Brad Pitt was in 'respectful awe' of Obama during the actor's 2009 visit to the Oval Office, says a new book
Brad Pitt was in 'respectful awe' of Obama during the actor's 2009 visit to the Oval Office, says a new book.
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Brad Pitt and Obama. PICs/AFP
Though the star is so confident in his public life, he 'barely said a thing, and he seemed overcome by meeting the president.'
Obama later chastised Valerie Jarrett, a senior adviser, for talking too much during the meeting, but Jarrett said she was just trying to help Pitt feel more comfortable, Politico reported author Jodi Kantor as saying in her book 'The Obamas'.
Pitt's reaction to meeting with the president in the Oval Office was similar to how others responded. Entering the office through a narrow hallway 'sometimes did strange things to people', Kantor said.
Visitors' voices sounded strange because of the room's curved walls, former deputy press secretary Bill Burton said.
Some, like Pitt, responded with near silence, while others 'babbled' or began to cry. Older African-Americans were particularly moved to see Obama in the office.
His top advisors, including David Axelrod and Robert Gibbs, would often recount the best parts of their conversations with the president as they left the storied office.