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Brad Pitt is a low-key player in the Oscar race this year thanks to his company Plan B’s role as producers of the anticipated and acclaimed child abuse drama Nickel Boys, but an insider exclusively tells In Touch he has been fiercely interested in Nicole Kidman and her contending picture Babygirl, which is expected to net the star a Best Actress nomination in a tricky and competitive year.
Though Brad, 60, and Nicole, 57, haven’t crossed paths much over the last twenty years, Brad originally planned to make the movie Mr. & Mrs. Smith with the Big Little Lies star before she left the project and Angelina Jolie replaced her.
Nevertheless, the source dishes that the Troy actor loves the idea of helping Nicole win the Oscar in 2025 instead of having it go to his ex wife Angelina, 49, who is a seeming sure-thing for a Best Actress nomination for her role as opera singer Maria Callas in her biopic, Maria.
“Essentially, Brad was friendly with Nicole 20 years ago when he was preparing to make Mr. & Mrs. Smith, but is only recently reviving their relationship,” the source explains.
“I think he would have befriended her much earlier in her career, but Brad made a point of steering clear of Nicole in the nineties because he and Tom Cruise disliked each other so much after making Interview With a Vampire together.”
Brad played the ageless vampire Louis alongside Tom’s villainous Lestat in the 1994 movie, famously butting heads on set throughout the film’s production.
The source continues: “But in 2024, Brad has emerged as a real supporter of Nicole for her work in Babygirl and has even attended private industry screenings of the movie with Nicole, where he made no secret of how much he likes the film and her work in it.”
“Of course, Nicole is also pals with Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon, but those friendships didn’t develop until after Jen and Brad split up. Having Brad be her biggest cheerleader is something totally new for Nicole, and it’s a giant help as she gets the word out about this movie!” the source says.
“To be fair, the movie itself is really in Brad’s wheelhouse and it features Nicole performing very edgy sex scenes, but who are we really kidding here. This support, which is meaningful to Nicole and her campaign, is really just Brad’s way of getting back at Angelina, who everybody knows is set up to win her first Oscar in 25 years.”
The Salt actress has poured her heart and soul into her big comeback film, even training for seven months just to portray the iconic opera singer. After it’s premiere at the Venice Film Festival, many critics had been warmly receptive of Maria, raising hopes the flick could nab at least an Oscar nod, if not win, for the veteran actress.
“This role means everything to Angie,” a second source previously told In Touch. “Angie is assuming the identity of a woman who was every bit the glamorous star she once was and can be the kind of film that vaults her right back to the top!”
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