Brad Pitt comforts suicidal fan

Brad Pitt in acclaimed film Moneyball. Source: The Sunday Telegraph

BRAD Pitt might have missed his calling as a therapist after managing to stay calm and collected, and dispense some great life advice, when an attendee at a screening of his film Moneyball said he was suicidal.

During a question and answer session following the screening in Los Angeles, a choked-up man stepped to the microphone.

"I can't talk," he said, rambling for a minute before sharing, "I found this movie completely inspiring. This is coming from a guy who's been contemplating suicide. I understand the importance of putting things in perspective."

Pitt did not skip a beat in responding to the man's very personal comment in relation to the film about the Oakland Athletics baseball team and its general manager.

"It certainly is about perspective and a bigger view and about the long run," Pitt said.

"I think that's something we often forget with art, is that there's the long run. Things are cyclical. When you're up, you're up, and when you're down, you're down. But it's moving - always moving. I think that's an important thing to remember. And it's a big part of this film."

He later added, "Man, it's cyclical. You can be down, but then you come back up again, and every failure can lead to success."

The attendees of the screening were moved by Pitt's response.

"It was a touching moment," a witness told US Weekly.

"As he left the theater, he even stopped to talk with the guy to offer him some more words of encouragement because he was obviously fragile."