The Creative Way Brad Pitt Coped With His Messy Angelina Jolie Breakup

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie had one of the most talked-about relationships in Hollywood, even though it started out with controversy after Pitt's marriage to Jennifer Aniston fell apart amid rumors of infidelity. Entertainment Weekly reports that Jolie and Pitt finally wed in 2014 at their stunning estate in the South of France. Together, the couple shares six children, three of whom were adopted, and three biological children.

According to People, Jolie pulled the plug on their relationship in 2016, citing "irreconcilable differences" as the catalyst for the split. "I am very saddened by this, but what matters most now is the well-being of our kids," Pitt told the outlet at the time. "I kindly ask the press to give them the space they deserve during this challenging time." A source close to the pair called the split a "shock" and it's been downhill since then. After Jolie filed the paperwork, things have been messy as the former flames have found themselves in the midst of a custody battle. A source told Us Weekly in June that Pitt has been "holed up" in his home amid the drama, though he enjoys spending time at his art studio on occasion. He's kept himself busy with other projects as well. 

There's also another way that Pitt has been coping with the difficult split with Jolie, and it's safe to say that he gets by with a little help from his friends.

Sometimes, good things come out of bad situations. According to Brad Pitt, something positive resulted from his messy split with his ex-wife Angelina Jolie. The 58-year-old spoke about his divorce in an interview with the Financial Times. He also revealed that his pals, Australian singer Nick Cave and British artist Thomas Houseago, were all going through a tough time in their lives and came together because of this. The actor told the outlet that the trio's "mutual misery became comic," so they channeled their energy into something else. 

During the difficult time, Pitt took up sculpting to deal with stress and anxiety. The star called his work some of his own "self-reflection" before he elaborated further. "I was looking at my own life and really concentrating on owning my own s**t: where was I complicit in failures in my relationships, where have I misstepped," he told the outlet. "For me, it was born out of ownership of what I call a radical inventory of self ... and taking account of those I may have hurt." He also explained that he takes comfort in being friends with people who allow him to be himself and "focus" on our "struggles as human beings."

In April, Us Weekly revealed that the star "has been lamenting to pals" about his split from Jolie and how he feared that his kids wouldn't want anything to do with him. Still, he vowed to "not give up the fight."