Hollywood actor Brad Pitt has revealed he is an atheist and blamed his views on his father, who he said instilled a "Christian guilt" in him during his upbringing.
The Fight Club actor revealed his atheistic worldview in an interview with the UK's Telegraph on Saturday. Pitt told the paper that he was raised in a Southern Baptist household in Missouri, "with all the Christian guilt about what you can and cannot, should and shouldn't do."
He added that his father was "very, very tough", but not in the "father knows best" way.
"He could be a softie. But one thing my folks always stressed was being capable, doing things for yourself. He was really big on integrity - and that informed a lot of what [we] try to do now," Pitt explained.
During the interview, the actor also revealed that he and his wife and By the Sea co-star, Angelina Jolie, originally wanted twice the number of children they currently have.
"Listen, Angie and I were aiming for a dozen, but we crapped out after six," the actor said, adding: "Everyone talks about the joy of having kids - blah, blah, blah. But I never knew how much I could love something until I looked in the faces of my children."
This is not the first time Pitt has discussed the "Christian guilt" he was raised with. In a 2007 interview with Parade, the actor revealed that growing up, his parents often took him to revivals.
"I'd go to Christian revivals and be moved by the Holy Spirit, and I'd go to rock concerts and feel the same fervor," Pitt told the magazine. "Then I'd be told, 'That's the Devil's music! Don't partake in that!' I wanted to experience things religion said not to experience."
While Pitt may not adhere to any religion, his wife reportedly found her belief in God while working on the film Unbroken, which tells the true story of Louis Zamperini, a devout Christian and American hero who was taken hostage in Japan during WWII.
"She was moved by my father's faith to try that and that's what he wants for people to get from the movie," Zamperini's daughter Cynthia Garris said at a 2014 press conference in New York, according to the AP.
"I'll tell you, when my father died we were all with him in the hospital. [Angelina] came about 45 minutes later and she was pointing above saying 'I know he's with us, I know he's there with God.' I think maybe in God's plan for Angelina, she was supposed to find Louie and make this movie to find her way to a life that would encompass the Almighty."
In earlier interview, Jolie also spoke about learning a lot from Zamperini regarding spirituality and achieving your goals and revealed she "had this fever to be a part of his life."
"When there is an obstacle, you have to rise to that challenge, not be overwhelmed by it," she said. "And we're not alone in the world. I don't know if there's a name for that - religion or faith - just that there's something greater than all of us, and it's uniting and beautiful."
