Brad Pitt is proving that some stories stay written on your skin—literally. The Hollywood icon, who somehow looks as effortlessly cool at 61 as he did in his Fight Club days, is turning heads in the trailer for his upcoming film, F1. Sharing the screen with Javier Bardem, Pitt lounges shirtless on a sofa, eyes closed, racing suit pulled down to his hips, revealing a torso inked with deeply personal tattoos—many of which are connected to his history with Angelina Jolie.
Pitt’s tattoos are more than just body art; they’re a map of his past. On his left forearm, a French phrase translates to “Life is absurd,” a sentiment that pairs with an image of Ötzi, the world’s oldest mummy—perhaps a nod to the fleeting nature of life. On his right arm, a long vertical line runs down to a cross at his wrist. The letter 'A,' for Angelina, is inked on the left side of the cross. To the right, the initials of their six children: Maddox (M), Pax (P), Zahara (Z), Shiloh (S), Knox (K), and Vivienne (V).
However, some things do change. Pitt has modified this tattoo slightly, adding a tank above the vertical line—possibly a symbol of the battles he’s endured in the wake of their highly publicized split. Yet, despite the revisions, he hasn’t erased it. Instead, he’s chosen to embrace it, acknowledging that love, loss, and transformation are all part of his journey.
Erasing the past: How Angelina Jolie redefined her ink
© GC ImagesAngelina, on the other hand, took a different approach. Once, she wore a permanent tribute to Pitt—a set of tattoos on her left arm displaying the coordinates of the most important people in her life, including her six children and Brad himself, whose birthplace, Shawnee, Oklahoma, was inked among them. But after their breakup, she erased his presence entirely.
© Getty ImagesIn its place, Jolie later added a poignant quote from Galileo Galilei: “Eppur si muove”—“And yet, it moves.” Some speculate the phrase reflects her resilience through the challenges of their split. Likewise, Pitt once had Jolie’s birthday tattooed on his lower abdomen in Khmer, the native language of their son Maddox’s birthplace, Cambodia. But just as Jolie erased his coordinates, Pitt chose to cover the date with the words “Alpha and Omega”—a reminder that every chapter, no matter how meaningful, eventually comes to an end.
Though their love story may be over, its echoes remain—written in ink, memories, and the legacy of their six children.
