Hollywood and Vine

The curious case of Brad Pitt, Château Miraval, and a compelling luxury beauty line.

- Kathleen Baird-Murray

Brad Pitt has not read the beauty tutorial memo. We’re 25 minutes into my interview with the newly minted skin care brand founder at Château Miraval, the sprawling property and vineyard in the South of France that Pitt bought with Angelina Jolie in 2008, and after a few quick-fire exchanges we arrive at the inevitable question: “What’s your regimen?” I ask, with a certain amount of trepidation. “Can we have a product demonstration?”

Pitt balks, smiling. “I’m not doing that! ”

“Maybe just talk about how your routine has evolved, then? Just don’t make it too QVC,” I suggest to the Academy Award–winning actor and producer, hoping he might warm to the idea of applying face creams while being filmed.

“I wouldn’t know how to do that, unless it was a comedy,” Pitt laughs, crediting his relationship with Gwyneth Paltrow for initially turning him on to the benefits of proper skin cleansing after an early fealty to Dial soap. “Actually, Sandy [Sandra Bullock] and I did once try to develop a whole idea of a husband-and-wife team who were QVC’s most successful salespeople, but we’re getting a divorce, we hate each other, and we’re taking it out on-air as we sell things. That’s as far as we got.”