Brad Pitt responded to speculation that he didn't write his own acceptance speeches during awards show season.
"Historically, I've always been really tentative about speeches. They make me nervous, so this round I figured if we're going to do this, [I'd better] put some real work into it, try to get comfortable, and this is the result of that," the actor said backstage at the 2020 Oscars on Sunday.
"I definitely write them," Pitt continued. "I have some very, very funny friends that helped me with some laughs, but it's got to come from the heart."
The actor gave similar comments during a red carpet interview with Variety, saying that he has "a lot of funny friends," like Jim Jefferies, Bob Oschack, and "Fight Club" director David Fincher.
At the 92nd Academy Awards, which were held at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California, the 56-year-old actor won the award for best performance by an actor in a supporting role for his part as Cliff Booth in Quentin Tarantino's "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood."
The win marked Pitt's first Oscar for acting. He previously won an Academy Award as a producer for the 2013 film "12 Years a Slave." During his 2020 acceptance speech, Pitt began by saying: "They told me I only have 45 seconds up here, which is 45 seconds more than the Senate gave John Bolton this week."
Pitt also hilariously gave a shout-out to "OUATIH" costar Leonardo DiCaprio, saying: "Leo, I'll ride on your coattails any day, man. The view's fantastic."
During his backstage Q&A, Pitt said that he included the political joke about President Donald Trump's impeachment trial because he "was really disappointed with this week and I think when gamesmanship trumps doing the right thing, it's a sad day and I don't think we should let it slide. And I'm very serious about that."
In addition to winning an Academy Award, Pitt earned several other awards recently for his role in "OUATIH." At the Golden Globes in January, the actor referred to DiCaprio as "LDC" and made a "Titanic" joke, saying: "Still, I would've shared the raft."
Pitt went on to call out Tarantino's obsession with filming women's feet during his SAG Awards acceptance speech days later. At the BAFTAs in February, the actor's speech (which was read by costar Margot Robbie) included a joke about Prince Harry leaving the UK, while Prince William and Kate Middleton were in the audience.
Pitt's humorous acceptance speeches have led people to speculate that he had some help writing them.
Vulture also recently published an article and writer Chris Lee said that "at least one outside speechwriting agency reached by Vulture (that asked to remain anonymous because of a confidentiality agreement) confirms that Pitt's representatives contacted the organization to consult about engaging their services."
An anonymous awards campaigner also told the publication that it's normal for actors to hire speechwriters and "the most common reason is knowing the room. Like, 'What is the difference between the PGAs, the Globes, and the BAFTAs?' Knowing the room is key.'"
Watch Pitt's backstage interview in the video below.
