Over the past few weeks, rumors have swirled that Hollywood star Brad Pitt is dating “Arrested Development” actress Alia Shawkat. Now, she is finally breaking her silence to address these rumors head-on, and she’s claiming that she and Pitt aren’t actually dating.
“We’re not dating. We’re just friends,” Shawkat told Vulture. “I’ve gotten press, but not like that. Not so uncontrollable.”
Rumors swirled that Shawkat and Pitt were an item after they were seen together at the “L.A. on Fire” art exhibition back in November. Shawkat said she was stunned by how quickly the story that she might be dating Pitt caught on in the press.
“I was like, ‘I don’t believe this,’” she recalled. “All my friends were like ‘What’s going on?’ and sending me photos. I just felt overwhelmed. It’s that feeling of being naked in school, like, ‘Oh my God, everyone’s looking at me.’”
Shawkat went on to explain that she met Pitt through director Spike Jonze.
“We just became friends, and Brad introduced me to his group of friends, and it grew from there,” she said. She then addressed the fact that much of the press surrounding the rumored relationship focuses on what an odd couple they are.
“To them it’s like, ‘We don’t get it! This girl is weird! She’s so different! Why are they hanging out?’” Shawkat said with a laugh. “You get too close to the prom king, and all of a sudden, everyone’s like, ‘Well, who is this b****?’”
Earlier this month, Shawkat found herself in hot water after a video surfaced of her saying the n-word a few years ago. As the backlash grew, the actress soon issued a lengthy apology.
“I am deeply sorry and I take full responsibility,” she said. “It was a careless moment, one I’m ashamed and embarrassed by but vow to continue to learn from. I regret using a word that carries so much pain and history for black people, as it is never a word to be used by someone who is not black. I have been learning so much about what it truly means to be an ally. The voices of black people must be amplified and heard clearly.”
This piece originally appeared in UpliftingToday.com and is used by permission.
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