Brad Pitt's latest movie - “Tree of Life” - shows him searching for meaning in life as a confused and lost 1950s Texas man. Pitt himself, however, is not a fan of traditional religion.
“I got brought up being told things were God's way, and when things didn't work out, it was called God's plan," Pitt informed reporters at the film’s premiere at the Cannes Film Festival.
"I've got my issues with it. Don't get me started. I found it very stifling."
Pitt grew up in a conservative Southern Baptist home, and his younger brother Doug is still very involved in a large church outside of Springfield, MO.
Pitt has questioned his Christian upbringing for many years, telling Parade magazine in an interview a few years ago:
"I always had a lot of questions about the world, even in kindergarten. A big question to me was fairness. If I'd grown up in some other religion, would I get the same shot at heaven as a Christian has?"
Pitt insisted that abandoning the religious beliefs he grew up with was an experience of release for him.
"When I got untethered from the comfort of religion, it wasn't a loss of faith for me, it was a discovery of self,” he insisted. “I had faith that I'm capable enough to handle any situation. There's peace in understanding that I have only one life, here and now, and I'm responsible."
The film "Tree of Life” opened at Cannes to a mixed reception, with many of the audience booing at its conclusion.