Families Move Into Homes That Pitt Built

The film, which also stars Cate Blanchett, opens Dec. 25. But because it was filmed in New Orleans in 2006 and 2007, Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros. held a special screening here.

Brad Pitt poses for a photograph in the Lower 9th Ward as he visits the area where homes are being built for the Make It Right Foundation in New Orleans, Monday, Dec. 1, 2008. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

(AP)

"It's a gorgeous, gorgeous film," said Pitt, who in the movie plays a man who begins life as elderly and grows younger with time. "It's a film that makes you want to hug your kids and call your folks."

Pitt also described the movie as "a love letter to New Orleans."

"There's a sense of magic here, so it made this fantastic story almost believable," he said.

Pitt said his fondness for the city led him and Jolie to buy an early-1830s masonry mansion in the French Quarter. Pitt said the home was recently renovated to accommodate the needs of the couple and their six children. He quashed recent rumors that the couple had sold their home.

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While the homes built by Pitt's project are more contemporary than the Creole cottages and shotgun-style homes typical of New Orleans, they incorporate some elements used in the area for generations, such as high ceilings and shaded porches.

The homes also have solar panels and other features that help cut energy bills by at least 75 percent, Pitt said. Other architectural elements address challenges of the area, including ventilation and mold- and termite-resistant materials.

"The misunderstanding of architecture is that it's all about aesthetics," Pitt said. "It's not. First and foremost, it's about function."

The homes, costing $150,000 on average, are for property owners who can pay insurance and taxes. Monthly payments are based on applicants' income and subsidized by Pitt's foundation.

Pitt said his motivation to see this project through stems from a lot of things, among them his "love for architecture, a love for technology, a love for fairness and justice." But it also stems from his love "for all things New Orleans."

"There's just something about this place," he said.

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