After being appointed best male actor at the Venice Film Festival, Brad Pitt reveals that he in fact has quite a lot in common with the character he portrays in the movie The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, which opens in limited release this Friday. But don't expect a mere to-the-point character review from Brad. It is pretty much obvious that everything he mentions in relation with the character he portrays is in fact applicable for Brad Pitt, the man behind the camera.

It seems that it has become increasingly disturbing for the good-looking father of four to be haunted down every step of the way by paparazzi. "I understand the essence of paranoia" Brad says. "I understand being hunted, to some degree. I understand a bounty on my head. But the movie is about so much more. The real tragedy is that there was a chance he could have gotten past this moment. He's wrestling with himself and lost that battle."

This is pretty much one of the reasons for which Brad, Angie and the kids have been moving around the country in an attempt to make at least a small part of their life feel normal, although if you're Brad Pitt you can't really stick the "normal" label over too many areas of your life.

"It's impossible for us" he concludes. "We're run out of every major city. There's just too many paparazzi. There's always cameras in the kids' faces, yelling their names. Angie gets out of the car, and they take the camera down to the curb and shoot up (her skirt). It's unbelievable. [That's why] there's a constant negotiation in how to survive and how to maintain a family life".

But this "avoid the paparazzi" business also has its advantages - as Brad claims to have improved his intuition and perception skills up to the point where he can pretty much spot a "hot" situation right away. "You develop radar. Like I know when there's someone in the bushes 300 yards away shooting. I know to recognize that feeling. And I know that feeling. It's inexplicable, one of those instincts".

That doesn't sound too bad, then. And while I admit we can't even begin to imagine what it feels like to be the world's hottest couple in terms of media attention, it's not easy to feel sorry for this guy. In the end, it's his job and his game - he can quit any time he wants, but I don't hear him talking about retiring. Do you?