Why Brad Pitt Skipped BAFTAs: Jumped At Chance To Reunite With Maddox

Angelina Jolie Maddox Jolie-Pitt Brad Pitt

When Brad Pitt won the BAFTA award for Best Supporting Actor on February 2, he was nowhere in sight. But the Once Upon A Time… In Hollywood star, 56, had a very good excuse. Citing a “family obligation” for his absence, which saw his co-star Margot Robbie accepting the award in his place, Brad was reportedly reuniting with his estranged eldest son, Maddox Jolie-Pitt, 18. “Maddox gave Brad the chance to talk and he dropped everything,” a source told The Sun. Brad reportedly canceled his flight to London at the last minute when he heard that Maddox, his son with ex-wife Angelina Jolie, was willing to meet up with him and talk.

Brad and Maddox’s relationship deteriorated after a 2016 incident aboard a private plane, in which the actor was accused of being “physically abusive” toward his son — the catalyst for Brad and Angelina’s divorce. The FBI investigated and cleared Brad of any wrongdoing, but the father and son still allegedly aren’t on good terms. Maddox wanting to meet up with Brad while home on a break from Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea was a chance he couldn’t afford to miss. “Being a father is the most important thing in [Brad’s] life and he would do anything to repair their relationship,” the unnamed source told the outlet. HollywoodLife reached out to Brad’s rep for confirmation on this report.

It’s progress for the fractured family. The college freshman actually spoke out about his relationship with Brad during an ambush interview in September 2019. When asked about where he and his father stand, he told the reporter, “I don’t know about that and what’s happening. Whatever happens, happens.” While things with Maddox have been tense, a source told HollywoodLife EXCLUSIVELY that Angelina swore not to interfere with any progress he and Brad made. “She respects that they have their own relationship and is staying out of it,” they said. “The most important thing to [Angelina] is that her son knows she fully has his back and supports him.”