Brad Pitt Opens up About His Most Embarrassing Job

Brad Pitt has often spoken about his deep love for the storytelling process, a passion that began during his childhood in Oklahoma and Missouri. Growing up, some of his favorite memories involved sitting on the hood of the family car at local drive-ins during warm summer nights. He views his career as a privilege, noting that stories serve as a vital reminder of our shared humanity, especially when we find ourselves to be mysteries even to ourselves.

His journey to Hollywood was a bit of a gamble, as he originally studied advertising and graphic design at the University of Missouri. Just before graduating, he told his parents he was heading to California to attend art school, though he admitted in 1986 that he never actually made it to art school.

Upon arriving in Los Angeles, he lived a modest life, sharing a cramped apartment in North Hollywood with seven other roommates. He recalled that the group was short on money and girlfriends, living with practically no furniture and sleeping on the floor.

To make ends meet while waiting for his big break, Pitt took on several odd jobs, even competing with a roommate to see who could find the most embarrassing work. He famously won that bet by taking a job at a restaurant called El Pollo Loco.

He had to wear a chicken suit and flap his wings on a hot street corner to attract customers for a grand opening. They liked his spirit so much that they invited him back for more shifts.

It didn’t take long for his career to gain traction, with early roles in the soap opera Another World and the hit show Dallas. When asked in 1986 where he hoped to be a decade later, Pitt mentioned he wanted to be a respected actor like Kevin Costner and hoped to own his own production company.

By 1996, he had already achieved that respect with iconic performances in Se7en and Legends of the Fall, and he eventually fulfilled his business dream by founding Plan B Entertainment in 2001.

As of early this year, the 62-year-old actor shows no signs of slowing down. He recently spent the month of January in Ireland filming his latest project, The Riders, an A24 thriller directed by Edward Berger.

Pitt is also preparing for the 2026 release of the highly anticipated The Adventures of Cliff Booth. This film, a sequel to Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood, reunites him with director David Fincher and features an ensemble cast including Elizabeth Debicki and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II.

Do you think Brad Pitt returning to the role of Cliff Booth is the right move for his career, or would you prefer to see him focus entirely on new dramatic roles like the one in The Riders? Share your thoughts in the comments!