Venice is known as one of the most romantic cities in the world. It is therefore no surprise that Hollywood heartthrob Brad Pitt chose the film festival last night to walk the official red carpet ceremony with his girlfriend Ines de Ramon.
The divorced actor, 60, had a big smile on his face as he walked the red carpet at the film festival alongside Ramon, a jewelry designer with whom he has been in a relationship for about two years.
Ramon, who is also divorced, moved in with him in Los Angeles in February of this year.
It was a double date night, as Pitt’s longtime friend George Clooney hit the red carpet with his wife Amal, an international human rights lawyer.
The two men are promoting their film Wolfs, in which they play criminal ‘clean-up specialists’ who are unexpectedly hired for the same job: cleaning up a corpse in a hotel room.
Venice is known as one of the most romantic cities on earth, so it’s certainly fitting that Hollywood heartthrob Brad Pitt chose the film festival last night to ‘officially hit the red carpet’ with his girlfriend Ines de Ramon
The divorced actor, 60, walked the film festival’s red carpet alongside Ramon, a jewelry designer he has been dating for about two years
Ramon, who is also divorced, moved in with him in Los Angeles in February of this year
Pitt and Clooney were reportedly paid $35 million each to star in the film and had insisted that it be released in theaters.
But Apple changed its mind and the film, which according to insiders cost a total of $200 million, is now only showing in US cinemas for one week.
In all other territories, the film will be released directly to streaming, making it easily the most expensive TV movie ever.
Apple’s change of heart follows a string of high-budget films from the streamer, including Napoleon, Killers of the Flower Moon and Argylle, all of which flopped at the box office.
Clooney denied that their fees were as high as $35 million, saying the actual figure was “many millions less” than that. But he added that it was a “sucks” the film didn’t get a theatrical release.
He said, ‘We would have liked to, we wanted to, and Brad and I took back some of our salaries to do that. We had some bumps along the way, and that happens.
“It’s a shame, of course it’s a shame, but a lot of people are going to see the movie and we’re getting a release in a couple hundred theaters. It would have been nice to get a wider release.”
He said the economics of streaming were still “being figured out,” but added: “We’re figuring it out. We need Apple and Amazon, and they need Sony or Warners, who have been doing it for 100 years.”
It was a double date night, as Pitt’s longtime friend George Clooney hit the red carpet with his wife Amal, an international human rights lawyer
Ramon looked stunning in a form-fitting white dress as she joined Pitt on the red carpet
Pitt and his girlfriend, who is 34, were first seen together at a Bono concert in late 2022 (pictured in Venice on Sunday night)
Pitt said: “I think it’s great that there are streamers because we get to see more stories and talent and it gets seen by more people. But it’s a delicate balance.”
When asked what it means for a film with two big stars to go straight to streaming services, Clooney responded dryly: “It’s clear we’re in decline.”
The two men have been friends for decades, and last worked together 15 years ago in the film Burn After Reading. When asked why they were working together again, Clooney joked, “Well, the restraining order was up. No, it was just money, money does it.”
He added: ‘In Burn After Reading I got the extreme pleasure of shooting him in the face and we thought maybe 15 years later we’d try it. Brad and I have been doing this separately and together for a long time. Over time it worked out pretty well. It felt like those jokes, the way we were yelling at each other all the time, just felt easy.’
The two men are now planning to star in a sequel, with Pitt saying: “We felt there had to be a good reason to be in a movie together, something we could build on. I also have to say that as I’ve gotten older, working with people I enjoy spending time with has become really important to me.”
Pitt and Clooney are promoting their film Wolfs, in which they play criminal “cleanup” specialists who are unexpectedly hired for the same job: cleaning up a body in a hotel room.
Pitt and Clooney (pictured with wife Amal) were reportedly paid $35 million each to star in the film, and had pushed for a theatrical release
Clooney denied that their fees were as high as $35 million, saying the actual figure was “many millions less” than that. But he added that it was a “sucks” that the film would not be released in theaters
Apple, which funded the project, spent more than £1 million last weekend renting the entire Cipriani hotel for Pitt, Clooney and their friends.
Those friends include Clooney’s agent Bryan Lourd, who accompanied Amal to dinner on Saturday night, and Apple boss Tim Cook, who previously spent time with the Clooneys at their Lake Como vacation home. Also in attendance is film director Jon Watt, who was absent after contracting Covid in Venice and has now flown home.
Hollywood analyst Richard Rushfield said: ‘It’s always amazing how far things can go when you’re not clear on what you’re doing in this business in the first place.
“What the big shots from other companies never saw coming is how much money you can lose in Hollywood.”
Pitt and his 34-year-old girlfriend were first seen together at a Bono concert in late 2022. She had split from her husband that spring, and Pitt had been largely single since splitting from Angelina Jolie in September 2016.
The couple spent much of the summer together in Europe, including a stint at the Chateau Miraval in France, where Pitt co-owns a vineyard. He is embroiled in a lawsuit with Jolie after she sold her stake in it to Stoli tycoon Yuri Sheffler.
In July, a source told People magazine that Pitt and Ramon were in a “serious relationship,” adding, “Since they moved in together, everything has been great. It’s more of a serious relationship than just dating. Brad loves so many things about her. She’s great for him.”
She attended the premiere of his film Babylon in November 2022, but they didn’t walk the red carpet together, instead Ramon was spotted with him at the afterparty. Sources say Ramon is “easy going.” Pitt was linked to model Nicole Poturalski in 2019 and 2020, and to model Emily Rajatowski in 2022, though sources warned it was a “casual” romance that didn’t actually amount to dating.