Brad Pitt once weighed on the concept of beauty and shared that the best actors aren’t always the ones considered as “beautiful sex symbols.”
Despite working with famous attractive stars such as Leonardo DiCaprio, Angelina Jolie, and Julia Roberts – Pitt believes that looks are just a first impression and don’t hold much weight when measuring talent.
In a conversation with Tiger Beat magazine back in 1996, Pitt mentioned that there are actually “very few men” he “look[s] up to” when it comes to his favourite actors in Hollywood.
He shared his admiration for older movies and classic actors, noting how they portrayed men with strong principles.
“That’s why I appreciate the older films, because, they show a man standing up for his principles,” he said.
“Like [Robert] Redford,” he added.
“He portrayed the kind of man men wanted to be, and the kind of man women wanted men to be.”
Redford – known for his roles in iconic films like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969), The Sting (1973), and All the President’s Men (1976) – became a symbol of the principled, rugged individual-type that Pitt looked up to.
Pitt also challenged the idea that Hollywood’s biggest stars are always conventional “sex symbols.”
He added, “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.”
He continued, “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.”
Brad Pitt’s admiration for Dianne Wiest may surprise some, but her career has been marked by an incredible range of talent, making her one of Hollywood’s most respected actresses.
Wiest’s breakout performance came in Woody Allen’s Hannah and Her Sisters (1986), where she played Holly, a struggling actress dealing with insecurities and personal issues.
She’s also known for her warmth and empathy in films like Edward Scissorhands (1990) and Parenthood (1989).
More recently, Wiest has delivered powerful performances in I Care a Lot (2020) and The Mayor of Kingstown (2021).
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