Brad Pitt Gives a Glimpse Into His Future

June 8, 2005 -- -- Brad Pitt recently ended his storied four-year marriage and tabloids are filled with rumors that he has begun a relationship with a Hollywood bad girl, but the "sexiest man alive" denies speculation that he is having a mid-life crisis.

"No, not yet," the 41-year-old actor told "Primetime Live" co-anchor Diane Sawyer. "I keep waiting for it to rear its ugly head -- maybe I do -- I don't know."

In January, he announced that he and his wife of four years, "Friends" actress Jennifer Aniston, were separating. They later filed for divorce. This spring, he was photographed walking along a beach in Kenya with actress Angelina Jolie and her son.

But Pitt does not deny it has been a time of change for him. He has bleached his hair for fun. He is also preparing to move from the Beverly Hills mansion he shared with Aniston.

"Someone will enjoy it," he said. He said he doesn't think he would ever live in a house that big.

Pitt says he now wants "a simpler life." He continued: "I have so much crap -- it just accumulates. I have this romantic idea of getting my closet down to … a little pile of clothes."

Pitt once said that fame is a young man's game. He now acknowledges he's getting older. When Sawyer asked him, "Creaky?" he responded laughing, "Cranky?"

One Shot

Asked about his marriage, Pitt said, "I don't see my marriage as any kind of failure. It was an extraordinary time."

He said that before they went their separate ways, he and his wife talked about everything -- they didn't hide who they were or what they wanted in any way. "That's always been the basis of Jen and I," he said.

That's also how he and Aniston decided together to move on in their lives, he said.

"As far as I know, we get one shot at this thing. One time around, and it better be everything you want it to be," he said. "I actually think it was a really brave -- conscious -- conscientious decision on our part."

In a 1997 interview, Sawyer asked Pitt if he believed in happy endings. At the time, he responded: "Yeah, absolutely."

Today, Pitt says "I don't even believe in happiness as a concept … I believe more in peaceful endings."

The One Campaign

One new focus in Pitt's life is a nationwide movement called The ONE Campaign, aimed at convincing Americans to fight poverty and the spread of AIDS in Africa. The movement has attracted both Hollywood liberals and Christian conservatives.

"In 10 years we could halve extreme poverty … in 20 years we could end it," Pitt said.

Pitt has even traveled to Africa several times, and brought Sawyer along with him on one visit.

Many of the sites Pitt visited in Ethiopia were sponsored by Save the Children.

Bono, the lead singer of the rock group U2, who has been involved in relief efforts and helped found the ONE Campaign, said of Pitt: "He is an extraordinary man. He's this, you know, you know, gigantic movie star, but he's very modest. And he just said, 'Is there anything I can do for you?' "

Pitt recounted to Sawyer an experience he had while visiting a hospital in Ethiopia.

"I remember one boy specifically laying in his crib, and I just put my hand on his chest," he said.

"This wave of bliss came over his face -- and the power in that -- the power in just the human touch. Broke my heart."

Organizers say aiding Africa can help raise America's profile in the world.

"They really look up to us … as a place where you can do anything you want, where opportunity just drips from the trees," Pitt said. "There's a real truth to that. And they look to us for help."

What Kind of Relationship?

This Friday, Pitt will star in his 39th film, "Mr. and Mrs. Smith," with Jolie. It's an ironic and comedic dissection of the tiny torments in a marriage played out as war.

Pitt and Jolie play a couple who don't know that their significant other is an assassin. They rekindle the flame after discovering they've been assigned to kill each other.

"I thought it was a really funny idea. There's a really funny idea in there," Pitt said. "Just a husband and wife that are going to kill each other, and the fun in that. It's great fun."

Originally, the film was going to star Nicole Kidman. When she pulled out, Jolie stepped in. It was their first time to work together.

Pitt says Jolie, 30, and twice-divorced, is not what the publicity surrounding her might lead you to think.

"I have great respect for her and she's a good egg and a great actress , and I admire what she's doing with her U.N. work," Pitt said. Jolie is a goodwill ambassador for the U.N. High Commission for Refugees.

When Sawyer asked him, "Did Angelina Jolie break up your marriage?" he answered "No." Jolie has also publicly and emphatically denied that she and Pitt were together while making the movie.

But no one could deny that after his separation from Aniston, they met in Kenya -- especially after celebrity outlets published pictures of them.

What kind of relationship is this now? Are they officially together? Pitt said: "There's a -- there's a lot still to -- I guess put in place."

He added: "I don't know what the future is just yet. There's still things that have to -- I guess be answered for me individually."

Sawyer asked him he if could continue avoiding talk about his relationships. He said, "There's not so much to talk about. If there is, I will [keep silent]."

Taking Responsibility

When Pitt last spoke to "Primetime" in 2004, he said what he yearned for most in the future is kids and family.

But for now, he says he is just trying to keep his promise to tell stories of the kids of Africa to the rest of the world.

"I found these scenes so daunting -- complex in their horror and the end of human existence in some way," he said. "Little by little, I began understanding how we could change this."

He said he now has an obligation. "I developed these relationships, and I have to answer to them," he said. "It's an honor."