Brad Pitt has officially gone rugged kiwi bushman… in style. He’s been in the South Island during a recent Gentleman’s Quarterly (GQ) cover shoot, where he swapped red carpets for rugged terrain in Glenorchy, just a stone’s throw from Queenstown.
The magazine shared a behind-the-scenes video of the Fight Club star looking entirely too comfortable riding a vintage motorcycle along the shores of Lake Wakatipu. He was also seen brooding artfully while strolling a pebble beach, presumably pondering life, love, or where he left his flat white.
Brad Pitt features on the cover of Gentleman’s Quarterly after a photoshoot in Glenorchy, Otago. Photo / Gentleman’s Quarterly
In a bold move that says “farmhand chic meets Paris runway,” Pitt posed bare-chested in a Louis Vuitton men’s jumpsuit, a fashion-forward hat, and boots by Saint Laurent, because if you’re going to channel rugged masculinity, it might as well be with designer labels. His gloves were from Handsome Stockholm, which feels appropriate, because honestly… he still is. The pièce de résistance? A pounamu and gold pendant hanging around his neck, which the caption modestly noted was “Jewelry, his own.”
Other snapshots from the shoot showed Pitt mixing high fashion with high country, donning a Rick Owens shirt, Marant trousers, and a belt by someone with arguably the world’s best name: Artemas Quibble. Somewhere, a sheepdog paused and nodded approvingly.
This high-fashion Kiwi adventure is all part of GQ’s blockbuster summer issue, and just a stylish side quest during Pitt’s time filming Heart of the Beast in Queenstown. The movie, set in Alaska but filmed in New Zealand because apparently our mountains are more Alaskan than Alaska’s, follows an ex-Navy SEAL and his trusty retired combat dog as they try to make it back to civilization after a wilderness disaster. Think Homeward Bound meets Die Hard.
Pitt’s production company, Plan B, is producing the film for Paramount Pictures, and according to The Herald’s Society Insider, he’s brought with him more security than any celebrity before… possibly to protect him from the sheep paparazzi? Cos that’s the only paps we have here in NZ that are out of SPQR in Ponsonby.
Despite the bodyguards, Pitt hasn’t entirely escaped the public eye. Most recently, he had an unexpected encounter with a young fan at an Auckland McDonald’s drive-through in Kumeū. As she filmed him on her phone, she asked politely, “Just say hello to my Dad?”
A young fan in Auckland asked Brad Pitt for a favour. Photo / Facebook
Looking mildly startled in his aviators, bucket hat, and a cosy plaid jacket that screamed “celebrity hiding from recognition,” Pitt initially declined. “No,” he said.
But then, in a cinematic plot twist worthy of a feel-good Netflix holiday special, he smiled and quickly corrected himself: “I’m sorry, Hi Dad,” tossing in a wave and a charming “Happy Easter” for good measure.
The fan’s mum later shared the moment online with the caption: “What a lucky day!!”
