it part in No Man’s Land, a crime drama written by Law & Order creator Dick Wolf. His role was that of a silent waiter whose only task was to pour champagne during a restaurant scene.

Describing the moment in detail, Pitt explained:

"It’s a restaurant scene. The main characters are Charlie Sheen and DB Sweeney, and a bunch of other actors that I wasn’t necessarily aware of. I am the waiter. I’m supposed to bring up champagne and pour champagne. They show me how to do it. You gotta pour. You spin. You wipe the thing".

Though the part was small, Pitt admitted he couldn’t resist the urge to stand out. Additionally, to secure SAG membership, Pitt needed to have at least one speaking role. But Pitt’s role in No Man’s Land required him to simply pour champagne and say nothing.

Brad Pitt then shared how he subtly tried to draw attention to himself by ad-libbing a line in that one scene he had in the film.

"Like a jacka**, they’re doing the scene. I get to the last actor, and she seemed lower on the totem pole? Maybe? And, literally, the scene is going on, I pour her champagne, and I go, ‘Would you like anything else?’ It was ‘CUT! CUT! CUT!" Pitt explained.

This move immediately backfired, and his unscripted moment brought the entire scene to a screeching halt. Pitt said the Assistant Director rushed over and warned him bluntly that he would be "out of here" if he did something like that again.

This public scolding left Pitt humiliated, and he admitted feeling "shame for the rest of the night".

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Brad Pitt is currently busy in the promotional run for his upcoming movie F1. The film is scheduled to release in the U.S. on June 27, 2025, during the weekend of the Austrian Grand Prix.

Edited by Riya Peter