From scandal to Hollywood's golden boy, Brad Pitt's rise took only four steps

Brad Pitt's four-part path to redemption takes him from an alcoholic to a sober, hard-working model boy.

If you're at the bottom of your life and how to break through, look no further than Brad Pitt.

In September 2016, Brad Pitt went from A-lister, Hollywood royalty and father of six to a compulsive alcoholic.

Eldest son Maddox turned on Brad Pitt to protect his mother Angelina Jolie after he got drunk and shouted on a private plane.

An anonymous phone call led to an FBI investigation, which ended with an acquittal after the Los Angeles Department of Children and Family Services cleared him.

Five days later, Angelina Jolie filed for divorce.

By then, his drinking had come under intense scrutiny, and he was labeled a man who would go into drunken rage and hurt those around him.

With a difficult custody battle looming, Angelina Jolie's PR machine kicks into gear, giving interviews to all and everyone about how devastated she is and how having a man who might be violent to her children will have a devastating impact on her life.

For Brad Pitt, going underground is the best response. He stayed with his friend David Finch, on his floor for a month, hoping to escape it all.

In May 2017, Brad Pitt appeared on the cover of GQ magazine, the official start of his redemption campaign, which culminated in this year's awards season.

01: Admit your mistakes and promise to do better in the future.

In the GQ story, he poses in the wild desert, from a foetal slumped on the sand to other similar poses that make him look like a "wounded gazelle."

It's a radical shift to restore Brad Pitt's self-assured, golden boy image, and the key is to show the cracks in Brad Pitt's life -- to show a man who is struggling.

With his posture in place, Brad Pitt had to add a caption to explain:

There are times along the way when I get very tired of myself... This is a big problem. However, these moments have become a great motivation for me to change myself. I'm very grateful for that. But personally, I can't remember a single day after college when I didn't binge drink. I know I'm running away from something, like a relationship. I'm really glad to be done with this now.

On the dispute with his eldest son Maddox, and on Angelina Jolie, he needs to say one more thing:

When I started a family, I didn't do anything but drink. But even last year, I wasn't dealing with these things. Every day I drink too much and it's a real problem. I'm really glad it's been half a year now, it's bittersweet, but I've got the feeling back in my fingertips. I think that's part of the human challenge: you either deny them or you answer them and evolve.

Brad Pitt added details about his life, such as spending time at his friend David Fincher's house; In the studio of another sculptor friend, he began sculpture as a form of therapy.

Of course, he also needs to make the point that his close circle of friends provides him with the privacy and support he needs at critical moments.

After GQ published a detailed story about Brad Pitt, it seemed like overnight that he regained the public support he had lost.

02: Keep a low profile in front of and behind the camera, focus on your work and stay out of the spotlight.

He appeared in Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and James Gray's Star Quest, in which he played flawed but amiable heroes who had something very similar in common: they were thwarted in doing the right thing.

In both films, whether intentionally or not, his characters tone down their masculinity, moving from emotional detachment and distance to a pose of genuine interest.

From alienating women to daddy issues, for example.

During this period of time, his daily life is head down to work, keep a low profile, to build good works for the road to rise in the future.

03: Friends provide him with new role proof, let him be vulnerable and open.

In an interview with the press, James Gray talked about Brad Pitt's calm, peaceful handling of Star Trek; Gwyneth Paltrow, who was engaged to Brad Pitt, has spoken about how he protected her from harm in a bid to remind the public that he is a good man at heart.

He has developed a strong bond with Once Upon a Time in Hollywood co-star Leonardo dicaprio (whom Pitt jokingly refers to as "the lover"), and he is an important source of emotional support and friendship for Brad Pitt.

In an interview with The New York Times and CNN in September 2019, Pitt opened up about his journey to sobriety and why he became an alcoholic. He said:

I did the best I could, so I took away my drinking privileges. At Alcoholics Anonymous, everyone sat down together and was honest with each other in a way I'd never heard before. It is in this safe place that there is little judgment of oneself. It's actually really liberating just to expose your ugly side. That's valuable.

Then he talked about his divorce and why he ran away from his feelings:

I realized I was running away from a painful feeling, and I just didn't know how to deal with them. I don't know how to describe it. I don't want to run away from anything right now. I want to feel it inside this feeling. I've found that when you do this, you come out the other side with a greater understanding of yourself and a greater appreciation for the people in your life.

As awards season begins, Pitt has apparently assembled a group of professionals and friends to craft a fairytale comeback story.

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood won him several statuettes, including Screen Actors Guild Awards, Golden Globes, Baftas and, most importantly, Oscars.

At each event, there were numerous videos and photos showing him being embraced by BFFS Bradley Cooper and Leonardo dicaprio.

Yeah, the bromance scene warms the hearts of the public.

And if that wasn't enough, he was also reunited backstage with his ex-wife Jennifer Aniston, which left the Internet wondering if they would rekindle their old romance now that Angelina Jolie had moved on.

04: Very clever and targeted in every speech.

Humor is the best weapon for getting good press, and Pitt has gone out of his way to provide fodder for feel-good press.

At the Screen Actors Guild Awards, he was disrespectful and casual; He asked Margot Robbie to give some perfect Brexit speeches on his behalf at the Baftas, citing Prince Harry's current situation as well.

Although his absence from the Bafta awards was due to "family commitments" and his efforts to patch up paternity with Maddox, this has never been confirmed or denied.

Who knows?

Speaking on the red carpet at the Oscars (Angelina Jolie was conspicuously absent this year), Brad Pitt said the speech helped him overcome his nerves (again deliberately revealing his vulnerability) and thanked his friend for writing such a great speech.

05: Write at the end

Through it all, Brad Pitt has persevered in staying single to keep the media focused on his work, his friends, his role as a loving father and his overall good guy with an engaging personality.

During this period of recovery, romance is completely off limits and must be banned.

To avoid any rumors, Brad Pitt brought his longtime manager Cynthia Pitt-Dante to the Oscars. He joked that he was dying to bring his mom, but worried that the media would pair him with someone he'd brought, so let it go.

There is wisdom in humor, and cunning in wisdom.

Brad Pitt's experience over the past few years suggests he may be able to create a path to redemption. Along the way, all you need is a few reliable friends, a team of people who are wise enough to lift you out of the whirl of quicksand and make you feel wise enough to start a new journey.