Brad Pitt Is Suffering From Face Blindness — What Does That Mean?

Last month, beloved actor Brad Pitt said he was entering the “last leg of his career.” And in the same GQ interview, he revealed he’s suffering from face blindness! The technical name is prosopagnosia and though Pitt hasn’t been formally diagnosed, he insists he can’t remember what people look like.

“Nobody believes me!” he said.

What Is Prosopagnosia?

Prosopagnosia, also called face blindness or facial agnosia, is a neurological disorder which causes difficulty recognizing people — even family members and close friends. It can have different levels of severity for depending on the case.

According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, it is not related to memory dysfunction, memory loss, impaired vision, or learning disabilities. Though some children are born with it, it can also be acquired through strokes, head injuries, or neurodegenerative medical conditions.

Based on Pitt’s interview, it’s unclear how long he’s suffered or the severity of his condition.

Currently, prosopagnosia has no official treatment, although researchers are looking into it. Most solutions, for now, rely on using clues like voice and mannerisms to help those with prosopagnosia recognize individuals.

Brad Pitt’s Trippy GQ Profile

Brad Pitt’s recent profile in GQ, “Brad Pitt Opens Up His Dream World” went viral last month as the actor revealed that his career is winding down. Speaking to author Ottessa Moshfegh, he said, quite bluntly: ““I consider myself on my last leg. This last semester or trimester… What is this section gonna be? And how do I wanna design that?”

His production company Plan B is currently planning a number of big releases, including Women Talking, Americanah, and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, and Pitt himself is starring in a summer blockbuster: Bullet Train. Another highly anticipated project of his, Babylon, will premier on Christmas.

So it does not exactly seem like he’s slowing down. And yet, in the interview, Pitt expressed deeper desires. “I’m one of those creatures that speaks through art,” he said in the piece. “I just want to always make. If I’m not making, I’m dying in some way.” He went on in an existential manner:

“I wanted to ask you, why the f*ck are we here? What’s beyond? Because I gather that you believe in something beyond.… Do you feel trapped here, in this body and in this environment?”

Brad Pitt in GQ

Stepping back from his charming, A-list persona, Pitt provided a deeper glimpse at his own insecurities. Describing his (self-diagnosed) face blindness to Moshfegh, he expressed that he worries it will lead others to perceive him as remote and aloof: the typical movie star. When really, he’s ashamed that he can’t place other’s faces.

Naturally, Moshfegh — author of the best-selling My Year of Rest and Relaxation — transforms the predicament into perfect metaphor: “He’s the opposite of a guy who’d snub you at a party. He’s the guy who wants to see your soul.”