Brad Pitt appears to have set his sights on the newly minted actress Andra Day. The 57-year-old Academy Award winner was spotted ‘fl!rti*g backstage’ with the singer, 36, at the Academy Awards in April, a source told The Mirror on Saturday.
Pitt’s interest in the rising star comes amid his most recent vict-ory in his ongoing custody battle with his ex-wife Angelina Jolie, 45, in which he scored joint custody. According to the insider, ‘Andra has been on Brad’s radar for a while.’
Pitt reportedly fell under her spell after seeing her on the award cir-cuit leading up to the small-scale Oscars ceremony at Los Angeles’ Union Station, where they allegedly caught up away from the camera’s gaze.
‘They were fl!rt*ng backstage and are believed to have swapped numbers,’ the insider continued. ‘It could be just professional, but some of Brad’s pals have been talking about what a great couple they would make.’ Day first rose to prominence with the release of her acclaimed 2015 R&B album Cheers To The Fall, but she’s become known more recently for her work on the big screen.
Aside from small roles in Marshall and Cars 3 (both 2017), Day’s biggest film to date has The United States Vs. Billie Holiday, in which she plays the legendary jazz singer of the title.
She went all-in for the role in the Lee Daniels–directed film by taking up smoking and starting to drink gin heavily. She confessed to PBS NewsHour in March that, ‘it’s probably one of the most unh*alth* things I’ve done,’ though she thought the substances helped her em-ulate the ‘gravel’ in Holiday’s r*ug* voice.
Br For the role she was awarded a Golden Globe award and was even no*inat*d for an Oscar.
Brad’s alleged meet-up with Day came just weeks before he won a maj-or victory in court when he was granted joint custody of his children with Angelina Jolie.
The decision was report-edly a major bl*w to the actress, as she was upset that the presiding judge didn’t allow her or their children to testify.
One person close to her cla!med she did not object to the custody decision, but to a !ack of ‘care for her family,’ according to Page Six. It was added the star did not feel the court ‘took into account the full set of !ssu-es that aff-ect her family.’
‘The c*st*dy schedule was always determined by the court,’ the source explained. ‘It’s sad that Brad’s people are gloating about a potent!al win when b-eat!ng a system that exists to protect families and children from !ssu-es that ha*m their well-being is not something to b*** about.’
They str-ess** that Jolie wasn’t simply trying to deprive Pitt, 57, of time with his children.’The heart of this d!sput! has not been about keeping the children apart from their father, it’s been Angelina asking for care for her family,’ they continued. ‘Her motivations have never been to deny the children a relationship with their father.’
Co-mp!icat*ng the court ba-ttle between the exes was Jolie’s submission in court of evidence of allegedly domestic abuse by Pitt, which The Bl*** reported she planned to introduce back in March. The all-eged ev!den-ce was recently submitted, but it remains under seal and its ex-act contents are unknown.
The Male-f!c*nt star is reportedly most upset over Judge John Ouderkirk’s decision to not allow her and her six to children testify in the cust-ody hearings.
‘This system is at fault, and Angelina is focused on f!ght*ng a system that does not take into account the full set of !ssu!s that affect her family and other families in this situation,’ the source continued. ‘She’s working ha*d to ensure that other families don’t go through her experience.’
Judge Ouderkirk’s decision may only be temporary, as last year Jolie launched a bid with an appeals court to have him taken off the case because he allegedly failed to disclose business interests he shared with Pitt.
The judge previously officiated the couple’s wedding in 2014. On Thursday, The Sun reported that Brad’s lawyers had made a filing opp-os-ing any delay in the joint cust*dy decision. ‘Any delay would only work grave ha*m upon the children, who will be further denied permanence and stability,’ they wrote in response to her attempts to bl-o-ck the proceedings.
The attorneys added that allowing for a delay would be ‘wholly !nappro*riate.’ Despite Jolie’s f*ry over Ouderkirk’s handling of the cust-ody case, other individuals with knowledge of the cust-ody case contended that the judge made an informed decision based on hours of hearings with experts, including therapists and child service professionals, who had spoken to Pitt and Jolie’s children.
Another insider familiar with the couple’s div-or-ce said Pitt’s goal was always ‘just to spend more time with his children, to make sure they’re healthy, happy and ca*ed for.
‘ In his r*li*g, the judge wrote that Jolie’s statements ‘la-cked credibility in many important areas.’
He added: ‘The existing cust-ody order must be modified in the best interests of the children.’ However, he’s reserving any celebration over the joint cust-ody ruling in case it’s overturned and Ouderkirk is taken off the case.
‘The process isn’t over, and every step of the way Angie has resorted to extreme ta*tics to m!sre-present her story to the media and to dest*** anyone who goes ag-ainst her — therapists, experts and even the judge,’ the source cla!m-ed. ‘And at the end of the day, Angie was found not to be cr*dibl! by all of these people.’
The insider also referenced reports that the Once Upon A Time In Hollywood actor had been involved in a disp-ute on a private jet with his son Maddox, who was 15 at the time.
‘She thought there would be charges brought ag-ainst Brad after the plane incident, she dropped her lawyer Laura Wasser and claimed that Brad owed her millions in support, which was untrue,’ they cla-imed.
They added that Jolie has made her children ‘tools through the court process.’ The Academy Award winner has been known to bring all of her children to her red carpet premieres in the past, and even posed with the children in !nti*ate photos taken at their LA home for British Vogue.